Baseball Opens Fall Practice
10/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack baseball team opened fall practice on Monday with approximately 50 players reporting to Jaycees Field as head coach Johnny Cardenas and his staff begins preparation for the 2015 season.
Last season, SFA finished 20-35 overall and 11-19 in Southland Conference play and the program loses 10 ‘Jacks - Fabian Arcizo, Kevin Bishop, Kyle Cross, Rick Cruz, Mackenzie Handel, Justin Hunsaker, Gevon Jackson, Zach Marberry, Ricardo Sanchez and Brett Thornell - to the completion of their eligibility.
Prior to Monday’s practice, SFAJacks.com caught up with Cardenas to assess his thoughts entering camp.
On opening practice:
“We are excited to open team practice. We have a lot of new players and new faces that we have to try and get in and get acclimated to playing at the Division I level.”
On moving on from last season:
“I don’t think that you really try to put a season behind you. What you try to do is teach the guys that if you don’t prepare, if you don’t do the things that you’re supposed to, that kind of season always looms. You try to build off that season and say, ‘hey listen, if we don’t improve in the areas where we had deficiencies last season, then we are destined to repeat them.’ Putting last season behind us is not really what we’re trying to do, we just try to build off it to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
On returners taking on leadership roles:
“Our returners are guys that are going to play a lot for us, and we expect a lot out of them. We want them to show the other guys, the new guys, what it takes and how to play at this level. They should know by this point what the rigors are of a full 56-game schedule. They have the experience of going through a season last year and for some, they have a few years of playing a full schedule. We will need their help in leading the team in the direction that needs to be led.”
-SFA-
