Lancer fans who thought the transition process from Division II to Division I would be a long, fruitless waiting period were in for a great surprise last year.
The 2018-19 sports season was chock-full of success and delightful storylines that went well beyond DI “firsts.” Now, it appears the 2019-20 school year will be kind to Lancer fans once again.
The start of the fall season is a reason to get excited, a chance to look at the top storylines for the year and get answers to all of this summer’s burning questions.
For Lancer fans asking how the men’s soccer team will fare without leading goal-scorer Preston Judd on the roster, that question will be answered by how well the Lancers’ four returning seniors perform in their final season.
With six of their seven starters returning, the question becomes whether Lancer volleyball will be able to continue its success in the Western Athletic Conference. Four early nonconference tournaments will give fans an immediate preview of what is in store this season.
In the winter season, when basketball takes center stage, Milan Acquaah’s return is sure to excite the Lancer faithful. He gave California Baptist University fans a scare this offseason by declaring for the NBA Draft. However, Acquaah chose to return to college, bringing with him an exciting style of play that helped give CBU the fourth-best basketball attendance in Southern California.
In the spring of 2019, CBU fielded a talented, but young women’s water polo team. This season, with two-time all-American Kira O’Donell taking the pool as a junior and All-American goal keeper Grace Ramirez starting her senior campaign, the Lancers will be both talented and experienced.
CBU baseball put what felt like a fitting exclamation point on a dazzling sports year for the Lancers when the team won a share of the Western Athletic Conference regular-season crown this spring.
In 2020, the team will return with a strong core group and skipper Gary Adcock will restock on talent — as he always does — to give the Lancers a good shot at closing the school year strong once again.
The lesson that still rings true as CBU begins the 2019-2020 school year is this: Fans of CBU should not take their eyes off the Lancers for too long.
