Baseball team looks toward 2011 season
By: Nick Herrin
-Staff Writer-
The outfield grass is as rough as sand paper, the infield harder than concrete, and a runny nose quickly becomes a popsicle around an upper lip. No matter which way it’s looked at it, baseball simply isn’t ideal in the winter.
However, the cold hasn’t stopped the STLCC-Meramec Magic baseball team from preparing for the upcoming season this spring. The squad has hired trainers and has been meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at St. Louis Baseball and Fastpitch Academy, working out and taking batting practice. Individually, players like catcher Ben Smith have been taking things one step at a time and are trying to stay healthy.
“I’ve been working hard, eating right and trying to take care of my body,” Smith said.
According to Smith, The Magic seek the most improvement this season from their pitching staff. Former triple-A pitcher for the Texas Rangers Lance Sherman has been hired as the Magic’s new pitching coach and has been crucial to the development of pitchers such as Nate Goeke.
“He knows his stuff. He broke all the pitchers mechanics down and in doing so made them more mechanically sound and consistent,” Goeke said.
Pitcher Hank Williams Jr. agrees that Sherman has been a heavy influence.
“My personal goals are to be a solid, all around better pitcher, because we’ve been working on my change-up,” Williams said.
For now, the Magic will continue to work out and practice baseball drills, preparing for their first game at noon on Feb. 27 at Meramec against the Webster University Gorloks.
In the short term, Ben Smith said the team is looking ahead to upcoming games against Maple Woods Community College, Baton Rouge Community College and Jefferson College, adding that Jefferson College “is a big game, not one we want to lose.”
“Obviously, the ultimate goal is win the national championship,” Smith said. “There’s not a player on this team who doesn’t think we can do it.”
