c When it came to matters of baseball, the Bisons came out swinging, literally. With all of their hard work and preparation, they hoped that their season would be one of the best. "I feel like we almost knew we were going to do something big from the beginning of the season," second baseman senior Chase Presley said. The Bisons began the season with promising results but did have a few woes along the way when it came to a series with Delta State University. The Statesmen defeated the Bisons in the first two games of the series, leaving the Bisons eager for that third win. "The guys really battled hard that day and could have come out on their head," Coach Patrick McGaha said. "But they fought through it and showed up and had a great game." According to McGaha, the win put the team back on the hunt for a seed in the upcoming Gulf South Conference tournament. The Bisons took a step backward during the conference, where they fell to Southern Arkansas; however, their journey did not end there. The Bisons ended up seeded No. 3 in the GSC South Region tournament. "It really was something that Harding hadn't done before, so it was a big stepping stone," pitcher senior Hayden Shirley said. As classes began letting out for the summer, the Bisons advanced to their first-ever national tournament. Their first tournament win, 4-l against Tampa, marked not only their first GSC South Region win but also McGaha's 300th career win. "To hit that milestone at a national tournament was pretty neat," McGaha said. "Tampa has been a Division II powerhouse for years; they've won three or four national championships, so to be able to beat those guys was pretty [great]." McGaha noticed a definite improvement in talent and chemistry in the team that was stronger than the years before. "We felt like our talent level had been raised," • • I " McGaha said. "Last year's group [20 11 team] was so good, probably the best team chemistry I've coached in 17 years." McGaha, Presley and Shirley all agreed that chemistry was the key to the impressive season. Even though Nova Southeastern topped the Bisons, ending the season, the team knew it would not be their last time in the GSC South Region tournament. "Everything you did last year, you have to up it, go up a notch if you want to do better," Shirley said. The Bisons aimed to make berth in the NCAA Division II World Series this year, hoping their experience from such a strong previous season would pay off. They were ranked 24th in Division II at the beginning of the 2012 season. "I feel like this year it's just maybe a little more in reach because we've been there," Presley said. ."We see that we can do it; we know how to do it, so [we] just [have to] put it into work." Mallory Davis Athletics t
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==