Samantha Kiessling sakiessling@ursinus.edu
It’s feeling like spring once again and it seems that hopeful energy is in full swing on the Ursinus Baseball team. The season felt like it had a rough start, but the team made sure not to let it stay that way and continued to put the effort in. Their record stands at 13-19 but the players are hopeful, coming off some really crucial and feel-good wins.
On Wednesday, March 15, the team played against Salisbury University. Salisbury is currently ranked at #2 in the country for D-3 baseball; so it was a clear contender for a favorite memory for the Ursinus team that they won the game 6-3! The Bears did not stop there, taking another win against John Hopkins University on April 8th with a score of 6-4. Hopkins is another top team in the country, at #4. “We feel like having 2 top-5 wins in one season is a great achievement, and we’re looking forward to building on those wins as we continue our conference season,” says sophomore Cory Burns. It is really a proud moment for Ursinus and our community seeing our team find success against some powerful teams!
The team did take some time to find its footing. The season started against some good talent while, as Cory describes, the team was “…still knocking the rust off…” as the team had to work to find that groove and their first wins. But broadly speak- ing, the team feels they have really come a long way since that start of the season. It takes a lot to get over the mental block a rough start can provide, but clearly, Ursinus Baseball was able to pull through, taking those wins against some top 5 teams!
Looking forward, the team is keeping its hopes up. The Ursinus team’s main goal for the moment is
to make the Centennial Conference playoffs. With their current standing and the games they have coming up soon, the team is feeling pretty confident. As long as the team keeps working hard and improving, it seems the team can really keep going strong. Cory remarks that an important part to keep improving on is consistency. Putting in the constant effort every day towards their goals should really help to get the team going strong.
The Bears have 8 more games to play against 4 more schools starting today at Swarthmore. Saturday, the team will travel to Carlisle, PA to face off against Dickison. But the team is staying focused, working to be sure to take these must-need wins to reach their goal of conference playoffs. Be sure to cheer on and send your encouragement to the team when you see them! Go Bears!