Following a three-game sweep at the hands of Virginia Commonwealth University last weekend, the Binghamton University baseball team (0-3) will be looking for its first win of the season this weekend when it heads back to Virginia for a three-game series against the Norfolk State University Spartans (1-7).
VCU outscored the Bearcats 22-5 overall in BU’s opening series last weekend. Despite the tough start to the season, BU head coach Tim Sinicki said the Bearcats have put the losses behind them and are looking to bounce back in the games ahead.
“I know the players and coaches are looking forward to getting back on the field to compete,” he said.
With only five runs crossing the plate over the course of the three games, Binghamton’s bats clearly struggled. One bright spot for the Bearcats, however, was the play of freshman utility player Jake Thomas, who went an impressive 5-for-11 from the plate (.454 average) with two RBI and an on-base percentage of .500.
The Bearcats are looking to improve their on-base percentage early on in the season, but Sinicki said he feels that the emphasis should be on overall improvement rather than on numbers.
“Our expectation is less about how many games we want to win, but more about being better than we were last weekend,” he said.
After opening its season with a grueling 14-inning victory over Rider University, Norfolk State has since dropped seven in a row. The former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference runner-up, the Spartans have lost four of their eight games by only a single run. Similar to Binghamton, the Spartans will be looking to improve their less-than-stellar record in this weekend’s series.
Sinicki said he has remained positive throughout the week and is going into the weekend with a great deal of enthusiasm.
“We’ve had a tremendous week of practice and are ready to move forward into the season,” he said.
The Bearcats are set to open the three-game series against Norfolk State with a double-header scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 at Marty L. Miller Field.