Wolfpack baseball players will soon wrap up their off-season workouts and get ready for their season opener.
In addition to helping to get players back in shape and building team chemistry, the game also provides the coaching staff with an opportunity to evaluate the talent on the roster. Head baseball coach Gerald Cassard said that he is impressed with what he has seen from some of the seniors on the squad. “Ryan Scott and Taylor Domengeaux have been playing their best baseball,” he said. “They have made great strides since last spring.”
Since Loyola graduated three players who were regularly used on the pitching staff, they will be looking for a couple of right-handers to fill a few key spots on the mound. Third base coach Brett Simpson said in an earlier interview that even though he spent a lot of time at shortstop last season, Domengeaux would be spending more time pitching in the upcoming season.
Last season, Domengeaux, a management senior, led the team with 62 innings pitched, and his ERA of 5.37 was second lowest on the team. Cassard plans to rely on Domengeaux as one of his main starting pitchers as he did with Mike Kelly last season, who lead the team in strikeouts and ERA.
In addition to having a starter graduate at the end of last season, the Wolfpack will also be without last year’s closer Kevin Fontenot. But Cassard says he has an idea of who will be coming in to get the final outs of close games. “We’ll probably look to Carl Labit to fill that role,” he said.
Labit, a marketing senior, had an up- and-down season in 2010 with a win-loss record of 2-6 and an ERA of 8.16. Out of 18 appearances on the season, Labit showed an ability to get keep opponents off the scoreboard in short outings. Of his five shutout performances, only one came with him having pitched more than three innings. Since Labit’s new role would require him only to get the last few outs of a game, he will have to continue his success in these short outings.
Cassard expressed overall confidence in his pitching staff, saying, “We return two weekend starters, in Domengeaux and George Smith. And we have some talented freshmen who will add some depth to the staff.” Smith went 2-8 last year with an ERA of 8.31 in 52 innings pitched while staring 12 games.
While Labit and Domengeaux will be called on to shut down opposing batters, marketing senior Ryan Scott will look to be one of the main forces on offense. The outfielder is coming off a season where he led the team in RBI’s and batting average with 45 and .378, respectively. Scott, like all hitters in the NAIA, will have to make some adjustments at the plate to continue his offensive output.
Cassard said that the new bats they will use, which are formatted to perform more like wooden bats, will put more emphasis on small ball and defense. “We should be a better defensive club this year,” he said. “With the new bat standards, base running, bunting and team speed will play a bigger role in our offense.” Scott was also a dependable outfielder last year committing with a fielding percentage of .981 while committing only two errors on the season.
Even though the ‘Pack find themselves in a new conference, the goal for Cassard’s team is still the same. “We want to win a conference championship and qualify for the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament,” he said. But before Loyola starts to play its in-conference schedule, they will host Bresica University. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Jan. 29. Bresica had a record of 21-28 overall and finished second in their conference.
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