Evan Thue-
With the snow finally starting to melt and the sun starting to shine, it’s time to open up some spring seasons for University of Wisconsin–Stout athletics. The softball and baseball seasons have kicked off here at UW–Stout, with the first two softball games being played on Feb. 25 and Stout’s baseball team’s first couple games being played on the week of February 27.
Ben Kincaid, the Head Coach of UW–Stout’s baseball team, was asked in an interview how he felt heading into this season. “I feel excited to get the season going. We are a very young team with upperclassmen leaders who help them out every single day, on and off the field. We have guys who are looking to get better every single day and want to win this year,” Kincaid said.
After going 15-25 last season, the Blue Devils learned a lot and are looking to make this a great year for Stout baseball.
“I think this year is different because we have guys who look forward to coming to practice every day and wanting to make a difference for this program. These players are very teachable and want to learn.” Kincaid said.
Many teams have goals for each season, and when talking with Coach Kincaid, he discussed the team’s three seasons—preseason, conference season and postseason—saying, “in order to do well in the conference season, we have to be prepared. That is what the preseason is about. Finding our best lineups, our strengths and our weaknesses.”
Switching to another exciting spring sport, the Stout softball team’s season is underway. In an interview with the team’s Head Coach Becky Laccino, she had this to say about the season’s team: “I think we have an extraordinary squad this season, and I’m very excited to truly get the season underway on our annual spring training trip.”
Building off of a solid season, Coach Laccino has some goals for her team. “Every year, the team is different. Different personalities, different makeup, so our goals have to be created according to our team dynamics,” Laccino said. “We want them to be challenging, yet attainable.” This season is shaping up to be an exciting one with the patented War on I-94 rivalry against UW–Eau Claire happening on April 26.