The Bates baseball team is one of the more young and up-and-coming teams on campus. The Bobcats had a winning record of 19-17 in the 2019 season before the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking to improve on that with two new young recruiting classes that have come through the ranks in the past two years. 

One of the more exciting aspects of the team will be its pitching, with a young group of talent ready to go against some of the NESCAC’s best hitters. One of the many talented pitchers on the roster is Luke Linnehan, out of Hingham, Massachusetts. 

In a shortened season where the Bobcats only played eight official games, Linnehan went 1-0 with a team-best 4.00 ERA. He also struck out six batters in nine innings across the year with his best performance coming in a 6-5 win over St. Joseph’s College. 

When asked what he is most excited about this upcoming season, Linnehan said he was “excited about not only the young players coming in but also the fact that they are preparing to play a full season, and not just one that consists of only eight games.” 

The excitement about the upperclassmen on the pitching staff was also a key point stressed by Linnehan. Everyone has to play their role well for the Bobcats to be successful on the mound this year. 

The Bobcats schedule has not been officially released to the public yet, but there is an overall air of excitement not only when it comes to Linnehan’s performance, but the entire pitching roster as well.

Linnehan is also a member of the “Straight out the Lew” Sports Podcast, which just added a biweekly column in The Student. He created the podcast with teammates Chris Cimino and Dylan Azcarate, also sophomores. 

The podcast covers a range of topics across all of the major leagues in American professional and international sports. This is something that has required a great amount of commitment over the past year Linnehan has been at Bates. 

Balancing the podcast, academics and athletics is something that has been a challenge to get used to, but according to Linnehan “has been something that has really evolved” over time at Bates. 

The overall excitement around the Bates men’s baseball team is building. Pitching and hitting abilities have elevated since years past, and with a young core of players ready to play – including Linnehan – they are looking to be playoff contenders next fall.