Senior pitcher from San Antonio, TX, Connor Flanagan’s love for the game of baseball has helped him to keep playing over the years. Flanagan has been playing baseball for as long as he can remember and has been always outside throwing and hitting balls anything related to baseball.

Throughout the years Flanagan’s love for the competition and the want to win has helped him keep playing.

“I love to compete, love to win,” Flanagan said. “It has helped me stay interested, stay driven to my goals.”

As well as this competitive drive, Flanagan’s parents have helped him stay motivated.

“They have driven me, encouraged me and stayed by my side all my life,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan attended Smithson Valley High School in San Antonio. While playing for SV, Flanagan lettered three years and Tarleton Sports recorded that as a senior that he hit .430 with 23 scored, 20 RBIs and four home runs while boasting a 1.61 ERA and six saves on the mound. Before coming to Tarleton State University Flanagan had a pitstop at Midland College where he played two years and in his sophomore year he won three games in 13 appearances.

“I left junior college to come to Tarleton State University because I thought it was the best option for me at that moment,” Flanagan said.

Coming off Tarleton’s LSC Tournament Championship win last spring, Flanagan believes the returners will be well prepared for this upcoming season.

“It is going to help us all,” Flanagan said. “Basically, just the experience of being there, the pressure of the late season, the close games at the end that we had to win, I mean it’s all going to carry over to us winning this year. It’s going to help us all, help us push the younger guys.”

Winning that championship is Flanagan’s overall best experience so far in his college career.

“Not many people expected us to do that and we did, it was a great feeling,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan has goals for the team this year like any other player.

“Definitely want to make it back to regional tournament,” Flanagan said. “Win it this time, do something we couldn’t do last year.”

As a senior, this season is bitter sweet to Flanagan, but he is ready for it to be the best season and the fight ahead. Even though there is a new coach, Flanagan believes it won’t change anything with the team.

Tarleton’s baseball team hasn’t started the year like they could’ve. Their season started the first weekend of February at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas against. The Texans only won one game out of the three they played.

“We definitely didn’t play our best and we still had a chance to win pretty much every game,” Flanagan said. “I mean the two games we lost we weren’t even close to playing what we could’ve, so we just got to take the positives out of that and keep working and get better for rest of the season.”

Flanagan hopes that the team realizes that they are not in a bad spot but still have a lot of work to.

“I am excited for this season,” Flanagan said. “Having a final season to play with my teammates and playing for them.”

So far in 2019-20 season, Tarleton baseball’s overall record is 11-19 and a conference record of 1-3.

“We’ve hit a little rough streak,” Flanagan said. “But we just need to show up to practice, show up to the field every day ready to work, ready to get better.”

Flanagan has been on the mound 11 times, pitched 23 innings and has 26 strikeouts.

“My time on the mound has been good,” Flanagan said. “But there is always things to improve on, there’s always things I can get better at. Just going every day trying to work my hardest.”

This is Flanagan’s last year playing for Tarleton and he is focused on right now and getting better.

Flanagan has enough confidence in himself and his teammates coming into this season and hoping for some wins. Flanagan is ready to fight and push through the games lost so far in the season and come out victorious.