Patric Hynes begins his seventh season as Lee University men's head tennis coach and with plenty of excitement building around the Lee Tennis Center. After all, the coach has three players returning in junior Jesus Garcia, fifth-year senior Antonio Pons and senior Bruno Medeiros who finished the 2020 season in the Oracle/ITA Division II South Region rankings. Garcia completed the season as the 14th-ranked singles player in the South Region, while the doubles team of Pons and Medeiros was No. 5. Garcia held a 9-2 record at No. 1 singles and was on a four-match win streak when the season came to an end. Pons and Medeiros collected a 4-3 record.

The 2020 season was limited to a 6-5 record due to COVID when play was halted. Hynes had his club in Florida getting ready to face the final match of the spring break trip. "When the virus hit, we were midway through our season. When something is taken away, it is not ideal, but this team has embraced the challenges and now we are ready to play again," said Hynes.

Lee did not lose a key player from the 2020 campaign. The coach, as expected, lists Pons, Garcia, and Medeiros, plus sophomore Nicolas Ramírez, and red-shirt senior Daniel Prata returning to direct his team into the 2021 campaign.

High on new recruit: "Jordi Dasi is a talented lefty and a fast learner. I think he is going to do big things here over four years," allowed the coach in praising his latest signee.

Strong points of this team: "Our depth is better than it has ever been," explained Hynes. "We have 12 guys who all can challenge for the lineup this year. Also, the bond these guys have with each other is very strong." 

Areas team is working to improve: The coach said, "We have spent a lot of time working to integrate our guys who returned this fall back into the team. They have done a great job staying fit and are ready to come back." 

Playing in GSC: Hynes would not say how he expected his men to finish in the GSC standing this spring against teams ranked near or at the top of NCAA DII. "It is always fun to compete in this conference. If we can give our best in every match, the guys can have a great year," he pointed out.

Non-conference slate also tough: "We have some tough opponents. All our competition in Tennessee is very strong and there is going to be a lot of battles this year," he quickly noted. The Flames will host rival Tennessee Wesleyan on Thursday (Feb. 4). They travel to Tusculum on Feb. 12, before beginning GSC play with Shorter on Feb. 18 and West Florida (Feb.20). Lee will face four rugged non-conference foes before returning to GSC action against powerful Valdosta State on March 13. All totaled the Flames will play 15 matches before entering the conference tournament play on April 22.

Assistant coach: "Jake Okines is a tireless worker and someone I really depend on. He played here, so he knows what we want to build and is committed to making each of our players better," praised Hynes. 

In closing the head coach said, "We are just thrilled to start playing again! We are grateful to everyone in administration who has worked tirelessly to provide us this opportunity. We cannot wait to get going!"