Eagle baseball team in winning mode at home
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 11:20PM By Jeff Brodeur
brodeurj@mytjnow.com
After opening the season in San Diego, Calif., the Winthrop baseball team is happy to be back in Rock Hill as they continue their 16-game home stand.
“As much fun as it was playing in California, it feels good to be home,” senior pitcher Wade Newman said. “It’s great to be on your own field in front of your own fans.”
The old term known as “home field advantage” has held true for the Eagles, which is another reason the team should be excited every time they step into the Winthrop Ballpark.
Over the past five years, dating back to the 2006-2007 season, the Eagles have won 62.9 percent of their games played on their own turf.
Life on the road has not been as kind to Winthrop, judging by the 45.5 road winning percentage on the road over the past five seasons.
“It’s never easy going into a hostile environment and walking out with a win,” Winthrop head coach Tom Riginos said. “Gaining momentum is much easier when the crowd is on your side throughout the game.”
Fortunately, being away from home is nothing new for many players. Of the 34 players on the roster, 21 of them are from out of state, including 10 players representing the Northeast region of the country.
The Winthrop Eagles are in the beginning of an unusually long 16 game home stretch, a perfect opportunity to gain early ground on the rest of the competition in the Big South.
“It is important to take advantage of home games,” Winthrop pitching coach Clint Chrysler said. “It’s difficult to be successful at this level if you can’t capitalize when you’re at home because away games are never a guarantee, no matter who we’re playing.”
This is especially true for Winthrop, who has to travel to powerhouse schools such as the University of Florida, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest throughout the course of the season.
The Eagles will continue their home stand over the next 17 days before traveling to Gainesville, Fla. to take on the Florida Gators.
They will be back in action March 4-6 as they host the University of Notre Dame and Manhattan College in the Coca-Cola Classic.
