The start of baseball season is almost upon us, and with the season comes the hope of warmer days to cheer on the Bucs in the traditional American fashion.
The Blue and Gold are scheduled to open the 2019-20 season with a weekend series starting on Valentine’s Day and have high hopes for the new season. Twelve of the first 14 games will be held on the home front at Thomas Stadium.
Under his third year as head coach, Joe Pennuci joined the program in 2017. The team has thrived, as evidenced by what a good season they made in 2019. By winning 34 of the 55 total games with a winning percentage of 61.8%, it was the best winning record for ETSU since 2011. In addition, the team earned a 21-9 home record, which is one of the best in the country.
ETSU’s highest win streak last season consisted of the seven games that ran from March 22-30. Not long after this, the team obtained their highest losing streak in the season, which was only four games, and lasted from April 19-28. The team thwarted a larger streak by winning a single match against UNC Asheville, which was followed by losing each game in the series against UNC Greensboro.
The team held their first practice of the season on Jan. 25 at Thomas Stadium, which was only slightly hindered by the rainy weather.
Of the 34 men on the 2019-20 roster, only 16 of the players are underclassmen, leaving seven seniors and 11 juniors to make up the majority of the players. ETSU can hope for a successful season with so many experienced players to mentor those younger.
The Blue and Gold are scheduled to begin regular season play with a weekend series against the Toledo Rockets starting Feb. 14 at Thomas Stadium at 4 p.m.
