The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    New faces and new expectations

    Junior pitcher Mason Knopp is one of 17 new additions to the Lions this 2018 season. Jonathan Rhodes/The Lion’s Roar

    The Lions baseball team has started their fall practice for the upcoming 2018 season. The team played three intrasquad scrimmages and will be finished with fall practice in the annual Heart of a Lion World Series scrimmage.

    Head Coach Matt Riser believes it is too early to make any predictions on the team but there is some work to be done during fall practice this offseason.

    “We definitely passed the eye test,” said Riser. “We got some guys that are physical and athletic, but we talk a lot, especially with this club that talent only takes you so far. Them learning how to play our system, our speed and our mentality is going to take some time. It’s early, and we have a lot of new guys trying to learn how to play Lions baseball.”

    There are 17 newcomers to the Lions roster. Seven of the players are straight from high school, nine of them are former junior college players and only one player transferred. Riser wants to use the scrimmages during fall practice to get the newcomers comfortable with the Lions style of play and the culture of the program.

    “The thing is they have never been held to this type of standard or this type of accountability,” said Riser. “They think they can do it on game day but not on practice day or intrasquad day. They are starting to realize real fast that they are gonna be held accountable in every rep that they do.”

    The veteran players are almost outnumbered by the newcomers, which could make it difficult for the vets to show strong leadership the same way it’s been done in previous seasons.

    “The group of seniors we had last year in all honesty was one of my favorite groups to coach just because they were that tough, hard-nosed group that just refused to lose,” said Riser. “They led by example. This new group is outnumbered with the new guys, but that challenges them even more to take a step forward in their leadership role. Normally, we have about nine or 10 new guys. They have almost doubled the amount, so it’s going to take twice the effort and twice the focus. They are definitely the guys up for the challenge. They got to understand that they are the ones to set the tone for the guys coming in.”

    Redshirt junior Kade Granier is glad to be back on Alumni Field and getting ready for the season with his teammates. Granier understands the position he and his veteran teammates are in this season and the role he now must step in.

    “We got a lot of new faces out here,” said Granier. “We got to show the ropes and show them what it takes to play baseball here at Southeastern. It’s awesome to be back out here playing the game we love. It’s always good to get back to the field.”

    The Lions have appeared in the NCAA Regionals the past two seasons but have not moved past the first round. The players know that the expectations are higher than before, and they want to surpass what has been accomplished in the past.

    “We owe a lot of credit to the guys that came before us who built this program,” said junior pitcher Corey Gaconi. “It’s our duty to give them credit and keep building and keep getting better each year and every year until we are dog piling in Omaha. I think we understand that, and new guys get that. Coach Riser is definitely going to get us ready for that. As long as we have the right mindset and play hard, I think we have a good chance.”

    The Lion’s regular season starts on Feb. 16 against SIU-Edwardsville at Alumni Field.

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