Baseball starts off the season with high hopes

By Kloe Witt kgwitt@my.loyno.edu

The Loyola baseball team is preparing to swing into the upcoming 2023 season with several new players on a team that came one win short of making it to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics World Series last year.

Head coach Jeremy Kennedy said this year’s team is different from previous years, and overall has a great mix of youth and experience to help them succeed.

“We have a lot more maturity,” Kennedy said. “We are a closer group. This team has a lot of experience mixed with freshmen who are very mature for freshmen.”

Entering his third season with the team, junior outfielder and music industry major Kason Cullins said he has witnessed the loss of graduating seniors twice in his career. This year, however, he said he isn’t worried how the new and returning players will play together on the field.

“All thirty-one of us have common goals with one another and wish to see one another succeed,” Cullins said.

“When you mix that in with hard work and talent, you’re putting yourself in a good situation to win.”

In the NAIA pre-season rankings for this season, the team was ranked No. 23 and picked to finish second in the Southern States Athletic Conference. When going into a new season with a ranking this high, Kennedy said he tries not to dwell on it.

“I try not to put expectations on a season,” Kennedy said. “We are trying to stay present for as many pitches as we can.”

Cullins said that the team shares this mindset.

“One thing that really makes our team strong is our ability to not look back into the past or forward into the future, but to remain present in the moment,” Cullins said.

The team will be playing a 3-game against Louisiana State University Alexandria at Segnette Field on Feb. 3 at 5 p.m and on Feb. 4 in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Next ,they will face Dillard University in a 2-game series on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Coast Community College and Meridian Community College in Perkinston, Mississippi on Jan. 31. From here, Llewellyn said the team hopes to have another historic season.

“We have a super solid team going into the season and our expectation is definitely to win the conference tournament,” said the women’s team’s No. 1 doubles player and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American Lucy Carpenter. Carpenter said she is going into the season with high confidence and hopes to take down some of the teams she was not able to last season.

According to Carpenter, the team was able to get experience against players in the fall season that they will play again this spring.

“We were able to get a good idea of the competition and also get some match play in so we’re ready for competition right when we get back for the spring,” Carpenter said.

The fall season helped the team bond, Llewellyn said. With the women’s team having a historic season and the men’s team gaining confidence at their tournament at Dillard in October, Llewellyn said that he looks forward to seeing them carry this momentum into the spring.

“We did great last season in terms of results and the team dynamic. I think this season we’ll have even more energy and support for each other both on and off the court during matches,” Carpenter said.

The team will be back in action on Feb. 7 against the University of New Orleans and on Feb. 11 against Xavier University of Louisiana.