Baseball season is upon us, and with it the smell of peanuts, hot dogs and excitement is in the air.
The beginning of this baseball season is looked upon with nervous excitement, especially with the emergence of the omicron variant, but that has not slowed down any of our Crusaders.
According to Anthony Maldonado, a senior business major on the baseball team, the team is tight-knit and poised to excel. He commented: “I can honestly say that I have never been a part of a team where every player is close to one another. Every one of us mesh well together and that type of ‘family’ bond we have definitely translates on the field with this year’s team.”
Colby Fuller, a senior business major, expressed similar feelings, saying, “I am counting down the days till the first game on February 5th! Our team is a younger team than years prior with plenty of talent to hopefully make it well into the post-season.”
It looks as if the pandemic hardship of the last couple years has only brought these men closer and made them a more cohesive team. They look forward to the upcoming season with great anticipation for the future.
Despite baseball only being a spring sport, these boys work hard year round perfecting their technique.
Fuller remains hopeful for the upcoming season. “I am looking forward to the new memories and moments that will be made with the team as we travel to other cities and the games we play here at home. I am hoping this season will draw in big crowds to see our games as the restrictions that were in places years prior have begun to fade!”
Maldonado shares Fuller’s sentiments. He shared: “ I think that with the team we have this year, we will prove a lot of people wrong and no longer be the underdogs. I can definitely see us making the conference tournament this year, which hasn’t been done in years. Big things are in store for Crusader Baseball.”
The team-wide consensus seems to be that this will be a great season for UD baseball!
This is Fuller’s final season donning the blue and white. He shared, “The advice I have for the younger guys is that the days you have on that field should never be taken for granted. I am thankful that once I finish school (with my Masters) I will be able to have played five years for the program.”
“Each day I was able to learn something new, find ways to improve myself and improve being a better teammate. Each day is a blessing to be out there on that field, cause the second you are off you cannot go back.”
Come out and support your University of Dallas Crusaders on February 5 at 12p.m., as they open up their 2022 season against Sul Ross State University!
