CEU baseball takes down nationally-ranked Yavapai
Taking on bus rides of 24 hours in three days, EU men come out fighting
Two weekends in a row, the Eastern Utah men’s baseball team loaded up the ol’ College of Eastern Utah charter bus to head south to the warmer weather of Arizona to play some of its best two-year college teams. All the teams EU played have been outside in warm weather all winter.
The EU men came out 2-6 from the two weekends of baseball, but finished up taking out national powerhouse Yavapai College.
This archived article was written by: KC Smurthwaite
Taking on bus rides of 24 hours in three days, EU men come out fighting
Two weekends in a row, the Eastern Utah men’s baseball team loaded up the ol’ College of Eastern Utah charter bus to head south to the warmer weather of Arizona to play some of its best two-year college teams. All the teams EU played have been outside in warm weather all winter.
The EU men came out 2-6 from the two weekends of baseball, but finished up taking out national powerhouse Yavapai College.
Eastern opened up its season splitting with Scottsdale Community College home of the Fighting Artichokes. Eastern dropped the first game 3-0, but took the second game 3-1 behind the pitching performance of freshman Brennan Hallows.
Next up for EU was Phoenix College, located in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Phoenix came out strong and put on a clinic on hitting, but both games Eastern came back to make the games interesting. Final scores were not available of the Phoenix games. After the Phoenix game EU saddled up and hit the road for the 12-hour drive back to Price.
Three days later, the baseball team was back on the road headed to Arizona again. The Golden Eagles were slated to play Lamar Community College and the 18th-ranked Yavapai College.
Eastern fell to Lamar 5-3 and 5-1 and 8-3 to Yavapai. Eastern showed signs of potential and maturity for a team loaded with freshman (which includes all but one freshman pitchers).
The EU baseball team put it all together when they faced Yavapai again and knocked them out 8-6 in extra innings. They were powered by freshman Kevin Nay who came off the bench to knock out two-home runs.
Freshman pitchers Kameron Schmidt and Jacob Zumbrunnen shut down the Roughriders of Yavapai who are loaded with players who have already committed to division-one schools next year.
Although the weekends could have been better, EU will take the two wins and build off them. Throughout the conference every team has a losing record at this point, so EU has its work cut out for them to keep pushing through and take the SWAC. The team is back in action for their first home game this Saturday against Utah State at noon and 3 p.m. at the CEU field on 1100 east and 900 north in Price.
