Saint Anselm’s spring sports are nearing the midway point of their seasons. One team to look at under the microscope is baseball. 

Sitting with a record of 4-21, the season may look like it’s running away fast. However, looking at the season closely tells a different narrative than expected. 

Starting the season in Pembroke, North Carolina, the Hawks started off with a daunting task, a three-game series against the thirteenth-ranked UNC Pembroke. Saint Anselm would fight, but they would be no match for the nationally ranked Pembroke.

UNC Pembroke would not be the only nationally ranked team that Saint Anselm would face to embark on the 2023 season. The hawks would also face nineteenth-ranked East Stroudsburg, as well as seventh/tenth-ranked West Chester. Despite losing these games, the Hawks began to show signs of improvement.

The biggest thing to note about this season was the Hawks’ 12-7 victory over Southern New Hampshire University on March 23. SNHU has received votes from around Division II to become nationally ranked. Despite not breaking the top 25 as of yet, it is a sure-fire sign that they are a solid squad. 

However, SNHU sweeped the Hawks this past week to kick off NE-10 league play. While this wasn’t the start the Hawks were looking for, beating the Penman earlier is a great sign that the team is making strides in the right direction.

And here is the best part: The Hawks are just at the start of their Northeast-10 conference play, which they have had decent success in in the past. There’s a lot of season left to turn things around.

Senior infielder Brady Doran mentioned, “The competitive early season schedule really helps us get ready for conference play, especially for the hitters seeing good pitching, which helps us be prepared for NE-10 pitching.”

Upcoming, the Hawks have Saint Michaels, Franklin Pierce, American International, and Bentley, and they close their season out in Worcester against Assumption.

This could be exactly what the Hawks need, especially as league play will eventually lead to conference playoffs. Playing tougher competition prior to NE-10 play only means that the Hawks will be a more complete team as the season continues.

Looking at statistics now, there are multiple aspects that could absolutely improve. Starting with an average of .216 at the plate, our hitters have large aspects that they could improve. Junior Richie Williams is one notable hitter for the Hawks, hitting .291, with 23 hits in 79 registered plate appearances. However, the Hawks have been excellent on the basepaths, stealing 24 bases on 28 attempts.

The biggest opportunity for improvement is the pitching staff, with a combined Earned Run Average of 9.1. However, I do believe part of this can be credited to the fact that the Hawks have merely played extremely strong opponents. This number should drop once the weather gets warmer and the Hawks continue deeper into conference play.

Every baseball team is bound to make errors. Through 25 games, the Hawks have registered 39 errors, only four more than those registered to opponents the Hawks have played, meaning they are on par with their opponents. Overall, this is a strong sign, as fielding can be a headache attempting to correct.

The season is not a wash. The Hawks’ record is not a true tale of the strength of the roster, which will be seen during conference play.

“We’re going into NE-10 play with the mindset that every game matters and every game is going to be a battle, so we just have to be ready to compete every game,” said Doran.