In the midst of the Fall season, certain sports teams are already looking toward the month of March. For baseball, softball, and men and women’s lacrosse, the Fall serves as a critical part of their seasons.
Cory Meixner bats in DePauw's final fall scrimmage Tuesday.
C THAMBUNDIT / THE DEPAUW
The baseball team improved immensely last year from their losing season in 2013, going 25-21 and winning Conference.
They’re still hungry and they aren’t comfortable with having just another “good year,” head coach Jake Martin said of his players. “They want another championship.”
Junior pitcher Jack Peck couldn’t agree more.
“It’s important to never be satisfied with previous success because we have bigger goals of winning our regional and making it to the College World Series,” Peck said.
Fall ball for baseball ended this past Tuesday. For the last four weeks the team had been playing inter-squad games and working on things such as batting practice, outfield and infield drills, throwing progression, and pitcher specific practice.
“During the practices we do what we would normally do in the spring season,” sophomore designated hitter Ryan Hurston said. “It is important to showcase what we have done this summer. It is clear to coaches and players who has worked during the summer and who has not."
The softball team also shared the satisfaction of winning conference, going an overall 27-20 with an impressive 13-3 record in conference play.
“Fall workouts are instrumental in setting the tone for the spring season,” junior infielder/outfielder Jennifer Ridge said. “We use our limited practice days to introduce new fundamentals and drills, as well as start experimenting with where people may play in the spring.”
One of the most interesting parts of fall ball is watching how first-years respond to it all. Apart from being immersed in an entirely different program, they find themselves surrounded by new people who they will soon be calling their teammates.
Head softball coach Erica Hanrahan has always paid close attention to making the first-years feel welcomed into the program.
“We want to maintain our extremely well-oiled team chemistry amongst our players and our coaching staff first and foremost,” she said.
While the well-established baseball and softball programs look to build on last year’s success, the men’s and women’s lacrosse programs remain a different story, having only been started up three years ago.
Despite each team undergoing a losing season last year, DePauw lacrosse is more determined than ever to use it as motivation for the spring.
“As a team we want to win more conference games, and avenge some of the losses from last year,” sophomore defender Joe Ross said.
The men’s team struggled overall in North Coast Athletic Conference play last season, going 1-6.
But like any other Spring team, men’s lacrosse is using the Fall as an opportunity to get things right.
“We’re just trying to get the basics down in terms of terminology, lingo, and how practice is structured,” head coach Carl Haas said. “It’s a reminder for the returning players, and for the freshman, it’s an introduction to how we do things.”
Men’s lacrosse looks to eventually develop an alumni program, giving varsity the chance to play against them in practice.
After going 3-10 last season, women’s lacrosse is using the Fall season to face real competition. The team will head off to Park Tudor high school Sunday to play in a fall tournament with Franklin College, Trine University, and Hanover College.
“I find [the scrimmages] very beneficial, especially since we have it close to the beginning of the year,” first-year goalie Liz Hawkins said. “Fall ball is a fun way to get our sticks back in our hands without the pressure of the season.”
After seeing her team go 3-10 last season, head coach Julie Sargent has big expectations for her squad.
“We definitely want to place top four this year and go to the Conference tournament,” Sargent said. “We want to compete.”
Although it’s only October, the offseason grind for Spring sports teams has already begun.
