Major League Baseball may be locked out, but local ball starts next week, sort of.
The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team kicks off the season on Monday, Feb. 21, as the team travels to Florida on its Spring Break trip, where it will play nine games across 10 days. The team will primarily be playing in the cities of Winter Haven and Davenport but will also play at Babson Park and Lake Wales.
On its trip to the Sunshine State, MVNU will play the likes of Webber International, Warner University, Lyndon State College, Cornerstone University, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and NAIA No. 8 Keiser University before returning home to kick off Crossroads League play at Bethel University on March 4.
The Cougars had a successful 2021 season as they went 34-21 overall and 17-15 in Crossroads League play and were Crossroads League Tournament runners-up. They also made the NAIA National Tournament, where they won two games before getting knocked out by Tennessee Wesleyan.
Coach Keith Veale has only three seniors on his roster this year, but they are all impact players who will need to all lead a team heavy with underclassmen. The seniors are first baseman and pitcher Jake Glover and outfielders Devin Pearl and Toby Walker.
Double-threat Glover, a power-hitting lefty, hit .369 with 10 homers and 69 RBI in 2021 and will look to be a force in the middle of the lineup for the Cougars. On the mound, Glover threw 69 innings across 13 appearances, going 6-2 while striking out 133 and posting a 3.95 ERA.
Pearl's season was cut short in 2021 due to a knee injury, and he will return to the middle of the lineup. The senior holds a career .319 batting average and has 45 extra base hits and 88 RBI in his four years at MVNU.
In 2021, Walker batted .333, scored 60 runs and drove in 20 RBI. He also stole 17 bases last season. The speedy leadoff hitter will continue to operate in center field in his final season at MVNU.
The Cougars open their season on Monday against RV Webber International at Babson Park at 6 p.m. They will also play Tuesday and Wednesday before getting an off day on Thursday.
