Hi again everybody! 'Twas Mick Jagger who once so eloquently (and perhaps frighteningly, depending on your taste) used three little notes to open what would become a pretty iconic song.
And as we sit here on the eve of college baseball's opening day, the 1981 hit is as relevant as ever.
KSU's baseball team has traveled to the desert landscape of Tucson, Arizona to open the 2014 season. The Golden Flashes will play games Friday, Saturday and Sunday at historic Hi Corbett Field. The Arizona Wildcats won the College World Series in 2012 but were in the opposite bracket from KSU.
The 2014 Flashes appear to have a good mix of both veteran and rookie talent - both on the mound and at the plate. After a very slow start to the 2013 campaign, Kent State fought back in the standings to win the Mid-American Conference regular season crown on the season's final pitch.
One of the veterans on this year's squad was a key factor in KSU's 2012 Omaha run. T.J. Sutton will be one of the mainstays the Flashes will be looking to for leadership on the field and in the clubhouse. And the Canton native couldn't be more excited to get his senior year going.
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| T.J. Sutton |
"It's a new attitude around our program. Our goals don't change. In my mind, it really starts with defense. We can't wait to play," he said.
Kent State's first 16 games will be played in southern climates.
"We have to come out and play good defense and be aggressive at the plate. We'll need to get good reads in the field and some of the changes we made in the field house this winter have helped with that. The biggest thing is letting the game come to you and not try and do too much," the right fielder added.
First pitch from the former Spring Training home of the Indians is 8 pm ET Friday.
The softball team already has a leg up on the hardballers thanks to a 4-1 weekend in California last weekend. This year's diamond ladies have quality pitching depth with reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year Emma Johnson at the helm of a deep rotation. But it was a red-hot offense which surprised even head coach Karen Linder at Long Beach.
"We had a really good weekend, coming from behind in two of our four wins," she said. "But our offense was better than I anticipated - especially the top of the order. A lot of positives out of the weekend."
The Flashes will be off this weekend before taking part in a very challenging FAU Tournament next week where they'll see a top-10 Michigan team twice.
One of the things I'm excited about this spring is the debut of a new show called "Diamond Dialogue." This 30-minute show will air on our Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel and will focus on both Kent State baseball and softball teams. The first episode premieres today and I've attached it via a link to Sound Cloud below. Give it a listen and I welcome all feedback!
Until next time, Go Flashes!
TL
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