With the final Coaches' Poll released, Freed-Hardeman baseball will spend the summer at #22 after reaching the opening round of the 2022 World Series. The Lions began the season receiving votes in the preseason poll, cracking the top 25 on March 9 with a #22 ranking after a 14-5 start.
"We knew we had a talented team and had a bunch of guys that have played in Lewiston [Idaho, home of the World Series final site].," said Coach Jonathan Estes of his Lions' start. "This group of guys worked extremely hard. They were always trying to get better. When we got together at the beginning [of the season], we talked about wanting to win championships. I don't think we surprised ourselves."
The season began with a scare, requiring 13 innings for Freed-Hardeman to win their season opener 4-3 over Bryan (Tenn.) College. After sweeping Bryan, FHU stumbled in their home opener, losing both games in a series against Lyon (Ark.) College. "I think what made this group of guys special was the culture that they built. They were elite workers, elite competitors, and special human beings," continued Estes about the season's start. "It is fun to be a part of a team that loves each other and wants to compete with and for each other."
Compete for each other they did, as Freed-Hardeman rattled off eight wins over their next 10 games, including a series win in the Mid-South Conference opener against Campbellsville (Ky.) University.
At the end of the regular season, the Lions sat with a 34-13 overall record with a 19-5 mark in league play, winning the MSC Regular Season title. That title not only saw them receive an opening-round bye for the MSC Conference Tournament held in Bowling Green, Kentucky but also provided FHU with an automatic berth to the 2022 NAIA World Series.
After a break of nearly two weeks, FHU took the field in the conference tournament, where they won their first matchup before moving into the consolation bracket in a loss to the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) Patriots squad. The Lions staved off elimination by shutting out Campbellsville before taking revenge on the Cumberlands 3-1 to force a final if-necessary game. Freed-Hardeman ended the tournament as runners-up to the Patriots in a repeat of last season's MSC tournament final.
Estes spoke about the all-rounded effort of his team saying, "We have always wanted to have the ability to beat a team in a variety of ways- with the bat, on the mound, on the bases, or with the glove. We were really good in a variety of ways and that is a testament to the depth of our pitching staff, and the work that our assistant and graduate coaches did with our guys to make us such a dynamic team"
Receiving the #2 seed in the Oklahoma City bracket, the Lions were stunned in the first game of the double-elimination World Series opening round with a 7-6 loss to MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) forcing the Lions to fight through the elimination bracket. Playing twice on Tuesday, May 17, FHU first bested LSU Alexandria before requiring four hours to defeat Kansas Wesleyan 17-9 in a contest that did not finish until 11:30 p.m. local time. Needing three more wins to advance to Lewiston, the Lions fell to the Oklahoma City Stars to see their season come to an early, yet impressive end.
Freed-Hardeman's final 39-17 record was helped in part by their 567 hits, the second-best hit mark in the conference. The Lions tallied 109 doubles, 13 triples, and 70 home runs. "Our offense was consistent throughout the year," boasted Estes. "We had different players carry us for different periods of time. We really didn't have a spot in the order you could relax."
Though his time as the FHU skipper has come to a conclusion with the FHU Hall of Fame member moving up the department ladder to take over as athletic director, Estes remains confident in Freed-Hardeman baseball's future: "FHU baseball is one of those unique places where you can develop into the man God wants you to be while getting a first-class education and competing for championships. Those expectations won't change."
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