The GCSU baseball team opened its season ranked No. 13 in the preseason American Baseball Coaches Association DII coaches poll. With the first few games underway, the Bobcats want to repeat their appearance in the Southeast Super Regional or go even further.
The team finished with a 37-22 record last year. Finished off by a walk-off home run by Matthew Mebane, the Bobcats won the Peach Belt Conference tournament. However, GCSU eventually lost to the Catawba College Indians in the Super Regional.
The Bobcats opened their season Friday, Jan. 31, in a tough spot, facing the No.1 nationally-ranked University of Tampa Spartans. While GCSU was the definite underdog in the series, they would push games one and two to their limits, only losing by one and two runs, respectively.
GCSU’s home opener was on Tuesday, Feb. 4, against Southern Wesleyan University. While pitching struggled in the earlier innings, the Bobcat offense put together the possibility of a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases but could not leave with the win.
GCSU will play its first home series against Eckerd College, beginning Friday, Feb. 7, and concluding the next day with a doubleheader.
“I feel like we got a lot of chemistry this year, and the team is full of a bunch of guys that will do whatever it takes to win,” said Gabe Wuerth, a junior infielder.
The team retained many of the same players who won the championship last year.
While they could reach the top of the Peach Belt Conference, the Bobcats are nonetheless ready for more.
Wuerth is returning from an excellent season, batting .362 with a .407/.447/.854 slash line stemmed from 14 doubles and 90 hits, which led the Bobcats in the 2024 season.
He worked significantly during the offseason, participating in summer leagues to develop and hone his skill set.
“I’m looking to boost all my stats much more and add a couple of home runs to the stat line,” Wuerth said.
While Wuerth slugged three home runs in the 2024 season, getting more home run production from the scrappy infielder could help the team take the next step offensively.
“There are definitely high expectations, expecting to be in Cary, North Carolina, this year competing for the World Series,” Wuerth said.
With the season just beginning, it can be challenging to predict if the team can replicate or elevate last year’s success; however, the players seem confident in how their season will end this year.