By Andy Smith
The college baseball season is well underway. Our Panthers have been on the diamond for just over a month. Often the baseball season contains many ups and downs and momentum can change fairly quickly in such a long and grueling season.
Adelphi began their season in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Northeast Challenge. This opening trip did not go as planned as the Panthers dropped three out of the four games.
Sophomore pitcher Jordan Falco reflected on the opening road trip. “I thought Myrtle Beach was a little bit of a wake-up call for us. We were a little behind since it was our first set of games but we definitely didn’t play up to our potential.”
The Panthers were able to pick up their first win of the season on the third game of this trip against the College of Staten Island. The Panthers were led by catcher Alec Maag and shortstop Jack Wishner who both tallied two hits.
As athletes, it is important to not allow early struggles distract you during a long season. Right fielder and graduate student Tim Feliz explained how important it is to stay focused and stay the course. “The seasons are long but always identifying and remembering what the end goal is is what gets us through a long season,” he said. “All of the hard work and time we’ve put into preparing for this season is what motivates us to keep going as well as hoisting up a trophy at the end of it.”
Falco noted, “During this long season I think keeping a level head is the most important thing. Don’t get too down on the losses and don’t get too high on the wins. There will be both highs and lows during the season, that's just the way it is.”
Anthony Cipri, who is a senior playing in his fourth season on the team, explained, “The schedule is built so that a loss can be forgotten very quickly. It seems like you always have a chance to redeem yourselves.”
The Panthers became re-energized when they hosted nationally ranked Molloy University the following week during the home opener. Adelphi took two out of three and won their first series of the year. The Panthers took the first game of the series by a score of 8-4 thanks to two strong performances by Feliz and Cipri. Feliz tallied two hits and scored twice, including the game-winning run. Cipri registered three hits and one brought in one run. Adelphi was down by four runs early but never gave up and managed to score eight consecutive runs to win.
Adelphi carried the momentum and won the following day to clinch the series victory by a score of 5-3. Falco was credited as the winning pitcher in this game after tossing five innings with five strikeouts and only surrendering two runs.
Cipri reflected on how quickly their performance turned around. “I thought that we struggled during the Myrtle trip offensively as a unit but we pulled it together a little during the Molloy series.”
Falco added, “Molloy being somewhat of a rival really got us back on track and we showed what we are capable of doing to any team in the country.”
Feliz reflected, “I am so proud of every guy on our team for our performance against Molloy. Being able to take down a nationally ranked team after a slow start is just what we needed in order to get back on track.”
Feliz continued, “The season is long, but always identifying and remembering what the end goal is is what gets us through a long season. All of the hard work and time we’ve put into preparing for this season is what motivates us to keep going as well as hoisting up a trophy at the end of it.”
Come out and support our Panthers at William J. Bonomo Memorial Field as they continue to build their momentum and take on the challenges that await.