The baseball team is back on campus for fall ball practices, working towards another playoff run in the spring.
The baseball team is back on campus after a long summer break. Since their return to campus, fall ball has officially started with practices six days a week. During these practices the coaches and returning players are working to instill the core values of the team into the freshmen and transfers. They are also working to make it back to another playoff spot.
“Close to 300 teams begin the journey each year and if everyone measured success based on winning their final game, there would be much disappointment out there,” Loren Torres, baseball head coach, said.
He wants to ensure that every single player that wears a Point Park Baseball uniform not only becomes a better baseball player but a better man on and off the field.
“We appreciate the parts that make the whole possible and concentrate on relationships while striving to win every game we play,” Torres said.
Throughout the 2023 season, including winning the River States Conference and making it just one game away from the NAIA World Series, the entire team banded together to be able to make it as far as they did.
“It was never just one person; it was truly a team effort. Every single player on the field has helped us and was successful at multiple points throughout the year,” Jordon Campbell, senior catcher and former All-Conference Second Team Award recipient, said.
One of the main themes that Torres focuses on is synergy, and the success that comes from a group of nine men working as one on the field and not as individuals. Although their original goal was to win the conference, which they did, they also aspired to make it to and win the World Series.
“I wouldn’t change anything about last year because, with last year, we all encountered adversity to get us to that point,” Campbell said. “And with adversity came lessons that I don’t think any of us would’ve learned otherwise.”
Dealing with adversity is one of the most beautiful parts about the sport. You fail so often that you have no choice but to learn from it and correct where you went wrong so that you do not make the same mistake again.
As previously stated, the team fell just one game short of reaching the NAIA World Series. Losing your last game of the season is never a fun way to end the journey that countless hours of work have been put into. The only thing the team can do now is focus on what is ahead, which is currently the 2023 season.
“We are staying with our process and culture as we feel that is one of our strengths…We are also trying to bring along a larger group of pitchers in an effort to possibly have more depth on the mound,” Torres said.
Pitching depth appeared to be one of the weaknesses of the 2023 Pioneers, according to pointparksports.com, and the majority of the innings were taken up by Sebastian Rodriguez, Easton Klein and Javier Cardoso. Torres is hopeful that the new transfers and freshmen arms will bring the depth on the mound that they lacked in the postseason.
Point Park Baseball might not always be a dominant powerhouse team within the NAIA; however, they will show their grit and determination on the field any chance that they can get.
When asked about continuing the tradition of being one of the winningest programs in NAIA baseball, Torres said, “we are going to continue to out-hustle and out-prepare our opponents with a relentless pursuit of excellence, which is the never-ending result of always trying to get better.”
While clearly Coach Torres has his eyes set on another championship-caliber team, he is certainly not distracted by the shiny trophies or the recognition that comes with winning. He is more focused on getting better every single day, which attributes to his great success as a coach.
“Time will tell what the 2024 season will be like; every team has a different identity, and the sooner we figure out what that is, the sooner we can find success on the scoreboard,” Torres said. “But true success comes from the desire to ‘stand tall at the final out.’”
The schedule for the baseball team has not yet been released but will start in the spring semester.
“Be sure to come support us during home games and bring your friends,” Campbell said. “You’ll see firsthand how much fun we have on the field together as we try to defend our conference title.”
