Live Video and Audio of the games is also available. Click here

The Wayland Baptist baseball team won 43 games last season, establishing numerous school records in the process, and came within one win of making its first trip to the NAIA World Series. The 2010 Pioneers hope to get over that final hurdle and make that elusive trip to the World Series. The journey toward that goal begins this weekend at the University of Texas-Brownsville. The four-game series, which officially kicks off the NAIA baseball season, starts up with a doubleheader on Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by another doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Live Stats for all four games will be available.

WBU head coach Brad Bass lost his top six hitters off that record-breaking team from last spring, including two All-Americans, but pitching and defense should lead this year's team, which was ranked 14th in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll, to contend once again. 

"Offensively, you can't expect to replace a Brett Cook, who broke almost every school batting record there is, but we have some kids coming in and some that are back that should be able to put up some big numbers for us.  On the mound, we have three starters and our best arm out of the bullpen back.  Defensively, our middle infielders are the best that we've ever had, and there is good speed in the outfield."

Although it is expected to be one of the strengths of his team, a concern of Bass' is his pitching staff.  Two of the three returning starters from last year are recovering from injuries.  Number one starter Marcus Limon, a junior, led the NAIA in strikeouts per nine innings a year ago, but missed several starts in the latter half of the season with elbow problems.  He rested his arm for much of the summer and all fall, so conditioning could be a factor early.

Another returning starter, junior Trevor Stringer, also took the fall off with a back problem.   Stringer, who was 9-1 in 2009, has looked good in early workouts this spring, but the back is a chronic condition that could flare up at any time.

"We know what Marcus can do, and we're expecting big things from him this year.  Trevor always competes, and it seems like the bigger the game, the better he is.

"Todd Weldon didn't miss a start last year, and if we can work on some command issues, he should have another big year."

Weldon led WBU with 11 wins last spring and broke the school record for most strikeouts in a season with 120.  The senior from Carlsbad, NM, made a team-high 16 starts and tied a school mark with three shutouts.

A new addition to the Pioneers' starting rotation this spring is junior southpaw Calvin Lewis.  Bass is extremely excited about the addition of Lewis, who provides Wayland with its first dominating presence from the left side of the mound in several years.

Senior Brett Swett was 3-0 last year with one save in his team-high 25 appearances.  He will be joined in the bullpen by a host of newcomers including senior transfer Justin Eatherly, junior transfers Aaron Pate, JT Huckabay and Ryan Heenan, and freshmen Andy Craig of Plainview and Jairo Leal.  Another member of the Pioneer bullpen will be sophomore Scott Lacey, who pitched well for the WBU junior varsity team last spring. 

"Eatherly had lots of innings at his previous school and Andy is a young kid who has been working hard to improve.  Huckabay came in last year as a shortstop and has had some elbow issues, but he really worked hard during the break and came back in better shape than anybody.  He has a real good curveball and could potentially work his way into a closer role.

Bass says that Pate will be used out of the pen at first, but could fall into the role of a fourth or fifth starter when the situation warrants later in the season.  Leal, who joined the team at the semester, is somewhat of an unknown factor now, but Bass says that the South Texas native will provide a different look out of the pen.

"We don't have any lefties in the bullpen, but Jairo's form is so much different than everyone else's that it will cause some confusion for the hitters."

Around the horn, the Pioneers return two full-time starters, senior first baseman Josh Lucas and junior shortstop Eddie Allen.  Joining those two will be seniors Michael Prell at second and Bobby Curtis at third.  Prell started both at third base and left field in the previous two seasons, but has made the move to second for his final year, while Curtis has started at both first and third during his three years in a Wayland uniform.

"Eddie did a great job for us last year at shortstop, and he should have another banner season.  Michael is a natural shortstop, so he gives us a new dimension at second that we haven't had.    Having those two up the middle will be a great help to our pitching staff.  The double play will be more of a factor and they will help shut down the opponent's running game."

Lucas was second on the team in doubles (13) and tied for second in homers (16) last year.  "When he swings the bat, Josh scores runs.  He has tremendous bat speed and quickness.  Bobby has had an incredible spring.  His hard work during the off-season has really shown."

The catching duties this year will be shared by sophomore Oscar Rivera and junior transfer Kevin Hennessey.  Rivera started 11 games last year as backup to two-time All-Conference selection Brett Sheppard.  He hit .310 with two home runs and threw out four base runners.  Hennessey, a transfer from South Mountain Community College, was the 2008 Jayhawk Collegiate Summer League MVP.  Bass says the converted third baseman swings a big bat and has the potential to break the power records set last year by honorable mention All-American Franky Busani.

Two-thirds of the starting Pioneer outfield from a year ago has had to be replaced.  The lone returning starter, senior Pedro Gomez, will make the switch from left to right field.  A switch hitter, Gomez started out slow last spring, but came on strong in the latter half of the season, finishing up with six doubles, three triples and eight home runs.

Junior speedster Scott Keane will take over the duties full-time in center field.  Keane spent the past two seasons as a defensive replacement and as a pinch runner.  "Scott is a great natural athlete.  He is an excellent centerfielder and his job as the nine-hole hitter will be to battle to get on base in order to keep the inning going."

Taking over in left field is sophomore transfer Brian Embery.  Like Gomez, Embery is a switch hitter who can hit for average and has a little extra pop in his bat with good speed and good baseball instincts.  He is also a versatile player who can move into the infield if needed.

The designated hitter duties will be shared between senior Johnathan Torres, who could also see some time in the outfield, and Hennessey.  Torres, who sat out last season as a red-shirt, is a steady hitter that can hit to all fields and can also supply some power.

Freshman Jose Santiago provides good speed as a defensive outfielder and as the primary pinch-runner for the Pioneers.  Calvin Bass, a sophomore infielder who hit .368 as a freshman, gives WBU a quality bat off the bench, as does Limon, who hit .429 last spring.  Senior catcher Russell Daniel spent the past three seasons on the Wayland junior varsity team, but has had a tremendous spring at the plate and will also see time as a pinch-hitter.

The cold, snowy weather over the Christmas break set the Pioneers back a week, but Bass believes his team is ready to go.  "Our pitching may be a little behind, but we have plenty of arms and I'm sure they will all see some innings this weekend.    Overall, I'm very excited about what this season may bring."

After another road trip next week to Austin, and a short Tuesday trip to Portales on Feb. 2, the Pioneers return home to Wilder Field for four straight weekends in February.  The Sooner Athletic Conference season opens Feb. 26 against Northwestern Oklahoma State University.