| | Published May 9th, 2012
| Saint Mary's Baseball Hangs in There
| | Alex Kozela |  | | Photos Tod Fierner
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The Saint Mary's baseball team took the field at the beginning of this season in February brimming with confidence. It was the dawn of a new era, as the Gaels christened the beautiful new Louis Gusto Field, the first project in a $30 million effort to revitalize on-campus athletic facilities.
But then injuries took over.
"We've had six or seven guys out for most of the year, and that never makers things easy," said Gaels' head coach Jedd Soto.
He's had to do a fair bit of juggling lineups this year, as key players like senior pitcher Mike Anderson, and his replacement, sophomore Kurt Jahnke, and senior infielder Troy Channing, and his replacement, junior Shawn O'Brien, have all been out for stretches of the season.
Soto acknowledged that injuries notably affect stability and continuity in the team.
"As soon as someone goes down, their role changes," he said. "But you know, despite the injuries, I am proud of their effort. I think the guys have done a really good job at winning ball games, with missing some of the better players in our team. I give them credit for battling despite some adversity."
The Gaels, coming off of two disappointing losses to Gonzaga in a home stand last weekend, now stand at 22-23 overall, with a 6-12 WCC record.
"I think we're better than we show. I think we're definitely better than how we've been playing," said junior infielder Patrick Wisdom. "I expected us to do really well this season, but we've had ups and downs and that's part of the game.
The Gonzaga series was reflective of how close the Gaels are to that next step. After winning the first game of the series 6-4, they fell 4-3 and 7-5.
"It was the same thing as [the Gonzaga series] last year. We were in every game, it came down to the last pitch on Saturday and Sunday, and unfortunately we were on the wrong side of that," said Soto. "But they continue to go out and battle."
While the results haven't been as positive as players and the coaching staff may have liked, regardless of the team's record, the new field is a positive that is here to stay for years to come.
"It's an honor to be the first team to play in it," said Wisdom. "It's exciting every time we come out here, and we're excited what it can bring."
Soto said the team, which previously played next door, is still adjusting to the new facility.
"It plays different than the old field. The wind blows harder. We need to figure out how to get the grass mowed short enough so it catches a little bit. It changes your offense. We're just getting acclimated to it, and I think next year we'll be more settled in," said Soto.
The Gaels close out the season with a series at Portland May 11-13 before their last three games, a home stand against San Francisco on May 25-27.
"We've got a good club, so hopefully we finish out the season strong," said Wisdom.
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 | | Photos Tod Fierner
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA