The Gustavus men’s baseball 2014 season is now in full swing. For weeks, the players have been practicing indoors. Their first game action will begin when they head to Arizona March 20-24, to compete in the Tuscon Invitational.

During this invitational, the team will play eight games against non-conference opponents over a five-day period. On March 20, the Gusties will play the Illinois Institute of Technology in a double header. The following day, they will play Wesleyan University, followed by a game against Carthage College. On day three, the team will play against Concordia University of Wisconsin in a double header. On the last two days of their trip, March 23-24, the men will play Buena Vista University in two separate games.

“Our games will be played outside, and it will be nice to play outdoors a bit. This trip will be a good test for us against some good teams. This tournament will help us see where we are in getting ready for the conference season,” Junior Pitcher and Designated Hitter Chris Kelly said.

The Gustie men began preparing for the 2014 season in September during their fall practices. Following the fall season, the men spent time completing various off-season workouts that included weight training and batting practice.

“We had lots of good team exercises during the off-season. Our team became a lot closer and it’s showing right now,” Senior Captain and Pitcher and Catcher David Tranvik said.

The atmosphere for this year’s off-season workouts was said to be strong in attendance with many players working hard to get stronger in the weight room, as well as become better baseball players.

“Many guys on the team put in more work in this year’s offseason workouts than any of the four years I’ve been here. People really bought into the program,” Senior Captain and Outfielder Scott Benjamin said.

This year’s baseball team is full of many young players, but with a lot of experience. In fact, Captains Tranvik and Benjamin are the only two seniors on the team this season.

“It doesn’t really feel like we’re older than everybody else. Everyone is so close that it feels like we are all the same age,” Benjamin said.

There are many young players returning this season, who got some valuable varsity playing time last season, and are looking to put it to good use. The team has built a strong team chemistry and worked to eliminate any potential gaps within the team.

“We’re still a pretty young group, but we’ve had more experience this year. The guys who got some playing time last year are showing up this year. We’re ready to get going,” Kelly said.

The experience that the young players gained last season will be a key component of their success this year. In addition to experience, working hard, playing great offense and defense, and playing well when it counts will be other key components to this year’s success for the team.

“We have got to really crunch down this year. We came close to the playoffs last year, but we didn’t get the job done. We all really want the opportunity to go to the playoffs,” Tranvik said.

The Gustie men have their sights set on finishing this baseball season on a higher note compared to last year. Last season, the Gustie men finished with an overall record of 13-22 with a MIAC Conference record of 10-10, which was tied for 6 in the conference.

“We ended on a salty note last year and we still have a sour taste from it. We want to prove ourselves this season,” Kelly said.

Check out the Gustavus men’s baseball season throughout the spring semester as they compete for a chance to win the MIAC Conference Championship.