Things haven’t gone exactly as planned this year for the Biola baseball team. Coming into the season as the No. 4 team in the NAIA and with seven returning starters, Biola opened the year with a 1-6 record, knocking them out of the top-25, and it has been an uphill battle ever since.
Last year finished with a whimper when Eagles fell in an upset loss to Concordia in the regional tournament. However, the offseason was filled with hope at the prospect of returning so many starters, most of whom are seniors. The impressive preseason ranking only increased the expectations of a successful season.
While commonly known around the NAIA as a pitchers league, the Eagles offense was the unit getting all the attention early on. In 2008, every starter had at least a .306 batting average with then-junior Hawkins Gebbers leading the way with a .426 average and 13 homers, 34 extra-base hits and 59 RBIs. This year has been a different story; the team batting average has fallen from .338 last year to .288 this season, and only five regulars are hitting above .300.
However, the Eagles have enjoyed a respectable month of March that padded their win column, recording 12 wins with only four losses, including crucial splits with No. 8 Azusa and No. 6 Point Loma, bringing their season record to 18-16.
Biola has shown streaks of brilliance at several points throughout the season, including a come-from-behind victory over Point Loma and an 18-6 shellacking of Vanguard, but the Eagles still have work to do. Senior Brian Albert, who finished last season as the Eagles’ most successful starting pitcher, has not matched his success from last year with a 2-7 record and 5.23 ERA.
Still, there have been bright spots in the season for the Eagles, most notably the emergence of freshman pitcher Nate Coronado and the dominance of junior closer Billy Vopinek. Coronado has gone 3-0 in eight appearances and owns a 3.63 ERA, the best average of any starting pitcher. Vopinek has been simply dominant pitching the ninth inning, recording 10 saves and an incredible 0.45 ERA. In 20 innings of work, Vopinek has allowed only one run.
The Eagles can still salvage what is left of their season, however, with 14 GSAC games remaining, they can make up ground in the tight conference race. Six of the 14 games will come against higher-ranked teams: Azusa, Fresno and Masters. In each case, Biola has earned splits this season, but will look to improve on those results this time around.
While Biola’s remaining schedule is packed with away games, the Eagles hope to regain some of last year’s success as they make their push toward the postseason.
