At the far end of campus Boxer men’s baseball and women’s softball fight their way through their ongoing season.
Losing key players as well as staff changes, Boxer baseball and softball have experienced a number of setbacks this year, but continue to work out on the field with the hopes of maintaining dominance in the Northwest Conference.
One of the most competitive teams at Pacific surprises no one with their season so far. Just under halfway through the season the Boxer baseball team has a solid record of 15-7, and continues to build. Taking it game by game, the men’s team hopes to make it four straight seasons sitting atop the Northwest Conference standings, a feat that outshines the whole conference as no other team has gone back-to-back seasons in first place since Linfield University in 2012-2014. After winning back-to-back conference tournament titles just a few years ago, the Boxers hope to bring a third title over the past four years.
The culture and community within the team are one of the driving reasons as to why they are so successful out on the field. “We want to see the success of our teammates,” shared senior pitcher Shane Melrose. “The main reason that drives us as a team is the happiness we get from seeing other guys succeed on our team.”
After losing many strong seniors last year it creates a chance for new players to step up. Senior pitcher Melrose expressed that it was a tough to lose so many impactful players last year who had big roles on the team, but moving into this year the younger players have had the chance to prove themselves.
“We lost a lot of really good guys but on the bright side we had a lot of guys step up too, and they are doing a great job of holding the standards that we have,” Melrose explained.
In the neighboring stadium, the women’s softball team also is in the midst of their competitive season. It has been a rocky battle, but the women’s softball team continues to fight their way through.
Leading the team is Shelly Prochaska, who was named interim head coach in November. With a fresh new staff, this has created a different outlook on this season.
“The team has changed a lot from last year,” sophomore Ryley Vickroy shared. “We have a completely new coaching staff and have a lot of freshmen and transfers that have joined the team.”
One of the goals the team is creating new traditions and breaking down barriers. Off the field, the team is like a family—and those close bond helps them perform on the field. The team has a lot of potential, and Vickroy hopes that they will surprise a lot of people with the rest of their season on the horizon.
Leave a Reply