Written by Alexis Barton
The baseball team has had a busy start to their jam-packed season. In two separate tournaments, these Maroons have proved why they were ranked number 3, just 14 points behind leader Randolph-Macon, in ODAC’s preseason poll. With a 4-2 record to kick off the spring, this team will be exciting to watch.
In their first outing as a team, the Maroons traveled to face formerly nationally-ranked LaGrange College just outside of Atlanta, Georgia for a best-of-three series. In their first game, the Maroons dominated the field by soundly defeating the Panthers 9-6. The Maroons were led by Cale Agee, Hunter Andrews, and Gavin Kandrick who each grabbed 2 runs in the game. The Maroons were helped immensely by their pitching contingency, led by Evan Parks whose pitch-to-strike ratio was 56 to 36. In their second game, the Maroons continued their dominance and showed their depth, with two new hitters gaining runs in the game. Conner Butler and Will Merriken joined the leaderboards with their teammates as they combined for 3 out of the 4 runs that the Maroons scored in the game. The Maroons fell just short of the Panthers in a 6-2 loss.
This past weekend, the Maroons traveled to Newport News to take on ODAC competitor Christopher Newport and Piedmont College in a tournament. In dramatic fashion, the Maroons soundly beat Piedmont in their first game with a final score of 14-2. The Maroons once again showed the depth of their team with 9 different hitters getting runs. The Maroons continued their success against Christopher Newport, winning by the narrow margin of 5-4. Roanoke’s pitching once again proved to be one of their many strong suits, as pitcher Tanner James held a pitch-strike ratio of 71-40. Similarly, to their first outing, the Maroons fell just short in their 3rd game of the weekend. As the season continues, be sure to catch these Maroons will be the team to beat as they head further into ODAC play. Catch the team at their next home game on February 22nd v. Elizabethtown at noon. Go Maroons!
