After a four win season last year, the Cavalier baseball team looks to improve upon their offense this season to support a veteran pitching staff.

Last season’s record, 4-7, was highlighted by a number of one run losses: five of their seven losses on the season came by one run. Winning those games would have made the team’s record 9-2, giving them a potential run at a championship. 

Coach Brett Mooney feels there was a lack of offense in crucial moments last year, so he proposed a new game plan that will potentially fix this problem and win those close games this year.

“It’s frustrating [to lose],” Mooney said. “We’re going to win one run games this year, that’s step one. We put ourselves in a position to win every game last year. We need to find a way to generate some offense, and that starts with just getting guys on base to move them around.”

Those offensive struggles translated into all around offense, as the team batting average landed around .239. However, only four batters surpassed that mark, with two batters hitting at .300 or above. While he expects improved offensive numbers this year, Mooney sees the most potential in his team’s pitching and defense.

“We established right away that pitching and defense are going to be an advantage,” Mooney said. [Offensively], we have to gain some confidence, and confidence comes from getting out there and playing consistently.” A 12 game sample is not really enough time to really get out there and play.”

Mooney also believes that the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a shortened 12 game schedule last year, affected his players; however, in his point of view, that is no excuse.

“[Last year] we weren’t in the classroom, we were online, and the kids were online, doing their work, and then they came to practice and games,” Mooney said. “So we couldn’t really lock in, and their attention was all over the place.” 

Mooney’s emphasis on pitching does not come without merit, however. Returning for his senior year, pitcher Will Maloney will act as both a mentor for the younger players and a veteran for the pitching staff. 

“I think they (the younger players) look up to me because it’s their first year as varsity players,” Maloney said. 

Maloney put up impressive numbers on the mound, posting a 3.90 earned run average (ERA) over 23 and a third innings. Maloney, though, strives to do even better next year.

“I hope this year my ERA is a little bit lower,” Maloney said. A 3.90 isn’t bad, but I think it could be better,” Maloney said. “I also want to possess a bit more of a presence on the mound when I’m pitching.”

As for this year, Maloney expresses promise in his teammates and poses high expectations for the upcoming season. 

“I hope we can at least get 15 wins out of 20 games this year,” Maloney said. “I think we have the team to do it. We have a really strong team this year, so we should be able to win some games.” 

On the offensive side of the ball, the bat of Clark Driscoll acted as a bright spot in the Cavaliers’ order. Driscoll’s batting average came in at .343, over 41 at-bats. Returning as a senior, Driscoll will look to produce even bigger numbers over the course of the 2022 season. 

“Last year, I had a very slow start, so I think I can definitely hit better,” Driscoll said.

Driscoll is aware of the fact that, being a senior, he will be called upon in many clutch situations this year. He hopes that, throughout the year, he can keep his composure in the box and help the team win in any way he can.

“In the past, I have definitely felt myself getting too excited, which is a good and bad thing, but I try my hardest to slow the game down as much as possible,” Driscoll said, “Whether that’s calling time or taking longer to get in the box, it makes the pitcher think a little more, and I can use that to my advantage.”

As for individual expectations, Driscoll sees himself as more of a team-oriented player. He believes that the key to his success is helping the team, as a whole, be successful. 

“My goal for this year is to help the team in any way [I can],” Driscoll said, “It’s great if I hit better than I did last year, but that’s not my main focus. I’m going to do everything in my power to lead this team to [a] championship.”

The Cavalier Varsity baseball team shows a lot of potential year in and year out. This year, players and coaches alike hope to take this team over the top. The team starts its season on Monday, March 14 at home against John Randolph Tucker High School. 

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