As reported by the Baylor University website, for the first time in five years, Baylor men’s tennis in 11th place will be without Adrian Boitan, Matias Soto and Sven Lah. Bears will open the season at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
Baylor will play Lamar at 11am and Incarnate Word at 4pm. Third-year head coach Michael Woodson, said: “I think the older guys know what’s coming, and they seem very ready, more ready than I’m used to. And then, the naivety of a lot of this group is also really funny.
That combination of real comfort from the older kids, like they’ve done it 1,000 times, and the young group having absolutely no idea what’s coming, makes it a lot of fun. It definitely keeps us in the moment. We don’t have as many guys, and we have a couple of guys who aren’t eligible right now.
We don’t have as many bodies as we’ve had in the last couple of years, which I think will provide further opportunities for those that are available. But we will definitely try to get everyone involved. And luckily, I think everyone is really fit and looking ready to play, so I’m excited about that.” Bass and Grassi Mazzuchi, who was 19-2 last year at No.
6 in singles, are the captains of the senior team. They were ranked third in doubles at the end of the fall semester, while Bass was 23rd and Grassi Mazzuchi was 115th in the singles rankings. Juampi told: “I think last year the level was close between all the players in the lineup.
Maybe some of the guys who played at the back, like 5 and 6 with Finn, Teddy and me, we didn’t play those top level games But I think we have it in us, and we’ll be fine.” Baylor is coming off a 29-4 season, winning the Big 12 tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in a row, losing to sixth seed Tennessee, 4-3.
Woodson also added: “It’s going to be tough, but this team has the talent and actually four or five of the guys have the experience to be able to handle that. It’s just how quickly the youngsters get used to the environment and how well the older guys big ones will lead them.
I certainly think our best days will come in April and May. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were successful right away, it’s a challenge we welcome without a doubt.”
