By Gibran Godfrey

Spring sports kicks off this weekend with Trojans Baseball, as they travel to play their first game of the season in Atlanta, GA, against Clark Atlanta University on Saturday, February 5th.

The Trojans are hoping to have a winning season this year as they are coming off a 5-8 2021 season. There is a bright spot to start the season as junior second baseman Joshua Tayman was selected as one of the 52 HBCU preseason elite baseball players. He is coming off his best season as a Trojan.

Freshman outfielder David Johnson knows that every win is important leading up to the goal of the post-season.

“One of our main goals is to start off strong and get the most wins we can because at the end of the season, if we have a good to average record then we get to play in the HBCU World Series, and compete for the championship,” Johnson said.

He went on to explain what his personal goal to start the season is.

“I’m a freshman so I want to work hard and do what I can in practice to start as a freshman for the first game of the season.”

Softball is coming into this year eager to go after not having a 2021 season. Due to all the postponed and canceled games to start the season last year, there was an ultimate decision to just cancel the season and restart in 2022.

The Trojans are hoping to have a better season than two years ago as they went 3-13 in 2020. The pitching rotation is headlined by sophomore Leah Harrison and freshmen Desmyn Owens and Alaijah Pratt. The infielders on the team include juniors Julia Jones and Asia Turner, senior Samantha Cunningham, sophomore Serenity Barbee and some key positional depth in freshmen Alaijah Pratt and Desmyn Owens.

The outfield includes freshmen Nia Hall and Hailey Darrington and sophomores Serenity Barbee and Leah Harrison. Some overall positional depth includes sophomore utility player Alani Horton. Their first game is on Saturday, February 5, in Wilson, NC, against Barton College in a doubleheader.

As for the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field team, they begin their season on Friday, March 18, in the Fred Hardy Invitational in Richmond, VA. Both the men and women have a large crop of highly accomplished freshmen coming in along with some seasoned sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Women’s tennis starts on Saturday, March 5, against Virginia Union University. Their team consists of some highly promising freshmen in Eboni Goring, Ashleigh Charles, Ginger Johnson, and Jayce Gaither and a proven seasoned junior in Zimaris Smith.