Defeated but not dejected, the Southwestern baseball team gathered in the outfield one last time after its season ended with a 13-9 loss to Trinity just after midnight in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament elimination game.
The Pirates arrived at the ballpark early in the day for a scheduled 3:30 p.m. game against Centenary, pulling off a thrilling 12-9 victory to advance and play Trinity that same evening.
Southwestern's offense suffered a power outage early in the second game, which was extended by an electrical blackout late. However, during the stoppage of play, the Pirates gathered themselves and regained their composure, scoring four runs in the ninth inning to bring the tying run to the plate before back-to-back outs ended the game.
"They played what I've preached in that you don't look at the scoreboard," Southwestern Head Baseball Coach J.C. Bunch says. "You don't get caught up in what's going on. You just play."
After the team shared their final words, senior Daniel Montgomery Jr. walked to the dugout around 1 a.m. and sat to reflect on the season.
"Coach said he loved the team and how we were never out of a game," Montgomery recalls. "We always fought until the end."
The moment drew a stark contrast to an earlier team meeting. Then, the Pirates started the season losing nine of its first 11 games, including the first seven in a row. COVID restrictions limited the young team's preparation, and February's winter storms kept Southwestern off the field right before the season opener. Still, what Bunch saw early went beyond the things out of Southwestern's control.
After a 12-7 loss to Texas Lutheran put Southwestern at 0-6, it was time for a gut check in the postgame team huddle.
"This is my fault, and I apologize to you for it. I take complete ownership for how we are playing," Bunch told his team. "When I became a head coach, I wanted my teams to be tough. To compete. We are neither of those, and it's completely my fault. I'm sorry I've failed you in that regard."
He proceeded with a clear and straightforward mandate, drawing a metaphorical line in the sand, or baseball dirt, as it were. Players would sprint to their positions each inning and compete to the fullest each play, or they simply wouldn't play.
"At some point, you have to get tired of getting your teeth kicked in. At some point, you have to fight back," Bunch declared. "That is going to change tomorrow. We will fight. We will compete. I will play the guys who do things the way I set out to have my teams play."
The next day, Southwestern defeated Texas Lutheran 11-8 to pick up its first win of the season, getting big performances from seniors Hayden Craig and Montgomery, who hit a combined 5-for-8 with two RBIs and four runs.
"The turnaround came against TLU. Bunch yelled at us and also took fault," Montgomery says. "From that moment on, things slowly got better."
"We were a very new team with a lot of young guys trying to find our chemistry," freshman Maxwell Mims added. "The bullpen struggled early on, and our bats weren't in tune. But after we got that first win against TLU, something sparked. We started trusting each other and buying into the proper mindset."
Southwestern's young players finding their footing and places in the lineup contributed significantly to the Pirates' turnaround. By the end of the year, six of the nine players in the everyday lineup were either freshmen or competing in their first full year of college baseball, with Mims leading the way.
"He just played. He performed," Bunch glowingly says. "He wasn't in the starting lineup to begin the season, but he just kept performing in scrimmages and then when he got opportunities in games. He's an awesome young man and was as good as any freshman I've seen in the conference in the past 15 years."
Mims led the Pirates with a .386 batting average, hitting 49-for-127. He also drove in a team-high 38 RBIs and 43 runs, hitting four home runs and five triples while stealing 19 bases in 19 attempts. He was named the SCAC Newcomer of the Year and All-SCAC Second Team.
"My mindset going into the year was to do what I could to take little steps forward, whether it was being a great teammate or getting a base hit," Mims says. "When I got my first chance against Trinity, I was only thinking about getting a hit to give my team another chance to make a play. That was my mindset, and it kept paying off, and J.C. kept giving me more opportunities and trusting me. I'm happy with how it turned out."
Southwestern also received a big boost from sophomore left-handed pitcher Travis Harvey, who opened the season with a strong performance against Trinity in a loss. After missing an early portion of the season due to COVID health and safety protocols, Harvey returned for the first conference series against St. Thomas, putting together a dominant performance with 14 strikeouts in a 16-6 win.
Harvey cemented himself as a potent No. 1 pitcher, going 4-2 with a 4.64 ERA. In 42.2 innings pitched, Harvey struck out 51 hitters, leading the SCAC with 10.76 strikeouts per game. He was named First Team All-SCAC and Third Team All-Region.
"He started opening night for us and went toe-to-toe with everyone we played," Bunch says. "He's competitive. There are times I can take a mound visit and challenge him, and he'll respond. That's the sign of an excellent pitcher."
Harvey's overpowering style was balanced by No. 2 pitcher Benjamin Ludwig's craft and execution. Ludwig consistently worked ahead in the count to keep hitters off balance. In eight starts, Ludwig went 5-3, striking out 50 in 52.2 innings pitched to earn All-SCAC Second Team.
"He and Travis are entirely different pitchers. Travis will attack hitters with a fastball that rides with high swing-and-miss potential. Ben needs to execute," Bunch explains. "Two years ago, [Ludwig] struggled to command the fastball, and he spent a lot of time working just on throwing it wherever he wants. That's allowed him to go deep into games and get out of trouble because he's going to beat you with execution instead of sheer, raw stuff."
The duo anchored a pitching staff that set a new school record with 8.78 strikeouts per nine innings, edging out the previous 8.67 strikeouts per game set in 2019. They also helped the Pirates win five of their six conference three-game series. However, none were more significant than the victories over Centenary College.
The Gents arrived in Georgetown with the longest winning streak in the nation at 18 games and were ranked No. 14 in Division III baseball. On the first day, Southwestern ended the winning streak, then finished the sweep with a pair of walk-off victories on the second.
"It was a huge win. Coach Bunch always says we're not playing against a team. We're playing against baseball," Mims says. "He drilled into our minds not to care about records or who we were playing. Our starters went in and did their jobs, and we won some intense games. It was a great confidence boost for everyone."
"It was good in that we just played our brand of baseball. We didn't get caught up in their winning streak. We just played," Bunch added. "To win it in such a fun fashion was awesome, and the fact that it was the first game we had fans wasn't lost on our guys."
Underclassmen position players like Jake Harris, Landon Durdin, Jacob Tanner, Lance Kruse, and Preston Witt stepped up, with Harris earning All-SCAC Honorable Mention after hitting .325 with 23 RBIs and 21 runs.
"Once [Harris] got in the lineup, he never came out. He's a competitor with a flat swing who is instinctual on the bases," Bunch says. "In the end, we were a young team, starting guys who'd been on campus less than two years."
The Pirates also got steady production from seniors Montgomery and relief pitcher Trey Schwarz and junior outfielder Ted Lobkowicz, all of whom earned All-SCAC Honorable Mention.
Montgomery was a leader on the field while learning a new position at catcher, wrapping up a decorated career with three all-conference appearances and a Second Team All-American award in 2019.
"He's a leader. He leads by example," Bunch says. "At the end of the year, when everyone is banged up, and no one feels good, he never complains or asks for a day off."
Montgomery and Schwarz were part of a senior class that included Ryan Baranowski, Hayden Craig, Bryce Debbs, Ruben Garcia, and Blake Grider. Except for Montgomery, a fifth-year senior, all were freshmen when Bunch took over the program and were instrumental in turning the program around.
"They laid the foundation for how this program is going to be. They bought into what we wanted to do and set the culture that this is Pirate baseball," Bunch says. "When we win a championship, they're going to be a big reason why because they laid the foundation for how we did things."
"When I got here, there was no selfishness on the team. We do everything for the team, as a team," Mims explains. "Seniors like Hayden Craig helped me out, teaching me how to carry myself as a college athlete and what to expect from different fields. They also helped me with my approach at the plate."
Southwestern benefited from one senior having a late-season power surge. After losing his starting job early in the season due to struggles at the plate, hitting just 5-for-26 (.192) through the first 11games, Debbs returned to the lineup after the Centenary series and was the equivalent of adding another all-conference player, hitting .378 with three home runs, 14 RBIs, and 13 runs over the final 12 games.
"What he did was amazing. He lost his job for not performing, along with some other things," Bunch says. "He never complained. When he got his second chance, he made the most of it, and it was awesome to see baseball reward him."
Debbs turned in a monster performance against Centenary in the conference tournament, hitting 4-for-5 with a home run and two doubles, driving in three RBIs, and scoring twice.
"What I love about baseball is there's no way for you to run down the clock," Debbs says. "Both teams have to bat eight or nine times, and every single inning, you have to get three outs. That kind of competitiveness is what I've always loved about baseball."
And it was the competitiveness the Pirates played with from the moment Bunch drew the proverbial line in the sand, making the coach proud even as the clock struck midnight on the team's tournament run.
"I was unbelievably proud of the commitment they showed to do whatever it took to play at the end," Bunch says. "They sacrificed a lot of things college kids normally do to ensure we had the best chance to be successful at the conference tournament. The players led, and it was awesome as a coach to see their commitment to winning."