The first innings of Christendom baseball and softball in 2019 are set to begin next week, with the Crusaders and Lady Crusaders beginning their respective seasons. The Crusaders will open their season at home vs. Penn State York on Tuesday, March 12, while the Lady Crusaders will begin on the road against Trinity University on Friday, March 15.
Christendom's baseball and softball teams are both still young programs, with the softball team beginning in 2015 and the baseball team returning to the varsity sports lineup in 2016. Each took large strides towards becoming greater contenders going forward in 2018 and will aim to keep building in 2019, as players grow into more confident leaders and competitors on the diamond.
The Crusaders will play under a new coaching staff this year, with Timothy Heisler taking over as head coach and alumnus Joseph Pennefather serving as assistant coach. The team itself experienced little turnover and will welcome only three freshmen to the team in 2019, including another valuable left-handed batter.
Led by Ian Heisler, who threw a no-hitter in 2018, Jeremy Mersch, Pete Day, and Josh Wilson, the Crusaders will play most of March at home at Front Royal's Bing Crosby Stadium, including against Wilson College, New Rochelle, Willamson, and Valley Forge. In April, the Crusaders will play back-to-back weekends on the road before returning to finish their regular season against Bluefield State on April 24.
Alumna Clare Handy returns to coach the Lady Crusaders in 2019 after leading them to a 10-10 record in 2018. Like the Crusaders, the Lady Crusaders experienced little turnover from 2018 to 2019 and will only welcome two freshmen to this year's squad, who will aim to bring home the Lady Crusaders' best season yet. Sophie Adams, who was 3rdin the USCAA in batting average in 2018, will lead the team with Mary-Grace Handy, Annemarie Speer, Margaret Adams, and Sophie Gordon, with the team playing a stretch of road games to start the season before playing their home opener at R.E. Mason Field on Thursday, March 28 against Northern Virginia CC.
Following their home opener, the Lady Crusaders will play against Washignton Adventist and Penn State Mont Alto before heading on the road again. They will play their final home series against Stratford University on April 11 before finishing on the road against Potomac State.