Austin Kight | Echo
After coming off a successful season in 2013, finishing 35-4 overall and being crowned the Crossroads League champions for the fifth consecutive year, the Taylor University baseball team picked up right where they left off, winning their first two regular season games last week.
While the weather outside might indicate otherwise, baseball season is upon us. However, with Winterholter Field under two feet of snow, the Trojans sought warm weather in sunny Clearwater, Fla., where they took on Clearwater Christian in Tuesday's season-opener at Jack Russell Stadium.
The Trojans were able to shake off the Midwest winter and display their offensive power, picking up a 13-0 win in game one.
Junior Josh DeGraaf (1-0) took the mound and showed the Cougars why he was named Crossroads League Pitcher of the Year in 2013. DeGraaf struck out eight and allowed only one hit in five innings of work, picking up his first win of the season.
"We graduated three starting pitchers, so it is important that some of the guys step into those roles early and get opportunities to show what they can do against high-level competition," said head coach Kyle Gould. "We have a lot of confidence in the ability of our pitchers to step in and get the job done."
Sophomore Kevin Fahy put the Trojans on the board in the top of the fourth with a hard-hit two-run single down the third base line, giving the Trojans a two-run lead heading into the fifth.
The Trojan bats heated up again in the fifth with a two-run bomb by sophomore Danny Moorehead, helping the club to a 13-0 victory.
Closing out their Florida trip, the Trojans moved to 2-0 with a 3-1 win at Warner University Wednesday in Lake Wales, Fla.
The team has its sights set on a return to the national tournament, and they begin their 2014 campaign receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll.
The Taylor softball team had a similar story, sweeping Northwood Saturday in their 2014 season-opener.
In the first game, senior Karon Earley got the bats going for the Trojans, driving in a run at the top of the third to put the team up 1-0. Two batters later, junior Bethany Bates sent a ball soaring over the left field fence, propelling Taylor to an 8-6 victory.
On the mound, freshman Maddie Cornell (1-0) picked up the first win of her career with Taylor, going two and a third scoreless innings, giving up only two hits in the process.
"The team played tremendous in their first outing this season," said head coach Brad Bowers. "We hit the ball hard and our pitchers pounded the strike zone-it was really promising to see."
Freshman Hannah Robbins dominated the mound in the second game. She threw a complete game while giving up three runs off of six hits.
The offense wasted no time, producing 16 runs over the five innings of play to claim a 16-5 victory over Northwood.
The Trojans will have the next two weeks off before traveling to Owensboro, Ky., for a four-game series against Brescia on Feb. 21-22. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. that Friday.
Photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller
