With men’s and women’s basketball season in full tilt, the beginning of winter also signals the start of Wolfpack baseball. Last year’s team finished with an overall record of 15-36 and a conference record of 5-13 with the highlight of the season coming with a late sweep of the University of Mobile.

In addition to the under .500 record, the team also lost two of its statistical leaders: pitcher and shortstop Tyler Domengeaux and leftfielder Ryan Scott. Both were in their fourth and final year of eligibility, and while Domengeaux graduated, Scott is still a marketing senior at Loyola.

Domengeaux led all pitchers on the squad last season with an ERA of 4.82 and most innings pitched with 93.1. He was third on the team in batting average with an average of .285.

Scott led the team in batting average with an average of .325 and in slugging percentage with .462 percent. He was second on the team in runs batted in with 34 RBI.

Despite the losses to the team, head coach Gerald Cassard realizes that the team has to move on. “Both were great players. We need our underclassman and transfer (students) to step up and fill their shoes. We have very capable young men that can do the job for this year’s team,” Cassard said.

Cassard said that the experience that many of the returners gained from last season will help them to understand the little things that the team needs to do in order to win the Southern States Athletic Conference.

Two of these returners who may have a great impact on the roster this season are management junior and catcher Bradley Brunet and criminal justice sophomore Brandon Snow.

Brunet is returning as the starting catcher on the roster, which is one of the more difficult positions on the field. This is because a catcher directs defensive plays within the infield and also calls pitches for the pitchers, meaning he must know the strengths and weaknesses of the pitchers on the roster.

Snow, who was third on the team in batting average last season, is returning as an infielder.

Wolfpack baseball started with two doubleheaders against Central Christian College on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. The Wolfpack won all four games against the Tigers with a walk-off hit in the first game from marketing senior Lucas Wendt and two shutout wins on Saturday by pitchers Matt Ditsworth, management junior, and George Smith, business senior.

Etefia Umana can be reached at [email protected]