Thunderbirds scrimmage against ASU club team
Jonathon Smith
Mesa’s baseball team gained valuable experience against ASU’s club team, playing them three times throughout the month.
Mesa began the series against ASU in near perfect fashion, sending ASU home after only seven innings by run-rule with a 14-2 victory in the first game.
First basemen, Derek McCawley, was nearly unstoppable at the plate, batting three for five and knocking in five runs.
Outfielder Darian Johnson was tough at the plate too, going three for five as well with two RBIs.
Mesa proved the win wasn’t a fluke, by wining their next two games against the club team as well. Only the third game was even close, with Mesa scraping by in a 6-5 victory.
The series provided Mesa with invaluable in-game experience that will prepare them for the grueling conference schedule that lay ahead.
“You can’t replicate the live at bats in practice like you can in a scrimmage like this. It’s important for the team to be able to gain valuable at-bats in live-game situations. Practice just isn’t the same,” said infielder Sam Vandenheuvel after the last game.
Mesa will need to build on this success if it hopes to make a run in the post season. “We are in a tough division. We need to continue to get better and play our best. Our goal is a deep run in the playoffs, and it’s certainly attainable if we continue to make progress throughout the season,” said Vandenheuval.
Mesa begins conference play at Paradise Valley on Feb. 19.
