By Hope Eckley, Staff Writer
The Jets baseball team is preparing to travel to Texas on Friday to kick off the 2020 season.
Team members said they are eager to get the season rolling. However, the weather is playing a factor in the amount of preparation they are able to get for the season, coach Drew Maus said.
The baseball team scrimmaged Friends University on Jan. 17 in cold weather conditions. They were able to perform well, giving the coaches high expectations for the season ahead, Maus said.
Senior shortstop Devin Beard said he is excited to get the season started.
“I am really looking forward to the beginning of the season to see how the team is going to respond in an actual game instead of just a scrimmage,” he said. “It is easy to perform well in a scrimmage, but it is completely different when the pressure is on.”
Heading into the season, Maus said, he believes the team has an advantage due to the amount of experience it has.
“We have a bunch of upperclassmen. If one of them does not perform well, we will be able to have another upperclassmen step in instead of having to go to a freshman who does not have the same experience,” Maus said.
The team will be in a new conference which will bring more competition, along with a fresh start for the baseball team, Maus said.
“The team is going to finally see what good baseball looks like. These teams are going to come with a different attitude,” Maus said.
Teammates have bonded and have grown, he said. They enjoy being around each other and bring a different type of energy to every practice.
“Going into the new conference, I feel like there are going to be ups and downs. There are going to be games where we have to fight till the very last pitch to win,” Beard said.
Maus said he wants his players to do their best.
“I just want them to play fast, to play hard, and to just be good at everything we do,” Maus said.
PHOTO: Courtesy Photo, Newman Athletics.
