Wimmer’s Circle

An inside look at baseball captain Trey Wimmer

With the first game of the 2012 baseball season just a few weeks away, no one is more ready than the newly-crowned captain Trey Wimmer.

The junior exercise science major believes that the team is stronger than ever this year.

“This has been, by far, one of the best hitting years that I’ve ever been a part of here at Liberty,” Wimmer said. “We are probably the best hitting team in the conference … I’m really excited to see how our hitters are going to do and what the lineups are going to be. We have a lot of variety. We could put different lineups on the field and still be successful.”

This is Wimmer’s fourth year in Liberty’s program, and as one of the older players on the team, he has a large amount of responsibility on his shoulders.

“Besides for Coach (Jim) Toman, I’ve been here longer than anybody,” Wimmer said. “I bring leadership and experience. I know what the program’s about. I know what Liberty’s about. I try my best to lead by example on and off the field. I know the way Coach Toman coaches. I know the things he likes to do during practice and during games. I know the signs he likes to give. So, I think, just my experience is helpful to the younger guys.”

The choice to come to Liberty for Wimmer was difficult. He was gaining the interest of schools like the University of South Carolina, Clemson and others within his home state of South Carolina. However, most of those schools lost their enthusiasm for Wimmer when he had knee surgery. An old acquaintance, Jim Toman, invited Wimmer to attend a training camp at Liberty. Upon his visit, he felt an immediate connection to the school and the program, making Liberty the easy choice.

The team’s chemistry is at an all-time high this year and has been that way from the beginning of the season. Even though the team is very diverse, Wimmer still believes that they will excel this season.

The first practices for the Flames have been unseasonably good.

“In the past, this time in the season we were shoveling snow off the field just to get some ground balls and take some hacks,” Wimmer said. “But, we’ve been blessed with 60-degree weather for the last week and a half. We’ve been on the field every day and getting better so we can play Feb. 17.”

Wimmer maintains the Boy Scout motto of “always be prepared” before a game. He arrives early, eats healthy and loosens up.

“I love listening to Lecrae and PRO (before a game),” Wimmer said. “It gets you pumped up and you don’t feel like you need a shower after.”

In his limited free time outside of baseball, he still finds time to relax. He fishes, plays Ping-Pong and is a closet reader.

Though Wimmer may not grow the playoff beard or wear the same socks every game, he still has his own style of superstitions. He will never step on the foul line and has a specific at-bat routine.

Season schedule

Feb. 17-19
The Citadel Challenge

Feb. 21
Flames vs. Radford 3 p.m.

Feb. 24
Flames vs. Siena 3 p.m.

Feb. 25
Flames vs. Siena 2 p.m.
Flames vs. Siena 5 p.m.

Feb. 26
Flames vs. Siena 1 p.m.

Feb. 28
Flames at Virginia 3 p.m.