By Brandon Keys
Staff Writer
Its finally March and you know what that means? No, it’s not just time for you to enjoy your favorite Irish Holiday. No, it’s not just time for you to get ready for your team to dominate in the NCAA tournament. March is important for another reason: Lacrosse and baseball.
The Lady Bulldogs Lacrosse team began the season with a 17 to 6 whipping of Kennesaw State. Domination occurred in all parts of the field. Offensively, Whitney Dixe and Tess Sasse registered 6 and 5 goals respectively. Even though they have only played one game, improvement has been shown by this team. They have learned how to deal with pressure and rely on each other. Because the Lady Bulldogs only have the minimum requirement of players on the team, it requires them to play well together and stay healthy. Team Captain Emily Clevenger and Defenseman Bobbie Newcomb both agree that execution will be the key to their success the rest of the season. “We just have to practice and play hard in order to win,” said Newcomb. If they play as well as they did against Kennesaw State they will have no problem doing just that.
The TWC Men’s Lacrosse team is just 2 and 4 on the young season, but don’t let their record fool you. Their competition has been excellent all year playing teams like Pfeiffer, UNC Charlotte, and defending National Champion West Minster. They gave West Minster all they could handle finally falling at home by a 10 to 8 final.
Despite this tough schedule the Bulldogs have been very competitive. Last year’s NAIA Rookie of the year Joel Gossner headlines the offensive attack while Goalie Jonathan Lemoine shuts down teams by posting a great save percentage, ranking 5th in the nation in that category.
With these team leaders the Bulldogs should have what it takes to get over the hump. In order to do that though, they have to play better as a team. “We are easily over .500 if we play as a team” said Long Stick Middie Philip Hamilton, adding “We have a great offense and defense, we just have to play together.” There is only one more game in Athens for the Bulldogs, but they do have a key matchup against UTK in Knoxville.
The baseball season at TWC is well under way, and some surprises have happened early on. The Bulldogs have gotten off to somewhat of a slow start at 9 wins and 7 losses. Most of these losses though can be attributed to the tough schedule the Bulldogs have played. Three of their seven losses have come to teams in the top 25 in the country.
In order for the Diamond Dogs to get back to their winning ways they have to do a few things. “Hit & runs, stealing bags, and you know just playing small ball is what we need to do” says OF/DH Brian Miracle. The Bulldogs will look to rally behind this mindset as they get ready to enter conference play; one that the have dominated over the last 7 years. In addition to this way of thinking they will look to get solid play from their leaders. With the stellar pitching of Jonathan Swartout, who has posted an astounding 1.19 ERA, and Matt Stanley who has a batting average of .417 the Bulldogs should be able to experience the same type of success over recent years.
