Delta College’s baseball team continues working to find its best form as it afronts its first full season since 2019.
Mustangs Head Coach Reed Peters said he and his team are excited about taking the field again, but admits returning to competitive level performance has proved to be challenging.
“It’s nice to get back on the field and actually be able to compete. These guys haven’t played in two years so there’s obviously some rust there, and we’re seeing that early. We just got to battle through it,” said Peters.
While getting into shape is a priority for the team, Delta’s head coach also thinks the players should calm themselves mentally and see that there’s a long season ahead of them.
“I think guys are putting a lot of pressure on themselves….a little more pressure than they need to on themselves so I think we’ve got to do a better job at that,” said Peters.
Despite the inconveniences of playing for the first time in two years, Peters is looking forward to his team’s potential when it comes to batting.
“There’s a lot of depth, especially offensively,” said Peters.
One of those players who can carry a load of the offense for the Mustangs is shortstop Kordell Brown, who is a returning player from the shortened 2020 season.
Brown committed early to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo last fall and now sees himself prospering with the Mustangs in his last season at Delta.
“My expectations are very high for this team if we can come together as one,” said Brown.
He currently leads the Mustangs on the offensive with 23 runs scored this season, along with 12 stolen bases.
First baseman Blaine French has batted in 14 runs and hit three home runs to start off the spring, making him another prospective player for the Mustangs on swinging the bat.
Pitchers Connor Semone and Seth Tomczak are who to watch for on the mound this season.
Semone has picked up 33 strikeouts so far and is another one of Delta’s early commits who will be heading to the University of Kansas this next fall.
Tomczak is an NCAA Division I kickback from Arizona State who is expected to add a higher level of performance to the Mustangs’ pitching rotation.
Delta ended its preseason with a 9-4 record following a 14-3 win against Contra Costa College on Feb. 27.
The Mustangs started play in the Big 8 this past Tuesday and picked up its first win 22-2 against Sierra College.
After ending the shortened 2020 season with a 4-3 conference record, Delta will seek to compete for the Big 8 and earn a spot in the Final Four in hopes of winning the state championship just as it did in 2018.
The Mustangs will take on Sierra College for a third time this afternoon at 2 p.m. and then visit Modesto Junior College this Tuesday for their next league games.