VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse club baseball is ready to bounce back after a tough 2024 campaign.
Ari Feinstein: After a tough season where the Syracuse club baseball team failed to make the playoffs, they are ready for a new beginning with opening day on the horizon. President of the team, Alex Cordner, discussed the lack of focus last season and where it all went wrong:
Alex Cordner: There was a bit of a lack of buy-in like the year before when we were successful, we had a ton of buy-in. Everybody was here all of the time ready to go all of the time and that was lacking last year so we are trying to build that back up this year to help us get to a better spot.
Feistein: Despite the club baseball team not achieving the goals they were hoping for last season, they believe that the new added culture and players will finally get them over the hump.
Jake Kleiman: In terms of just on the field, being close makes communication better. You know I would rather have a group of 9 guys that maybe aren’t the world’s most talented players but are so bought into the culture and know each other so well, play together so well because usually that ends up trumping everything.
Feinstein: Despite last years downswing, expectations are higher than ever, and the new freshman class will play a massive role in the programs success this season.
Cordner: I think that this year’s freshmen class is really bought in. That is what we shot for heading into tryouts and what we wanted were guys that were going to come and be bought in everyday and those are the guys that are here at practice and they are here and working their tails off.
Feinstein: This is Ari Feinstein NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — After a disappointing season where the Syracuse Club Baseball Team fell short of playoff contention, the squad is gearing up for a fresh start with Opening Day around the corner. Alex Cordner, the team’s president, opened up about last season’s struggles and why things did not go according to plan.
“There was a bit of a lack of buy-in,” Corder said. “Like the year before, when we were successful, we had a ton of buy-in. Everybody was here all the time, ready to go all of the time, which was lacking last year. So we are trying to build that back up this year to help us get to a better spot.”
Despite missing the playoffs last season, the team is optimistic about their chances of winning in 2025. A shift in the team culture and the addition of new players has them believing that they can reach success once again.
“In terms of just on the field, being close makes communication better,” Jake Kleiman, the team’s second baseman, said. “I’d rather have a group of nine guys that maybe aren’t the world’s most talented players but are so bought into the culture, know each other so well, and play together so well because usually, that ends up trumping everything.”
With high expectations heading into this season, the team’s freshmen class is poised to play a pivotal role. Tryouts this year were about more than just talent. The team looked for players who were not only built with talent but hungry for success and capable of stepping into leadership roles for years to come.
As the season unfolds, the Syracuse Club Baseball team hopes the new energy will propel them to the next level.