Feb. 28, 2019 - A true harbinger of spring for many is the return of baseball. In that sense, Concordia-Chicago fans will welcome spring this weekend, although the local weather might say otherwise. The Cougars travel south to Louisville for the first four games of the 2019 season, looking to start building on the many successes of recent years including consecutive trips to the Division III World Series in 2017 and 2018.

The Cougars (#8 Collegiate Baseball News, #12 D3Baseball.com) are scheduled for two night games with host Spalding University on Friday and Saturday (5 p.m. Chicago time) and two day games with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1:30 Saturday, 10 a.m. Sunday). Spalding, a team receiving votes in the D3Baseball.com poll, is off to a 5-2 start for the season including a win over #2 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Platteville is off to a 1-2 start this season. For CUC head coach Mike Stawski, this weekend marks a return to where he first served as a head coach, leading Spalding to a three-year record of 82-44 (2010-12).

This weekend should shed some light on the makeup of the 2019 Cougars, although Stawski says that "we'll have a better idea on the overall picture in about two weeks." One thing Stawski already knows is that starting pitching will play a big role in the team's fortunes this year, led by returning southpaw Adam Gregory. According to Stawski, don't be surprised if any of the starters this weekend are capable of going six or seven innings, dependent on pitch counts.

As far as the position players, Stawski says "we have four or five outfielders, at least six infielders and three or four catchers that are ready to play right now. We're in good shape that if one guy is slumping or can't go for a couple of days, we can call on somebody else who is capable." Based on that, many of these players will likely have a chance this weekend to show what they can bring to the team.