Seattle University is off to a rocky start in the first season of baseball at the university in 30 years. The resurrected baseball program expects to win at the Division I level.
The Redhawks opened their season on the road with two games against Washington State University last weekend. Seattle U was defeated 11-6 by the Cougars Saturday and suffered a 23-0 blowout Sunday.
Seattle U dropped its home opener 21-7 against Saint Martin's University Feb. 23. Seattle U has worked with the city of Bellevue to allow the Redhawks to call Bannerwood Park their home field for the entirety of their season.
However, players and coaches expect to focus on the little things rather than wins and losses.
"It's going to be a learning curve for everyone," said senior outfielder Doug Buser. "We just have to expect hard work and have a competitive attitude, and wins will take care of themselves."
Buser is one of only two players on the squad with D-I experience, so the Redhawks will need to rely on an inexperienced squad. A mix of freshmen and junior college transfers make up the nucleus of inexperience at the D-I level.
Although the Redhawks are short on experience, they're not lacking on talent. Buser and junior infielder Josh Kalalau look to display strong offensive numbers and lead a young offensive squad.
Freshman infielder Nate Roberts and freshman catcher Steve Kirbach are two players that aim to be major offensive contributors to the team. On the other side of the ball, the pitching staff has a similar mix of inexperience. Arlo Evasic, a junior transfer from Everett Community College, leads the Redhawks on the hill.
"My job is to go out there and set the tempo, contain their hitters and give my hitters a chance to put runs on the board," Evasic said.
Evasic is complemented by other community college transfers, left-handed pitcher Connor Spink of Lower Columbia, and right-handed pitcher Blaine Jones of Saddleback Junior College.
"We are going to have to rely on the experience of our JC guys to go out and be competitive at the Division I level," said pitching coach Dave Wainhouse.
Inexperience is the common theme among players, but it is the experienced coaching staff that provides a big upside to the Redhawk baseball program.
"We can trust the experience of our coaching staff to prepare us for every challenge we face," Buser said.
Head Coach Donny Harrel's experience at the D-I level includes assistant coaching jobs at the University of Washington and Oregon State University. Wainhouse, a former first-round draft pick out of Washington State, brings 13 years of major league experience.
The first season in D-I for the Redhawks has already proved to be a tough one. Inexperience and competition against the likes of Washington State, who the Redhawks will face again in April, and Creighton University will make this season a bumpy ride.
Adam may be reached at johns113@seattleu.edu
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