A successful mix of small ball and power hitting has led the Lancers to post-season contention.
The California Baptist University baseball team began well, jumping off to a 23-3 start. Now the team aims to find new ways to pick up momentum after their losses in the last month have them sitting at 31-10.
Led by head coach Gary Adcock, the team is currently ranked eighth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. They are ranked second overall in the Golden State Athletic Conference with an in-conference record of 18-8.
The team started the season with a bang with nearly all victories until mid-March, at which point they hit a rough patch losing seven games in 11 days. During this stretch the team dropped from third to ninth in the NAIA.
After a victory over San Diego Christian College on March 30, Lancers picked up the pace and won five games in a row. This most recent run is what lifted them to their current eighth ranking.
With six regular season games remaining and the GSAC tournament afterwards as a tune up, the team has high hopes to return to the NAIA World Series.
“We are confident we can keep our approach strong. We are not stressing out about that,” outfielder Zach Esquerra said. Esquerra has been a huge part of the team’s success and leads the team in home runs and slugging percentage and is second in RBIs.
The team’s upcoming schedule includes competitions against Vanguard University on April 16, San Francisco State University on April 19, Patten University on April 20 and two home games versus Point Loma Nazarene University on April 17 and 18.
The GSAC tournament will take place May 3-6. The Lancers’ success in that tournament will determine their place in NAIA postseason play.
“There is nothing we are unprepared for,” Esquerra said. “Our pitchers are doing well and keeping us in the rank.”
As the Lancers Baseball continues to train and focus, only time will tell how the season will conclude.
