Occidental baseball kicked off their season last Friday with a 7–5 victory against Centenary College. Two-way player Griffen Rogers (sophomore) earned SCIAC Pitcher of the Week honors, throwing two scoreless innings and earning a save on the mound. Rogers also went 5–12 at the plate. The softball team is gearing up for their season opener against Suffolk University Feb. 13. Sporting fresh additions to their rosters, both teams are looking to improve their records from last season.
Alysha Wagner (senior) said she’s interested in how the softball team will perform in comparison to last year’s 11–27 season, but that she has positive feelings going into the new season.
“I’m optimistic,” Wagner said. “We lost eight seniors last year, and we’ve gained eight new freshmen. I’m interested to see how [the freshmen] will integrate into the lineup.”
Wagner said she has personally been working on her backhand plays at shortstop and that the team has been improving their hitting consistency.
“That’s what our coaches have been really trying to get us to do […] make adjustments to the pitcher sooner,” Wagner said.
Head coach Christine Hipa said she is striving for a higher standard among the team.
“Each year our practice plans, conditioning and weight training [have] changed to adapt to the team,” Hipa said. “[Our goals are] getting faster, stronger and more consistent.”
Anna Kim (sophomore) said she is excited and feeling more comfortable as a part of the team. Kim said she shocked herself with how well she did last season, after leading the team in batting average and stolen bases as a first year.
“I definitely feel a lot more confident now that I have a year of experience under my belt,” Kim said. “I’m just trying to keep up with the bar that I set last year and improve upon that.”
Sophia Siu (senior) said the team has been preparing for longer series of games.
“We’re trying to persevere,” Siu said. “The coaches have been setting up week-long practices so that we build our endurance and can get through the four-game series during our tournament in Hawaii.”
Rachel Rotunno (first year) said she’s ready to play competitively at the collegiate level and likes how Hipa has been rebuilding the program.
“A big emphasis that our coach is making this year is a championship mindset,” Rotunno said. “Players are certainly starting to buy into it.”
According to Wagner, the softball team has an ongoing motto.
“We like to say that we’re hungry,” Wagner said. “We’re definitely gonna carry it over to this year. We’re hungry for wins.”
The baseball team is also looking to turn things around after a 10–30 season last year. Head coach Luke Wetmore said he’s optimistic.
“We’re doing the right things,” Wetmore said. “Our young pitchers are getting better pretty much every time they go out.”
Wetmore said while the players are entering the season in good shape, much remains to be seen.
“There are a lot of questions to be answered,” Wetmore said. “If guys click and we pitch well, I think we’ve got a chance to make the conference tournament […] We don’t get there from wishing or wanting, we get there from development and recruitment, regardless of where we are.”
Thomas Munch (junior) said he is excited about the synergy of the team.
“I could not be more confident going into this year,” Munch said. “We’re older, we have a lot more talent on the offensive and the pitching side and we have new coaching staff […] This year it feels like [the players and coaches] are working in tandem.”
Matthew Uytioco (senior) said the team is also continuing to improve their mental game.
“It’s a long season,” Uytioco said. “It’s very mentally testing […] Sometimes things aren’t going to go our way, so staying in the present has been really big for us.”
Thomas Woods (senior) said he hasn’t been this excited for a baseball season in a while.
“I’m super excited to see how we’re going to perform,” Woods said. “I speak for the whole locker room when I say that it’s going to be a fun year –– I think we have what it takes.”
Woods and Logan Rooney (senior) both mentioned how player injuries negatively affected the team last season. Rooney said many of those players are now returning.
“I think we have so many great guys who work really hard for what they do,” Rooney said.
Woods said focusing on the team’s health is an important priority.
“Making sure we all stay healthy […] that’s going to be the key to the season,” Woods said.
Uytioco, Rooney and Woods also underlined the importance of fan support for the team.
“If you’re a fan, please come out –– we love seeing fans,” Uytioco said. “It gives us that much more energy, that much more confidence.”
“Feeling like we have people supporting us […] helps us feel like we’re representing the college, and we take pride in that,” Rooney said.
“We love it when people come out,” Woods said. “The hill’s always open.”
Contact Miriam Arenal at arenal@oxy.edu and Julian Levy at jlevy@oxy.edu
