BABSON PARK, Fla. (January 22, 2020) – The new 2020 baseball season is just around the corner, and the No. 16 Webber International University Warriors are looking to carry over the success from their last three seasons under Brad Niethammer into the beginning of the Collin Martin era, which will officially begin on Friday, January 24, at 6 p.m. against Crooked Lake rival Warner University.

Entering 2020, the Warriors are coming off of three straight trips to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. In 2019, Webber earned its second most wins in program history (38-22 overall, 14-10 The Sun Conference), reached the 30-win mark in a season for the seventh year in a row, and saw its season end of only game shy of reaching the program's first NAIA World Series. During day two of action at the Kingsport Bracket, the Warriors defeated eventual NAIA National Champion Tennessee Wesleyan University 1-0, but Webber could not get the one last win it needed over the Bulldogs as TWU was victorious over the Warriors 19-7 during day three and then 8-4 in the championship game.

"Our agenda here over the last few years has been the same every January – get prepared," said Martin. "All is well so far and we are all excited to get going. There is not a ton of time, so you try and hit the ground running by getting everyone the reps they need to get their legs and timing back. We've got a good club rolling in here on Friday night, a team that won 40 games last year – right now that's the most important game on our schedule. "

The season opener will be played on Webber's campus at the Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center Baseball Field in Babson Park, Florida; but on the next day on Saturday, January 25, the Warriors and the Royals will play a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. in Lake Wales, Florida.

Webber's 2020 Sun Conference opener will come at home on Friday, February 14, and Saturday, February 15, against Ave Maria University. Then, other notable games along the Warriors' path to the 2020 Sun Conference Tournament (April 29 – May 3 at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.) include a conference series at nationally-recognized Keiser University (February 21-22), a single game against No. 7 Bellevue University (March 2), a doubleheader against nationally-recognized Saint Xavier University (March 6), a conference series against No. 4 Southeastern University (March 20-21), a three-game set against No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett College (April 3-4)  and the final conference series at home against No. 2 St. Thomas University (April 17-18).

"Competing in The Sun Conference only magnifies the importance of the rest of your schedule," said Martin. "You always know there is a really high likelihood that you're going to be teeing it up against three to four nationally ranked teams any given weekend with others that are knocking on that same door. While it helps prepare you to compete at the next potential stop, it also amplifies the need to do well in your nonconference games.  Our schedule has a pretty well-balanced assortment of teams that are accustomed to winning. Every weekend is tough so there can never be a lapse in your prep work."

Returners coming back and hoping to help Webber baseball continue its trend of recent successes include: infielders Norberto Navarro and Carlo Mancillas, outfielder Rougie Odor, catcher Nolan Soliveres, and pitchers Gerig Blackman, Tyler Buchanan, Rey Rodriguez and Trent Massaro.

In 2019, Navarro was named First-Team All-Sun Conference while Blackman was named to the second-team. Navarro led the Warriors in runs scored last season with 66 runs while also setting a new Warriors' single-season record in walks with 48 free passes. Mancillas, meanwhile, combines with Navarro to create a very formidable middle infield defensively for the Warriors as Mancillas led the Webber defense in 2019 by ranking fourth in the NAIA in assists with 151 from shortstop while Navarro was 16th with 135 assists mostly from second base.

"We've got a rather large fresh crop of newcomers this year," continued Martin. "Our core of returners have done a great job so far, and all really led (in some capacity) by example in the fall. They know what to expect every day and know how to prepare for the rigors of the upcoming few months.  We hope that transitions into the spring."

Top newcomers in 2020 for the Warriors include transfers Taylor Burns, Victor Florentino, Zach Mather, Ricky Neyman, Matthew Wiseman, Cale Jones, Bryan Eusebio, Sean Whalen, Austin Dreher, Praxie Vigil, Kyle Brana and Jack Howard.

"We've got a lot of new faces that are going to be impacting our lineup this spring," added Martin. "We plan on using the first few weeks to hopefully get some guys comfortable and define their roles. There is a certain amount of trial and development by fire that requires that players continue to work and improve on the fly as the season moves forward. We've got some guys that we believe repetition will serve well."

Nearly all of Webber's home baseball games and many of its road games will feature live stats and live video of the action, so check out our Stretch Internet and Live Events pages for all of the details.

Coach Martin concluded, "It's an exciting time of the year for everyone. Every year is different and each definitely has its own set of challenges. We are looking forward to what spring brings us here in Babson Park."