The Lamar baseball team will open their 2019 season, Feb. 14, against Long Island University Brooklyn at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
This year’s Cardinals feature 21 returning players, including Cole Coker, Logan LeJune, and Ryan Erickson who were 2018 All-Southland Conference members, and 2017 All-SLC player Robin Adames.
Last season, the Cardinals went 19-36 (13-17 SLC) and are looking to improve on that record this year with a 2019 nationally-ranked top-100 recruiting class.
“I think we did a lot of positive things in the second half of the year to get this program the way we wanted it,” head coach Will Davis said. “We got a lot of young players and they played well the second half of the year. We had some good momentum towards the end of the year. Obviously it wasn’t the overall result that we wanted but we accomplished a lot.”
Compared to last season, the Cardinals are looking to a more versatile lineup in pitching, hitting and speed, Davis said.
“This season, I hope that we can put up more wins,” he said. “We have some experienced players which make up most of our team and give us the power we need. In a sense, the team is young because we only have one senior position player. It is a team that we will have the bulk of for the next couple of years.”
Davis said that he is looking forward to seeing how the new players perform, including seasoned players from Division 1 schools.
“We have players like JC Correa, we have another guy by the name of Jorge Gutierrez,” he said. “Gutierrez is a switch-hitting catcher from Texas A&M and he should be a starter for us.
“We have several new guys that will be making an impact. We have a Canadian kid that came to us from Clarendon Community College, Anthony Quirion, a talented kid who will probably play second base for us, and freshman left-handed pitcher Dylan Johnson who will also play a vital role for us.”
Among the returning players is sophomore outfielder Avery George who averaged .305 at bat with 25 hits, including two doubles and one triple.
“I am excited for how this season will turn out,” George said. “I am looking forward to getting back on the field with my teammates and us coming together this year. I feel that the veterans on the team and the new players are mixing well, and our chemistry is through the roof. I think we will have a much better year than we did last year.”
Gutierrez said that he is looking forward to playing with his teammates and showing what he can do on the field.
“I am very excited,” he said. “We’ve got a great group of guys here and the coaches have gotten us really excited for the new season. I have been working really hard and I am expecting to learn new things and grow with this team. I am most looking forward to playing Texas A&M because I transferred from there and know the guys there. It is a very fun stadium to play in and I have played a lot of games there, but not from the visiting side.”
Newcomer JC Correa is the brother of Houston Astro’s shortstop and 2017 World Series Champion, Carlos Correa.
“People think I have pressure because I am Carlos’ brother, but I play my game and I know my role,” Correa said. “I know the talent I have and what I can do to help the team to go to Omaha. That is what the team is practicing for and working hard for as our goal for the season.”
Correa said the Lamar University coaching staff saw his potential.
“I chose Lamar because Coach Davis saw something he liked in me and I really appreciated that,” he said. “He went to my practices at Alvin Community College and went to a couple of my games — for me that means a lot. I want to help this team have a winning season. I want us to finish first or second place and improve on last year’s season.”
Davis said his goals are to make it to the SLC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
“We try to take it one day at a time, I know that is coaching cliché, but it is kind of the way you have to take it,” he said. “The season for us all starts with us beating UIL Brooklyn, and right now we are focused on just them and it will prepare us for the season as a whole.”
First pitch against LIU Brooklyn is set for 6 p.m. Admission is free for students, $5 for adults and $3 for children.
Story by Cade Smith, UP staff writer
