Dave Smith: Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger

By Mark Tindall

Dave Smith went straight from graduating from college to working for the same college, and from playing for a team to coaching the same team within one year.

Graduating from Trinity in 2003 and becoming the full-time pitching coach in 2004, Smith, 39, has been the pitching coach for Trinity baseball for 16 years, the same team he once played for as a pitcher. During his coaching tenure at Trinity, the baseball team won a national title in 2016, after having made the program’s first NCAA College World Series the year before.

Growing Pains of Parking as Bell Center Renovations Continue

Crowded parking lot at the Trinity Men's 

Baseball home opener last weekend

Photo by Abby Tisdale

By Abby Tisdale

Piece Pontikes, a Trinity baseball player, arrived on campus two hours before his team’s home game on Sunday, hoping to get a parking spot closer to the baseball field. "I still had to park all the way by the football field," he said.

Pontikes was not alone. Coming to the game between the Tigers and Babson University, parents and students had a hard time parking cars. Although the Prassel Garage was opened for additional student and visitor parking, due to the current construction outside the Bell Center, parking was tight.

“We shockingly got a spot right up front, which never happens,” junior English major Julia Camp, 21, said.

Ryan Gray Named D-III Baseball All-American and Pitcher of the Year

By Trevor Griffin

Ryan Gray, Trinity baseball’s left-handed pitcher, was recently named Division III Baseball America Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

A Tucson, Arizona native, Gray, 21, knows how to keep his cool on the mound and has showcased his skills over the past three years on the baseball team. He finished last year with a flawless 8-0 record while being credited with two saves. In addition, he pitched 67.2 innings with a 2.00 ERA, leading the team in strikeouts by fanning 75 batters over the course of the season.

Trinity Baseball Loses Home Game

Trinity celebrates a home run
during Friday's game
Photos by Sara McCarty

By Sara McCarty

Trinity’s baseball team suffered a 8-4 loss to Texas Lutheran University (TLU) during a home game on Friday, losing their second conference game in a row after last week’s upset by Schreiner University.

TLU got momentum early in the game, scoring three runs in the first inning. Trinity was out hit by TLU 11-15 and the score reflected the absence of runs.

TLU’s pitcher mixed up his pitches very well, trying to get batters off balanced, as well as being very consistent, said Trinity pitcher Colin Serkowski.

Defensively, pitching for the Tigers was not as effective as it usually is. The Tigers went through four pitchers throughout the nine inning game. Coach David Smith said that the pitchers “needed to do a better job at executing pitches,” in order for the team to get outs that they needed to stop TLU from scoring more.

Trinity Baseball Triumphed Hectic Week

By Trevor Griffin

Trinity baseball team on the road on March 14 for
a game against Denison held at Texas Lutheran
Photo by Trevor Griffin

The Trinity University Baseball Team finished one of the most intense and action packed weeks of the year just in time for the Spring Break.

The team played nine games in 10 days between March 4 and 14, amounting to 82 innings all together. The Tigers won seven of these nine games to stand at 17-4 at the end of the 10-day stretch.

The tournament​ ​started with the Tigers playing a three-game series at Texas Lutheran University on March 4. After winning two of the three games, the team returned home to prepare for their upcoming games.

However, a severe storm and rain caused a cancellation of a game scheduled for March 9. After waiting for two days for the rain to die down, Trinity proceeded to play five hard fought games in the following five days, against DeSales University of Pennsylvania, Denison University of Ohio and three games against Southwestern University of Texas.