Ravens’ baseball team eager to take on 2019 season

by Paul Lambert and Bryce Johnson
edited by Sean Fitzpatrick

The Ravens’ baseball team is set to once again challenge for an NE-10 title and return to the NCAA Tournament.

“We have a lot of older guys who are starters who are really good and have experience,” says graduate student pitcher Ryan Covelle. “Also our new pitching coach, Matt Horan, is probably one of the best pitching coaches we have had at Franklin Pierce in a long time.”

The Ravens are off to a good start, having won four of their first five games on a road trip at Myrtle Beach. Today, the team is back in Rindge. It’s nine o’clock on a chilly Saturday morning, and the players are getting ready for a weekend practice.

Fortunately, the players are in the Bubble today. It doesn’t smell great, but it’s better than the cold. Normally, the team practices outdoors at Pappas Field, where the Ravens play all their home games. 

Inside the Bubble, players jog around the track during warm-ups, chatting with one another as they get ready. Pitchers stretch their arms back and forth, using stretch bands and weighted balls to strengthen their arms. Senior Zach Hart throws the length of the entire Bubble.

To Covelle, it seems like a good practice for the pitching staff.

“I thought the pitchers were hitting most of their spots,” Covelle says. “But most importantly they were throwing a lot of first pitch strikes.”

Sophomore catcher Hunter Weissman catches numerous bullpen sessions on the turf. He agrees that the relief pitchers should be a focal point of the team in 2019.

“I think they looked pretty good,” Weissman says. “Their velocity is up, which is always good, and I think they could be key pieces out of the bullpen this year.”

The Raven pitchers also throw live batting practice. While the hitters have some trouble making consistent contact, Covelle is not very concerned going forward.

“For me being a pitcher, I think we have the advantage of being inside the bubble,” Covelle says. “For the batters it is sometimes tough to see the ball inside the cages.”

The Ravens also have confidence in their offensive potential.

“I think we looked alright,” Weissman says. “We are trying to work harder in our live at-bats but I think moving forward we will be in a good spot.”

However, no matter what the offense does, Covelle knows that there will need to be a pitching staff there to keep Franklin Pierce close in low-scoring games.

“Offense wins games,” he says. “But pitching wins championships.”