Following a very strong performance last semester, Winthrop Esports teams are gearing up for another successful season.
“We were really successful last season, so we’re not gonna try to change up the formula too much. We brought in some new players, we’ve upgraded our roster, we feel like we’re in position with a lot of these games to compete for championships,” said Head Coach Josh Sides.
Though the team is focused on wins this season, that isn’t their only goal.
“One goal that we always have in addition to winning is continuing to build the right culture and be there for each other. That’s something that we pride ourselves on here at Winthrop,” Sides said.
The League of Legends team has already begun competition, defeating Kilgore College 2-0 in its first match this past Saturday. The Eagles ranked as high as fourth in the ESPN College League of Legends coaches poll last spring during the team’s inaugural season.
The Rocket League team will be competing in CRL (Collegiate Rocket League) qualifiers beginning on Feb. 4, but the Overwatch and Valorant teams are currently awaiting the release of their schedule for this semester.
“We’re still waiting to hear back from Blizzard (the developer of Overwatch) on what that season is going to look like. I know there have been some concerns about whether or not they are going to have a season, but it sounds like they’re going to,” Sides said
In addition to the new players on the roster, a Super Smash Bros. team has been added this semester.
“It’s kind of a different animal. It’s the first game we’re playing on consoles — first fighting game that we’re doing. It’s a very interesting medium because it’s very much one-on-one instead of a team–based dynamic,” Sides said.
The roster for the Super Smash Bros. team is still unannounced at this time but will be made public very soon.
“We’re finalizing our fifth player and the roster should be released pretty soon after that,” Sides said.
Although the Super Smash Bros. team is new to competition, the players are all existing Winthrop students.
“We already have a good Smash presence on campus with some really good players, [so] we didn’t feel the need to go out and bring in extra players,” Sides said.
While Winthrop Esports is eager for competition to begin again, the program is still looking to add to its roster for this semester.
“If there’s anybody on campus that is potentially interested in playing, we are looking for a seventh player for our Rocket League team who could be a substitute. And for our Overwatch team we’re looking for a player as well,” Sides said.
Anyone interested in competing on the Rocket League or Overwatch teams should email Sides at sidesj@winthrop.edu.
Those who want to stay up to date on the esports action can follow the esports team on Twitter @WinthropEsports and on Instagram @winthropesport. Fans can also follow @winthropesports on Twitch to receive notifications when the team streams its matches live.
