Baseball Begins Season in Major League Park
The Choctaws are kicking off the season ahead in Houston’s Minute Maid Park.
The Mississippi College baseball team is set to open their season in exciting fashion, as the team travels to Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. With the first pitch set to be thrown on January 31 at 10 a.m. against Arkansas Monticello, this will be the first time the Choctaws have played in a Major League ballpark.
Senior leader on this year's team, JT Vance, recognizes the privilege of getting to play on a stage as big as this. “We’re really excited to have the opportunity that we do,” said Vance. “It is truly a blessing that we get to go out there and compete.”
Vance is no stranger to big achievements. The senior from Union, Mississippi, led last year’s team in batting average, home runs, hits, and RBI’s. These accomplishments earned Vance a preseason all-GSC selection. The Choctaws had two representatives for this selection, with Korey Cooper also being honored. “It is an honor to be named preseason all-GSC, especially since this is my last year,” Vance said.
For Vance, trying to follow up a season as impressive as last year’s is a tall task. He just focuses on doing his job as best he can.
“My main goal this season is just to do my job, and be a better leader for the people around me,” Vance said.
“JT is a guy who wants to win, and is a guy that cares about his teammates,” said Head Coach Jeremy Haworth. “He’s had to prove himself everywhere he’s gone, and so it’s nice to see him get the recognition he deserves. Now he has to go out there and prove it all over again.”
The team comes into this season ranked #10 in the GSC and off a 10-20 record in conference play last year. Pitching was a struggle last season for the Choctaws, as the team had an average ERA of 6.32, playing a total of 15 pitchers throughout the season.
The Choctaws say preseason rankings won’t affect the mentality of the team. “We put zero stock into rankings,” Haworth said. “Those are all going to be based on what the previous year was. There’s games last year that we should’ve won, then all of a sudden we would have been in seventh place and made the tournament. My second year here, we were picked to finish ninth and finished fourth, so I really don’t put any stock into it.”
Impressive stats and wins are accolades that every team hopes to accomplish, but the main goal for this Choctaw team is unity. “At the end of the day, our main goal is just to come together as men and fight through adversity,” Haworth said. “In baseball, you’re going to fail, no matter what, and it’s how you handle it. Handling those adversities is a big goal of ours. If we can do this effectively, we’re going to be good.”
Last season, the Choctaws finished #12 in the conference and 4 games away from the GSC tournament, which made it important to make moves in the offseason that show growth in the abilities of the team.
“The bullpen was a really big factor when we talked about restructuring the pitching staff,” Haworth said. “We brought in quite a few bullpen pieces that we feel really good about. We’ve seen these guys come in and throw a lot of strikes, now they just have to believe they can do it all the time.”
The Choctaws have brought in several new faces to the roster. “The new guys have come in and fit in perfectly,” said Vance. “Their talent and their effort everyday has been a huge asset to the team.”
The Choctaws begin tournament play in Houston on January 31, and begin conference play on Friday February 14, against West Alabama.