By Gabe Katz

Very rarely are their athletic programs that have the reputation that justifies being unhappy with a top 25 ranking that has them situated outside of the top 10. Tennessee Wesleyan baseball is one of these programs. With 2 NAIA National Championships in the last 12 years, consistent appearances in the NAIA World Series, and a regular season conference title winning streak that extends beyond 20 years, it is safe to say that the Bulldogs anticipated another baseball season of “business as usual”.

Beginning the season #6 in the country and on the road in Arizona for the East/West challenge, Tennessee Wesleyan brandished an 0-3 record with all 3 losses coming against very talented programs.

Pitcher Julian Berenti acknowledged that during their preseason, “we were developing well, things were going well, and everything was rolling like we were all used to” and that the winless start to the season was “something we all really had to work through”.

Once back home, a 9-3 stretch seemed to have righted the ship for the Bulldogs going into a pivotal conference matchup with the Eagles of Reinhardt University. In a fashion that no Bulldog player, coach, or fan of the last 15 or so years is used to, Reinhardt won all 3 games of the series. A sweep to start conference play was the last thing that coach Billy Berry’s team needed 3 weeks into a new season. The next batch of rankings now had the Bulldogs at #22 in the country, their lowest ranking in many years.

At a pivotal point in the season, the Bulldogs’ were forced to “try new things with the pitching staff”. A 14-4 run following that Reinhardt series credits the Bulldogs’ ability to bounce back even as, we now know, the sweep to Reinhardt will cost the team their chance at extending the death-grip that they’ve had on the AAC for the better part of the 21^st century. Even as that may be, the season is still very much alive for the Bulldogs and they are only “focusing on what is ahead” as they enter a stretch of games that is vital for seeding in the AAC tournament. The Bulldogs’ season closes with a 3 game road trip to Truett McConnell followed by 3 straight home series against non-conference Georgia-Gwinnett, and two conference series against St. Andrews and fellow Bulldogs of Union University on April 25-26.

Interview by Jonathan Powers
Edited by Brant Helms
Editorial Assistance by Jacob Parton