By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
As the leaves change and the fall season comes into focus, Baylor men’s tennis will break into pods and open the fall season with the green and gold spread out on a North American tour.
Coming off a down year, head coach Michael Woodson and the Bears spent the summer focusing on how to improve as individuals ahead of the fall slate, which is dominated by solo play. As the young team took strides late in the season, Woodson said the motivation translated through the summer and into preseason training.
“We had a tough year last year, and I feel like the guys closed the books on spring ‘23 with a level of excitement and desire to really push themselves to get better and build on some of the good things and then also address some of the areas that we struggled with,” Woodson said. “I’ve been very impressed by their attitudes and just the level of focus that they have in their fitness and in their practices, which I think is going to pay off here in the next few weeks.”
Built by culture and connection, Baylor has focused on the fundamentals to accelerate the growth process, according to Woodson. Each player on the roster will be given the opportunity to secure a spot on the court in the spring based on performance this fall.
“We have a team full of guys that could be the best in the country, but they’re unproven,” Woodson said. “To this point, they lack the experience that some other teams and other individuals have. So I’m really excited to see these guys establish themselves and prove to the rest of the country that Baylor is going to be relevant in the national conversation again this year.”
The first step toward the national stage starts this weekend, as the Bears will split up and compete in three separate individual tournaments across North America.
Juniors Marko Miladinović and No. 72 Oskar Brostrom Poulsen, sophomore Martin Breysach and freshman Louis Bowden will take a trip north to Stillwater, Okla., for the Big 12/SEC Challenge hosted by Oklahoma State. The green and gold will team up with the Cowboys and Texas Tech to try and take down SEC foes Tennessee, Alabama and Texas A&M.
“At the end of the day, we’re representing Baylor in those individual matches, so we want to represent that brand as best as possible,” Miladinović said. “Baylor has given me so much, and I want to give back to Baylor as much as possible. That’s just a huge privilege.”
While Miladinović will be far away from sophomores Luc Koenig and No. 114 singles player Zsombor Velcz — who will be in San Francisco for the Battle of the Bay — the players will stay connected and root for each other’s success.
“Last fall, when I was alone in Midland, Texas, Christopher Frantzen was sending me messages each day,” Miladinović said. “‘Hey, how are you? What’s happening? Do you need some advice?’ And it was not because the coaches told him to do it. It was because that’s the culture here. We really want players to feel that they’re part of the family, and that’s how I feel.”
Even further from Waco, juniors Ethan Muza and Justin Braverman, as well as senior Christopher Frantzen, will head to Torreón, Mexico, for the USA Collegiate Cup. The trio will be the second furthest from home for the three-day tournament that starts Friday morning, but representing Baylor as a giant is still a top priority.
“I want to give it my all out there because we represent Baylor,” Miladinović said. “We’re going to show the other guys that even in an 8 a.m. college match, we’re going to come out there and fight to the last point. This is our second home, and we really take this seriously, but also with a lot of fun. We want to give Baylor back a big title and everything.”
Woodson said No. 38 singles player senior Tadeas Paroulek is out with a “little injury” and is “a couple of weeks away” but will play this fall and has continued to practice with the team.
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