Tiger Baseball Season Preview
by: John Hobart ‘10Picked 6th in preseason poll, baseball team looks to repeat 2005 ODAC championship
The 2010 Tiger baseball team is looking forward to a successful season led by a strong group of seniors. After having only three seniors last year, this year’s squad boasts nine seniors who should all play large roles in the team’s success. Apart from the Tigers’ experience, another strength will be their ability to produce offensively. Senior Captain Ben Brawley will serve as the team’s primary designated hitter and he “feels that (the team) has a pretty potent offensive lineup and has played steady defense throughout the fall and spring.”
Hampden-Sydney was picked 6th in the preseason ODAC poll, with Lynchburg at the top with four first place votes. The Tigers did pick up a first place vote and if Brawley had a vote, they might have another. Brawley notes that the team “has always relished the underdog role, and it’s no different this season. We think we can compete with anyone, and we hope to prove it.” In 2005 the Tigers reached the NCAA Division III World Series after being picked sixth in the preseason poll, and they will look to repeat that feat this year. The first step to the World Series is an ODAC Championship, and this experienced team knows what it takes to make that happen. “There are 9 seniors on the team,” said Brawley “and our goal all 4 years has been to get an ODAC championship. We believe this is our year.”
The Tigers started out the season with an impressive victory at Christopher Newport, something this team had yet to accomplish. The team was led by three of those experienced seniors as Hampden-Sydney got two strong innings on the mound a piece from John West and Ryan Daniel. Alan Appling contributed at the plate by scoring two runs and ripping a bases clearing triple down the left field line with the bases loaded. Junior Zach Harrelson also got in on the action going 3-5 with one run and one RBI. The Tigers defeated CNU 8-5.
Junior Zach Harrelson notched one run and one RBI in the season’s first game.
As they continue to get their season rolling, the Tigers will host the Floyd B. Wilcox tournament this weekend. Coach Jeff Kinne and his team will welcome Moravian, Rutgers-Camden, and Waynesburg to the Hill this weekend and would love the support of the student body. In a message to the Tiger faithful Brawley explained how the team “greatly values the support of the students, from the clan on the top of the hill in left field to the fans on the hillside. We hope that H-SC students will continue to come out and support us.”
Brawley would also like Tigerball fans to mark some important games on their calendars saying “We play Washington and Lee on March 27th. We have developed a huge rivalry between us, because we always see each other in the tournament. Their school is a lot like ours and the rivalry carries over onto the field. It also just so happens they are defending ODAC champions. The April 6th game against Lynchburg is also a huge game. We really don’t like each other, and we want the fans to be there to let them know it.”
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