The sun is shining and baseball is underway. The Mustangs are still finding their way as though fifteen games, they are 8-10 (3-3 MAC). That being said, with new head coach Matt Righter in town and a lot of young talent, the season is just getting started.
The bats have been hot for Stevenson, as they have accumulated 107 runs already this year while averaging just over 7 runs per game. Part of this success can be attributed to Dalton Reinhart, a transfer pitcher and designated hitter who is taking a different role than he is used to.
Reinhart came to college as a pitcher and before the season started, had yet to step foot into the box as a batter since high school. Perhaps Righter giving Reinhart a bat again was a home run in disguise. This season, he has a batting average of .393 in 56 at-bats, which leads the team. His on-base percentage is .493 and has 15 runs-batted-in. In his Mustangs debut at Mary Baldwin University, he cranked a home run to help propel the ‘Stangs’ 13-11 win.
When asked about his early season success, Reinhart admitted he had some doubts coming into the fall.
“Hitting almost every day in the winter, seeing live pitching and training with my best friends back home is what helped the most,” Reinhart said.
Reinhart added that putting God and his faith in God first helps drive him towards success on the field.
“Every time I step on the field it’s a blessing,” he explained. He added that trusting his faith in God helps him to handle the lows better and enjoy the highs as well.
The Mustangs have a big weekend ahead of them with the rest of conference play looming, but Reinhart is ready for battle within the Middle-Atlantic Conference.
“We just have to play loose,” Reinhart said. “We lost some close games, and we won some close games. The heart and grit is all there. It’s just about focusing on one inning at a time.”
With a three-game stretch coming up this weekend against York College of Pennsylvania (YCP), the expectations keep rising. What does not change is that this is still the game of baseball. Nothing more and nothing less. Reinhart acknowledges that.
“Conference play is serious and big for the season,” said Reinhart, “but at the end of the day, it is the same game we all have been playing since we were kids.”
Reinhart knows his team can win the MAC and it starts this weekend. Reinhart and the Mustangs take on York Friday, March 29 at YCP to kick off an important conference showdown.
