By Meliyah Venerable/Sports Editor

The Missouri Valley College Baseball team is now actively looking for a new head coach after Adam Enright (who was in his second season) resigned from the position. The baseball season is set to start in mid-February and continue through the end of April. 

With the season approaching quickly, the athletic department is “actively in the process of filling the position,” according to Athletic Director Tom Fifer. 

Tyler Marik will be the interim coach until the position is filled. This is Marik’s second season coaching at Valley. Marik played Division I baseball and has coached and worked with many draft prospects. He said that he has been able to learn from various coaches that have influenced his coaching style. 

“Our plans for the season is to maintain the culture that was established this fall,” Marik said. “The guys did a tremendous job establishing what that is, and that is something we will continue to do throughout the Spring. We can not put into words how excited we are as a staff for the season. We worked tirelessly to get to where we are now. We have seen a lot of progress, and we are excited to see how that translates in the Spring.” 

Last season the Vikings finished with a 16-32 overall record and 9-12 in the Heart of America Conference. The athletic department has brought in two new coaches this season: pitching coach Kyle Shore and assistant coach Nik Visone. 

Although many of the student-athletes are here on a baseball scholarship, that is not the coaching staff’s main focus. They want to focus on what goes on in the classroom. 

“The number one thing for this season is to take care of the work in the classroom,” Marik explained. “These guys are here to get a degree, so I am going to make sure they take care of things in the classroom. There are three things everyone should expect to see out of this team on the field. These three things are play hard, have fun, and do things right. The guys did a great job of doing these three things all fall, and it will continue during the Spring.” 

Returning pitcher Tanner Hecht is looking forward to the season starting and is optimistic about the season. 

“I think the season will go good,” Hecht said. “ We have a lot of talent and as long as we play to the best of our abilities we will be fine. I’m looking forward to it because Marik knows a lot about baseball and will do anything to win.” The team will begin practicing soon after winter break. The first game of the season will be Feb. 11 against William Baptist University.