Over the years, USU-CEU men’s baseball team has not done as well as many have hoped. Some years they have great pitching, some years they have great hitting. They have not really put both aspects of the game together, that is until this year.
It’s possible that some of their success could be attributed to a milder winter allowing the team to practice outside since coming back from Christmas break.
В
The beginning of this year didn’t start out looking as positive as the Eagles would have liked, when they found themselves coming off of a 2-9 start in five days the first week of February in Arizona. They played Central Arizona College, Gateway College and Yavapai College.
Both Central Arizona College and Yavapai College rank in the top 25 schools in the nation. Yavapai also has a pitcher who throws a 95 mph fast ball.
But since returning home, the Eagles have won two straight home games to bring their record to 4-8, and bring up their spirits as well.
On Feb. 18, the Eagles baseball team took the field against the Snow College Badgers. The Eagles dominated the Badgers, winning the first game 10-0 in the bottom of the 5th, after Mitch Cowden hit the game’s sole home run.
The second game of the double header brought a feeling of deja vu for the Eagles. Once more the Badgers failed to have a hit or score a run, even after the Eagles gave up 11 walks, and still won 8-0.
The Eagles start conference play this weekend when they face off against the College of Southern Idaho on Friday, March 4, at noon and 2 p.m.
CSI ranks second in the Scenic West Athletic Conference with a 5-4 record. They also have the highest team batting average in the SWAC of .302, and the second lowest earned run average of 4.31.
These high standing in the conference do not intimidate the Eagles. “I’m excited for us to win more games” said Colby Tidwell, one of 13 pitchers for the Eagles.
“We have to stay focused throughout the whole game, and we have to work as a team if we want to beat CSI,” said Tidwell. “As long as we stay focused and take advantage of the errors that they make, we can win.”
The games are free to attend for CEU faculty, staff and students. The field is located at 1100 East and 900 North.