Connor Kelly slides home for the score against Alvernia University on Monday.
Christina Urban | The Montclarion
With the ending of Wednesday’s game against Neumann University, the Montclair State baseball team only has nine games left in their season.
So far the season has been disappointing to say the least, but there were definitely some shining spots for the team. Between starting the season 3-9, Connor Lindsay’s three-hit shutout against Coe College, and too many games either cancelled or postponed because of the weather, the season has certainly had its ups and downs.
With a 10-17 overall record, there is still a chance for Montclair State to have a winning season, or at least split the season and go 18-18. There are things that the team can do to improve.
The biggest thing is consistency. It seems that this season has shown that, for every great game Montclair State had, they would somehow spoil it for themselves by losing the next two or three games. At the end of March, Montclair State had won four out of their last five games, followed by losing six of their next nine games.
The consistency goes for both sides of the ball. Offensively, the team has shown that they can hit. Whether it’s the small ball or swing for the fences, the team’s 20-3 win against Fredonia back in early March has proven this. Then you get games right after which disprove that point, like when the team hit 24 to 10 in a doubleheader against SUNY Oswego and lost both games.
The last nine games for Montclair State will feature seven away games, including a doubleheader at Rutgers-Newark to end the season. Playing on the road has shown to be difficult for the Red Hawks, as they went 5-13 in away and neutral venue games.
Last season, Montclair State went 5-10 in away games alone, so this has been a problem that the team has yet to resolve. Playing road warrior is going to be a challenge for Montclair State to overcome if they want to end this season on a high note.
Some of the team’s best players are seniors, which is a long-term problem that the Red Hawks will have to deal with. Philip Scott, Matt Long, Jay Gorman, Michael Matarazzo, Ryan Long and Ryan Thieme are all seniors and a huge source of the team’s overall abilities.
Losing two pitchers and two outfielders who can hit for power and play their positions defensively, and losing a leader in the infield will impact the team next year, so it’s a matter of whether they try to win games now with their veteran players or see what the younger guys on the team can do.
