MVNU baseball finds the field in Florida

Still to throw a pitch or swing a bat at home, the Cougars baseball team started their season in the Sunshine State with a 9-5 record.

Jake Dickerson led the Cougars in batting average and hits and runs on the trip, swinging for a 0.392, 20 and 12. Efrain Montero, getting the start at first base in all 14 games, hit two home runs and leads the team with 13 RBIs.

Photo courtesy of MVNU SID: Junior Lucas Daugherty

“Efrain has been very solid at first base,” head coach Keith Veale said. “He has been a force in the middle of our line up. He is never over matched at the plate and has given us a number of quality at

bats.

Veale also praised Montero’s defense after making the conversion from catcher to first base this year.

“I really like what he has done defensively. He is alert and attacks the baseball even on defense.”

The team as a whole averaged .299 at the plate with 27 runs on 114 hits.

The pitching staff picked up right where it left off last year, led by Lucas Daugherty, who won two games at the front of the rotation. Roberto Cediel also started 3 games, posting a 3.21 ERA and a 1-1 record. Bryce Arledge, Ashton Myers, and Jacob Chrysler also had strong showings on the mound.

“

Moving Bryce into a starting role has transitioned well,” Veale said. “I thought Jacob Chrysler was a real plus on the trip. He gave us two quality starts and really upped his stock on the mound.”

“Ashton sort of survived his first start and was much better in start two,” Veale added, “and Emmett (Fraley) has taken the relief role on and we feel confident with him on the mound.

The biggest story right now may be how much baseball the Cougars will actually be able to play this season. With multiple series already cancelled this season, the Cougars are looking at an abridged and condensed schedule for 2015.

Photo courtesy of MVNU SID: Junior Riley Swanson

With the weather in Ohio still resisting baseball season, the Cougars were forced to reschedule a double header with Huntington University (Indiana), already a makeup game, to Wednesday. Beyond that, the Cougars’ Crossroads League schedule is still up in the air because of the unseasonably cold temperatures and rain/snow.

Pending weather, the Cougars are scheduled to play Friday and Saturday at home against Grace College (Indiana).