The baseball team has a big target on its back this upcoming season.  The Cougars have won the past four Conference league titles and they are going for their fifth.

The Cougars start with many returning players, having lost three seniors from last year.  The Cougars went 31-15 last year with a .670 pct and 17-4 in the conference with a .810 pct.  winning the Freedom Tournament with a 10-6 win over Manhattanville College.  Making it all they way to the Division three championship, the Cougars fell short when they had a tough loss playing against Wesleyan 6-1. The Cougars are back in the swing of things with their fall season workouts.

Junior catcher Al Reda is ready.

“This season is going to be a good one. We are a young team, which is going to be fun. Having no seniors on the team is going to be tough but we have great leadership throughout the team said Reda.

He said the players are hard-working and hungry for another conference title. “We all have the same goal for this season, and that is to get to the college world series in Appleton, Wisconsin. To get there we are going to stay hungry and keep pushing each other to be the best team in the nation. I’m excited for the season, and ready to make our goal a reality with all of the talent that we have.”

With this positive attitude coming from the junior catcher, this team is right on track, said Jim Tunison,  junior pitcher.

“I think that we have a pretty solid team. We have a lot of experienced returners and a lot of talented freshman. I’m excited to see how things start to take shape over the next few months,” said Tunison. “I think our returners and coaches realize what it takes to compete at the higher levels and if we continue to work hard there is no reason why we can’t continue to have success.”

The lack of seniors will not be an issue for this team this year because of returners such as junior catchers Al Reda and  Jim Tunison.

Junior first baseman Miles Westrich  said he believes a good junior class will help this team to another title. “We’re in an unusual situation with having zero seniors on the team, but I think there is plenty of leadership throughout the sophomore and junior classes,”  Westrich said.  “While some of the returning players have more in-game experience than others, no single player is viewed above the rest, and each one will contribute their part towards winning another championship.”

With off-season lifts already on their way, Wetrich said any rough patches in the past are gone.

“Along with that, the team will not be satisfied with only winning another Freedom Conference Championship. We have our eyes set on making an impact on the national level, and making it all the way to the College World Series,” said Wetrich.”