For the 2022 baseball season the Eagles have been picked sixth in the Big South Conference, placing them 19 points above Charleston Southern and 10 points below Garner-Webb.
Regardless of where the Eagles are placed, Head Coach Tom Riginos “[doesn’t] put a lot of stock into the preseason poll,” as he wants “the motivation to create organically” for the team.
“We have had years where we’ve been the conference favorite, where we are placed in the top forty, and years where we are not. The only thing that matters is where we finish at the end of the year. We want to be the top team in the conference, ranked in the top thirty or twenty-five at the end of the year,” Riginos said.
Last season the team was picked to finish second in the preseason poll, and ended up finishing the 2021 season 16-21 in the Big South Conference.
“It’s definitely motivation and we take note of it, but beyond that it goes in our rearview. Nothing’s decided on paper; there’s a reason we go out and play the games, and that’s what we’re focused on and excited for,” said graduate player Josh Bookbinder.
Bookbinder, a right-handed pitcher, is ready for his first season at Winthrop following three years at Newberry College and an elbow injury last spring.
“It seems like the guys on the team show up every day ready to put in as much work as possible to get better, and everybody seems to completely trust the guy next to them,” Bookbinder said.
“There’s a ton of competitiveness in the locker room and there’s a sense that everybody has something to contribute, no matter what their role, position, age, class, or any other qualifier. The coaches are great, and work harder than anybody else to help us get better,” Bookbinder said.
In preparing for this upcoming season, Coach Riginos focused on reestablishing the team’s identity, core values, and work ethic. Knowing that success on the field often correlates with success off the field, Coach Riginos emphasizes the importance of his players excelling academically.
“This was the fifth consecutive semester we have over a 3.0 GPA. We felt good going into the holidays and coming back on Jan. 10th when we started practicing again. I feel really good about where our guys are right now,” Riginos said.
In March 2021 the Eagles were forced to push pause on a couple of their series games due to Covid taking its toll on the team. Unlike those two weeks of multiple players missing practices, the team is currently healthy with all players in attendance as of last Saturday.
“I think we also know that it can hit you at any time and we’ve got to be prepared to deal with it, but let’s hope we don’t have to deal with it,” Riginos said.
Opening the season on Friday Feb. 18th the Eagles will welcome Eastern Michigan to the Winthrop field. This season’s line up also consists of both home and away games against Clemson and South Carolina.
“We are very fortunate that both those head coaches have agreed to come to Rock Hill, so I think from a community standpoint, a student standpoint, and an attendance standpoint of these two games, we are really excited. Now we just have to hope for great weather,” Riginos said.
Riginos is also ready for the challenge of competing against non-conference team Liberty this season, as they are now a top 25 ranked team.
“That’s going to be a very competitive weekend,” Riginos said, “and then our conference has gotten better from top to bottom. It’s not the same Big South as it was ten years ago.”
Rignos continues to encourage students to come support the “good bunch of young men that’s going to play hard every day.”
“I can’t wait for opening day, and I’m looking forward to seeing fans in the stands and winning some ball games,” Bookbinder said.
