The Wilfrid Laurier University baseball team has started the season strong by winning four out of their first five games.
The strength of the pitching staff has been put on display and it has been the main catalyst for the Hawks’ success so far.
One of the best pitchers on the team, Kyle Symington, has been a bright spot and he is building on what was a very impressive rookie year last season.
“I found that the baseball forces you to manage your time and keep your days structured. When you’re on the field those three hours a night during the week, it’s just all baseball. That’s what prepared me for the games on the weekend and that’s why I did so well,” Symington said.
Expectations are high for the Hawks and the depth of this Hawks team should elevate them above their competition.
Getting off to a hot start is a great sign for this team.; it shows that last season’s disappointing playoff exit hasn’t had too much of a negative impact on the team chemistry.
“I don’t think anyone has forgotten about last year. We did view it as a disappointment. But even our preseason timely didn’t go the way we would’ve liked, Symington said.
“Winning three out of four early on was definitely big, especially with a lot of new players on the team this year.”
“Sophomore slump” is a term that is often thrown around in sports, indicating the inevitable drop in performance of players in their second year.
However, Symington has shown no signs of slowing down; he only seems to be getting better.
The business major mentioned how important it was for him to get so much playing time in his first year with the team.
“Having a year under my belt and having the opportunity to play as much as I did kind of puts me at ease going into this season. I know what to expect and I’m able to focus on the opponent instead of worrying about playing time,” he said. “With as young of a group as we have, a leadership role is just thrust upon you maybe earlier than you would’ve expected, so I’m thankful to have played as much as I did last year.”
Under Scott Ballantyne, the Hawks have consistently been a playoff team.
Year in, year out, this team is a playoff contender and in 2013 they were even able to put it all together to become OUA champions.
Although last season was a disappointment, this is still a very well-rounded team that once again shouldn’t have any problems reaching the postseason.
Expectations are high for the Hawks and the depth of this Hawks team should elevate them above their competition.
“The expectation is definitely to make the playoffs and perform well once we get there. Coach Ballantyne has set the team up well to perform down the stretch, with the amount of recruits he brought it and with the depth he’s developed, Symington said.
This has historically been a pitching dominant team and we have a good pitching staff again this year. You add some timely hitting and there’s no reason we can’t do something special this year.”
