Are You Ready For Baseball?

The Cal State San Bernardino Baseball team has officially started off preparations for the 2019 season after their return from winter break.
They finished last year’s season with a conference record of 15-29 and an overall record of 15-35.

The Coyotes had unfortunately fallen short in making an appearance in the 2018 CCAA Conference Tournament.

With last year being a new home for Head Coach Mike Nadeau and Assistant Coaches Alex Hoover, Cameron Selik and Rick Teegarden, the trio plan on turning the page and making a statement in this upcoming season.

With only a few returners from last year, the Coyote’s coaching staff has made a huge improvement with not only player addition, but also the culture of the team.

The coaching staff has unlimited trust in each player, as well as the returning seniors from last years team.

Senior outfielder Ty Lineberger ended last year with a batting average of .284 with 162 at-bats, 2 home runs and 18 runs batted in.

Not only a key aspect to the Coyotes line up, but also a team leader and one that underclassmen can look up to Lineberger said, “There is a different feel within this team this year.

We have a solid group of men who are willing to fight for each other and do what it takes to take our team to the next step.

Everyone on the team has been working so hard this offseason and has made sacrifices to make sure we come out of the gates hot from pitch 1 in our first game,” Lineberger continued.

Lineberger is projected to be the team’s leadoff hitter and outfielder for this 2019 season.

Along with Lineberger, returner senior, first basemen and designated hitter, Alec Ceniceros is another bat that adds to the specialty of the team.

One could only imagine how much pressure is put not only Ceniceros and other seniors being their last year of baseball but to the coaches and the rest of the team.

Ceniceros responded with, “What pressure?

We have been grinding day in and day out for the season.

We have been getting up for 7 am weights, lifting 4 days a week, and practicing nonstop to be prepared.

When you have a team that looks and plays as prepared as ours, the only pressure that I see is for another team having to face us.”

The passion of the 21-year-old senior could be read a mile away knowing that Ceniceros had a group of talented men along with trustworthy coaches that he can fall back on, and strive for limitless achievements.

All baseball lovers know that without a catcher, the defense cannot be coordinated functionally.

The catcher’s responsibility, besides calling pitches for the pitcher, is to have the loudest voice on the field and direct traffic when the ball is in play.

Another senior, Garrett Ouellette, is returning for his retirement parade this season and is prepared to get innings in as one of the Coyotes catchers.

We always hang out together outside of practice and school, and it translates to the field.”

An aura of confidence surrounding Ouellette can only mean that it is contagious to each and every player wanting to leave all blood, sweat, and tears on that the diamond, and share the bondage that is unbreakable.

As many of the players have preached already, the Coyotes baseball team wouldn’t be who they are without having their coaching staff. Head Coach Mike Nadeau is going on to his second year with the Coyotes.

Prior to CSUSB, Nadeau spent his last five seasons with Division I Seattle University as their assistant coach.

Nadeau had helped lead Seattle to a Redhawks program record of 33 games going on to play for the WAC championship, to follow the next year with a 2016 WAC championship.

To say the least, the Cal State San Bernardino Coyote’s had won the lottery when they presented him the head coaching job on August 29th.

When the last page for the seven seniors is finalized, Nadeau can comfortably say that this family of young men put every ounce of hard work in for not only themselves but for the man standing to the left and right of them, allowing the opportunity to build an empire for years to come.

With Feb. 2 right around the corner, the baseball team feels “more than ready” and “scarier than ever.” The Coyotes look to improve their record from last year and make a deep run into the Conference Tournament after conquering the CCAA this 2019 season.

To be a part of a baseball family is something that only a handful of players are able to experience.

Spending ten months out of the year with a group of guys that have never met before, and create a bond with them for a lifetime is a feeling that you cannot be explained unless it is experienced.

To be a senior and anchored to something that is more than a game is an aura that players are indebted to. Something bystanders of the lifestyle should know more about rather than “see ball, hit ball”.