The Seattle University Men’s Baseball team hits the road for Las Vegas this week to begin their 2019 season. The team will leave snowy Seattle and head to the desert to take on the University of Nevada Las Vegas for a three-game series.

Starting Pitcher Jake Prizina is coming off of an exceptional 2018 season. In 19 appearances, 15 of which were starts, the lefty had a 3.82 ERA, going 8-1 and notched one save. In 99-innings he struck out 92 batters and had 1.55 walks per 9-innings. The senior biology major has high hopes for this season.

CL: You’re going into your senior season for Seattle U baseball, what are you hoping to accomplish as a team?

JP: I think this year as a team, we’re trying to accomplish a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament title. We’re obviously young this year, but there are a lot of good people and good young kids this year. Hopefully, our six seniors that we have can help lead us to the top.

CL: How does this year differ from previous seasons?

JP: This year we have a lot of freshmen on the team, which compared to last year, is a lot different. There were a lot of older kids compared to younger kids. The dynamic is good. We’re pretty close, there’s a lot of cohesiveness with the team this year, so I don’t think that should be any different than the previous years. We definitely bond well and we’re definitely excited to get the season going.

CL: You guys travel to Las Vegas next week: how do you feel going into it and kicking off the 2019 season?

JP: We’ve done a lot of work in the fall, after Christmas break, gearing up for our opening season in Las Vegas. I know a lot of us are excited to get out of the snow and play in warm weather, but we’re pretty excited to get this thing going.

CL: How do you think the first-years are adjusting to Division I coming out of high school?

JP: They’ve been playing really well this fall, and especially gearing up towards the season. I think at first, it will be a little bit of an adjustment period, but the way they are and how good they are, they’ll adjust quickly and should be able to compete right away.

CL: Have you guys sat down as a team and talked about what your goals are for this year?

JP: The main goal for the team is obviously being at the top of the league by the time conference starts and ends. Also getting a seed going into the WAC tournament and carrying that throughout, and hopefully winning a WAC tournament in May.

CL: Who or what inspired you to play baseball?

JP: Personally, I think my dad and mom kind of geared me into playing sports. My dad played golf in college and my mom played softball in college. So, I think that playing sports, in general, wasn’t really forced upon me, but just being in a sports-driven family.

CL: How long have you been playing baseball?

JP: I’m 22… I started playing when I was six maybe? So, for a long time!

CL: What made you choose Seattle U over other universities that you were looking at?

JP: I definitely chose Seattle U more for their academics. My mom and dad preach academics first, so going to a school where academics is a priority was good for me. Being in the Seattle area and going on my visit, I immediately fell in love with Seattle and knew that it was the right fit for me.

CL: What is your favorite team memory that you have here at Seattle U?

JP: There are a lot of team memories, but I would say a good team memory would be last year—going down to Florida and playing in that big tournament and beating Notre Dame would be my top memory. They’re one of the bigger teams and one of the bigger premier colleges in the nation. For a school like Seattle U to come and beat them is a pretty big thing.

Caylah may be reached at
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