Spring may not feel like it’s in the air, but the DePauw University baseball team began their season on Sunday afternoon against Manchester University. Manchester scored in double digits in both games, defeating the Tigers (11-4, 10-3). DePauw University is now 0-2 on the season.
“I think these first two games showed that we have the talent but just need to be more consistent,” said junior Lucas Italiano. “We need to go nine innings with pitchers throwing strikes and hitters having quality at bats.”
The Tiger’s hitting in the first game wasn’t the cause of the loss. “Regardless of the score, we hit the ball well in the first game,” said sophomore Ryan Grippo. “Unfortunately, we weren't able to capitalize and left a lot of runners on base, but it was encouraging to put up 15 hits in the first game of the season.”
Grippo along with seniors Collin Henry and Ryan Allee had three singles in a row in the first inning, and Allee’s hit brought Henry in for the score. After Italiano got walked, Grippo scored as well.
“I think we had a lot of hits this weekend and some people that looked really good at the plate, just need to have a but better timely hitting,” said Italiano.
Sophomore Mike Hammel had a single, double and homerun over the span of the two games this weekend. “I got out on a quick start by focusing on barreling up the ball and not doing too much. My single, double and home run came from just seeing the ball and making solid contact,” he said.
The hitting, while good, wasn’t the only positive take away. “I also think we played good defense which will help us a lot throughout the season,” said Italiano.
Hammel agreed, discussing his personal play, saying “I fielded my position well by having good ground balls produced by our pitchers and good turns in the middle.”
While the losses were disappointing, the Tigers refuse to be phased. “This weekend showed us that we're not quite where we want to be yet,” said Allee. “It was only the first 2 games out of 40, so we're not looking too much into it, but we do know that there are areas in our game to improve on in practices and in games going forward.”
After winning the North Coast Athleti Conference championship last year, the Tigers are confident that they have another positive season ahead. “Our first goal is to get back to the conference tournament and repeat as champions. Hopefully, we can build on last season’s success and also win a regional. I believe we have the talent and the leadership to make a run and get to the college world series,” said Grippo.
The Tiger’s run for a back to back NCAC title continues tomorrow against Anderson. Said Hammel, “We are preparing for Anderson on Wednesday by staying focused at practice to execute on the mound and at the plate, as well as hitting the weight room hard to recover from the two games over the weekend.”
The game is a double header, starting at 4 p.m.