MONTGOMERY – After being rained out Friday, the Alabama State baseball team opened team practice Saturday night at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
“I thought our first practice was really good,” fourth-year head coach Mervyl Melendez said. “The intensity was there. The energy was there. The execution was there. You can tell the guys were focused and I was really happy with everything that went on tonight.”
The Hornets return 23 players from last year’s 37-win team that won the SWAC Eastern Division title and finished as the conference runners-up. With 17 newcomers, Melendez likes the makeup of the roster and the veteran leadership from the seniors.
“We probably have the best makeup of old and new players since we’ve been here,” said Melendez, who has won 89 games in three seasons at Alabama State. “It’s good to see the young guys learning from the seniors who have been here. That is going to help them to develop quicker. Our current seniors were kind of lost as freshmen three seasons ago. The veterans are teaching newcomers the ropes and not letting them hang themselves, as opposed to the trial and error of three years ago. I’m very happy with the communication. The seniors are being very vocal about what it’s going to take for us to become a better team, and being unselfish about teaching them regardless of who plays.”
The Hornets open the season February 13-15 in the South Florida Tournament. Alabama State plays #12 Louisville Friday, #17 Cal-State Fullerton Saturday, and South Florida Sunday.
