Things were looking up for National University as they entered the UAAP Season 85 Baseball Tournament.
The Bulldogs had performed exceptionally well in the preseason tournament, earning them the label of the “team to beat” for the upcoming season.
However, as the games commenced at the newly finished UP Baseball Field, the results did not unfold as planned, as senior pitcher MJ Carolino candidly admitted.
“Parang nag-overwhelm po ata kami. Hindi po kami naging maganda ‘yung start namin kasi masyado kaming nakampante, nag-rely na kami ‘yung team to beat. Na-pressure kami kumbaga,” said the UAAP Season 81 Best Pitcher.
With that season now concluded, the Bulldogs welcomed a new era with replacement coach Romar Landicho, taking over from the long-time mentor Egay Delos Reyes. For Carolino and the rest of the Bustillos-based IX, the focus shifted towards a change in their in-game outlook.
“Yung mental toughness, yun po talaga ‘yung nagkulang last year. Kahit po lamang na kami, nahahabol pa rin kami, natatalo pa rin kami sa game kasi bumibigay ‘yung isip,” shared the former NU Nazareth School standout.
The 25-year-old Pangasinense also revealed that he struggled with his pitching arm the previous year. That injury, coupled with the outcomes of the last season, served as the main motivation for Carolino to give it one more shot for the place he had called home since his teenage years.
“Yung kagustuhan ko po naming mabigyan ng school ng championship,” Carolino said. “Hindi pa po namin naibigay simula nung high school; kahit po makatungtong ng championship, hindi po namin nagawa.
“Kaya po sa last season ko, gagawin po namin ang lahat para makuha ‘yung championship.”
