Last week the Eagles traveled to Columbia to play the Gamecocks on Tuesday, Feb. 22, followed by a trip to Virginia on Feb. 25 to compete in a three-game series against Liberty.
“I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. I think early in the game, we came out with some intensity, and I felt good about where we were at,” head coach Tom Riginos said about the game at South Carolina.
Riginos said senior Dillon Morton “played well” against the Gamecocks, hitting his first home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning. However, that proved to be the only run for the Eagles, as the Gamecocks left the field victorious with a final score of 7-1.
“I think we made a couple miscues defensively that led to a couple early runs, but it was a three–run ballgame, I think 3-1 in the fourth. We had a couple guys we couldn’t get across, and then they kind of extended the lead, one here, one there,” Riginos said.
Riginos appreciates these opportunities to compete against big-name universities like South Carolina, Clemson, and North Carolina because it teaches the team how to “slow the game down and understand the environment they are playing in.”
“At some points in the game, the game sped up on them, and we’ve just got to keep on putting our kids in that situation to become better and better at playing that type of situation,” Riginos said.
Riginos also recognized sophomore Ty Hooks and junior Sean Flannery for their hits on Tuesday.
“That was Sean’s first start on Tuesday, and he gave us a little spark. I was really encouraged about how he swung the bat at South Carolina,” Riginos said.
Before the Eagles hit the road for Lynchburg, Virginia, on Friday, Riginos noted Liberty would be “a big challenge” because they are ranked 21st in the country.
“We just have to play. It’s a game that is designed to play almost every day, and that’s what we need to do,” Riginos said. “It’s really a time of discovery trying to figure out what lineup clicked and what guys can do in what situations.”
This was the first time in four years the Eagles had the opportunity to compete against Liberty, who used to be in the Big South Conference with Winthrop. The team was originally supposed to play against the Flames in the spring of 2021, but the pandemic prevented that match from appearing on the schedule.
Both Friday and Saturday’s matches ended with an 8-1 score favoring Liberty. Hooks was once again a key contributor on the field, ending the first two days with two hits.
Senior Joey Tepper recorded Winthrop’s single run in both Friday and Saturday’s games, scoring the first run of Friday’s contest on freshman Jack Spyke’s RBI single, and hitting a first-inning home run on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Eagles finished their stay in Lynchburg with a 13-2 loss, unable to escape an early hole after giving up nine runs to Liberty in the bottom of the second inning.
Next year the Eagles will get to host Liberty at the Winthrop Ballpark for the three–game series. As for now, the Eagles will travel to Chapel Hill for a game against the Tar Heels.
“Our schedule doesn’t get any easier. We’re playing some really good competition, and we’re just excited to get out there and compete,” Riginos said.
