New faces, same goal: baseball team unites for spring season

One year ago, eight Lee Flames baseball players chose to return for the 2021-2022 season to use their free year of eligibility due to COVID-19.

Their season came to an end during the NCAA tournament last year. In the 2021 season, the Flames won 36 games and ranked #2 in the country - their highest ranking in program history. 

The eight seniors returned for one last chance to play with their team.

Since 17 of the 37-man-roster are new to the Larry Carpenter Stadium, this year’s team is different from previous seasons. Despite all the newcomers, the team’s intention is the same: to have a winning mentality.

“Winning breeds winning,” said Head Coach Mark Brew.

Brew is entering his 16th season as the head coach of the Lee baseball team. Last season, he won his 600th game as the leader of the Flames, becoming the second active Lee coach to reach this milestone. This season, with returning veterans leading the way for the new faces, Brew said he is confident in his players’ ability to unite.

“We were hit hard on the mound [last year],” said Brew. “We lost players to graduation and lost [Logan] Workman to the [MLB] draft, but I’ve already seen our young guys trending in the right direction. I’ve seen guys making adjustments, and improving from outing to outing.”

Brew said the seniors’ leadership helps with overall team spirit and unity.

“Our leadership group of Dylan Standifer, Thomas Zazzaro, Alan Carter and Justen Freeman have done a really good job of getting those younger guys on board with what our program is about,” said Brew.

Carter, a graduate student in business administration, is the Flames’ only returning pitcher with double-digit innings pitched at Lee. Last season, Carter finished his year with a 13 strikeout performance against Alabama-Huntsville in postseason play. The veteran pitcher says he has learned from his Lee experience, and has embraced the leadership role.

“I’ve tried to set the right example of what it takes to succeed in this conference and at the highest level of DII baseball in the country,” Carter said. “Once our new guys saw that our culture consists of working harder than anyone else in the conference, and doing whatever it takes to win, the culture of the team takes form automatically.”

Through the Flames’ first 23 games, fifth-year-senior Zazzaro has been consistent in the leadoff spot. Zazzaro is hitting .300 on the season. 

“With these new faces, it could be hard to have everyone buy-in,” said Zazzaro, a senior business marketing major. “It’s hard at times, but we are competitors and we want to win. We will do that - by any means possible.”

While most of the newcomers are freshmen, several new players transferred from other colleges. Miguel Alba, a senior business major, has been Flames’ ace so far this season. Alba burst onto the scene with 6 scoreless innings in his Lee debut.

“Miguel is a competitor. He’s been our best guy this season. He’s got experience coming from Florida International,” said Brew. “It was natural for us when we got him off the portal, knowing he could pitch a lot at a program with a chance to win. He’s been the real deal.”

Even though the team dynamic may be different with the new players, the program Brew has built has stayed consistent for 16 years. Brew said he and his players are confident in their potential this year.

“This program, at its core, has a relentless winning mentality. The expectation of winning puts the pressure on us to put in the work,” said Carter. “With our mindset and our work ethic, it will be hard for teams to stop us from repeating as Gulf South Conference champions.”

The Flames will play at Shorter University on April 1-2. For live updates on the game, follow @LeeUBaseball on Twitter.

For more information, visit leeuflames.com or follow @leeubaseball on Instagram.