The preseason of Eastern Nazarene College’s (ENC) baseball program is striding forward as it is readying for the team trip to Fort Pierce, Florida.
The ENC baseball team is preparing for its third season under the lead of head coach Kameron Konert and their first season for the Lions to be in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). After a disappointing last season in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) with a 2-14 record, coach Kameron states that it is going to be the goal to be able to compete in the NECC.
“Last year we competed as well, we just lost many very close games,” the Houghton College graduate explains.
In Fort Pierce (March 1 until March 9), the team is going to compete against nine other teams including three double-headers versus Monmouth College (Illinois), Hood College (Maryland), as well as Konert’s old school, Houghton College (New York). According to the head coach, the trip serves to get some game experience in.
Konert reveals, “it’s going to be good competition there, and we want to get ready for the season.”
With Zach Zaino, coach Konert and his team lost a key player from the last years. Zaino, who played catcher, graduated in the Spring of 2018.
“He was one of the best catchers I’ve ever seen. He was natural, gifted and it is going to be tough to replace him,” Konert says.
James Coury, graduate assistant for the director of transportation, is going to step in for Zaino this season. The optimistic catcher states, “He [Zaino] had some strong points in his defensive game that will be challenging for me to outperform, but overall I have confidence with my abilities to fill the role of being the starting catcher.“
New on board are freshmen Hunter Authier, Hunter Leroux-Porter, Morgan Weast, and junior Anthony Castrogiovanni.
One significant aspect of Konert’s coaching philosophy is that he wants to change the image of his team on campus as being troublemakers.
“We have twelve seniors this year,” Konert said regarding the team’s difference in trouble making from last season to this season. “They have become leaders and are well aware of our team’s past.”
Konert hopes the new season can bring them more success starting with their first game of the season on March 2 against Monmouth.