The 2018 Stetson baseball season went down in Hatters history for many reasons and will fondly be remembered for years to come. The team went on to the Super Regional tournament against the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC where Stetson’s cinderella season came to an end, but it lit a spark in a town that is hungry to see their hometown university be national competitors. The 2019 season brings an eagerness for the Hatters to pick up where they left off, but it won’t be easy.
Stetson lost six players to the MLB draft, plus another that signed to play professionally. That carries a lot of weight to those who vote in preseason polls, of which the Hatters didn’t make the Top 25. They went as high as seventh last season.
“That is OK because the preseason polls don’t mean much,” head coach Trimper told the media. “Maybe that gives us a little chip on our shoulders again. It’s all about ‘what have you done lately.'”
From the very start, the 2019 Hatters have been challenged. The opening weekend included a team from the ACC, Virginia Tech, and two perennial conference title contenders in Sam Houston State and Manhattan in the RyCass Classic where the Hatters lost all three games.
However, Coach Trimper won’t let the team get wrapped up in attaining the post-season success they had last year. They have one single goal in mind, to win the Atlantic Sun tournament as it will be hosted in DeLand this season.
“We have goals of winning the conference championship, and we are not going to sit here and hide from that. If we do the things we are supposed to, then we are going to be excited to play in front of our home crowd for another weekend.”
If you’ve never experienced a Stetson baseball game, don’t let this season get away. Visit the university baseball site for schedule and ticket information.