The Buccaneers will do a bit of sporadic traveling this spring as their home ballpark – Leroy Dreyer Field – undergoes a multimillion-dollar renovation slated for completion later this year. In the meantime, head coach Harvey McIntyre’s squad will play its home games at Fireman’s Park in Brenham and Nutrabolt Stadium in Bryan. The team’s schedule also feature a handful of series in which Blinn will alternate home-and-away games.
“It has already been crazy,” McIntyre said with a smile. “We’re going to have to get through some hurdles – no question – and I think we’re going to have to be able to go on the fly, but the guys just want to know what time we’re leaving and where we’re going. They’ll be fine because they’re ready to play. It’s still 90 feet wherever you go, and three outs and you switch.”
Wherever the Bucs set up shop, they’ll have their sights set on improving on a 2021 campaign which saw Blinn finish 22-22 overall and 14-16 in the Region XIV South Zone.
While the Bucs return some experienced arms in their starting rotation, McIntyre loaded his bullpen with an array of freshmen. That rings true for the Blinn lineup as well, which McIntyre said will take shape over the next few weeks.
“I think we have an idea, but in a sense, we really don’t know,” McIntyre said. “I think that’s what these first two weeks are going to be for us. We’re going to roll guys out there and see who best helps us compete.”
Returning to the Blinn pitching staff are second-year freshmen Evan Aschenbeck, Colten Drake, Colson Geisler, Jake Olson and Kirkland Michaux, as well as sophomore Eric Oakes. The rest of the Blinn pitching staff will be made up of 15 first-year Buccaneers. Among them are transfers Ethan Roark and Isaac Ponce, who join Blinn from Texas Christian University and Texas State University, respectively.
“We have a lot of young guys who are going to fill some roles, and I think we’re going to be able to do that,” Drake said. “We have some pretty big shoes to fill from last year, but I’m confident that we have the talent and the arms to do that.”
Offensively, the Bucs return a handful of second-year freshmen in outfielders Garrison Weiss and Cole Smajstrla and infielders Jett Garcia and Cash Callahan.
Much like his pitching staff, McIntyre said his everyday offense is still a work in progress, adding that Blinn’s opening series against Weatherford could see the Buccaneers use three different lineups.
“The big question is just who and what we are offensively,” McIntyre explained. “There are a lot of ways to score runs, we just have to figure out which one we’re good at.”
Weiss said a bit of the unknown has been exciting for the young Bucs as he’s witnessed a bit of hunger and growth from a unit that is ready to compete.
“There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the young guys coming in and they’ve shown a lot of growth through the fall,” Weiss said. “I can’t wait to see this team continue to mature because we have a lot of hard-working guys and a lot of grinders. From top to bottom, I don’t think we have a weak spot.”
Blinn again competes in a tough Region XIV that features No. 3 San Jacinto College-North, which won the region a season ago and appeared in the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series. McIntyre said San Jacinto returns most of its 2021 squad, while other teams in the region such as No. 9 Navarro College, Wharton County Junior College, and Angelina Community College also have reloaded.
“You have to stay healthy and really progress and play well to be in the mix for the title in this region,” McIntyre said. “You’re going to have to go through one of the toughest regions there is to win this thing, and you just hope you put yourself in a position to do that. I think if we can keep the pieces together, I think we’ll be hunting for it all, I really do.
“We have an extremely athletic and extremely versatile group of kids who just enjoy playing the game. You can tell they enjoy themselves on the field and they’re hungry because there’s opportunity staring them right in the face.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
