Baseball returns to the diamond Saturday
WEST POINT, Ga. (Feb. 3, 2022) – Point University baseball returns to action this weekend as the Skyhawks travel to the LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Georgia, to face St. Andrews University in a nonconference matchup.
The Skyhawks were initially scheduled to host Georgetown at home, but Georgetown was unable to travel due to inclement weather. This season, the Skyhawks do not play St. Andrews in an Appalachian Athletic Conference series, so this weekend's series will not count towards either team's AAC record.
The Skyhawks have 51 games on the schedule this spring, 30 AAC matchups, and 28 games at West Point Park. Following Point's season opener with St. Andrews, the Skyhawks will face five more nonconference opponents before opening AAC play at home against No. 21 Reinhardt. Point's final AAC series of the season will be against CIU April 29-30.
The Skyhawks are scheduled to play four teams ranked in the Top-25 in the 2022 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll. Along with Point's series with Reinhardt, the Skyhawks host No. 11 Cumberlands Feb. 18-19, travel to No. 6 Faulkner on Feb. 22, host Faulkner on March 22, and travel to No. 5 Tennessee Wesleyan April 8-9.
Head Coach John Tyler is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Skyhawks and says he is looking forward to watching what his team can accomplish this season.
"Our goal this year is to win it all," says Tyler. "I have a great group of guys who are hungry and eager to get the season underway, and I look forward to seeing the work we have put in during the offseason and preseason pay off on the field."
This year's squad features 17 returners and 25 newcomers. Headlining the group of returners will be seniors Jakobe Smith and Dillon Brown. Smith earned a spot on the All-AAC second team last season as a designated hitter. In conference play, Smith had a .330 batting average in 28 games. He had 31 hits in 94 at-bats, 21 runs, three doubles, and four home runs and led the team with 25 RBIs. Brown was recognized as a member of the AAC Gold Glove team for his defensive efforts in center field. Brown had a perfect fielding percentage in 29 conference games. Of the 68 chances Brown had in conference play, the outfielder converted 64 of them into putouts and four into assists. Brown was later recognized as a member of the ABCA-Rawlings NAIA Baseball Gold Glove Team. Brown was the first player in program history to be honored with the national award.
On the mound, the Skyhawks return senior pitchers Alex Williamson, Chase Raines, and Adam Castillo. Williamson pitched the second-most innings last season (70.1) and finished with a 6.78 ERA and a record of 3-4. He recorded the second-highest strikeouts on the team with 56. Raines pitched 68 innings, had a 6.09 ERA and was 4-4 last season. He had the most strikeouts last year with 59. In relief, Castillo made 11 appearances and pitched 10.2 innings.
The Skyhawks also return senior catcher Kevin Howard. Howard started and played in 39 games for the Skyhawks and finished with a .298 batting average. Howard finished the season with a .982 fielding percentage, and in 30 stolen base attempts against the Skyhawks, Howard caught 17 stealing. Howard had the most chances for Point last season with 218 and had 173 putouts and 41 assists.
"We do have a lot of new guys on the team, but nothing changes," says Tyler. "We are still looking to compete and win. My seniors have been great this year. They have not only put in the work themselves, but they have pushed the entire team to be better. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys."
Point's season opener against St. Andrews will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 5, beginning at 1 p.m., and will follow with a single 9-inning game on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live, and live stats will be available. The address for this weekend's series can be found below.
Address to LakePoint: Champions Center: 261 Stars Way, Emerson, GA 30121