Four years ago, Southwestern baseball put together its first winning season since 2008. When Southwestern wrapped up its season with a three-game sweep of Dallas to finish 20-18, the Pirates celebrated a senior class that has never known a losing record.

"We talk a lot about playing the game the right way, not getting chippy with the other team, putting in the work, and putting our head down and playing until the final out," Southwestern head baseball coach JC Bunch says. "This senior class is the first group we recruited. They helped create the culture of Southwestern baseball, and it's something we're proud of because they did it the right way."

However, the ending to the season was bittersweet, with Southwestern falling one game shy of conference newcomer St. Thomas for the final spot in the SCAC Tournament, missing the cut for the first time in Bunch's tenure. 

"Obviously, not making the tournament is a huge disappointment. I've been associated with the SCAC for 20 years as a player and coach and never once not made the tournament," Bunch says. "Our goal is always to find a way to get into a regional, so if I were grading the year, I'd say we failed on those terms. But, on the positive side, the conference is getting stronger, which makes for a better baseball season."

Though Southwestern finished with a record similar to its previous three seasons, the path there was wildly different. From game to game, and even inning to inning, the Pirates' quality of play swung drastically. 

Southwestern looked like a burgeoning regional power at times, defeating the No. 17-ranked University of Texas at Dallas 8-4 in a complete team effort. However, in other games, the Pirates struggled to get out of their own way, piling up walks and errors on defense to surrender big innings in losses. 

It's how the Pirates could win two games against St. Thomas, including an 18-4 blowout, but lose the third game in extra innings after a leadoff walk turned into the winning run. 

"The talent is there, but I've never been on a team so consistently up and down," Bunch says. "I've been part of teams that struggled early, found a groove, and rolled to the end. I've been part of teams that started strong and struggled to finish. However, this team was either extremely good or bad on any given day. The talent is there. Now, we just have to find a way to perform when it matters." 

Southwestern returned All-SCAC starters Travis Harvey and Ben Ludwig on the mound. The duo was their dependable selves, earning all-conference honors again. 

Harvey led the SCAC in strikeouts with 76 in 65 innings of work. In addition, he posted a 3.74 ERA with a 2-2 record. Ludwig posted a 5-4 record with three complete games. He posted career bests with 63 strikeouts to only 14 walks with a 5.59 ERA in 56.1 innings of work. 

"Travis is an All-Region talent. He had no problem going toe-to-toe with the best pitchers in the conference and giving us a chance to win," Bunch says. "Ben had the best season of his career with career-highs across the board. He's made a lot of strides since his first season, and it's awesome to see someone dedicate himself to his craft and get results." 

However, the bullpen struggled early with inconsistent outings until Bunch moved Gregory Ferguson (5-2, 4.18 ERA) to the bullpen, and Ryan Corbett (2-2, 3.54 ERA) emerged. 

"Ferguson and Corbett are talented freshmen arms we counted on for significant innings. Coach Michael Montgomery has done a phenomenal job finding pitching talent we can use," Bunch says. "The talent was there, but outside of Harvey and Ludwig, the consistency wasn't, which represented our season." 

Offensively, the Pirates suffered a blow when senior Ted Lobkowicz started suffering from shoulder issues, sidelining him for 10 games halfway through the season when he had to leave a game against Texas Lutheran after hitting a double off the fence. 

For four years, Lobkowicz was one of Southwestern's steadiest players in the outfield and at the leadoff spot, and the lefty from Boulder City, Nevada, opened the season on a tear with a .385 batting average and .438 on-base percentage through the first month of the season before his injury. 

"Ted is one of our steadiest players. He has an excellent eye, doesn't chase pitches, and finds ways to get on base," Bunch says of the player he called the spark to his offense. "Once he went down, we had to move many pieces around the lineup and change what we did offensively." 

Bunch went through several lineup configurations, but some of the most significant gains were ultimately made by changing style, shifting to a more small-ball approach. As a result, the Pirates nearly doubled their steals from a season ago, jumping from 51 to 92.

"About a third of the way through, I realized we had to score at least one run an inning. So, if a leadoff guy got on, we would bunt. We committed to running, and it's something we're only going to get better at as we go along," Bunch says. "I'm not a small-ball coach by nature, but if that's the way we need to score runs, we will do what it takes to win." 

Another one of the changes in Lobkowicz's absence was moving Maxwell Mims to the leadoff spot. Coming off a stellar first season, Mims struggled early by his lofty standards, hitting under .300 in the first two months of the season as teams focused their scouting reports on him. However, by the final month, he'd adapted, hitting a stellar .346 with a .481 slugging percentage over the last 18 games to earn All-SCAC honorable mention. 

"He had a college sophomore slump for a reason. This year, he wasn't an unknown, and guys pitched around him all season," Bunch explains. "Coaches talk, and if you have a weakness in your swing, they will try and exploit it. Teams pitch to you differently once they know who you are. Mims adjusted late in the season, and now it's on him to carry that over to next year."

Preston Witt also struggled in his second season as the starting first baseman, having a boom or bust season flexing big power numbers with five home runs and 18 RBIs while also seeing his strikeouts climb and average dip. 

"It's funny because he wasn't that way in high school and when he got here," Bunch says. "This summer, he has to go back to who he is and not a Joey Gallo approach where it's a home run or strikeout because he's got good hands, an excellent eye and can fight pitches off. If he figures it out, he changes the lineup because of his power numbers and potential."

Trent Raschke opened the season at second base and settled into the designated hitter spot to make way for more bats in the everyday lineup. Raschke responded with an All-SCAC Second-Team season, hitting .313 with eight doubles, one triple, and a home run. Raschke also drove in 22 RBIs and scored 20 runs. 

Jacob Tanner moved from shortstop to second and even played a few innings at first, hitting a career-high .317 with 22 RBIs and scoring 40 runs. His on-field versatility opened opportunities for sophomore Alexander Cannata at shortstop and a breakthrough season from junior third baseman Henry Fisher.

Fisher led Southwestern with an All-SCAC First Team selection, hitting .387 (41-for-106) with 13 doubles, driving in 22 RBIs, and scoring 31 runs with a .509 slugging percentage.

"He just made plays. He got hot and stayed true to who he was. He didn't try to do anything different. He just played," Bunch says. "He missed a month of last season with COVID, and it was tough for him to find a rhythm. This year he was healthy and played his way into being an everyday player." 

Cannata was solid with a .286 average and was consistently one of the most challenging outs in the lineup, fouling pitches off to extend at-bats and turning pitcher's counts into opposite-field singles.

"He's going to fight. One thing we knew about him when we recruited him is he's tough," Bunch says. "He didn't make every play at shortstop, he didn't come through with a big hit in every at-bat, but he's never scared of the moment. You always want to have a few of those guys." 

Inexperience and fear are two factors Bunch attributed to Southwestern's inconsistencies. 

"I think we were tentative at times this year. Some of that is a lack of experience, and some need to accept that it's okay to fail," Bunch explains. "This is a game of failure, and players need to not worry about it and go for it. Those who play loose and don't fear failure tend to outperform those focused on it." 

Whether it was striking out looking with runners on or balls dropping between a duo or trio of fielders in position to make a play, Southwestern lost rallies and surrendered big innings due to tentativeness. 

"It was just up and down. We'd have a chance to put a ball in play and strikeout, or make a play defensively and pull up short," Bunch says. "It's not even really errors; it's just not making the play. Hopefully, the guys coming back learn from that." 

Southwestern graduates only one everyday player in Lobkowicz and will return eight starters from this season, including catcher James Vaquero and left fielder Christian Melillo, who started nearly every game as freshmen. 

Melillo tied for the team-high with five home runs and led the team in extra-base hits with nine doubles and five triples to earn All-SCAC Honorable Mention. Vaquero hit 321 with 21 RBIs. 

"Christian led our team in extra bases and learned how to play a college schedule and how he would be pitched to," Bunch says. "James did everything we asked and always played like he believed he was the best player on the field. That's so much of what is required to be good at baseball." 

This season, Southwestern fell short of its goals but still took the necessary steps to eventually meet them. 

"I'm more about learning lessons than a moral victories or silver linings guy, and the lesson is winning is extremely hard to do, and you have to take advantage of opportunities in every game you play," Bunch says. "To their credit, they continue to work in the weight room, long practices, and until the final out of long doubleheaders. They don't question it, and they don't complain. They just put in the work. And that's the culture that will ultimately win a conference championship, a regional championship, and eventually a national championship."