WAVERLY, Iowa—The Wartburg esports team will open its second season this week. In the fall semester, the Knights will compete in Overwatch and Rocket League, under second-year head coach Josh Fischer.

Last Season
The Overwatch team won the National Finals of the NECC Navigators League bracket in the 4-2 win over East Stroudsburg in mid-June.

Wartburg competed in League of Legends (fall term), Valorant and Overwatch (spring term), and Rocket League (both terms).

Season Outlook
esports has a new home on campus, as a new facility in the former Classroom Technology Center (CTC) classrooms was constructed over the spring/summer. "The biggest thing for us this season is our new facility," said Fischer. "We have way more space, we can have more than one team practice at a time, the students have better access to room, and our broadcasts are better.

The in-person spectating for a lot of our games has been a change from last year as well," he continued. "We haven't started our regular season yet, but in our preseason games, so far we've had a huge turnout for spectators. This brings such a different energy to the room. When you hear people cheering for you when you score a goal, it's so different than last year when our space wasn't conducive for spectators."



The roster features 25 individuals, which is larger than last season. "The biggest draw (for new players) is the room and our success," said Fischer. "A lot of people reached out and want to be a part of this as they've seen the progress on the new space, but also being more of an established program has helped too."

Fischer really enjoys the capability of the new facility. "From a coaching standpoint, just the amount of space that we have is great," he said. "We can have practice in different areas, if we want to go over film while another team is practicing, we have a TV and seating now to do that rather than everyone crowding around one computer. Having an office in there is great for sensitive conversations or just general one on one conversations."

The Knights will compete in five games this year, divided by semesters. In the fall, the Orange and Black will compete in Overwatch and Rocket League, and in the spring, will play Valorant, League of Legends, and Smash Brothers.

Wartburg opens the season Thursday, Sept. 28 in Overwatch and Friday, Sept. 29 in Rocket League.