Point Park University baseball is busy making sure things remain strong going forward this spring. There will be no more games played in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic calling off the season. The Pioneers have 19 underclassmen on the roster and several of the seniors who will be coming back next year given the extra year of eligibility by the NAIA.
Point Park got off to a 10-3 record before the 2020 season was cut short. There was a 5-1 run through the Florida trip, a 4-2 showing in the first two weekends of River States Conference play and a final win at Chatham hours before sports were put on hold.
With the season going into a pause and classes moving to online study, the focus moves to taking care of business academically, assessing the team with returners and recruits and looking ahead to next year. Head coach Loren Torres joined us for a Q&A discussing the various things facing the team now and going forward.
What are your thoughts and reaction to the season getting cancelled?
"When we got the news, it was very difficult for all of us to deal with the season suddenly ending. It brought much disappointment, uncertainty and even some anxiety to the team. We not only felt good about our chances, but we worked very hard since August and developed much chemistry during that time.
"We understand and respect the decision, but there is a lot of uncertainty that is still evident in how the process will work moving forward. The positive that I have seen is that this pandemic has created a new perspective of life that has brought family and friends closer together."
What do you say to your team about this?
"We all have to put one foot in front of the other and continue to move forward. We are taking each player case by case and each day hour by hour so that we can move the entire group forward. The biggest challenge is hoping to bring some closure to the seniors that might not be back."
Who is coming back and who is moving on as a graduated senior?
"Shawn Henry is definitely not returning as he will be starting graduate school at Temple University while guys like Luke Easter and Christian Negron are waiting to see if it is academically possible for them to return....the rest of the seniors had either a year or another semester of school left and really want and will seek to play their last season of competition in 2021."
What did the seniors do for this program? What mark did they leave?
"The seniors not returning will find closure from having no regrets in their efforts. We train and prepare in a way that win or lose, season ending injury or pandemic, we absolutely have no doubt about doing our best and untapping all of our personal resources which allows them to walk away with our heads up. They will move on with their lives with that mentality, their heads up, and proud alumni of Point Park University and our Baseball Program."
What is the feeling going forward in terms of who is coming back and outlook for the future?
"It is early with many uncertainties to be able to tell what our outlook is, but granted we return the majority of our seniors and gain Nick Beardsley in 2021, we should be able to compete at the national level."
What are you looking for in recruiting?
"We have to take a step back and reevaluate where we are in the next month or so with grades and this pandemic. We will definitely bring in a modified recruiting class and competition for roles increase."
