The Tigers baseball team will once again return to the diamond field beginning Feb. 15 as spectators look on, with maybe Cracker Jack and iced tea in hand.
Baseball is just around the corner, and the Tigers are turning to the next page in its program after a long and dreadful past season. They lost their best pitcher and captain, Jonathan Bowlan, and their second-best slugger Tyler Webb to the major leagues, yet still returned with a talented trio in shortstop Alec Trela, third baseman Cale Hennemann and first baseman Kyle Ouellette.
Head coach Daron Schoenrock believes that making it to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, is a real possibility this time around.
“It’s 40 degrees, so the last thing on your mind is Omaha,” Schoenrock said. “But our team, they have talked about that word a lot more. There’s a lot of big, big steps to get there, and what we do as coaches is we try to let them have those dreams and let them have those goals, but then slice them into what’s important to do today. You see ‘TOM’ on ourselves, and it means, ‘Today’s opportunities matter.’”
Infield stars
With Bowlan playing at the next level, it is up to Trela, Hennemann and Ouellette to be the new captains to sail this ship in the direction they want to go in. Of the three guys, Trela is the one who had a great year out when it came to hitting. He averaged team-high .398 slugger percentage and lead the Tigers both in home runs (seven) and in RBIs (39). Hennemann led in batting percentage with .299 and had the third-highest slugger percentage on the team with .353 percent. Ouellette contributed to the team in batting with .264 percent and the fourth-best slugging rate at .341 percent. This trio could potentially lead the Tigers to the postseason, but they all have to play with the same energy they did last year and capitalize on their opportunities this coming season to get out the American Conference.
Pitching
Pitching is another area where the Tigers will have to fill the void not only left by Bowlan, but also by Blake Bennett, who is playing in the majors as well.
Pitching will be a huge factor this year, as the new starter on the mound will likely be the versatile senior left-hander Hunter Smith from Brandon, Mississippi. Smith recorded a team-leading 3.08 ERA over 64 1/3 innings pitched. He also posted a 3-2 record and a team-high two saves. He struck out 63 batters to only 15 walks, and his opponents batted an overall .250 against him.
Behind Smith will be his senior teammate Alex Hicks. He logged 57 1/3 innings pitched and posted a 6.44 ERA. He struck out 51 batters to 19 walks. These two guys will lead the way for Schoenrock, but he also has brought back a lot of depth from last year as well.
This group will be the most watched because of the previous star powers that left, so the team is adapting the “next man up” mindset as they head into the spring training, beginning with Hicks and Smith.
Overall
This team finished with 20-32 and 5-19 in conference play last season, which landed them in last place. They were picked to finish last in the most recent AAC preseason poll, leaving the Tigers with a huge chip on their shoulder. The Tigers are hoping to get the ball rolling with an opening weekend series victory against the Indiana Hoosiers, who have played in the NCAA tournament in five of the last six seasons.
