DELANA THOMAS
Special to The Leader
The spring season has begun here at SUNY Fredonia. The men’s baseball team and women’s lacrosse team season have already played a few games these past few weeks.
The men’s baseball team played in Myrtle Beach this past weekend and faced Johnson and Wales Friday, but lost 5-2. On Saturday, they faced Lehman in a doubleheader and won both, 19-8 and 10-7. On Sunday, the Blue Devils faced the Penn State Berks which resulted in a 6-4 loss. The Blue Devils are now 3-3.
The Leader got a chance to get a few words from Nic Fiore, a senior shortstop about this upcoming season.
After a strong season last year, what do you expect from your team this year?
Fiore: We didn’t like the way things ended last year. We started off strong, but we didn’t finish strong. A majority of the team from last year is coming back, so the experience there is going to help a lot. The depth of our team combined with our experience is going to take us as far as we are willing to go. We were picked in a three-way tie for fourth in the preseason SUNYAC poll. We didn’t like that, so we are playing with a chip on our shoulder and expect to make the playoffs again. Only this time make some noise in the tournament.
This is your fourth and last season here at Fredonia, what will you look forward to this upcoming season?
Fiore: The thing I’m looking forward to the most is taking the field with my teammates this year. There’s a lot of seniors and it’s the last time we will be able to do that. We want to enjoy it as much as possible and make as many memories as possible. It’s our last year and our goal is to make a positive impact on the baseball program here. And that all starts with winning.
The women’s lacrosse team faced Albright College on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils lost 15-5 to the Lions. On Sunday, they flipped it around and won 16-13 against the SUNY Poly Wildcats. The Blue Devils are now 1-1.
We also got a chance to get a few words from Maddy Haney, a senior attack about this upcoming season.
It is your fourth and final season here playing for Fredonia, what do you look forward to the most this upcoming season?
Haney: The thing I look forward to the most this upcoming season is it being my/our strongest year yet. I have grown as a player and an individual every day since freshman year, and I am so excited to give it my all and see what I can do on the field that will help out my team in the best way possible this season. From the team aspect, we have so much potential this year to get lots of wins, we have great returners as well as freshman who came in well prepared and who have already adjusted to the college level very smoothly. I am so excited to see us bring more wins this season, especially in California, and see the major improvement from last year. Every day is a new day, and I am excited to take on the challenges with my teammates and coach every day and see what we can do best all the way until that last buzzer of my lacrosse career. I hope to make my last season the best season that Fredonia Lacrosse has seen in a while.
This past weekend, the men and women’s track and field team competed at the 2020 All-Atlantic Regional Track & Field Conference indoor championship. Cassie Serafin, a junior, finished 14th for the long jump. A few highlights from the men’s side, the 4×400 final finished in sixth out of ninth. Collin Barmore, a freshman, finished in sixth place for the 800 meter dash.
Looking ahead to this upcoming spring break, the men’s baseball team, women’s softball and lacrosse teams travel all around the country. The men’s baseball team travels to Florida to play 10 games, three of them against SUNY Plattsburgh. The women’s softball team also travels to Clermont, Florida to play 12 games over the break. The biggest traveler of the break is the women’s lacrosse team. They head over to Redlands, California to play two games but will still practice throughout the break.
For all final scores, stats, team schedules and information visit https://www.fredoniabluedevils.com