ETSU is looking forward to a fresh baseball season this spring, with a roster including all of the team’s weekend starters last spring.
“I feel like we have a pretty good, balanced team. I feel like we’ve got a lot of returning players that are back, and we’ve added some additional arms that I think will really help us down the road. . . . It looks like a pretty good future for the Bucs,” said head baseball coach Joe Pennucci.
The spring 2021 season was a losing season for ETSU, with games coming in at 24-25 (13-16 in the Southern Conference). According to Pennucci, the average offense was a problem last season but will be an area the team works on this coming year. The team is on break from practice until after New Year’s Day, after which they will resume training in anticipation for the first game on Feb. 18, 2022, hosting Northern Kentucky.
Notable matchups include playing at Virginia Tech Feb. 22, at Tennessee March 1, at Clemson March 8 and at Baylor April 1-3. The Bucs host Appalachian State April 5. The SoCon opener is April 8 at Western Carolina and the SoCon home opener is April 22 against VMI.
Pennucci named a couple of standout players from last season, including Colby Stuart for leading a pitching staff and Ashton King for his offensive work. Pennucci is looking forward to seeing what the team can do with its returning players and new additions next season.
“We got some returning All-Conference guys. . . . We got all of our weekend starters back. So I’m pretty excited about that, with the addition of some really capable guys. And on the offensive side we got a couple of returners that had some good seasons last year,” said Pennucci.
The team is looking forward to a new season as well. “I think this upcoming baseball season is going to be a lot of fun with a lot of wins for the Bucs. The team has really come together this fall, and we are all excited to get out and play at The Thom this spring,” said Stuart.
