Baseball season is on the horizon here at Samford, and the Bulldogs look more than ready to take on the competition. After scrimmaging defending national champions Ole Miss last week, Coach Tony David feels that the team has had “a good start to things.”
“[I believe that] being able to test their skill against another team has really increased and intensified the team’s focus,” David said.
The new implementation of scrimmages against other schools rather than simply in-team scrimmages is something that David is highly pleased with.
“The fall can really drag on with just playing your own teammates. It can get stale, so this change in routine was a great way for the team to prepare for our first look at competition this season,” David said.
Next week, the team will face off against Vanderbilt, a traditional college baseball powerhouse, for another scrimmage. The Bulldogs are stacked with a significant amount of talent that David says “has helped breed the best of the best.”
With such a large pool of talent, David said, “There are a lot of guys battling each other for playing time, so everyone has been really bringing their A-game.”
David is delighted with the team’s progress this year, stating that “they’ve been able to keep their pitching intact” along with “maintaining those returning players that were important pieces of the success the team experienced from the previous year.”
While last year was a transition year for the team, the Bulldogs still managed to have the best pitching and a top-two defense in the SoCon. With a deep returning core and a stellar freshman class, David is confident the team will return more potent than ever this season. While David was clear that last year was solely focused on “being the best Southern Conference team,” the Bulldogs now have the tools to take a shot at postseason games. David said he has “full faith” that this team will make it to the regional level and expects great things this season.
Staff Writer (Sports)
