SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University baseball team opens its season this weekend in Greensburg with a Saturday non-conference doubleheader against Seton Hill (12:30 p.m. first pitch). It begins a stretch of 36 scheduled games spanning the next 10 weeks.
 
For the Raiders, it's been a long road. After navigating through the COVID-19 landscape with minimal baseball activity for nearly one full year, the team returned to campus for a February that featured 20 inches of snow and consistently freezing temperatures.
 
Their response? Practice hard inside, clear the field once the weather permitted, and keep moving forward.
 
"At the end of the day, they just want to compete," head coach Matt Jones said of his team. "The testing, masking and other precautions are pretty routine at this point. I'm sure when they run out on the field and the scoreboard is on, they will just do what they do. They've worked hard on and off the field to be here now."
 
A cursory glance at the 29-man roster shows 16 returning players. Of that group, only nine Raiders have been with the team for more than one full "completed" season.
 
"On the field, it's been so long that I'm not sure it matters," Jones said. "Outside of a few guys, it's mostly a clean slate. We have freshmen who don't know how good the PSAC is yet. We have transfers who are here looking for a new opportunity. And we have returning players who have a firm understanding of what's ahead and know where we want to go."
 
A dogged work ethic and genuine comradery are inherent to the 2021 Raiders. The time away from the game has helped unify the squad in its return.
 
"They are a close group that works hard," Jones said. "I think we have some balance. We have a chance to swing the bats at a high level, we will do a good job on the mound, and we have depth in the field. But we have so much to learn about this group, things that we haven't had the chance to find out yet."
 
Among the newcomers are five transfers (including two graduate transfers) and eight true freshmen. The squad has 16 players with freshmen athletic eligibility when including the players affected by the canceled 2020 season.
 
"I am really excited about the roster," Jones said. "I can't take much credit, Coach Williamson (SU's recruiting coordinator) does an amazing job. We decide what our needs are from a roster standpoint, and then he goes and finds them. He's not afraid to reach out to anyone and tell them how great our campus is, and what our team has to offer."
 
The roster is not the only place in which there's newcomers, as SU has two new assistant coaches. Richie Rowe, who has been coaching for the last couple of years, brings experience to the team and will fill multiple duties – including first-base coach, recruiter, and scout.
 
Also on board is Jeremy Hileman, who will serve as the team's pitching coach. Hileman, who arrives from FullReps Training Center, will also assist Williamson and Rowe with recruiting.
 
"We were very fortunate to find two outstanding new assistants," Jones said. "The staff has really got on board, and the team is excited about Coach Hileman's programming."
 
As the team transitions into the season, there are still daily reminders that it's a new way of life in the era of COVID-19. Accountability is a must.
 
"They are on the clock 24/7," Jones said of his squad. They need to make good decisions. We have always said it, but it means more now than ever."
 
It's also a bit cliché to say that the last two months have been a grind. A lot of focus has been put onto the physical demands of training for a return to competition and the re-acclimation to physical activity after months of mostly isolation.
 
As Jones observed, each year has different obstacles. SU's veteran coach, now in his 15th season, also spoke to how 2020 helped reveal something far more important than a result on the diamond.
 
"The real issues that have come forward in the past year have more to do with how people are treated, and mental health," Jones said. "We have players from all over the country, and also from Canada. They all go through and react to the circumstances from a different point of view. And we have student-athletes who have struggled from time to time with some of the historical events of the past 12 months."
 
Every individual has to confront their own obstacles, in their own way. And for so many, that is a very hard thing to do.
 
"One of the best outcomes is that it seems to be way more "okay" to ask for help and talk to someone when they need to talk," Jones said. "I'm really proud of the guys who have come forward and reached out to me or one of my assistants."
 
Life was hard enough before COVID-19. Now, with individuals having experienced the feeling of having something – or someone – taken away from them, it will take time to heal from the invisible impacts of the last 12 months.
 
"There is so much more work to do to make sure that each and every one of our student-athletes have the same opportunities to be outstanding," Jones emphasized. "And if they need help, we are there for them…all of them."