As many freshmen go through an awkward adjustment period to fit into their new surroundings, one freshman is making himself at home on Loyola’s infield.

According to third base coach Brett Simpson, criminal justice freshman and Wolfpack infielder Brandon Snow is finding a lot of playing time at shortstop, as management junior, and former shortstop Taylor Domengeaux will see more action on the mound this upcoming season.

“We’ve had to move some guys around because of the losses from last year,” Simpson said when referring to the players that wouldn’t be returning to the team this season. “Taylor is going to pitch more, so freshman Brandon Snow is getting a lot of time at shortstop right now.”

Though the program added two pitchers with this year’s recruiting class, three of last year’s pitchers graduated while one of Loyola pitchers will red shirt this season.

Snow feels very comfortable at shortstop, since shortstop was his primary position throughout high school. “Shortstop was the only position I played in high school,” he said.

Despite this, he has been seeing play in other positions. “I’ve been mixing in a little bit at second base but there isn’t really a difference between second base and shortstop,” Snow said.

The positions are in the middle infield so there are not any major adjustments when switching from one position to the other.

Both the team and Snow have high expectations for his offensive abilities. Every player has his own approach when stepping up to the plate. Some like to look for a certain type of pitch while others look for the ball to be in particular part of the strike zone. But, Snow has a simplified approach. “To be honest I don’t look for either, I just swing,” Snow said.

Snow also said that his relaxed plate approach comes from him being convinced in his ability to swing the bat.

“You just have to stay confident at the plate,” Snow said.

With all the confidence that Snow brings to the plate and to the middle infield, he said that he is not too different from any other guy on the roster. The Wolfpack coaching staff, however, hopes he is more than just another player. In an earlier interview, as Simpson was listing the players that had received playing time, Snow was the only freshmen that he mentioned had received significant time practicing at a position.

Though Snow was not around for the run to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship, Snow is familiar with how it feels to make a tournament run as an underdog. In his sophomore year at Shaw High School in Marrero, La., Snow was part of a team that got on a hot streak and made a run to the state championship game.

While the team lost, Snow believes he gained valuable experience.

Hasani Grayson can be reached at [email protected]