Brandon Garcia, an All-Tournament selection at the 2023 Division III World Series, is among the Hornets back to defend their national title. Photo by Mike Atherton, d3photography.com

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

Lynchburg believes it is built for postseason baseball.

The Hornets proved it last year as they captured a national championship. This spring, however, they just hoped to wind up with a spot in the tournament after an up-and-down regular season that finished with a 25-15 mark.

Since then, Lynchburg has played championship baseball — sweeping its way back to the Division III College World Series with 10 straight wins.

“I think we have a lot of belief in ourselves and we believed the hardest part of the year was getting to the postseason,” Lynchburg sophomore shortstop Brandon Garcia said. “We had a big target on our back. I think once we got to the postseason, there was probably a little bit of relief.”

There was no guarantee for a long postseason run this year. The Hornets finished 13-9 in the ODAC and were just the fourth seed for the conference tournament.

“I think our ODAC schedule, we truly believe it’s the hardest conference in the country,” Garcia said. “There’s no doubt it prepares us for these kinds of games at the end of the year.”

The team beat Bridgewater twice, Randolph-Macon once and Roanoke twice to win the conference title and reach the national tournament.

“Throughout the year, we had some ups and downs. We knew that’d happen, getting everybody’s ‘A’ game. We knew everyone would try to beat us, no matter what,” Lynchburg sophomore second baseman Benton Jones said. “We’ve been here before. All we had to do was trust ourselves and play our game. We don’t have to force anything. It’s about fighting for that next day. Fortunately, we’ve done that so far.”

While this year’s Lynchburg squad has some different personnel from the 2023 edition that finished 48-8, the Hornets, led by Jones and Garcia — among others, have settled into their roles just in time.

“It’s really big being back in this position. Neither Brandon nor I had much playoff experience in high school baseball. We didn’t know what it was like to go on postseason run,” Jones said. “We were living in the moment and enjoying it. We had a lot of older guys guiding us along the way. This year, we kind of had to mature a bit and step up into the roles those guys were in last year. It’s really fun to experience the other side of it now. We get to watch as these new guys get to experience it now, too.”

“This year feels a little different for us – we’re not so new to it. That experience helped us,” Garcia added. “Going through the games and situations, we feel more comfortable this year. We know how to get through them. We know what is expected. We know how these games are. Having that experience is big time and a huge help.”

Wes Arrington brings a 9-2 mark in 15 starts into the Division III World Series. Photo by Mike Atherton, d3photography.com

Pitching has been a huge factor for the Hornets’ run, too. Wes Arrington has been dominant on the hill, with two complete games — including a no-hitter — in the postseason.

“Simply put from a baseball standpoint, we’ve just pitched it better the past four weeks,” Lynchburg head coach Travis Beazley said. “We have the talent, but we were a little inconsistent on the mound. We’ve had four great starts from Wes Arrington in the playoffs. Nick Mattfield followed up with three great starts as well. Our bullpen has been consistent, too. That’s put us in a great position.”

The team’s coaching staff remained intact, but some roles were shuffled this season. Beazley is in his first year as head coach after spending six years as associate coach. Lucas Jones, who won the American Baseball Coaches Association and ATEC Sports Division III coach of the year award last spring with the Hornets, is now associate coach.

“I am very fortunate because everyone on the staff is back and Lucas and I have known each other for years,” Beazley said. “It’s been a little different, but we tried as best we could to keep it feeling the same. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’ve been very fortunate and very lucky.”

The responsibility changes haven’t disrupted the team.

“I feel like it was a very smooth transition,” Jones said. “They’ve done a phenomenal job this year managing their different roles.”

Lynchburg, seeded eighth, opens double-elimination play Friday against No. 1 Endicott (46-2).

“This week will be a big challenge,” Beazley said. “I think they just have this crazy confidence when we get to this time of year. You can’t teach it. That’s something they have earned themselves — the belief they have in themselves. It’s really, really fun to watch.”