Baseball season down to crunch time

We are down to the last week of the season and as usual, there is a log jam of teams trying to qualify for the Iowa Conference tournament.  The top six teams after the regular season will make the double elimination tournament held in Cedar Rapids beginning on Thursday of next week.  Every team in the league has a chance to get into the top six as we enter the last week.  But we are one of the teams that can control our own destiny.  If we have a good week, we will get in.  We have a big game vs. Simpson at Memorial park on Wednesday at 6:00 pm.  After splitting the two games in Indianola earlier in April, Simpson has moved themselves up towards the top of the league.  They have already clinched a spot in the tournament, but are vying for the important #2 seed, which would give them a first round bye.  This is also the last conference game on their schedule, as they drew the last weekend as their bye weekend.  I would expect both teams to lay it on the line tomorrow night, our focus will be on keeping the guys loose and focus on what we can control.  A big crowd should also help our aggressiveness, it is going to be a fun evening. 

Overall, I have been happy with the way the guys meet challenges.  But I learned something this past weekend at the retirement reception for our softball coaches, Marge Willadsen and the late Rusty Mohler who was a legendary pitching coach in this part of the country.  As many of you know, our softball program owns the only team National Championship in our school's history.  A lot of her players from that team were here last weekend, and it was very apparent that successful people, especially in competition, have that extra edge about them.  To this day, those softball players have that confident personality.  There is no doubt that their personality traits led to success on the field.  I am a believer in how a player should carry himself and how he should react to negativity, whether that be a strikeout, a poor call by an umpire, or making an error.  I hate seeing players mope around or drop their head when something doesn't go their way.  Negativity is contagious, and it can make it nearly impossible to play well.  I guarantee that the National Championship softball team had enough confidence in their ability, that they didn't worry about a bad call or about making a mistake.  This will be important heading into the stretch run of the season. 

Gotta go for now, we are heading to Briar Cliff for a JV double-header today. 

Baseball Update

As bad as the weather has been this spring, I refuse to be negative about it (at least in this post).  After all, it could be worse, we could live in Minnesota.  My nephew is a pitcher at Gustavus Adolphus, they have only played once since their spring trip to Arizona, they haven't even been on a field for practice since they returned on March 27th.  St. Scholastica, who we played in the Metrodome, was off to a great start in their season but haven't played since March 24th and as much snow that has fallen in Duluth, they are worried that they may not practice on their field for the rest of the season.  So, yes things could be worse.  After all, we have played 20 games, and although it seems like we have had a ton of games rained out, we are still on schedule to play 36 even if we cannot find any games to add.  Last year, we only played 31 regular season games.

So now for this weekend, we are in a tough spot once again.  We have decided not to play tonight in Carroll vs. Coe.  We are going to try to play a single 9-inning game on Saturday.  We are going to take the tarp off the field in Carroll on Saturday morning, and make a decision on Saturday's game at that point.  If we do play, it will probably be at 4:00 pm in Carroll.  However, Carroll Stadium is not available to us on Sunday due to a Perfect Game Spring League game.  Which is ironic because now that we tarped the field in Carroll, we have increased their chances of playing on Sunday.  Had we not tarped the field, there is no way they would be able to play this weekend.  We are looking into moving the Sunday games to Coe.  We should have a final decision by the end of today, or at the very latest Saturday at noon.  

It is just another day of decisions around here.  Up to this point, I think we have made the right decisions and have taken advantage of the nice days we have had.  I really appreciate the patience of our players, their parents, our administration, and the coaches in the Iowa Conference.   What goes un-noticed is the flexibility of our faculty members that have worked with our players when it comes to missing classes.  I really appreciate their willingness to go the extra mile to allow our student-athletes to make up work. 

Central recap

After a rough Friday night game, our guys responded by beating one of the best pitchers in the Iowa Conference in Game 1 of a DH on Saturday.  Brett Mahan, a senior LHP, has given us fits for the last four years and we finally were able to beat him.  The way we played in this game was a testament to just how mature our guys have become.  After a sound beating on Friday night, a game in which we gave our opponent way too many base runnersl, Christian Dekker put up another great performance on the hill for us.  Dekker, only a sophomore, has emerged as a legitimate number 1 pitcher in our conference.  In fact he now has two wins in his career, and both wins are against Central.  Christian should be 4-0 this year, but has suffered some tough no-decisions.  The team is 4-0 in games in which he has pitched more than 1 inning which is the more important statistic.

Back to the game, I thought going into the first game on Saturday that whoever won the first game would win the second game.  It was just a gut-feeling, one that I usually don't get.  It made for a sleepless Friday night, as I knew we were going to face Mahan.  But after Michael Stephenson walked and stole 2nd, we took a chance and let Michael steal 3rd with 2 outs.  He got a great jump and after the catcher threw the ball into left field, we were up 1-0 in the bottom of the first.  A couple pitches later, Brandon Pietrzyk hit a 2-strike curveball over the right field fence to put us up 2-0.  At that point, I knew this team was ready to put Friday's game out of their mind.  We played a sound game defensively, and put up another run in the sixth inning to win the game 3-0. 

In between games, we could tell that the guys were ready for game 2.  As good as Central was, I don't think anyone on our side thought we were going to lose that 2nd game.   In the 3rd inning, we erupted for six runs to take a 7-3 lead.  We finally bunched some hits together and ran the bases aggressively and got into Central's bullpen.  We finished the game strong and won 11-4.  It was one of the first times of the season, where we got a lead and extended it.

In all, it was a great weekend.  This team has a lot of special qualities, and Saturday proved that to me.  We have to make sure that we focus on getting better as a team, rather than worrying about winning.  I think everyone enjoyed the way we played on Saturday, and we didn't worry about what the scoreboard looked like. 

I look forward to our DH with Dubuque on Wednesday.  We will play at Carroll Stadium at 3:30.  It wil be a tough task for us, as UD didn't play conference games over the weekend.  The next week will be a tough one as we play seven conference games, one non-conference game, and 2 JV games in the next six days.  We will learn a lot about ourselves to say the least. 

Go Beavers!

Baseball Moving Games to Pella

The games for the weekend will be played in Pella.  Friday's game will begin at 3:00 pm, the team will stay overnight at the Super 8 in Pella before playing a Saturday DH at 1:00 pm.  I just have to say how accomodating Central's coach, Adam Stevens, and their administration have been to getting this thing switched over.  I know they won't be as gracious when we start playing, we are going to have earn everything we get this weekend.  

We will see two really good pitchers this weekend.  Brett Mahan is finally a senior, I think we have only won once in games that he has started.  He is a long lanky left-hander that just pounds the strikezone with three pitches.  He is a strikeout pitcher, so even when we get guys in scoring position, driving them in becomes more difficult.  Adam Squires is only a sophomore but he is improving quickly.  We put together a good game against him last  year, but this year it will be much more difficult.  Offensively, they have some dangerous hitters so we can't afford to walk as many as we have up to this point of the season.

Again, we will worry about what we can control, our aggressiveness, our positive attitude, and our focus.  When it comes to winning conference games, it's about doing the fundamental things that are important.  We need to focus on playing solid baseball, and not worry about what Central is capable of doing.  I can't wait for tomorrow, the official season is about to begin.

On a side note, I do not believe the games will be on the radio this weekend.  Just another thing that has been disrupted by the weather.  Once things begin to settle down, we will be back on the airways.  Have a great weekend.  Go Beavers!

Mother Nature throws a curveball

Details are being completed, but it looks as if the BV-Central series will be moved to Pella.  We will try to play our 9-inning game on Friday at 3:00 pm, and the DH at 1:00 pm on Saturday.  We are waiting for a few people to put the final stamp of approval on this decision, we should know by noon today.

Baseball/Weather update

Today is a busy day, trying to figure out where we are going to be able play our conference games this weekend.  According to the official schedule, we are supposed to head to Decorah after our games vs. St. Scholastica tonight in the Metrodome.  It is unrealistic to think that their field is dry enough for that to happen, so we have a couple of alternate sites that we are looking at, each one needs a special approval from the Conference office and there are a lot of logistical factors that need to be taken care of.

By the time we leave today at 1:00 pm, we will try and have a better idea of what our plans will be.  More than likely we will return to Storm Lake on Thursday, and make plans for a weekend series vs. Luther (the conference opener).  While the forecast has gotten better for the weekend, there is still a lot of drying that has to take place at some of these alternate sites.

However, since we lost some games vs. Peru St., I have added Northwest Missouri State for a DH on Monday, March 24th (beginning at 1:00 pm in Maryville).  This gives us a chance to play some varsity games before we play Central next weekend, and acts as an insurance policy in case our games vs. Luther are not played.  

I will try to post another entry before we leave today with more weekend details.  We look forward to playing tonight vs. a very good St. Scholastica team, it should prepare us for what we will see when the conference season begins (whenever that might be).

Peru State Games

We are all set to play Peru St. Sunday, March 16 at 1:00 pm.  The games have been moved from Peru, NE to the Legion Field in Auburn, NE.  Auburn is about 10 miles past Peru.  

Monday's single 9-inning game has been canceled due to a 80% chance of rain in the area.  The team will travel back to Storm Lake after Sunday's games.

Baseball recap: Midland Lutheran

It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done yesterday winning both games of the double header:  11-6, 8-5.  The sweep gave us the series win, and winning three in a row is a great way to start off the year.  Midland Lutheran was a veteran team that finished 5th in the GPAC last season.  While neither team played exceptionally well, which is not uncommon this early in the season, we found a way to win three close games.  We need to take those experiences with us into our series against Peru St. this weekend.  Like most people, I would rather learn while picking up wins as opposed to learning from defeat. 

Having such a young group of guys can be frustrating at times, and some coaches will use that as an excuse for losing games or not playing well.  While those arguments can be valid, I don't really think it is going to apply to this  year's team.  Our newcomers have tremendous playing experience and I expect them to make adjustments very quickly.  You will not here me complain about our inexperience throughout the entire season.

Overall, I was extremely happy with the way our pitchers competed.  We walked and hit a lot of batters, but none of them gave up the disasterous big inning.  While we expect them to better next time out, they really got us off to a great start.  Nick Lanning, Christian Dekker, Steve Johnston, and Mark Blum had solid starts, and our bullpen of Cody Aldrich, Kyle Dupic, and Brandon Pietrzyk did a great job of finishing the games.  In addition, we will be getting two more pitchers back within the next two weeks in Luke Probasco (injury) and Nathan Parker, who is competing in the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen this weekend. 

Offensively, we were pretty quiet with the exception of Senior Captain, Jeff Weisenborn who went 6-12 with 6 RBI.  He probably won two games for us with his timely hitting.  With each game, I can sense that we are feeling more comfortable at the plate.  At this time we are only hitting .238, but still managed to score 20 runs over our last three games. 

Defensively, we are going to be solid, it's just a matter of time.  We forced our pitchers to work a little harder than they needed to, but I expect that to improve once we get outside for practice.

So now we look to a series against Peru St., a team that BVU has never played before.  Peru St. plays in a very tough NAIA conference along with regional power, Bellevue.  They finished fourth in their league, and they have some pretty good players that I remember watching in high school.  Regardless, this weekend will be about improving our team rather than worrying about winning games.  If we play better than we did this weekend, cut down the walks, errors, and offensive strikeouts, I will be happy whether we win or lose. 

I am sure I will have an updated weather forecast and plan for the weekend by the end of the week.

Team Motel for Peru St. Games

The baseball team will be staying at the Best Western Inn, Nebraska City (NE) on Sunday March 16th for games vs. Peru St.  Their phone number is 402-873-7000.  Nebraska City is about 20 miles from Peru, but options are a little limited in that area.  This place seems nice and has an indoor pool.  Seemed like a good option for us.

Hope to see a lot of you down at Omaha on Sunday.  If not, the first game of the double-header will be broadcast on KBVU and also can be heard over the internet.  Just go to the baseball website to find the link.

Games vs. Midland Lutheran

Once again the baseball schedule has been updated.  We will be playing a DH vs. Midland Lutheran on Sunday, March 9th at Omaha Westside (87th and Pacific) high school beginning at 10:00 am.  It will be a little chilly, but since Westside's field is 100% Field Turf, the surface will be dry!

We will play Games 3 & 4 of the series at Midland Lutheran's field on Tuesday, March 11th beginning at 4:30 pm.  The weather is going to warm up next week which will allow their field to thaw out a little.  This will allow our players to stay in class for most of the day and it will give us a chance to play under the lights. 

We are excited that we will be getting outdoors.  I am very thankful to Jef Field at Midland Lutheran, as well as the people at Omaha Westside High School.  

We have canceled our rooms at the Sleep Inn in Fremont, and will be driving down on the day of the games.   

One other update, the Cornell (non-conference) games that were scheduled for March 16th will probably be canceled.  But, we have an agreement with Peru State in Peru, Ne to play a 3-game series.  We would play a DH on Sunday, March 16th at 1:00 pm, and stay to play a single 9-inning game on Monday, March 17th.  This will (more than likely) become official within the next few days.  I spoke with Cornell's coach who says their field has a long way to go before it is ready for play.  I am about 95% sure that Peru St. will appear on our schedule within the next few days.  

Thanks for hanging with me, the schedule can get a little crazy at times.  It literally has been a circus in the baseball office the last few days!

Baseball Postponed again

The BV-Nebraska Wesleyan baseball games re-scheduled for Sunday, March 2nd have been ppd again, due to wet grounds.  We have bumped the games back to Tuesday, March 4th beginning at 3:30 pm (at a field to be determined).

A rainy Sunday forecast could hurt our chances of playing on Tuesday, but we hope the grounds will dry out and firm up over the next few days.  

I will keep this site updated as decisions are made. 

Baseball Games for March 1st moved to March 2nd

We have decided to move the DH vs. Nebraska Wesleyan, scheduled for March 1st to Sunday March 2nd beginning at 11:30 am.  The fields did not dry out as expected.  We are hoping that a good drying day on Saturday will allow us to play on Sunday (at a site to be determined).  An official decision will be made at 4:00 pm on Saturday.  

Minneapolis Hotel Information

Here is the hotel information for our trip to the Metrodome, on Wednesday March 19:

Red Roof Inn located at 12920 Aldrich Ave S,  Burnsville, MN

The hotel is located off I-35 Exit #2

phone number is:  952-890-1420 or 952-890-7431

The team will check into the hotel around 5:00 pm, and will relax for a few hours before grabbing a team meal at Perkins (located nearby).  We will try to be at the Dome by 8:30 pm to watch the Luther-Gustavus Adolphus double-header before playing our game at 11:15 pm

Once the game is over, we will head back to the hotel and catch some sleep, before going to Decorah. 

Thursday's Baseball Update

Lincoln received some rain earlier this morning, making the fields a little sloppy.  Therefore, we will not know if we are going to be able to play until later in the afternoon on Friday.  Coach Fagler and I are going to talk around 3:30-4:00 tomorrow.  I will blog as soon as that conversation takes place.

There is still a chance of moving the games back to Sunday, however there is a 40% chance of rain in Lincoln on Sunday.  Everything is a waiting game as of now.

Look for another update towards late afternoon on Friday.

Baseball Weekend Schedule Update

After speaking with Coach Fagler from Nebraska Wesleyan, we are very confident that we will be playing baseball on Saturday.  There is a chance that the games might be moved from their home park, Kiwanis Field (address:  33rd & J St) to Sherman Field (address: 6th & South). That decision will  be made tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon.  There is a slight chance of rain tomorrow morning in Lincoln, so that might play a factor on where the games are played. 

Stay tuned to the blog site, I will keep this updated as plans become a little more solidified. 

We are so fortunate to even have a chance of playing right now.  I am happy with the way the team has improved since February 1st.  Our pitchers have done a tremendous job of throwing more quality strikes, and I expect similar results the weekend.  We are going to spend a lot of time talking about playing aggressively in the three areas we have been stressing:  running the bases, defense, and throwing outs.  If we can be the aggressor in each of these areas, good things are going to happen.  Mistakes will be made, but we really want the guys to be aggressive.

I will have better details on Thursday, but if you have made plans to attend Saturday's game you can use the above field locations to map out your directions.