With returning experience and added dimensions to the team, the Longwood baseball team looks to be a threat in upcoming 2018 campaign.
“Our goal is always to win a conference championship,” said Longwood baseball head coach Ryan Mau.
The season begins on the road for the Lancers as they take on the Auburn Tigers from the Southeastern Conference in a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 16. The team will then travel home for another three-game series against Niagara beginning on Feb. 23.
Starting the year on a positive note is of great importance to the team as the college baseball schedule is a non-stop grind from Feb. to May.
“We try to play some good competition up front and challenge ourselves at a high level with a big name opponent. I don’t want the Big South to be a shock to us at all, so we open up at Auburn in a hostile environment. Our guys are very excited to head down there,” said Mau.
During the offseason, sophomore pitcher John Gregory, senior outfielder Sammy Miller, senior outfielder Justin Mitchell, junior pitcher Cody Boydstun, redshirt junior outfielder Eric Crain, redshirt junior outfielder Jawan McAllister, sophomore shortstop Antwaun Tucker and senior outfielder Ryan Shull all took part in college summer leagues to prep for the upcoming season.
“Baseball is baseball; if you love it you’re going to go through all the taxing situations,” said Miller. “We need to keep it even; we cannot get too high or low on ourselves. The season is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Miller, who led the Morehead City Marlins with 50 total hits during the summer, is one of seven seniors on this year’s team.
Fellow senior Mitchell, who had a great deal of success with the West Virginia Miners over the summer, was named to the 2017 Prospect League All-Star team. Last year, in his first season at Longwood after transferring from the Junior College ranks, Mitchell finished tied for the lead on the team in home runs with three.
“If all of us just stay consistent with ourselves and just trust each other then I feel like it’s going to be a very successful year,” said Mitchell.
After playing with the Harrisonburg Turks over the summer, Gregory says he feels as confident as ever heading into his sophomore season.
“I got into a really good groove (in Harrisonburg), coming off the summer I had,” said Gregory. “Everyone here working very hard just boosts my confidence even more. I feel like we will be a force to be reckoned with this season.”
Mau was pleased with his players who strived to better their game before the start of the new season, even with time constraints.
“A lot of guys went off and not only played, but with the free time they had without class demands, got after it and made huge strength gains,” said Mau. “The inexperienced players were able to go out and get more opportunities that they weren’t maybe able to get in the spring which is always good.”