Gearing up for spring sports

Texan+baseball+will+kick+off+its+season+on+Feb.+5th+against+Winona+State+University+at+Minute+Maid+Park+in+Houston%2C+Texas.

Texan baseball will kick off its season on Feb. 5th against Winona State University at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

Hilaree Foreman, Managing Editor

While most Tarleton State University students will be taking shelter indoors to thaw off from the winter chill, Texan student-athletes are outside getting ready for their upcoming seasons. The Texans and TexAnns are gearing up for the 2015 season of softball, baseball, tennis and track and field.

The Texan baseball team, lead by Head Coach Bryan Conger, is coming off a 31-23 record and their third NCAA tournament appearance in Tarleton history for the 2014 season. In the offseason, the Texans signed six freshmen to compensate for the 11 seniors they lost: Elijah Christenson, Matt Mikusek, Cody Nitson, Sam Scarborough, Casey Smith and Grant Ware. The Texans will kick off their season on Feb. 5 against Winona State University at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

The TexAnn softball team, lead by Head Coach Julie Mata, is looking to improve from their 2014 season, where they finished less than .500 with a record of 20-30. While the TexAnns lost four seniors, they signed three freshmen to help fill the gap: Haley Freyman, Delaney Wayland and Nyka Wood. The TexAnns start their 2015 season Feb. 2 hosting Southwestern Oklahoma State University in a two game series in Stephenville at the Tarleton Softball Complex.

The Texan track and field team is looking to replicate and improve on their 2014 season. The Texans, lead by Head Coach Pat Ponder, had six All-Americans in their previous season, including Chase Rathke, who will be returning as the reigning 2014 NCAA Outdoor 1500m National Champion. Rathke is the first National Champion under Coach Ponder. With a young team returning for the 2015 season, the Texans are hoping for great results.

The Texans begin their indoor season on Jan. 15 at the Texas Tech Open in Lubbock, Texas, and they begin their outdoor season hosting the Tarleton State Invitational on March 5 at the Oscar Frazier Memorial Track at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.