By Jackson Keenan, Assistant Editor
After a bounce back season in 2024 the Crusaders Baseball team looks to continue their success from last year.
To continue their success head coach Mike Stawski, is looking to take the season one step at a time going into there first series against Austin College.
“We need to win game one, then we got to win the first series. And then you start talking about having a good first three weeks. That's really when you can kind of figure out who's who,” Stawski said
Going into the season the Cru was placed second in the ASC preseason polls and placed three players on the preseason players to watch list.
On the pitching side, Senior James Mcglumphy was selected as a player to watch after a second team all ASC season where he threw 72 innings with a 2.71 era with almost 60 strikeouts.
When it comes to the pitching staff Stawski commented on how they plan to attack the strike zone.
“Its going to be similar idea of what boys have done, attack the zone, trying to get out early. I think our defense has improved tremendously on the infield and I'd be surprised if many balls dropped in the outfield without good defensive figure out there. it's going to be a matter of the pitcher being confident,” Stawski said.
On the hitters side the Crusaders are returning a lot of talent including preseason players to watch Senior third basemen Rylie Bender and Outfielder Carson Hagan. Bender came off a season where he hit for a .300 batting average with nine doubles and five homeruns. Hagan on the other hand finished the season with a .340 batting average with 46 hits and finished tenth in the nation in stolen bases with 38.
“They've been, they've been good from start to finish. We haven't had too many kinks in that armor and we're really deep. I've said they need to change the rules, because we need to start about 14 guys this this weekend without enough room for everyone in the lineup, which is a good problem to have,” Stawski said.
One of the newest additions to the Cru baseball team is Assistant Coach Steven Ridings who joined the staff after spending three seasons as assistant coach for Messiah University. Ridings was also drafted in the 29th round by the Seattle Mariners and played professionally for the Mariners minor league affiliates and in the frontier league from 2016-2022. This addition has helped the cru out by giving the staff two coaches for pitching while Stawski gets to focus on the offense.
“I gave up the pitching staff and moved over to the hitters and and it's been great. It's been a blessing on both sides of baseball, where he's been able to keep his full undivided attention on the pitchers,” Stawski said.
With many new faces as well as established older ones one of the biggest surprises for Stawski is how the team has meshed up and how all the guys believe in the team.
“This is the most well meshed, gelled group I've had since I've been here at UMHB. And I don't know why. I have my guesses, but I think the guys get along really well, but I think there is a true belief in the group as a whole. And I also think there's a true belief in people, believe in each other individually, that other people have success,” Stawski said
The Cru first game of the season was on Friday at 7 p.m. against Austin college in Sherman TX.
