10 games in, LCSC baseball continues to find footing

The Lewis-Clark State baseball team is only through 10 games of its season. The second-ranked Warriors are 7-3, have played some of the stiffest competition they have since the days of Division I scheduling and have loads of new players that are seeing time on the field.

All that said, fifth-year coach Jake Taylor clearly likes the work ethic of his team and hopes the process of growing continues this weekend as LCSC plays a four-game nonconference series against Cascade Conference foe College of Idaho starting with a noon doubleheader Saturday.

“It is still early in the season and we have a lot to work out as a team as we move forward,” Taylor said. “Throughout the course of the next few weeks we expect to see improvements in all aspects of our game. The tough opening portion of our schedule has allowed us to see strengths and deficiencies that we continually work to improve upon.”

Because of the weather forecast for the remainder of the week, the schedule for the series has shifted, going from a Friday-Sunday set to a Saturday-Monday set.

The teams will play at 1 p.m. Sunday and conclude the series at 11 a.m. Monday.

One of the things that should, and probably has, made Taylor happy is the continuity at the top of the batting order, and the production from those top four spots.

Junior outfielder Nick Seamons has been the leadoff batter for every game. Juniors Pu’ukani De Sa (second baseman) and Isaiah Thomas (outfielder) have alternated between the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in the order, with senior Sam Olsson (catcher/designated hitter) holding down the cleanup spot in nine of the 10 games.

Between the quartet, they are hitting a combined .354 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI, accounting for 86.7% of the team’s homers and 57.4% of the team’s RBI. The group has combined for 14 of the Warriors’ 26 two-out RBI. Seamons is tied for fourth nationally with six homers.

That continuity has helped to bring stability overall to the offense.

“As of now, the top of the lineup has been pretty consistent and we don’t really foresee many changes coming in the near future,” Taylor said. “That said, we need to begin to stretch our lineup with quality at bats up and down our order if we will become an offense that can group run together in innings.”

On the pitching side of things, sophomore right-hander Trevin Hope has been a nice addition at the top of the rotation.

The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder out of Lynden High School in Washington has made three starts with a 2-0 mark and a 1.20 ERA. In 15 innings thus far, he’s allowed 13 hits, three walks and two earned runs, striking out 14.

A year ago, Hope made just five appearances with no record and a 2.25 ERA. He allowed 11 hits and struck out 17 in 12 innings.

He’s following in a long line of Game 1 weekend starters who have been stellar throughout program history, including last year’s No. 1, Trent Sellers.

“Trevin is an imposing pitcher that gets down the hill and challenges our opponents,” Taylor said. “He has pounded the zone and has given our defense a chance to play behind him. As with any pitcher, Trevin will continue to work on all aspects of the art of pitching. Location, movement, and changing speeds. As the season progresses he will continue to gain experience and his pitch count will continue to rise as well.”

With the influx of new talent, it will take time for the team to completely mesh together. But LCSC’s players have laid the groundwork thanks to the trip to Florida, where the Warriors played four top-25 teams.

That should prove to be vital as the season stretches on, being of extreme importance as the month of May creeps ever so closer.

“There is always an adjustment for a new player entering the program,” Taylor said. “We feel we have a tremendous group of young men that are continuing to learn to compete and play together in the Warrior uniform.”

Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, dwalden@lmtribune.com, or on Twitter @waldo9939.