By Nathaniel Lastrapes |Staff Writer|
It was a rough weekend for Coyote baseball. The team lost four-straight games in their back-to-back double-headers against the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters, extending their losing streak to seven games.
Cal State Monterey Bay currently holds the best record in the conference and after sweeping the Coyotes in their series this weekend have extended their hot winning streak to 10 games.
It has been a long season thus far for the Coyotes who are 3-14, but right-handed pitcher Dylan Mitchell is confident the team can turn the season around
“Playoffs are definitely still in reach. It’s still very early in the season, so there’s still that possibility,” said Mitchell.
The Coyotes have been struggling this season with their last win coming back on Feb. 19 versus the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos.
Friday’s double-header was a long afternoon for the Coyotes, losing their first game 2-13, followed by a 5-10 loss in the second game.
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Wells suffered the first loss, and junior Tyler Sloan was credited with the loss for the following game.
Saturday afternoon was no different for the Coyotes as they lost both games in the double-header against the Otters.
The final two games of the back-to-back double-headers proved to be more competitive, as the Coyotes fell 2-7, and then lost a nail-biter 7-8.
Senior Tyler Rahier and junior Daniel Diaz received the two losses on Saturday afternoon, but it is not just pitching that the Coyotes are struggling with.
Coyotes have been struggling getting runs on the board early all season. “Our hitting needs to get out of the gate a little bit faster to give us pitcher confidence, you know, that we can have run support behind us,” said Mitchell.
Getting early runs on the board has been a problem for the Coyotes this season and can negatively influence the psyche of the pitchers. It is much easier for a pitcher to go on the mound with confidence when they know that they have a lead to work with.
It is easy for a team in any sport to get down on themselves and develop a losing mentality when things are not going well in a season like the Coyotes are currently having.
On this current seven-game losing streak, their longest of the season, Mitchell said, “a lot of guys are doubting themselves.”
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