10 I February 13, 2015
The Guilfordian
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WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM/SPORTS
Baseball underdogs ready for season
BY WILLIAM BURTON
Staff Writer
As the weather makes its shift to spring, with warm
temperatures on the horizon, the baseball team is getting ready
to get into full swing. The Guilford College 2015 baseball
season began on Feb. 6 down in Mount Berry, Georgia,
at Berry College. With this comes a lot of excitement and
support for the guys on the team from the Guilford Family.
This season, the Quakers were ranked ninth in the annual
preseason ODAC poll. This ranking is something the Quakers
hope to use as a motivation to start their season.
“We don’t really look into the preseason rankings,” said first-
year pitcher Carter Hicks in an email interview. “Ultimately,
the rankings that matter are the ones that are published at the
end of the year, and we are ready to show what we can do.”
This appears to be a common consensus among the baseball
team.
“I actually don’t mind that we were only ranked ninth,”
said junior catcher Nathan Fulbright in an email interview.
“This way everyone in the ODAC will underestimate our
willingness to win.”
“As a team, it fuels a fire within us to go out to prove
everyone wrong.”
In 2013, Fulbright was a third-team All-ODAC selection,
and he is statistically the second best returning hitter for the
team.
This confidence is something, the players not only have in
themselves but in the team as a whole. It is contagious among
the team, from players to coaches.
I feel good about the team this year,” said head coach Nick
^Jt^l interview. “It is a group of guys that work
extrertiely'hard and grlfl'cRhings out.
“They are a close knit group and have each other’s backs no
matter what the situation.”
Team chemistry is extremely important to the success of
any team. This team appears to have that chemistry that is
needed to win.
“We are very excited about this year,” said Fulbright. “We
have a good squad that believes in one another’s ability, which
I think will lead to success on the field.”
Last season, the Quakers went 19-20 overall and 9-11 in
Guilford's baseball team practiced at McBane Field last week to prepae for the start of the 2015 season, which began on Feb. 6.
the conference. The Quakers are returning five starters from
that team—three fielders, two pitchers. One of these players is
senior outfielder Here Ingles is the team’s returning leading
hitter who hit for a .333 batting average with 7 doubles and
16 RBIs.
Senior Drew Crawford appears to be Guilford’s go-to
ace this season. Last season, he recorded a 5.51 ERA and 21
strikeouts in 49 innings. Seniors Justin Morrison and Avery
Rodgers are two key returning relief pitchers that plan on
making an even bigger impact this season.
The team also hopes to translate their off field success in
the classroom to the diamond. These guys have worked really
hard to manage their time and to balance their studies with
their athletics.
This hard work and dedication are two concepts that Hicks
said that he has learned from being a student athlete.
“The hardest part about being a student athlete is the
fact that you must handle the same things all other students
deal with,” said Hicks. “It is a very rewarding experience but
definitely not easy.”
This baseball season will be an exciting one for not only the
coaches and players, but for the fans as well. As the players
look forward to proving themselves in the ODAC, the fans
look forward to cheering them on this season.
“We need to play solid defense, score runs and pitch well
to be successful this season,” said Fulbright. “If we do all the
little things on the field, then we believe it will transfer to wins
and being able to reach our goals as a program.”
Sunday
Black History
Month 20i.q
Contact mrc@guilford.edu to register for the All Block Everything Symposium
Movie Night
6 p.m. King Hall 127
Contact bus@guilford.edu
for details
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Monday
Mosaic Leadership Series
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Featuring: Senator Floyd B. Mckissick, Jr.
Floyd B. McKissick, III '04
5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Gilmer Room of Cafeteria - Founders Hall
Wednesday
Brothers
and Sisters
in Blackness Welcome
Back Kick Back-
Activism
4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
KingHall127
RridAy-Sunday
Atlanta Civil Rights Tour
Atlanta, Georgia
Contact mrc@guilford.edu to sign up
Wednesday
The Who Is
Black?
Panel Discussion
Power, Colorism &
Identity
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6 p.m.-8 p.m.
I Joseph M. Bryan Jr. Auditorium
Hriday
All Black
Everything
Symposium
Featuring: Sudie Nallo,
professor of social work
at the University of
South Carolina
Saturday
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Brothers and Sisters
in Blackness
Caribbean Dance Party
Time To Be Announced
Community Center
Satu rday ( March )j
Our City Tour: Civil
Rights & Mural Tour of
Greensboro
Only 75 seats available
Contact mrc@guilford.edu
I to sign up
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Sponsors: Multicultural Education Department, African American Sudies, Office of Student Leadership & Engagement, Bonner Center for Community Learning,
Brothers & Sisters in Blackness, CCE-SGA, Student Senate, Center for Prinqpleo Problem Solving, Justice & Policy Studies, Faculty Development
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