After an offseason with changes to the coaching staff and many core players saying goodbye to Cardinal baseball, the NCC baseball team continues to find new ways to succeed.
Stepping up
After multiple key pieces departed in the 2023 offseason, many outside eyes are counting the Cardinals out. They are signaling that it is the end of their reign of terror in the CCIW. With so much outside noise suggesting that is the case, the Cardinals are trying their best to ignore it.
With so many crucial players moving on in the offseason, the Cardinals understand the importance of the next-man-up mentality. Second baseman John Michael Scumaci, ‘25, recognizes the necessity of continuing to build on the ground work the last graduating class of seniors left behind.
“As a team we have been trying to step up in any way possible to fill the shoes of the guys that have been here and that have left a great legacy to follow and continue. We have a great senior class that leads us and has high expectations for the whole team, and we have a talented young class that gets to listen and learn from the older guys, which is great to help them develop and continue to make this a winning baseball program, as it has been this past decade,” said Scumaci.
This mentality has allowed for certain guys to make the most out the opportunities they’re given. The team has seen success from sophomore starting pitchers Elijah Hammond, ‘26, and Andrew Bollman, ‘26, alongside junior A.J. Kutcher, ‘25.
Pitcher Anthony Raineri, ‘24, took notice of this mentality in the Cardinal program.
“A lot of young guys have stepped up in big ways so far this season in all aspects such as pitching, defense and hitting. We have freshmen playing key roles in both the infield and outfield, while the sophomore pitchers are doing an outstanding job of keeping us in games and getting guys out,” said Raineri.
Rallying until the end
The Cardinals sit with a record of 10-17 with only 13 regular season games remaining on the schedule. While the record suggests a struggling team, the Cardinal baseball team sees it in a different light.
Raineri believes the record of the team doesn’t reflect the effort of the squad and that they still have something to prove in the CCIW.
“We have a lot to prove as we head into this second half of conference play. Our record doesn’t truly show how we are as a team due to our tough schedule to start the season. We lost a couple of games by two runs or less that could have gone either way, but our heads are high and we are still very confident for the remaining games of our season,” said Rainieri.
The team has accepted that close games are a part of any sport, especially baseball. They continue to show toughness and grit when it comes to remaining in games until the final out.
With only a slate of CCIW games keeping them from the end of the season, the Cardinals still have unfinished business in the CCIW. They want to make a statement.
Scumaci believes that the team uses the lack of faith from outside eyes as fuel on the fire.
“We do have something to prove this year in the CCIW. We lost a lot of guys from last year and a lot of teams/people in the conference were doubting us and not very confident that we can continue to win in the ways we have been the past decade in this conference. We have to play smart and disciplined baseball if we want to go places that we know we can go,” said Scumaci.
Only the Cardinals know their true ceiling for this squad. They will look to continue battling as the homestretch of CCIW play is upon them. The team wraps up their regular season going on the road to take on a familiar face, the Elmhurst University squad, in a doubleheader on May 4. The CCIW Tournament will begin shortly after on May 8 and run through May 11.
