The baseball team at Cosumnes River College has played preseason games, but is now ready for their season to begin.

The team is 6-4-1 in its preseason with over 99 runs scored and a team batting average of .291. The team has four more games before it starts playing the Big 8 conference teams.

“Every year we try to win state championships, that’s our primary goal,” said head coach Don Mico. “We want to play our best baseball towards the end of the season.”

Mico said that he has veteran players on the team including team captain Rudy Rodriguez who has played for him for the past few years.

Sophomore pitcher Spencer Edmundson said he feels good about the season coming up. He also said that during this preseason, the team has been playing together which helps them play better.

“Once all the guys are together and we start playing as a team, we will be really good,” Edmundson said.

The team has a lot of returners this season because COVID-19 has added an extra year of eligibility for CRC athletes.

Sophomore catcher and team captain Nick Solorzano said the team is close, but needs to work on clicking better together as well as working on its pitching and defense.

“We have a talented team and hopefully we can start playing better together,” Solorzano said.

The other team captain is sophomore shortstop Rudy Rodriguez. He shared similar sentiments with Solorzano.

“I’m excited for it. We got good competition and a good squad,” Rodriguez said. “We’re kinda trying to mesh better as a team, but I think we will have a good year so I am excited for it.”

Rodriguez said they’re playing playoff teams which have been helping them get ready for league play.

“Preseason is definitely getting us ready for the league because of the competition,” Rodriguez said. “We just need to have good arms all the way throughout the season.”

Freshman third baseman Korey Williams said teamwise he thinks they are pretty good.

“We are off to an average start,” Williams said. “We have good talent, but we just aren’t working well together.”

Williams said that something the team has done a good job of is continuing to push during the game.

“We fight back, no matter what the score is or what inning,” Williams said. “Against Mission, we were down by, I think eight in the last inning and we came back and won by three.”

The team starts its season on March 7 against Santa Rosa Junior College.