By Terrence Hinds, Staff Writer

Published in print Jan 14, 2015.

UNCG’s spring sports should provide us with a bunch of entertainment this semester. The softball team with a mixture of returning players and a veteran-heavy roster will look to continue their strong output of softball teams in recent years.

The baseball team will look to bounce back and improve after a disappointing 21-28 record last year.

Both tennis teams, now coached by Jeff Trivette, are certainly interesting teams to look out for this spring semester. Track and Field will look to have a break out outdoor season as both the men’s and women’s teams head into their second meet of the season this Saturday at Chapel Hill.

Baseball

The team was seven games under five .500 last year finishing with a record of 21-28. The Spartans played really well at home last year going a respectable 16-10, but the team was just abysmal on the road finishing the year at 4-16.

2B Hunter King returns this year to the team and is looking to continue to lead the team offensively. Last year he led the team in batting average at .382. The Spartans did lose some key pitchers due to the MLB draft and graduation such as Max Povse and Dylan Thompson. Ryan Clark, Brennan James, and Tyler Frazier will have to step up to fill the void that is left. The schedule for the team is out and it is an exciting one.

The team will play 30 games in the UNCG baseball stadium. They also have games against Duke, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest. This team will have their opportunities to prove that they are for real.

Softball

The team went 31-26 last year which was a slight regression from the year before when they were able to go 38-19. This team is looking to get back to its 2013 form this year. Nicole and Lindsay Thomas look to lead this team back to a deep Southern Conference postseason run this year. Last year they combined to hit 26 home runs and drive in a total of 102 RBIs. Nicole Thomas was also one of the team’s better pitchers. She had a record of 9-5.

There will a lot of pressure on these two to put up similar numbers for the team this year. If these two can improve on their numbers from last year, in addition to some other players stepping up this team should have a solid season.

Tennis

The tennis team experienced some changes this past fall. Jeff Trivette who was the head coach of the women’s team was also named interim coach of the men’s team.

The previous coach Thomas Mozur resigned from the team to accept a Junior Academy Director position at the Raleigh Raquet Club. Both the men’s and women’s team have had decent seasons thus far, but are looking to really improve in the spring. The schedule really heats up moving forward. There are a lot more tournaments coming for both the men and the women. Hopefully the team can have more success moving forward.

Track and Field

The men’s track team will look to build on their opening meet of this semester to spearhead a strong campaign for the team. Two teams of Blue and Gold runners were able to take home first and third place in the distance medley on December 1st.

The team is looking to improve going forward.

There will be a lot of opportunities to do so as well with 11 more meets coming up in the spring. They have trips to Iowa, Virginia, and Alabama this spring that should be fun for the teams. Track will hold open tryouts on January 21st for students interested in trying to walk on to join the teams.