First day of classes with new faces for the Phoenix

The team in the weightroom

There’s always that kid — the one in your class who’s sweating like a popsicle on the first day of class.

“C’mon now, it’s syllabus day. Quit stressing,” you want to tell him. “Besides, it’s not the grades you make, it’s the hands you shake that get you places anyway!”

Well, I’m the sweaty kid, and I’ve got a few dozen others joining me around campus.

As many Elon students brushed their teeth — in hopes of one day bedazzling photos with pearly whites like Grant Fisher — and dolled up for their class debuts early Tuesday morning, members of the Elon Phoenix were somewhere in between the first and third base line at Latham field doing everything we could not to show the turf what we had for breakfast. It was brutal. Coach Mac ushered in the new year in fashion.

And so it begins.

The fall is under the sovereignty of Coach Mac. The newcomers are learning this fact rather quickly. Juniors Chris King and Wil Leathers, who played at Coastal Carolina and University of South Carolina before taking pit stops at junior colleges prior to the ‘Lon, have both said that Mac is at the top of the pyramid in his field of strength and conditioning. Those comments earn their merit by noting that both players come from schools that have proved to be perennial powerhouses in college baseball.

King and Leathers are just a couple of the small army of new players filling up the roster for 2013. As much as I would like to type out a witty and detailed bio on each of the five JUCO transfers and 10 freshmen, I can’t remember their names for the life of me. So,

Wil Leathers — fellow member of the Muskrat Nation. Photo by LaconiaMuskrats.com

as I get to know them more, I will do my best to make their distinct personalities known to you.

I’ll start the introductions with the two previously mentioned. King is a sweet-swinging lefty from the great state of Rhode Island.

From the looks of his swings in the batting cage, he might be able to hit a ball the length of his home state. Leathers is our best Popeye impersonator, with forearms that look like pregnant seahorses. He spent his summer up in Laconia, N.H., putting together a notable season that gave him a spot on the New England Collegiate Baseball League all-star team. I welcome him into the Laconia Muskrat nation, having been on the inaugural team two summers ago.

Both of them will spend most of their fall practices under the tutelage of Coach Huff and his “School of Suave,” for the infielders.

Fall ball is when we earn bragging rights while hitting our pitchers, or vice versa. For example, Ken Ferrer, who pitched a short stint in the Washington Nationals organization, had my number in the two years we played together. I think that I was 2-for-20-something against him. On the other hand, there are some of our pitchers against whom I have had more success than failure.

Then there are Nick Bruno and Alex Swim, who put all numbers aside and just crush baseballs all fall regardless of who’s pitching.

It’s a unique time around the clubhouse. We’ve got the ripe excitement of the freshmen, reminding me of the chasing dog who

finally caught up with the UPS truck, mixed with the veteran expectation of the seniors, all hoping and pushing toward the goal of

A tweet from freshman outfielder Danny Crowe on the first day of conditioning.

winning the Southern Conference championship and moving on to a super regional.