The Union baseball team has seen improvement in the 2020-2021 season. Union held an even 8-8 record before last weekend’s series against Delta State University, where they were swept and emerged with an 8-11 record.
“I think the team is performing at a much higher level than we have in previous years. Every time we step on the field we are going to compete,” said Walker Adkisson, sophomore general biology major and pitcher for the team.
“The only weakness on our team is consistency. We’ve struggled with putting a full game of hitting and pitching together early in the year, but I have no doubt we’re about to figure it out,” said Adkisson. “Our team is strong in all categories. Our lineup can be dangerous from top to bottom, and our pitching staff has the ability to compete with anyone in the conference.”
The season’s highlight so far is a series sweep against the University of Alabama at Huntsville on Feb. 12-13.
“My personal favorite was game one of that series. It was a grind from the first pitch to the last, and we ended up winning 3-2. It showed the capability of this team,” said Adkisson
The Union softball team has endured a frustrating season thus far. Holding a 4-19 record with multiple games ending in run rules, Union has 17 games scheduled before the Gulf South Conference tournament, making a comeback possible, but unlikely.
Compared to the previous 2019-2020 season with a 15-9 record, Union softball has faced adversity and injuries this season.
“We may be losing, but there’s so much more to learn than that,” said Grace White, sophomore journalism major and first base player. “Our record is really bad. It doesn’t look good, but we’re not that team. In my mind, that’s not us. It’s important to have that mindset because if we don’t, then we’ve already defeated ourselves. Having an optimistic outlook is key.”
Union softball was 3-17 going into the weekend’s match against Delta State University, where they lost games one and three, but pulled off a 10-7 victory in game two.
“I’m optimistic. I think that at this point if we’re not optimistic, we’re going to keep getting run-ruled. I think you have to be optimistic going into each weekend,” said White.
Union baseball will play their next game against Young Harris College at home on March 23, and softball will play Mississippi College at home on March 27-28.
