Diamond domination

Senior catcher and CIAA Tournament MVP, Connor Andrus (front row, third from the left) celebrates with his team, coaches, Athletic Director Tonia Walker and Chancellor Elwood Robinson following the CIAA Championship victory. Caption

The No. 25 Winston-Salem State Rams won their fifth consecutive CIAA baseball championship May 2 when the Rams crushed Virginia State 8-3.

Senior catcher Connor Andrus, who was named tournament MVP, went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run.

Fellow senior, third baseman Colby Keene, went 1 for 3 and scored twice. Freshman starting pitcher Tyler Searce (4-0) pitched six innings and allowed one earned run, struck out four and walked none.

Head Coach Kevin Ritsche has been at the helm since the program was brought back to the University for the 2010-2011 season, and his teams have won conference every year.

Despite their repeated success in conference, the Rams have fallen short time after time in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament. This season, however, the Rams offer solutions they hope will help them progress in the regional tournament this time around.

Andrus, who led the CIAA with 47 RBIs [as of May 4], said, "We’ve just got to execute what we’ve been practicing and playing for all year. We can’t put too much pressure on ourselves."

Ritsche said timely hitting and producing offensively with runners on base will be key.

"Thus far, we’ve had a very competitive season and have played well against some very good teams," Ritsche said.

"We play one of the hardest schedules in the entire NCAA Atlantic Region and still have a very good record to show for it."

Andrus and Keene said the Rams’ success can be attributed to their depth offensively and defensively. Ritsche has relied heavily on these two players as well as others this season.

"Connor Andrus has been a big part of our success offensively," Ritsche said.

"He’s the team leader in hits and RBIs. Colby Keene is having a great senior year during the second half of the season. [Freshman] Rashad Webster has played great defense at first base. [Junior] Sam Burton has been our consistent No. 1 pitcher since the second week of the season. [Junior] Jordan Cummings has been a great closer for us."

Ritsche said his team focuses on playing for each other and that no one player ever tries take credit for the team’s success.

The Rams (38-13, 18-1 CIAA) ran through their conference and conference tournament with relative ease, but they know they’ll have their work cut out for them in the regional tournament. Keene said that as contenders for a Division II title, the Rams need to stay focused, be mentally prepared and play with aggression.

"We’ve had our ups and downs, but overall we’ve had a strong season," Keene said.

"We have a lot of goals to meet, and we’re not there yet."

WSSU has two non-conference home games against Bluefield State May 6 before the regional tournament begins