The Ashland University eSports program has been hard at work since the team found a taste of glory in the NACE conference championship in the 2022 fall season at the hands of the Call of Duty (CoD) team.
This past summer, the team announced the addition of Elijah Roberts as the head coach of the Call of Duty team for the upcoming 2023 fall season.
“It will be great to have Eli’s [Roberts] help managing our call of duty teams, especially with the varsity league play and practice schedule as they gear up for the upcoming season,” said Ashland University eSports Head Coach Alec Mueller.
The Eagles worked hard in the summer of 2023 as they prepared for a bounce-back fall campaign, after a disappointing spring.
In their first year in the College CoD League, the team finished 1-10 overall through eleven outings.
“Last season was not a reflection on the skill of the team, and ever since he has been brought to the team he has reminded us of the winning mentality we had in the fall when we won a championship,” said Team Captain Connor Milne.
With obvious work needing to be done, the team opted to bring in Roberts to help guide the team at a closer degree.
“Bringing in him as our coach has helped us immensely throughout the offseason,” said Milne. “He has helped us primarily by focusing on building the fundamentals and team chemistry. He has also brought a winning mentality to the team that everyone has bought into.”
Throughout the summer the team has worked heavily to address the mistakes displayed in the spring. Whether it’s working on communication, strategies or simple team confidence.
“Eli offers an outside perspective for each of our players,” said Mueller. “He is someone with immense CoD experience and someone who can give advice to players when they need it. Having his help may be the extra push the team needs to continue their success this fall.”
The Eagles will be set to start new pieces in Tyler Donley and Jake Bucher on their varsity roster, as they return former starters Milne and Phillip Howman.
“I think the most important part to a successful team is, the chemistry among the players and staff. Ensuring everyone is playing comfortable and enjoying themselves brings true champions,” said Roberts. “Getting the right blend of environment and spirit is going to ensure there will be many championships for the team in the future.”
Milne, who was involved in the process of bringing in Roberts, met him this summer after Roberts served as his coach in a Columbus in-person event.
“Eli was recommended to me by Connor after Eli coached him for a LAN tournament over the summer,” said Mueller. “I spoke to Eli to hear about his CoD experience and his plans for the Ashland team and he seemed like a good fit.”
The Eagles gear up for the fall campaign in the coming weeks as their first outing coming towards the beginning of September with an opponent yet to be determined.
“Wins will happen with passion, confidence and vibes,” said Roberts. “Everyone on the team is a passion player by nature. All the prep work we’ve been doing as a team is building anticipation for the first game. It’ll be electrifying… I’m sure.”
