Saints ready to swing

CEDAR RAPIDS - The sweet smell of freshly cut grass mixed with the crack of a bat indicates one of the most loved times of the year for many - baseball and softball season.

Under the command of head coach Dave Schemmel, Xavier looks to have another successful season on the baseball diamond. The Saints are led by more than 10 seniors this season. Senior Nolan Arp proved his leadership by earning a starting spot last year on a competitive team. Catching and playing shortstop, he is a valuable asset defensively for the Saints.

While he may have great defensive skills, he is even better at the plate. Batting .344 last year, Arp has been working on his craft at the plate and hopes to do produce even better results this year.

'My individual goal is to bat .400 this year,” Arp said.

Although Arp has individual goals, he is more focused on the team part of the game.

'Our first game is the toughest,” Arp said. 'It's against Kennedy on Memorial Day and it would be great to get a win.”

Arp also has his expectations set on state this year and hopes the team can perform well if they make it there.

The girls' softball team, led by Coach Nikki Price, looks to follow up its MVC conference title last season. The Saints ended up losing in the second round of substate, but had a great season, finishing with a record of 33-7.

Led by seniors Erin Drahozal, Morgan Breitbach, Kylie Oldridge and Claire Christianson, the girls look to have another memorable season.

'I hope that we can make state this year after coming up short last postseason,” Breitbach said. 'We already have great team chemistry and work very well together.”

Unlike the Xavier baseball team, Price will rely on a plethora of underclassmen to contribute to the team. This includes girls from eighth grade all the way through seniors. This rule allows an athlete to play up to five years of high school softball, dependent on the student making the team in eighth grade.

The girls open up their season with a doubleheader on May 26 against Iowa City West at Bob Erusha Field.