The baseball team rebounded from a 3-loss opening weekend by sweeping a tripleheader at home against LeMoyne-Owen on Feb. 9.

The opening series against Florida Tech saw the Lions drop three close games in which small mistakes cost them wins, despite an otherwise solid performance, said Head Coach Mike Keehn.

“What we want to try and do — and what we try and instill in our players — is to be good early but to be great late,” Keehn said.

Keehn said when they play a good team like Florida Tech they can’t afford to give them any opportunities late in a game by making mistakes, no matter how small those mistakes are.

“In those two close games we felt like we should have gotten the wins,” Keehn said.

The home-opening series against LeMoyne-Owen was moved from the typical doubleheader on Saturday followed by a third game on Sunday to having all three games played on Sunday, in order to avoid weather problems.

The Lions righted the ship Feb. 9 and picked up their first three wins of the season, moving their record to 3-3 on the year.

UNA’s bats opened the series hot, going on to win the opening game 13-3 behind solid batting performances from Dylan Boston, Jake Ward and Jake Smith.

“Hitting is cyclical,” Keehn said. “We probably aren’t going to have any ten to 15 homerun guys this season, but we have guys that can bunt, hit it in the gaps and make runs. Those skills are key, especially when the other team has a good pitcher on the mound.”

Keehn said pitching is going to be important for them this year and he likes the way the rotation is starting to form.

“Cade (Medley) pitched great in both starts,” Keehn said. “He is going to be a star out there for us — he really bears down when he’s out there with a lead.

“We are going to need our starters to go deep (into the game) for us this year and we’ve got guys like (Jacob) Westerhouse and (Brantley) Claunch that are going to be key and some young pitchers who are going to see some time out there.”

Brantley Claunch tossed a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 win to cap the weekend’s home series for the Lions.

The Lions have 21 home games this season and Keehn said that can be an advantage for UNA.

“Playing at home lets the guys be in their comfort zone,” he said. “They get to sleep in their own beds, so sure, that can help them be more focused.”

Apart from the bleachers along the first and third base lines, there is another option for students who want to come out and watch a home game this year. The grassy area behind right-center field sees many tailgating students. There is a deck right up against the outfield fence that is often home to die-hard UNA baseball fans — known as The Deckheads.

The Outdoor Adventure Center is going to be hanging out by the decks during the home games on Feb. 15 and is inviting students to come out and enjoy a hotdog and some baseball.

McKenzie Martin, Coordinator of the Outdoor Adventure Center, said they will be setting up at 10 a.m. Feb. 15 to grill hotdogs and tailgate before Saturday’s doubleheader. Food will be provided for the first 30 to 40 people.