The injury-riddled Loyola baseball team will attempt to finish the season off on a positive note as they close in on their final 10 games.

The team has a record of 18-25 on the season. In the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), the Wolf Pack has a record of 4-13.

Doug Faust, head coach, said that the team has not met the expectations that were originally set at the beginning of the season.

However, Faust still remains optimistic for the games that are left in the season.

“We have competed really well with some really good teams but haven’t been able to win the close ones,” Faust said. “This can be attributed to our lack of experience, which will continue to develop over the season.”

The team starts only one senior and only uses two senior pitchers in their usual pitching rotation.

Additionally, the team has had to deal with a number of injuries throughout the season.

“We also have had as many as six pitchers injured over the course of the season, which is difficult to make up for because we play so many games,” Faust said.

One of those pitchers, A.J. Smith, freshman, had his season cut short due to an arm injury that he suffered after pitching two games.

“My freshman season was going well for the two games I got to pitch in before my surgery. I had done my job, pitched strikes and kept the ball low in the zone,” Smith said.

Smith said that once he is done with his recovery program and rehabilitation, he will be able to return during the second half of the season.

Just like his coach, Smith remains hopeful despite the injuries and tough losses that the team has had to endure throughout the season.

“I believe the team has the full potential to meet all of the expectations set forth. It is not so much a question of will it happen, but a matter of when. We are close to achieving great things on this team, but we just need to put pieces together and we will reach our goals,” Smith said.

Abraham White, senior outfielder, said that while the team may struggle at times, their persistence, hard work and discipline continues to drive the team towards a common goal: finishing the season off on a positive note.

“At this point, we’re just trying to win our last couple of series so that we enter the conference playoffs confidently,” White said.

Coach Faust wants his young team to fight hard and play better down the stretch as the team approaches the final 10 games remaining in the 2015-2016 regular season.

“I expect us to continue to compete hard every day and hopefully find a way to win some of the close games. I believe we are another year from being where we want to be as a program,” Faust said.

While it is uncertain as to how well the team will be able to close out the rest of the season, the team’s young talent will continue to keep players and coaches positive for what the future holds.