X-Men Baseball Season Comes to a Close
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PHoto: StFX Baseball
With fall in full swing, the X-Men baseball team wrapped up another season. The X-Men put up a great fight, at one point holding the third-place spot in the division. By the end of the regular season, the team managed to place a respectable 5th in Atlantic Collegiate Baseball Division.
Rob MacKay was awarded the opportunity to lead the team this season, as their new team manager. Brayden Poirier, a second year on the team, commented that “Rob understood the players needs and really got to know us individually.”
“Rob understood the players needs and really got to know us individually.”
The X-Men’s baseball season had its ebbs and flows. The team started off strong, winning their first two games against Acadia. The next 5 games were tough losses, but their perseverance broke through the streak of bad luck, earning them a huge win against the undefeated Holland College Hurricanes (September 22), who finished first place in the regular season. StFX was one of only two teams to beat the Hurricanes. This 13-3 win helped the team get back into the groove. In October, the X-Men won the next 2 out of 3 games, putting them at a record of 5-6-0. The X-Men now so close to breaking 500, had their next slump. The X-Men finished with a record of 5-11-0, unfortunately they fell short by two games to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Riley Garinger, pitcher and outfielder for the X-Men commented on this season’s performance: “This season was full of ups and downs and was very constructive for this team. We will be taking this year as a learning opportunity and we’ll come back strong next season.”
“This season was full of ups and downs and was very constructive for this team. We will be taking this year as a learning opportunity and we’ll come back strong next season.”
Even though the team did not end as well as they hoped, they have stayed positive and cannot wait until next season comes around. Poirier, who plays outfield, comments: “Our year didn’t go as we hoped but next year we know what to expect and will be ready. Our pitching was very good this year but where we need to focus is our batting.”
StFX had two players who managed to finish top five in the regular season in pitching statistics. The first player being Spencer Murray (pitcher). This is Murray's first year in the league, as well at StFX. Murray finished top 5 in three different pitching categories. He also placed third in the league for strikeouts with 22. Murray also placed second in the league in Earned Run Average and placed first in the league in walks+hits/innings pitched.
The second player, Nathan Snell, finished 3rd in the regular season league for first pitch strikes, holding an average of 66.3%. This was Nathan Snells last year in the league. Snell will be graduating this year in May. He was a veteran on the team, having played the last 4 seasons with the StFX baseball team.
For more information, visit gamechanger.com to view live results as well as the scheduled games for next season, or check out StFX Baseball’s Facebook or Twitter pages, and be sure to catch some games next season as the X-Men battle to prove themselves for the 2020 season! Home games take place at the Dr. John H. Gillis Regional High School.
