After finishing their inaugural year as a club, the USF St. Petersburg Baseball Club is hoping to see more involvement from students on and off campus.
The club will have a fall and a spring schedule that will consist of about 50 games. The fall schedule will start Sept. 25 when the Bulls visit the State College of Florida.
The club will face off against other club teams like last season, but will also play against Division II and III teams from other campuses.
“We are trying to turn this baseball team into a program,” said Justin Hand, club vice president. “It’s not just about baseball. It’s about making people prideful to be apart of this team and to be a part of this campus.”
In order to ensure students and members of the community are more prideful in year two, the club has announced there will be apparel available for purchase.
Green and black T-shirts and hats will be on sale during some of the home games. The colors are to coordinate with the players’ jerseys.
“We are trying to get everyone in the community involved with the team in more ways than just coming to the games,” Hand said.
The club will also hold a few fundraisers in the coming months to draw more attention from the community. On Sept. 27, the club will host a cornhole tournament at Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill. A wiffle ball competition will also be held on the St. Petersburg campus, where students can donate a dollar in an attempt to hit a home run for a prize.
The club recently named the Assistant Director of the MBA Program at USFSP, Eric Douthirt, their new adviser to oversee their activity and growth as a club.
The change at advisor gives the club hope for a strong future after just a few weeks ago the club’s president and player coach, Jeremy Berger, was told they could not participate in any club activities if a new adviser was not appointed.
Due to prior arrangements with the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer team, the club will not be playing their fall games at Al Lang Field. However, they will play their spring schedule there.
The club will also be hosting player evaluations for anyone who wants to tryout for the club after submitting a required form online.
Tickets for any of the baseball club’s games can be purchased at the box office when entering the game.
