The Seahawks have faced turnover but are still predicted to finish atop the CAA
For Ryan Jeffers, it’s a mix of an old memory and a new mindset.
As a junior, the UNCW catcher is one of 19 returning players who watched Delaware clinch the CAA Tournament title at Brooks Field last spring. That leaves 19 others who weren’t there for that moment.
And maybe that’s a good thing.
“It’s never going be out of our heads, it’s always with us kind of as motivation. But there’s only a few of us who saw that last year and it’s kind of a new slate this year,” Jeffers said at media day on Wednesday.
With seven regular position starters gone, a new assistant coach on staff and a new strength and conditioning coach working with the team, things are very different for the Seahawks coming into the 2018 season.
New faces are expected to fill big holes and there is a different feel around the program as things are being done differently.
With the season set for February 16, coach Mark Scalf and his staff haven’t finalized a starting lineup as players continue to prove themselves. It’s one of the few times in recent years he hasn’t had a majority of his lineup predetermined going into opening day.
That wide-open competition has helped bring new energy into the club house that is keeping the players focused. Everyone is out to prove they belong in the conversation for a starting role.
“The work ethic on this team has been unbelievable, whether it be in the classroom, weight room, out here (on the field)," Jeffers said. "It’s kind of a fresh, new environment around here that’s just really driven to be our best and make everyone else around us the best they can be."
While the faces have changed, the expectations have not. UNCW enters is the CAA preseason favorite for a third straight year.
Scalf and his staff haven’t shied away from the accolade, using it as motivation for the players, both young and old.
“It’s something you can place out there in front of the players and get them to work towards that and understand that, yes, you’re picked that way at the beginning of the year, but where are we going to be at the back end?,” Scalf said. “We’d prefer to be there at the back end as opposed to the front end, but it gives us something to shoot for throughout the course of the spring.”
– Reporter Alex Riley can be reached at 910-343-2034 or Alex.Riley@StarNewsOnline.com.