Lesa Turnquist | Copy Co-Editor

As snow now covers the baseball field, the Buena Vista University (BVU) baseball team works hard inside during the off-season. It is not mandatory for athletes to participate in off-season work, but each player knows it takes more than just in-season effort in order to be the best they can be. Senior pitcher Ian Grigsby describes how the team stays motivated.

“With the competition we will face every week, we know that we have to be at the top of our game. One weakness, and we will be exposed. Therefore we do everything in our power to put ourselves in the best position possible to reach our team goals. Everybody on our team shares this mentality. We want to be the ones holding the trophy come May, and off-season workouts are a key step in the process,” Grigsby said.

Their off-season consists of going to workouts with head strength and conditioning coach Lane Gries, coming in for hitting and throwing on their own, and attending yoga sessions. While the workouts with Coach Gries focus on strength, speed, and power, yoga adds an entire new component of fitness.

“Flexibility is equally as important as strength, especially in baseball. Aside from flexibility benefits, yoga requires mental focus. This has a direct carry over in big game moments,” Grigsby said.

There is a lot of time commitment to competing in a college sport. Freshman Tyler Vorrie was a four-sport athlete in high school and explains his perspective of the off-season.

“Compared to my high school workouts, the college off-season is a whole step up in the intensity level. I really like the workouts because they are intense, and I feel like a better athlete when I’m finished. I didn’t really have an off-season in high school because I was always in a sport, but I have never had an off-season like this before,” Vorrie said.

In addition to becoming physically better, the off-season is also helping the players become a team. The upperclassmen have already spent at least a year together, but all the freshman have come from different teams and programs so this allows them to get acquainted before the season hits in February.

“The off-season workouts have helped me get to know the guys well. I live on a side of campus where there aren’t many baseball players so having that workout four times a week to see the guys really helps me out and helps us grow as a team. We all go through this as a family, and that’s how I see my teammates,” Vorrie said.

Although the off-season is a grind, the players are grateful for the opportunity to become better. They know the hard work will pay off in the spring when the grass is green and the weather warms up, but for now, they will do what they can indoors to become better players and a better team.

“We definitely want to thank Coach Gries and his associates for pushing us every day of the year. The workouts haven’t become any easier—and we love it. We love pushing ourselves every day. With the mentalities we have on this team, I am really excited to see how far we go this year,” Grigby said.