Spotlight: Club Baseball

A lot of students have desires to revamp their sports careers. Club teams offer that opportunity. Club baseball had their first scrimmage this weekend against Sacramento State University with a double header on Saturday and a game on Sunday. This was an important series to see where the strengths and weaknesses of the team are. SSU dropped the first game to Sacramento 24-1 and the second one 14-5. 

The season begins in spring and the Seawolves will be playing schools all over the state. SSU will play schools like Chico, San Jose, UC Davis and others. The season starts Feb. 6, 2023. 

Every year more and more students join the team from all different ages. Jake Morrissey, senior and communications major, joined the team this semester. He started at shortstop two out of the three games this past weekend. When asked how he felt about his performance this weekend he said, “This weekend was a wake up call for sure. We made a lot of errors and we couldn’t get in a groove. Sacramento is a really good team, but we could have beat them for sure.”

He went on to add, “I think it's important to get out there and play good teams so we can see where we are as a team. We have a lot of work to do, but I’m sure we’ll be ready for next semester.” 

In an interview with the STAR Morrissey was asked how the loss felt and what his emotions were while he was playing and he said, “It’s very demoralizing when a team can put up eight or nine runs in an inning. Makes it seem impossible to come back. Morale is a big part of baseball and when you steam rolled by a team like that, it’s very demoralizing.” 

The team is composed of 16 members each bringing their own unique talent to the field. Their depth will help them be flexible throughout the upcoming season. This weekend proved just that. The team was able to work with two lineups for each game. Giving players the opportunity to play half the first game and then half of the next. 

When asked how he is approaching the upcoming season, third year and business administration major Noah Portillo said, “My approach is pretty simple. I’m going to work my tail off this semester and practice as much as the weather allows me. I just want to be in perfect shape so we can get out there and win as many games as we can.” 

The club team will continue to work this offseason and gain a sense of confidence walking into the 2023 season. Their first game will be Feb. 6, 2023 against South Pacific, at Sonoma State. The games are played on the varsity field at Rancho Cotate High school located right behind the Zinfandel dorms.