Baseball team

By Suzie Roth
Cardinal Staff

In order to prepare for its home opener, the Saint Mary’s University baseball team took its annual spring trip. In the past, the team has normally headed to Florida, but this year marked a change as the team headed to Phoenix, Ariz.

“The weather was great, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky,” said head coach Nick Winecke. “Arizona has a dry heat, so the weather didn’t wear on the boys either.”

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Getting up at 7 a.m. each day to hit the field was not a problem for these boys, who were eager to play the game they love. The team got to get outside, which was refreshing after months of indoor practices. Winecke said that the players continue to grow and become closer.

The trip did reveal a few areas that still need work, but Winecke said that “overall the team performed well.” He also said that pitching was pretty good, and as the week went on hitting got better.

For Winecke, the best part of the trip was when the team watched Arizona State (who is ranked 5th in the nation) play the University of Kansas. He said that the game was exciting, and the team showed appreciation watching guys of the same age playing at such a high level. Some players simply watched and enjoyed that game, while others analyzed what was going on down on the field. “Some of the guys talked about what was going on and how they would have handled that specific play,” Winecke said.

Winecke mentioned that another great thing from the trip was seeing a lot of players “step up and come through.” This was seen in a game played March 14, when the Cardinals were down two runs after giving up their lead. SMU came from behind with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the game.

The baseball team left Arizona with a 3-4 record. Their home opener was March 26 against Viterbo University.

The SMU softball team recently returned from their spring trip to Arizona. At the Tucson Invitational they ended with a 4-4 record. Their next game is at home on March 29 at 1 p.m. against Carleton College.