Mavs baseball kicks off season in Arkansas
Aaron Young
Staff Writer
Spring is upon us and that can only mean one thing: It’s baseball season! Yes, there is still snow on the ground, but that isn’t preventing the Mavericks baseball team from preparing for their season opener this weekend, as the Mavs start out on the road with a three-game series against the Arkansas Monticello Weevils in Monticello, Arkansas.
Saturday starts with a doubleheader, with the first game beginning at noon, followed by a 2 p.m. game. This is followed up with the final game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Mavs ended last season a three-game losing streak. This included two losses in the playoffs against the Concordia Golden Bears and the Minot State Beavers.
Heading into the series, the Mavericks are 6-2 against the Weevils in their school history. In their last meeting, the Mavericks swept the Weevils way back in 2016. Then they faced them twice in the playoffs, winning the first matchup, 7-6, and losing 13-6, which would conclude their season.
Junior infielder Teddy Petersen and sophomore pitcher Trevor Divinski were both on the 2019 NSIC Players to Watch this year. In the 42 game he played in, Petersen hit .328 with an on base percentage of .416 and slugging percentage of .491. He also had 23 RBI’s and has 22 career sacrifice hits, which is seventh-most in programs history.
Divinski made his debut last year and recorded a 5-1 record in 13 games, six of which he started. The right-hander finished the year with a 3.80 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched.
Another player to look out for is senior Joshua Hart, who is known for hitting the ball out of the park. He hit 7 HR’s last year with 31 RBI’s and a .660 slugging percentage, and that was in only half of the Mavs games. Hart has 25 home runs in his career and nine triples on his career, both fifth all-time in program history.
The Arkansas-Monticello Weevils are coming off a great season, finishing at the top of the Great American Conference, with an overall record of 30-19.
One challenge for the Weevils is they lost seven of their nine starters last year, meaning they must get a whole lineup ready to go.
Two returning players who will be key for them against the Mavericks are junior Dylan Borman and sophomore Jordan Johnson. Both players hit above .300 with at least 10 doubles, 40 RBI’s and eight home runs.
As for their pitching rotation, the Weevils have four returning players who posted a 6.43 ERA.
This looks to be a good one folks, and get ready for another season of Maverick baseball.
Feature photo courtesy of Maverick Athletics.