LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The calendar has now turned to February, and that means the Little Rock baseball season is almost here.
"Couldn’t be more excited with this group of guys,” explained Junior, Jackson Wells.
“Exciting for sure, but it’s nothing this group of guys haven’t been through,” Senior Jake Wright added.
Coach Chris Curry explained that while there might be some new additions to the field itself, like a brand new scoreboard, this roster has been there before.
“We have a very veteran team with 27 guys returning, something like 96 percent of our innings on the mound. 84 percent of our at-bats," he added.
That includes their ace, Wells.
“This time last year we were talking about losing two-time pitcher of the year Hayden Arnold, [and I] didn’t know who was gonna step up, and then Jackson Wells steps up," Curry added.
Wells is an Arkansas native, who led the country in ERA last year. Now he's back to anchor on Friday nights.
“Just got to stay focused and centered, not get too high on myself because of last year. Still gotta do it again," he said.
Wright caught plenty of Wells’ start a year ago.
"It’s really just a nice feeling knowing that you’ve got such a dependable bulldog going into Friday to start the series," Wright described.
So the Trojans know how the year will start, with Wells on the mound on Friday, February 16th against Wichita State.
As for how they hope it ends— Wells has a plan.
“The goal is a championship. Go to a Regional and see how long we can last after that," Wells said.
Wright agreed and said he hasn't been a part of a team that enjoys being out on the field together more than this year's squad.