The IVCC Eagles baseball team is looking to improve on last season’s woes as they get ready for upcoming action for the 2019 season.  

Last season the Eagles had a sub optimal season, especially in conference. Overall the team finished 17-33 and 3-17 in conference play. Paxton Kennedy, sophomore first baseman noted a couple things to flip the script on last season.  

“Just take it game-by-game. I think we should emphasize our pitching. I think if we do well with our pitching aspect that we will win most games… Last year our hitting wasn’t bad. Our hitting was there. We would just let one inning get away from us and it would all tumble downhill. I think if our pitching improves and we focus on that, we will do well.”  

For the Eagles this season they will be without two main stats leaders in Braddy Huebbe and Neal Stasell.  

Huebbe was first on the team in a plethora of categories including hits, extra-base hits, home-runs, runs-batted in (RBI’s), batting average and slugging.  

Stasell followed behind Huebbe as second on the team in a plethora of categories as well. He finished second in hits, extra-base hits, home-runs, RBI’s and stolen bases while finishing first in runs scored.   

Kennedy noted that the loss of those two will have big impact because of their ability to have big at-bats when needed. However, Kennedy thinks that the freshman will step up and the sophomores must fill in for Huebbe, Stasell and the other sophomores’ roles to help them fill the void the last season sophomores left.   

The Eagles do bring back two promising stat-leaders from last season in Paxton Kennedy and Austin Prybylinski.   

Kennedy was second in batting average, first in one-base percentage and fifth in hits and RBI’s from a season ago. Prybylinski returns after being fourth in hits and T-third in RBI’s last season.   

Kennedy spoke to how he planned to improve on a great season last year: “I have been working a lot—a lot of hitting, a lot of throwing. I’m mainly just focusing on each at-bat. The mental aspect of baseball… taking it game-by-game and not getting to down on myself.”  

The IVCC Eagles baseball team will be returning to action for the upcoming 2019 season when they head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for spring training games.   

Kennedy spoke to the importance of these upcoming games, saying, “It’s good to start seeing live pitching before we get into conference games and actual season. It’s really good, those five games, to see a lot of live pitching, a lot of good arms, a lot of good teams go down there.”   

Kennedy noted it’s especially beneficial for the freshman to get game play experience at the college level and a great way to start off the season. The Eagles first game is March 10 in Myrtle Beach against Union County College.