Union University’s men’s baseball team won their season opener for 2020 and is now 2-1 on the season. Their last season ended 16-32 overall, losing several of the team’s senior starters.
Union’s athletic department hired head coach Jim Pitt in July 2019. Pitt spent the last eight seasons at the University of Pikeville, four of those seasons as head coach; Pitt became one of the winningest coaches in school history in his short time. He started his new season last weekend with a 14-7 win in the opening game against Ouachita Baptist University at Fesmire Field. The Bulldogs won their second game in the series and dropped the third.
“Believe it or not we had like 71 practices before our first contest, if you included the fall and early spring here in January,” Pitt said. “We felt as prepared as possible going in. Overall very pleased with winning two out of three; obviously just the competitive side, you want to win all three. We were happy, though, with two out of three, but we know that it’s going to continue getting tougher from here on out.”
Pitt reflected on the history of baseball at Union and praised the former coaches. He showed his excitement for this team and his drive to keep moving forward and dream big. He has been with this team for six months, but he said the transition was really smooth.
“It’s been a fairly easy process just because Union, just the culture is really good at Union,” Pitt said. “I’d say it’s been easier here than it would be at most places, but overall the kids have been awesome. Their willingness to want to learn and grow is evident in how they pay attention to detail and how they are asking questions.”
The coaching staff for Union’s team is young and eager to win.
“I think the great thing about our coaching staff is just the humbleness,” Pitt said. “We have a humble staff that is willing to listen to corrections that need to be made, a staff that is really hard-working, a staff that we believe is able to communicate to the guys our passion for the game and what we are trying to teach.”
Walker Adkisson, sophomore cell and molecular biology major, also reflected on the theme of humility. He discussed what stood out the most to him about Pitt as a coach.
“He talked to us about being together and not being selfish and playing humble,” Adkisson said. “I think he just gets us on the same page and gets the team focused and ready to play. Everyone that knows him respects him as a person, and that just means a lot to me.”
Adkisson was the starting pitcher for one of the games on opening weekend, pitching six out of seven innings. He came to Union as a freshman last year and just began his second season with the team. Adkisson spoke very highly of this year’s team when comparing the two team dynamics he has experienced.
“Practice is a lot more structured, and it’s got a lot more intent behind what we do,” Adkisson said. “Coach Pitt watches all the games and sees what we need to work on the most, and he tries to put that into practice.”
Adkisson acknowledged that this year’s team focuses more on what it means to be a team. He said it has been different losing seniors and gaining a new coach, but he said it has not been hard to respect and trust Pitt.
“With Coach Pitt, he kinda brought us together and makes us want to play harder in a way,” Adkisson said. “Last year, we started doing bad, and everyone fell apart and no one wanted to play anymore. I feel like this year he just gives us motivation.”