Led by the prolific hitting of captain Jeff Maier ’06 and Chris Simpson ’08, as well as contributions from pitcher Andre Sternberg ’07, the baseball team finished its first 15 games 6-8-1. The team was playing in California and Arizona on their annual spring break trip.
In “The Rhythm of Baseball,” Head Coach Mark Wordworth writes: “Baseball forces the athlete to learn to deal with adversity and success, to make quick physical and mental adjustments, to focus on the present, and to wrestle with new emotions never before experienced.”
The baseball team’s spring break is annually the ultimate manifestation of these challenges. The team plays its first 11 games in a 14-day period against a set of teams that have been practicing for over a month longer than the Cardinals.
“Playing outside in California and Arizona is very different from playing in the field house,” said Daniel Poniatowski ’08. “We [were] forced to get acclimated to the outdoor conditions as we played the games.”
Luckily for Wesleyan, the offense hit proficiently from the start of the trip. The team averaged over eight runs per game throughout the trip including a 16 run barrage in one victory versus UMass Dartmouth and an 18 run output versus Occidental College.
Designated hitter Simpson and Maier at third base have been the catalysts for the offense. Maier, who is just four hits from setting Wesleyan’s career hits record, has led the team in batting with an average of .397. Simpson, a sophomore who saw little time his freshman season due to injuries, leads the team with totals of three home runs and 19 RBI respectively.
“Having the opportunity to play and contribute to the team’s success this season has been great,” said Simpson. “Hopefully we’ll continue to improve as a team as the season goes on. We just need to take things game by game, at bat by at bat, pitch by pitch, one day at a time. In other words: swagger.”
The first half of the baseball season has also yielded some terrific pitching performances. Sternberg has emerged as a legitimate number one starter averaging over eight innings per start with an era under three. Freshman Jonathan Sargant and Junior Brian Mahr lead the team with paper thin ERA’s as relief pitchers.
Since the team has returned home, results have been mixed. A 12-8 victory over Coast Guard was the highlight of the recent week, but the weekend series versus Amherst has left the Cardinals with work to do if they want to once again qualify for the NESCAC tournament. A game at home on Wednesday against Western New England College along with three games this weekend versus Middlebury should give the team ample opportunity to work toward this goal.
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