2019 Season Preview : #17 Trinity (TX) Tigers

Sooo…. Djokovic is a total god. But I’ll start with some food for thought (Did someone say food?): Djokovic AND Nadal will both surpass Federer on the career grand slam list, with Djokovic ending with the most grand slams. Let the debate begin. And yes, that will make Djokovic the goat. Oh, and Osaka, marry me.

Ok enough debating. It is about that time friends and compatriots… is there even DIII tennis without your annual season previews? One might ask: what is a preview? Well, according to dictionary.com, a preview is defined as “display (a product, movie, play, etc.) before it officially goes on sale or opens to the public.” I think that says it all, no? With the Aussie Open now officially complete and the professional tour as intense and more competitive than ever, there’s no better time for fierce DIII competition to ensue. Trinity (TX) is a team that is always in contention to make noise in the DIII tennis field, but the past years have been rough for the Texas team standout. With the addition of Krimbill and a young players littered throughout the lineup, I have high expectations for this team as they begin their 2019 quest towards glory and stardom. Doubles will be a strength the Tigers will look to utilize, but their singles play has been their weakness in recent years. With more experienced singles players in Hamilton and Pitts, along with veteran Lambeth and transfer Krimbill, this is a team that is looking to put it all together without any key departures from last year.

Also, if you don’t want to read any more of my nonsense, catch a quick recap of their 2017/2018 season. Thanks anonymous writer for doing my job for me. THANKS!

Location: San Antonio, TX

Coach: Russell McMindes (10th Season)

ITA National Ranking: #17

Blog Power Ranking: #19

Twitter: Follow!

2017/2018 Finish: SCAC Championship, Round of 16 loss to CMS.

Key Additions: Transfer: Cameron Krimbill (Redlands), Artur Zigman (3 star), Carl Hilliard (2 star), our very own Christian Settles (2 star)

Key Departures:

LINEUP ANALYSIS:

1. 1. Jordan Pitts, Junior — Pitts had a respectable year at #2 last year, going 13-7 throughout the spring. The highlight of the year came on the doubles court for Pitts, as he and partner Lambeth notched an impressive 21-6 record at #1, making them one of the most lethal doubles pairings in the country. I have no doubt this pair will team up once again and create havoc for their opponents. Let’s hope Pitts can step it up as well on the singles

      

      court, going from a 13-7 guy last year to a “Whoa, Pitts plays 1, this is going to be a tough match” guy. If he is able to be a solid point at the top spot AND maintain his doubles play with Lambeth on the doubles court, Pitts will be a major reason why this team will be capable of jumping into the top 10.

   2. Wilson Hamilton, Sophomore — As expected, Hamilton had a tough year at the top spot last year. Just a freshman, he was able to compile a respectable 8-10 record at #1, but his only ranked wins came against #30 UT Tyler and #31 Kalamazoo (Fagundes and Metzler respectively). Though he had a tough schedule against many of the top teams, not coming out with a single win against the likes of Pomona, CMS, Redlands, Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Case, and Southwestern (granted no match at #1 is a guaranteed win), made it a rather defeating year for the freshman. He has the game to improve and be a rock at the top of the lineup however. That is why I feel that McMindes will keep the now sophomore near the top of the lineup to gain more experience and keep the middle of the singles lineup that much stronger. Instead of getting smoked off the court by the aforementioned teams, I see him finding the W a bit more this year. The Tigers surely will need it.
   3. Wilson Lambeth, Senior — Big Boy Lambeth enters his senior year with the Tigers as a lethal player on both the singles and doubles front. His doubles and singles prowess is evident with his lengthy frame and booming serve. Mentioned above, Lambeth and Pitts will come into this spring as a formidable #1 doubles team, but I still question Lambeth’s singles play at times. I still feel like he hasn’t fully tapped into his singles potential; as a freshman, he came in at #1 and hasn’t really been able to make that next step to a dominant player at the top of the lineup. When on, however, he can take the racket out of anyone’s hands, but last year’s record of 11-8 at #3 I find to be a just notch above mediocre. A bright light is that he finished last season on an eleven match winning streak! Let’s hope he can pick up right where he left off and leave the program on a high note.  
   4. Cameron Krimbill, Sophomore — The biggest question mark for this team and really the focal point to keep an eye on throughout the season. A Krimbill in and around #4 is a steady point in this part of the lineup and frankly what the Tigers have been missing in the recent years…depth. Krimbill adds a whole other layer to this team and I believe placing him in the middle of the lineup will work wonders for this team. He had a great beginning of the season last year at Redlands (until you know…), but you have to think Cam is super stoked to get his first full year of college tennis underway. Expect him to play great tennis and be a secure point on both the singles and doubles court, regardless of where he plays in the lineup. I think it will be Krimbill that will propel this team back into the top 10 on the national scale, mark my words. I am a DIII tennis blogger after all.
   5. Jace Akagi-Okuma, Sophomore — The Hawaiian native had a solid freshman year at #4 last year, compiling a more than respectable record of 15-7 on the singles court and 18-8 on the doubles court with Hamilton at #2. A point worth noting – every singles match he won last year, he won in straight sets. A true indication that when Jace comes out firing and takes the first set, he is able to maintain his focus and keep the course as a true frontrunner. This is an incredible skill that will only benefit him at #5 in the lineup. An amazing start to his college career last year will be backed up by an even more impressive sophomore year in my humble opinion.
   6. Oliver Tilden, Senior — Tilden held the #5 spot for the better part of his junior year, going 8-14 throughout. He had a rough start to his season, losing his first 10 of 11 matches (all in straight sets). However, he was able to rebound towards the middle/late portion of the spring with solid wins against Cal Lutheran, Case, and of course UT Tyler in Nationals. I see this position being a revolving door but Tilden getting first crack once dual matches come around. As a senior, I see Tilden starting his spring campaign on a better note than last year and leading his team as the anchor of the lineup.

SCHEDULE ANALYSIS:

Before we take a look at their schedule for this spring, let’s recap their schedule from last year as it had to have been one of the toughest/most demanding schedules among the teams in the top 20. Four separate trips all over the country, some that were outdoor, some indoor, but all against mighty tough competition making it hard for the Tigers to find their stride and get comfortable as the season progressed. First glance at their schedule this year, it looks as if they are going to do less traveling, with planned trips to Florida and California on the horizon. Indoors looks like a no go this year for the Tigers after their 7th place finish last year in Cleveland and a tough outing in Walla Walla. Lesson learned, keep the Texas boys outside, McMindes.

Their initial matches are a good mix of teams that will get their feet wet but also capable of making the Tigers work hard for the wins. Their first DIII match of the year (and a quite important one if I must say so myself) is against Lewis & Clark on their home courts. The result here will give us all an indication as to where both teams stand in the West coast regional standings.

March rolls around and they are immediately greeted by perennial DIII superpower Emory upon their arrival in humid Florida. This will be their first true test in the DIII world and a tough matchup to say the least as it will be their first match in Orlando. Their three remaining matches while down in the the Sunshine State are just as big and loom large for national ranking purposes: Wesleyan, Case, and Kenyon. All top 25 teams, this will be a huge test for the Tigers as a successful trip to Florida would be leaving with a winning record against the four teams they face.

A mix of SCAC inter-conference matches and two massive matchups against Gustavus and Pomona in California round out their spring schedule. If the Tigers were able to win their conference last year, I see them having no trouble this year as they are only stronger and deeper this time around. In terms of their matches out west in CA, I expect absolute grinds against Pomona and Gustavus. Gustavus they beat in a grueling 5-4 match a couple years back, but expect the Tigers to really push the Hens on their home courts after their 1-8 beatdown last year.

A tough schedule absolutely, but one that can surely be conquered. As of now, they only have two top ten teams on the schedule, but over 7 in the top 20 which gives this team plenty of opportunity to make a case for themselves as the #17 team in the country. Above all, I see Trinity(TX) winning SCAC for the 9,538th time and receiving a Pool A bid into Nationals yet again. CMS looms in their part of the draw if it comes to this, but always a feat to make the round of 16. I mean… only 16 teams in the ENTIRE country make it this far!

All in all, I think this is going to be a successful season for the Tigers – a season that will see them back into the top 12 and on their way to becoming a top 8 team once again. Let’s not forget it was a just a few years ago when Krull, Skinner, and Deuel propelled this team into the stratosphere. Now I don’t see Pitts, Lambeth, and Hamilton quite filling those shoes, but I do see this team working their way back into that conversation. Trinity is a well-coached team with fair players competing each and every year… watching this team succeed after a couple off years will be rewarding for all!