SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 24, 2017) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Saints baseball team enters its third season seeking its first Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship.

The Saints boast a 33-26 conference record in the program's two years of existence, but bowed out early with a 1-2 record in last year's RRAC Tournament.

"We obviously fell short of our goal, which left a sour taste in everyone's mouth," Head Coach Jeremy Flores said. "We've had some success in the past, now we're really trying to build off everything we've done and get to the next level. We feel we have the opportunity to win the conference championship this season, which is always our ultimate goal."

Last season, the Saints finished with their first overall winning record at 29-28 with a strong pitching staff and defense, ranking No. 2 in Earned Run Average (ERA) with 4.04 and No. 3 in fielding percentage (.953) in the RRAC. But the team struggled offensively, falling to No. 7 in runs scored per game (4.91) and No. 8 in batting average (.261), which Flores says was a bit of a departure from its first season, when the team relied more heavily on its offense.

When building a program from scratch, establishing an identity can take some time. Coaches have to figure out what style suits the personnel, and with a fairly new program featuring many players still new to college baseball, players also have to learn, accept and grow into their roles.

"Baseball is one of those games where a lot of things have to go right for you to even win a game," Flores said. "So with all the little components throughout the game—whether it's a pinch hit, pinch run or starting pitcher—we expect guys to know their role.

"This year, we've got guys who are buying into that approach, doing whatever the coaching staff is asking of them and then just going out there and executing."

With a deep pitching staff anchored by returning First-Team All-Conference starters Jordan Hackett (JR/San Antonio, Texas) and JB Martinez (SO/San Antonio, Texas), a core of experienced seniors and some additional offensive firepower added in the offseason, the coaching staff is hoping for a breakthrough season.

"Overall, I think we're going to be really balanced. I think it's going to be a different look from what we've been where, in year one, we were really offensive-heavy and last year, having a bad year offensively but could really pitch and play defense," Flores said. "I think this is the year we really start to put things together."

Breaking down the schedule

OLLU opens its season at home facing quality competition in the No. 7-ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers in a doubleheader on Friday, Jan. 27 beginning at 12 p.m. and a single game on Saturday at noon.

Last season, the Saints went 1-2 against the Drovers, who made the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) World Series and return Honorable Mention All-American catcher, Dillon White.

The Saints will play neighboring NCAA DII St. Mary's University on the Rattlers' home field on Feb. 7 and March 28, trailing the all-time series 1-2. The Rattlers were recently ranked third in the Heartland Conference preseason poll. OLLU also will have a home and away game versus NCAA DIII Trinity University, who won a national championship last season. The Saints host Trinity on March 21 and visit them on April 25.

Conference play begins on March 3 at home against Wiley College. No RRAC team will begin the season ranked in the top 25, but LSU-Shreveport (90) and Texas A&M-Texarkana (7) did receive votes in the 2017 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, which was released on Nov. 8.

The Saints will travel to Texarkana, Texas, to play Texas A&M University-Texarkana for a single game on March 17 and a doubleheader on March 18. OLLU will host LSU-Shreveport with a single game on March 24 and a doubleheader on March 25. LSU-Shreveport will host this season's RRAC Tournament on May 5.

This year, the RRAC has seen a little bit of a shakeup with four teams—LSU-Alexandria, LSU-Shreveport, Texas College and OLLU—featuring new head coaches.

"It's going to be interesting to see how everybody copes with things, but we don't worry about external factors," Flores said. "We just focus on what we're doing and try not to worry about anybody else. As long as we take care of business, we're going to be in the conference tournament at the end of the year with a chance to make a run at the national tournament."

Returners

The Saints feature the program's largest senior class with nine players, including seven returners, providing the most stable core of the baseball team's brief history.

"A couple of guys have been with us for two or three years now and we really feel all seven of those [returning seniors] can contribute in different ways," Flores said. "We feel really good about our leadership and these guys taking over. Some of these guys are more vocal than others, some of these guys lead by example, so we've got a really good mix we feel confident about."

Darius Patton (SR/San Antonio, Texas), Chase Smith (SR/La Porte, Texas) and Connor Kalisky (SR/San Antonio, Texas) were all members of the inaugural Saints team.

Patton was a 2016 Daktronic-NAIA Scholar Athlete and RRAC Scholar Athlete in his first two seasons, as well as baseball's Top Saint in 2015. His .340 batting average in 2015 is the Saints' best single-season mark.

Kalisky was RRAC First-Team All-Conference in 2015 and RRAC Scholar Athlete both seasons. He's currently second in a number of different offensive categories in the Saints' brief history, including home runs (eight) and hits (85).

Martinez and Hackett return as the RRAC's top two leaders in strikeouts. First in the rotation, Martinez threw 94 strikeouts as a freshman last season, finishing second in conference with a 2.36 ERA and third in opponent batting average (.225), hits allowed per game (7.29) and runs allowed (30). Hackett, No. 2 in the rotation, was a reliable presence, finishing first in innings pitched (105), allowing the fewest walks per game (1.71) and finishing second in strikeouts (92).

Other senior returners include infielders Matt Beasley (SR/Burleson, Texas) and Kevin Jamerson (SR/Oxnard, California), and pitchers Caden Jacinto (SR/Italy, Texas) and Alex Torres (SR/Oxnard, California).

Juniors who are returning are outfielder Enrique Ruiz III (JR/Helotes, Texas) and pitcher Ivan Herrera (JR/Edinburg, Texas). Sophomores who are returning are pitchers Jesus Ramirez (SO/Quitman, Texas), Justin Calderon (SO/El Paso, Texas) and Dallas Forno (SO/San Antonio, Texas); outfielder Ryan Ramsey (SO/Grapevine, Texas); and catcher Matthew Rodriguez (SO/Horizon City, Texas).

Newcomers

The Saints welcome 22 new players to the team, including 10 freshmen, two sophomores, eight juniors and two seniors -- infielder Orlando Collado (SR/Bronx, N.Y.) and third-rotation pitcher Brandon Cogbill (SR/Lake Dallas, Texas).

"The incoming class, so far as our junior college transfers, we feel really good about. We have a starting centerfielder-type guy in Russell Brown (JR/San Antonio, Texas) from Richland College who has really good speed and a high baseball IQ," Flores said. "He's a leadoff guy who's going to cause a lot of chaos on the bases, which really sets up our entire offense."

Among the freshmen, Flores highlighted Jose Diaz (FR/Pinar del Rio, Cuba), a corner infielder from Judson High School with the ability to hit the ball well to all sides of the field and potentially contribute on the mound.

"We've got some incoming freshmen we feel really strong about player development-wise in keeping these guys around for four years," Flores said. "Overall, we feel like this recruiting class has really upped our game and our program in this third year."

Other freshmen newcomers include pitchers Preston Elliott (FR/San Antonio, Texas), Tony Esparza (FR/Spring, Texas), Garrett Moltzan (FR/Justin, Texas), Colton Vien (FR/Montgomery, Texas), Joey Baker (FR/Cuero, Texas); and outfielders Moses Gonzalez (FR/Live Oak, Texas), Sammy Sauceda (FR/Deer Park, Texas), Xavier Solis (FR/Victoria, Texas) and Daniel Sustaita (FR/San Antonio, Texas). Sophomore newcomers are outfielders Jacob Pool (SO/Leander, Texas) and Matt Mihalov (SO/Houston, Texas), and junior newcomers are catchers Zac Garcia (JR/Baytown, Texas) and Seth Garcia (JR/San Antonio, Texas); outfielder Kody Ramon (JR/Floresville, Texas); pitchers Oigres Garcia (JR/Laredo, Texas) and Caleb Mireles (JR/Del Rio, Texas); and infielders Isaiah Guzman (JR/Richardson, Texas) and Mike Light (JR/San Antonio, Texas).

Coaching staff

Flores will return Jake Mendiola as his primary assistant, and he will work with the hitters and catchers as well as assist with recruiting. Inaugural team members Josh Razo, Austin Gallego and David Marte have joined the coaching staff. In addition, Zach Luevanos has been added this season. Father Cristopher Robinson returns for his third season as the Saint's chaplain, and Mark Medina will continue on as manager of the team.

10-year Anniversary

Baseball might be one of the newest additions to the OLLU athletics program, but the team is certainly cognizant of the University's success.

"I think OLLU has a winning tradition. Although it's only been 10 years that we're celebrating, we've really seen a standard of excellence, both in the classroom and on the field with every athletic team," Flores said. "The one thing we really enjoy is the family atmosphere between the coaching staffs and players. We really support each other and that goes a long way. For the things this University has done in 10 years, it's pretty spectacular."

Game Logistics

The Saints will continue playing their home games at Missions Baseball Academy located close to campus on Highway 151 and Old Highway 90. Admission charge is $5 for adults and $3 for ages 7-17. OLLU faculty, staff and students will receive free admission with ID. The team also will offer season passes that can be purchased through Coach Flores using cash or check. Prices are $125 for adults ($30 savings) and $60 for children ($33 savings).

Our Lady of the Lake University is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2016-2017 as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The University began competing in the NAIA in men's soccer and volleyball in 2007. A year later, they added women's soccer, golf and tennis. In 2009, the Saints began competing in cross-country, softball and basketball. In 2014, OLLU added two more sports — baseball and track and field. There are now 13 intercollegiate athletic teams at OLLU. All athletic alumni and up to two family members will receive free admission to basketball and volleyball games throughout the season. Baseball is not included in this special offer. All other home games are free and open to the public.