What can we learn from Penn State?

Yesterday Joe Paterno was fired by the Board of Trustees at Penn State University, having been the head football coach for 46 years.  JoePa leaves with more victories than any Division I football coach in the history of college football, but his departure has left college sports fans across the country wishing things could have been different, not only for Coach Paterno, but especially for the many innocent boys (many are now men) who were victimized by a former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky.

Having been a coach for my entire adult life, the definition of success occasionally rises to the surface in conversations with others as well as in self-reflection.  Success on the athletic field is something that is rewarding and fun, and victories very often used as a measuring stick of success.  But after the victories, what does one really have?  Are the victories and championships worth the price that was paid in State College, PA?

Coach Paterno is 84 years old and has been a symbol for doing things the right way in college sports, and even though we still don't know the whole story, it seems that one terrible decision (the choice to keep quiet), which seemingly was made by Paterno and several others every day for the past 10-12 years, has erased so much of the good that he has done.

I have often said to my own kids as well as to my athletes over the years, that before you do something, if you aren't sure if it is right, then just don't do it.  In the circumstances at Penn State, I guess we could say that if you think you should do it, just do it.

Most of us, certainly myself included, have done some things that we eventually wished we didn't do.  Some of us, including myself again, have neglected to do something and then in retrospect wish we would have done it.  When we fail at something, it doesn't make us failures.  It's when we don't admit our mistakes and failings that we become failures.  Skeletons are much heavier than they would appear.  We can all lighten our loads by removing them.

Tomorrow is a new day, no matter what happened today or yesterday.  As long as we keep our closets clean, we can be present and enjoy each moment of tomorrow with a lighter burden than we might otherwise have to carry.

Strength in God's Love

Earlier this evening I want to a visitation at a local funeral home.  Tomorrow is a funeral for a young man who died before reaching 30 years old.  As is usual when somebody that young dies, I was shocked when I heard the news over the weekend.  I admit that I cried a bit when I first heard the news, then again today at the funeral home.  I really don't cry very often anymore, but to think of the pain of the family members and close friends, not to mention the pain and turmoil that I suspect led to this unfortunate death, I was indeed brought to tears.

This young man was a wonderful and always smiling kid.  He was from a beautiful Catholic family; one brother is a Catholic priest.  I can't claim to have known any of them real well, though I did know John and his parents through church.  As a matter of fact, John was in my religious ed class back when he was in 8th and 9th grades.  He and his parents have always been more friendly to me than I could expect them to be, and I suspect they were like that with everybody.  I shared big hugs with his parents, and of course, I had no idea if anything I would say would be the right things to say.  I can only imagine their grief.  His mom did say to me that they know that John is finally with God and that John is giving them the strength they need to deal with their loss.

When I got home and was eating dinner, an ESPN show told me the story of former football player Randall Cunningham and the loss of his two year old son to an accidental death.  Cunningham is now a minister, and he said that he thanked God for the 2 1/2  years that he and his wife were able to spend with their son, whose name was Christian.  God gave Randall Cunningham the strength and love to have such a wonderful perspective.

I know God gives us all the strength we need to deal with everything that life brings us, but strength of heart certainly cannot be measured until we really need it.  I pray that God can continue to help bring peace to the hearts of all the lonely people, the people who lose their loved ones, to those who wonder why they suffer, and to those who doubt their own value.  Our Lord did put us on this earth together with others, so that we can share His love and thus multiply our strength in the comfort and support of each other.

End of Fall Baseball 2011

A couple weeks ago we completed our fall baseball schedule at Adrian College.  In my previous seven years we were allowed to have only nine practices during a four week period in the fall due to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rules.  The conference now allows us to have a fall season that equals what the rest of the country's Division III baseball teams can do, which is to have 16 practice dates during our fall season, with one of those dates being a competition date.

As a coach, this gives us some benefits that we didn't have in prior seasons.  This allows us more opportunities to teach, evaluate, reinforce what we are teaching, and ultimately to better prepare our team for the spring season.  Since we won't be able to teach baseball skills to our players until practice resumes again in January, the added fall practice dates have allowed us to especially teach our new players the way we want to do things in preparation for the 2012 season.

Our pitchers, for example, have gone through their daily stretching and drill work significantly more than we were ever able to do in the past.  Our daily practice routine will be easier to repeat on day one in January and it won't seem as though we are starting so much from scratch as it had always seemed in past seasons.  In addition, as I was able to learn the strengths and weaknesses of our new pitchers, they in turn were able to learn what is important to me.  We were able to have enough simulated games to be able to work on new pitches and tweak other pitches as well as having our new guys become accustomed to our conditioning routines in between game appearances, among other situational things.

This week I have been going through the pitching charts from fall intrasquad games and the competition date that we had on our last fall Sunday.  By looking at these charts and taking information from them, we will be able to see which specific things our pitchers did well, what they didn't do well, and be better prepared to establish some individual and team goals in preparation for pre-season practices in January.

It is usually easier to establish some team pitching goals than it is to decide on individual goals.  Individual goals of the pitchers are based on each guy's strengths and weaknesses in addition to their own ambitions for the season and the potential roles that they may fit into in the spring.  Our team pitching goals don't change a whole lot from season to season, other than the fact that as we continue to become more successful, some of our goals become more challenging, which is a good thing.

Anytime we set the bar higher, it is done so because of quality accomplishments in the past.  In saying that, it is important to understand that the past is over and the future is greatly determined by what we do in the present.  The only day that we have any control over is the current day, and if each team member works on improving each day, the entire pitching staff and the entire team reap the benefits.

Youth sports----evolution and purpose

The youth sport culture in our country has changed in the 24 years since I became a college baseball coach.  My kids, at the ages of 26 and 24, participated in sports throughout most of their lives, and every year the youth sports landscape continues to evolve.

One of the changes that has had an effect on youth baseball and softball is the evolution of the travel teams.  I'm sure there have been similar changes in many other sports due to the same phenomenon.  Twenty years ago most of the young baseball players (especially pre-teens and pre-high school) played in local youth leagues in their home towns.  Throughout the season they competed with and against many of the kids the see in their neighborhoods and school, only competing with athletes from other towns when they advanced to post-season tournaments.  Today, it is not uncommon for these young athletes to play on the same team with peers from cities and towns several miles away.

This evolution led to some problems for local leagues, as the participation numbers and the level of competitive play tended to drop considerably.  Ultimately, so many kids became members of travel teams that the level of talent that was once seen on travel teams began to get somewhat watered down.  Now we have an abundance of traveling teams, with an occasional 'elite' team that may have to travel to more national tournaments in order to have competitive games.

There was a time that I tried to figure out if the development of youth travel baseball and softball would last very long, and if so, considering the negative effects it has on local youth leagues, what positive results would come of this evolution.  Of course, with progress there ought to be something that is good.

Eventually, I tried to compare the phenomenon of travel baseball to what was happening at the college level.  From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, I made the most challenging schedule I could possibly make as the head coach at Siena Heights University.  I always had some outstanding players, several of whom went on to play professional baseball, some even getting drafted in the Major League Baseball annual Amateur Draft in June.  I would usually schedule a 16-18 game southern trip, with almost every game being played against nationally ranked NAIA and NCAA DII teams and some DI teams from around the state of Alabama.  We played those games in an 8-9 day period.  Then our team also usually ended up playing 7-10 games against DI teams once we traveled back to Michigan.

What eventually happened is that my players had an opportunity to compare themselves with other quality athletes from other parts of the country.  Even though I often had one or two pro prospects on my teams, most of the guys were not considered pro prospects.  Playing against top shelf teams allowed our guys to see how much harder they really needed to work, how much they needed to improve, and that since they left their high schools they were now just small fish in a real big ocean of players.

I suppose travel baseball, fall baseball, and elite travel baseball have now allowed our kids, and maybe their parents, to see that there is a big world of great young athletes out there, and that achieving dreams in the field of athletics is not something that is easy.  Every town has its best athletes, every travel team and elite program has top athletes, and when they have opportunities to compete against similar programs, it becomes easier to see that one's success is not only determined by God-given ability, desire, or the amount of trophies earned before entering high school.

The purpose of participating in youth sports, whether at the local, state or national level, is still the same as it always was.  That purpose is to learn skills that are beneficial on and off the field, develop the ability to effectively communicate with peers as well as superiors, to learn how to be a part of a team, understand how to handle success and disappointment, and to have fun.

No matter how the youth sports culture changes and evolves, these purposes have not, and should not ever change.

Fall baseball begins

I just had about a three week break from doing any team coaching.  I have had some pitching/hitting lessons scattered throughout those three weeks, but this tends to be a slower time of the year for that, so I have been able to relax a little, rejuvenate, and prepare for the school year and fall baseball.  Today begins the fall high school baseball season with the Adrian Dirtbags Fall Baseball League.  I am fortunate to be able to coach two different teams each Sunday for the next 5-6 weeks.  I've got to admit, being on a baseball field with young athletes who are enthusiastic about learning and improving is one of my passions.

In addition to begin the fall high school league, our college players at Adrian College begin fall semester classes tomorrow, and we have our first team meeting on Wednesday.  This fall the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has expanded the amount of practices the teams can have during the fall.  Instead of the nine practices we were allowed in the past, we can now have 16 practices plus one competition date in a four week period in the fall.  This will allow for significantly more time to teach skills and evaluate our players; thus enhancing our ability to improve our players and the entire team more than what we could in the past.

In saying all of this, I am looking forward to the college fall practice schedule so that we can begin setting goals and work on the steps to achieve those goals.  We have had some very good seasons in recent years from both a team standpoint and from the perspective of the pitching staff.  There is no reason we shouldn't continue to make improvements and expect success.

In the meantime, today I get to spend 18 innings in the dugout with high school players, some of whom I know and others I will get to know.  Though one of our goals will be to win games, what will be more important to me is to teach as much of the game as possible to these guys.  This is designed to be an instructional league, though without team practices all the instruction will be during games.  Some of the teaching will have to do with the hitting/throwing/defensive mechanics of individual players, some will have to do with game strategies and situational play, and of course much will have to do with the mental part of the game.

As I was reminded of this summer while working with high school aged players, the mental part of the game needs to be taught and learned in order for players to make individual improvements.  Many talented players don't advance as much as possible because the thoughts and attitudes that they create become obstacles in their progress.  It is important for each player to understand that their development is a process, and they can choose how much progress they make in that process just by positive thinking and body language.

As coaches, we can teach a group of athletes on a daily/weekly basis.  Some of the athletes are going to understand and buy into the messages and make some progress in their development, while others will resist some teaching and not make as much progress as their peers do.  For each kid, it is a choice that they make, and their development is completely up to how open they are to learning more about themselves as athletes.  

The game within the game

In all team sports competition there are versions of games within games.  In baseball, each at bat gives us a glimpse of pitcher versus batter.  The bigger picture of that game is the battle between the pitcher and the entire batting order of the opposing team.  In any given game, therefore, two of these battles exist.  Each team’s starting pitcher has his own game against the hitters of the other team.

Before I continue, I want to tell you that a pitcher does not compete against the opponents by himself.  When he is on the mound, it is a good idea for the pitcher to understand that he has eight teammates working with him against that one batter.  In other words, it is nine against one.  That kind of thinking can make a pitcher feel a lot more confident about his odds.

With the designated hitter in the lineup in today’s game of baseball, a pitcher never really competes directly against the opposing pitcher, but the ability of the other pitcher can influence how a pitcher competes in any given game.

When a pitcher throws a well-pitched game, whether his team wins or loses, there is usually a method that he uses consistently throughout that game that determines his success.  For example, sometimes a pitcher does a great job of throwing first pitch strikes (getting ahead of the hitters) and then forces the hitters to swing at pitches on the edge of or out of the strike zone.  A game with this kind of M.O. usually becomes a game pitched very efficiently, with a pitcher keeping his pitch count low and thus being pretty strong in the later innings.

Another way a pitcher can be efficient is when he gets leadoff batters out consistently.  By getting the leadoff batter out in an inning, especially in a closely contested game, the innings become relatively stress free on both the defense and the pitcher.

As with most things in life, a pitcher can be effective and win games in many different ways.  Sometimes a pitcher may throw a relatively low percentage of strikes (ie., less than 60%), get behind the hitters, but still throw some good pitches later in the count and get a lot of hitters out.  Other times a pitcher may allow leadoff hitters to reach base and then turn around and get double play ground balls, allowing his defensive teammates to help get him out of trouble.

In some more stressful innings, some of the better pitchers pitch through trouble after perhaps a couple hits, or a walk and a hit, or some combination of walks, errors and hits.  This is what we call taking care of damage control.  Sometimes these situations are managed by pitchers who have great potential for strikeouts and can get some harmless infield popups with runners in scoring position.

In the big picture, a pitcher who can recognize potential problems and make early adjustments can give his team a chance to win.  A pitcher who can manage stressful situations effectively and maintain a positive thought process, thus controlling his emotions, has a better chance to help his team to victory than a pitcher who does not do that.  A pitcher who can keep his pitch count low early in a game has a better chance of completing the game and leading his team to a victory than a pitcher who throws too many pitches in the first few innings.

A pitcher’s job is simply to give his team a chance to win, and there are many ways to do that.  Some ways are easier than others.  A pitcher has to understand that his teammates are putting the same effort into the team’s success that he is, and that his teammates who may come in from the bullpen to relieve him have the same team goals as he does.

Next time you really sit down to watch a game, check out the two pitchers competing against their opponent’s hitters.  They may do things differently, but they both have the same goals in mind.  Each pitcher may also have a different method the next time he steps on the mound, too, depending on so many factors. 

Nine against one, one pitch at a time!

The joys of coaching!!

I have had the first four weeks of my summer filled with baseball, and I must admit it has been awesome!!  Sometimes I have to remind myself how lucky I have been to be able to spend virtually every day of my adult life around baseball, around baseball players, and around other baseball coaches.  I couldn't ask for anything more.

It isn't just the sport of baseball that I am grateful for; it is the people I get to be around because of baseball that provide me with a life full of blessings.  Every day I get to work with kids who have a love for the game and who desire to get better every day.  Whether the kids are under ten years old, are teenagers or college guys, they constantly fill me up with positive feedback and I benefit so much from these relationships.  Most of these relationships last a lifetime, even though there may be hundreds of miles and many years that separate me from such inspirational people!!

Doing lessons with kids, coaching teams, and working at baseball camps give me so many opportunities to help kids plant positive seeds about themselves in their own minds.  I can't claim to always say the right things or the best things, but I sure enjoy it when I can feel as though I can enhance a day for a kid or two.

The networking and relationships that develop with other coaches is another thing that never fails to add happiness to my own days, and for that I am always grateful.  Working with other coaches in the dugout, on the field during practices and games, at camps, etc., provides me a sense of belonging to a special group of people who are of high character.  Other coaches regularly exhibit quality behaviors that I can try to emulate and that remind me of the many great reasons we choose to teach a kid's game.

As usual, I couldn't ask for a better way to live my life!!

Positive progress is pleasing to witness

This morning as I walked onto the baseball field at Adrian College for our first game in this weekend's American Legion tournament, I called my son Eric to tell him that it is so awesome to be able to get up in the morning and head out the the ball park.  I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that almost every day of my adult life!!  At the time I called him, Eric was getting ready for his morning workout before heading to East Lansing to watch some tournament baseball games for recruiting purposes.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I know he is as grateful as I am!!

As for the Adrian American Legion team, we are indeed a work in progress, and the squad continues to play competitive games and win more games than what was expected from them prior to the season.  The team's record is now 16-9 and though there have been a few poorly played games, the players seem to bounce back after those games and play pretty well in subsequent games.  That is an example of a group of players who have the ability to leave a poor outing in the past, who have the ability to have a short memory when necessary, and can come to the park and compete, no matter what happened in the previous game.

In today's first two games of this weekend's tournament, we won the morning game 3-1 and lost the afternoon game 2-1.  Gage Lolley pitched a two-hitter for the win this morning and Mike Reitz battled and certainly pitched well enough for the win this afternoon.  The defense was solid and the entire team competed from the first pitch to the last.

One of the things that this group has improved on this season is their dugout demeanor.  Early in the season it was easy to tell what the scoreboard said simply by watching the body language and listening to the team and self-talk in the dugout.  They were negative and tight when losing, and they were happy and loose when winning.  We have discussed the importance of having a more even demeanor and they have responded by being much more consistent in the way they approach the game, about the way they act and talk in the dugout.  I tip my hat to the players for making that progress!!

In general, the players as individuals are also getting better at controlling their emotions, as opposed to allowing their emotions to control them.  Some of them have more work to do than others, but they are making strides which will enhance their future athletic experiences in baseball and in the other sports that they play.

I remember when Eric played baseball as a teenager.  He had one summer coach who did very little teaching of the game, and he explained that he thought at the age of 16-18 the players should already know how to play the game.  I have found that players at this age need a tremendous amount of instruction about the game of baseball and need to learn more about hitting, pitching, fielding mechanics as well as all of the different situational circumstances that take place throughout a game and a baseball season.  Just as college players tend to do a bit better than their high school counterparts, these guys need to allow coaches to fill their cups with as much knowledge as possible so that they can take it and run with it.  Some players are better than others about letting new things into their cups, and as they allow more in, they tend to soak it up and make steady improvements.

So in saying all that, I am grateful for the opportunity to be in the dugout with these guys who gradually allow more and more into their cups.  It is a win-win scenario, as I get to learn, benefit, and have fun along with them.

The development of teenage athletes

I was lucky enough to spend the weekend in Sandusky, Ohio with the Adrian American Legion team.  Last year I had planned to help Aaron Klotz coach the team but my spring/summer health kept me at home.  This year, though Klotter is no longer the coach, I have appreciated not only my good health, but another opportunity to coach baseball, as Dave Stanifer and Don Cappelletty have brought me along with their team.

Though I am most accustomed to coaching college aged (age 18-22) players, because of my own kids and doing camps and lessons I do enjoy working with younger athletes.  The Legion team is made up of guys between the ages of 16 and 19.  The game of baseball is the same for them as it is for the college guys, but the high school aged players aren't as refined with some of their skills nor as experienced with many of the situations that occur during games.  Because of the fact that these players are at the age that they can learn so much, I have the fabulous opportunity to teach while in the dugout.  Every pitch of every game brings a new situation; therefore every pitch provides a learning opportunity.  Hopefully, you can imagine how much fun it is for me.

One of the major teaching points that I am able to help these athletes with is the mental/emotional part of the game.  Their ability to control their thoughts, and thus their emotions, is so important in developing their abilities to be successful in game situations that they perceive as stressful.  That part of the game is so important for athletes who are hoping to continue playing a sport (or two) after they leave high school as well as for the ones who are playing just because they love to play.  There are so many gifted athletes in the world, but the ones we watch on television who are paid millions of dollars to play games are the ones who have separated themselves from the others, often due to their ability to control their thoughts and emotions while in the middle of a competitive situation.

Through the years I have learned over and over the importance of the mental and emotional side of competing.  I have had to learn how to improve that part of the game for myself as a coach, too!!  Last summer when I was holed up in my house, I had the opportunity to watch more professional tennis and golf on television than I ever imagined myself doing.  While doing that, the commentators, especially the former pros in the broadcast booths, constantly talked about the athletes and their abilities (or lack of) to handle the mental/emotional parts of the games.

So for me, as fun as I am having teaching baseball skills, pitching and hitting mechanics and philosophies, etc., I am also enjoying the opportunity to help these guys with the mental/emotional part of competing, which will ultimately enhance their ability to execute efficiently and effectively with their athletic skills in all the sports they play.

Tomorrow is the last day of the school year for me......then my summer truly begins!!!  I couldn't ask for anything more!!

Summer Baseball!!

It is now mid-June and the NCAA Division III season has been history for a couple of weeks.  Though we didn't win the Regional or National Championship, 2011 was a rewarding season with great players and fellow coaches.  We finished second in the country in team ERA, behind the National Champion Marietta College team.  We were also the only team to shut out Marietta this season, beating them 2-0 in Florida in early March.

I am still in the classroom for another week or so, but a new baseball season has begun for me.  I am helping coach the Adrian American Legion team for the summer.  Two years ago I helped Coach Aaron Klotz during the last three weeks of their season and was planning to join him again in the dugout last summer.  Unfortunately I had a health issue and took the summer off, and now with Coach Klotz coaching Logan and the 8U Adrian Dirtbags I have decided to help new coach Don Cappelletty with the Post 275 Legion team.

We were able to have two practices before last night's first doubleheader against Brooklyn, and for those practices we were without the Tecumseh High School players who had advanced to the state quarterfinals that were played on Tuesday.  I congratulate their high school team, and all four of out Tecumseh players played in last night's opening doubleheader.

We won both games last night by scores of 3-1 and 3-2, and then won game #1 of the Blissfield Tournament today 3-2 before getting rained out in game #2.  It's great to win games, but I've gotta confess that just being out there at practice, and especially being in the dugout for the games, is a special thing for me.

Coach Klotz has been telling me that he enjoys the constant coaching he gets to do now with the eight year olds, and I echo his feelings now as I have the privilege of working with high school age players.

For a long time, I have defined coaching as 'teaching and developing/nurturing relationships'.  With players I have never coached before (other than working with them occasionally at camps, etc.) I now have this opportunity to teach them and interact with them virtually every day, every game, every inning, and every pitch.

I have to admit, for me, this beats just about anything else I could be doing!!!!

I have more exciting things happening, but I'll save that for another time!!

Does the season ever really end?

Our season has been done for two weeks now.  What is it that college baseball coaches do when their seasons end?  What I do now is different than when I was a full-time head coach, and it is different that what full-time assistant coaches do.

I teach in the public schools, so I am still working at getting through the school year.  Today we even had an injury at school.  One of our students lost a tooth when he was hit in the mouth by a swing.  I felt so bad for him, but he handled it like a trooper and was on the bus heading home fifteen minutes later.  I have seen similar types of injuries on the baseball field over the years, but I seem to expect to see blood on the field more than I would at school.

Anyway, the day after our season ended I went to Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Catholic League Championship games with Eric Theisen and Xander Younce.  They both have 'Recruiting Coordinator' listed as part of their jobs, so they were (apparently) working hard.  I was just along for the ride, but I always love those games.  I played at Tiger Stadium in the same games when I was in high school and coached there (and won) in 1987.

I have been to a few other local high school games in the last two weeks, sometimes after school and also on the weekends.  I don't really do any recruiting, but I have been able to see some kids I know play some games.  I have given lessons to some of the kids in the county, and some pitching staffs in the county, and I rarely have opportunities to see them play in games.

The full-time guys are going all over the place watching high school games.  For the most part, the 2011 recruiting classes are all wrapped up and the coaches are trying to tie up some loose ends and maybe find a player or two who have slipped through the cracks.  This is a great time to add to the list of 2012 high school seniors that college coaching staffs have already been working on.  State tournament games always tend to have some more excitement and intensity than some other games that are played during the high school season, so the idea of being able to see kids compete and observe how they respond to various situations can be beneficial in determining where a player may go on a coach's recruiting list.  Eric and Xander are in Columbus, Ohio today and tomorrow watching the Ohio State Tournament, and then they will be back here in Michigan watching District Tournaments on Saturday.

In the meantime, Luke Harrigan is finishing up his work at Adrian College and getting ready for his first head coaching venture at Westminster College in Missouri, where he will undoubtedly find success carve some history.

One thing I always enjoy while at high school games is the opportunity to trade idle chit chat with some of the locals, who are usually parents, grandparents, or friends of the players on the field.  These people always know more about most of the players on the field than I do, and of course they always have more at stake in how the game is being played than I do.  Just in the last week I have had the privilege of talking to school administrators, aunts and uncles, siblings, parents, step-parents, and friends of the players and the coaches.

The experience of having nice, relaxing conversations at baseball fields with other baseball people is one of the great joys of the spring and summer.  I have to make sure I get out and see some other local kids, and my nephews, play in the next few weeks.  I may not appear to be having as much fun as the kids on the field..............but I am!!!!

End of season, letter to our pitchers

Pitchers,

Though it happens every year, it is never easy to find the perfect words to say when a season ends unexpectedly.  In saying that, I'll try my best without being too wordy.

First of all, I need to thank you all for seeming to buy in to what we do, and specifically for buying into what I try to do.  Though I am 52 years old and have been coaching college baseball since the fall of 1987 (yes, we did wear helmets back then), I know that I have to continue to learn more about what we are doing out there.  You guys have provided me with motivation to make sure I don't let you down, and I certainly hope that I haven't.  Not only do you all deserve thanks for following our procedures and protocol, I also want to thank you for listening to all of my talks about pitching philosophies, coaching philosophies, and even some life philosophies.  I'm sure some of that might get old, but I usually feel it is necessary (and sometimes I just want to listen to myself)!!

To our graduating seniors, Dommer and Dave, congratulations on your outstanding careers.  When a team's best two pitchers also have great, selfless attitudes along with the interpersonal skills to be able to be mentors and friends to younger teammates, the job as the pitching coach is made so much easier than it otherwise would be.

Dommer, you have had one of the greatest four seasons of pitching in the history of Adrian College and the MIAA.  You have 'Dommer'-nated our opponents and have been feared by opposing coaches and hitters both in the MIAA and around the region since you stepped on the field in a Bulldog uniform as a freshman.  Your numbers speak for themselves, but even more impressive to me has been your work ethic and the way you have led by example in so many ways.

Dave, your two years on the mound for us have been the model of consistency.  Your determination to come back and pitch after Tommy John surgery has been a testament to your dedication to rehab and your desire and passion to play the great game of baseball.  You have also, like Dommer, cemented your name into the Adrian College and MIAA record books in just two years of pitching here.  

The way the two of you pitched this season allowed your pitching teammates to see how important it is to get ahead of hitters, get leadoff batters out, and compete with passion in tight games and with runners on base.  Again, I appreciate your leadership and attitudes even more than your abilities!!

For you underclassmen, our work is not finished.  We will have another opportunity next year to compete for championships and improve ourselves (both individually and as a group). Some of you played huge roles and had great success for us this year and are prepared to lead us in 2012.  I thought all of you improved throughout the season, whether you were pitching in varsity or reserve games.  I'm sure Coach Younce would agree that we had some great pitching performances in the reserve games and that is a great sign for you as players and for us as a program.  Again, my thanks goes out to all of you for who you are as people as well as for your commitment to your teammates.

Today is the beginning of our 2012 season.  Even I am going to work out today!!!  Hopefully you will always keep in mind that each day you either get better or worse, and that improving is a choice.  I also hope that I will be able to at least see a few of you pitch this summer.  Be sure to work on all aspects of your pitching, and if the only work you do in the summer is on the days that you pitch (I know how some summer baseball can be), then you might not get better.  You need to work on your bodies, keep your arms healthy (be smart), improve your tempo, your ability to attack the running game, your stamina and arm strength, continue to master your changeups and both fastballs, and be consistent with locating and tightening up your other secondary pitches.  Be sure to continue to let your catchers and defensive teammates know that you appreciate the fact that it is always nine against one and that the team is more important than the individual.

You guys did a great job of accomplishing so many of the goals we set for ourselves back in January.  I consider it a privilege to work with all of you and I value our relationships.  Stay in touch throughout the summer!!

"Control what you can control"......."Sweat the small stuff".........."Business as usual"

Gordie

A little perspective

Now that our regular season has ended, our preparation for the NCAA DIII Regional Tournament continues.  We lost our last two regular season games to Hope College on Tuesday by scores of 3-0 and 4-2.  Nobody likes to lose games, and certainly not two games in one day, but we have to tip our caps to Hope’s players; they out-played us.  That happens in baseball, so we continue to try and become a better team each day, just as we have all season.

The all conference team was announced yesterday and we have six players who earned all-conference, first team honors in the MIAA this year.  We had the pitcher of the year and the player of the year for the third year in a row.  Congratulations to all of the guys and to our one second team all league players.  All of them are well-deserved awards, but I know that each guy would trade personal rewards for team accomplishments!!

Today I attended a funeral in Dearborn for the father of one of my former players at Siena Heights University.  Eric attended with me, as he had gotten to know my players pretty well while he was in his last couple years of high school.  There was a work accident that led to the death of the young 57 year old man.  I never know what the best thing to say is at a time like that, so I told Ryan that I was sorry and that loved him, gave him and his wife, mom and brother big hugs.  The priest at Divine Child did a great job during the funeral.  He said that Frank lived his life, just as God intended for us to do.  He was a friend to many and a great father and husband.

An incident like that can often put things into perspective.  Some people may stress over the loss of a doubleheader, but Ryan and his loved ones have huge holes in their hearts and it is difficult, I’m sure, to fill those holes right now.  Compared to losing baseball games, well, there is no way to compare the two.

The fortunate thing for Ryan and his family is that they have lived their lives knowing that God loves them, and that Frank lived his life as a great example of what God’s love is all about.  He didn’t necessarily verbalize his faith; he lived it.  Ryan’s family will gain in strength because of Frank’s love for them and his faith in the Lord.  Frank shared his faith with all family and friends that he encountered, and he did it completely.

So as far as the Regional Tournament is concerned, if we are to compete, then we must compete completely.  God put us on this earth with other people for a reason.  He didn’t put us here by ourselves.  He gave each of us unique gifts, gifts that are to be shared with others.  Our players can hopefully compete with each other and for each other, sacrificing ego for the good of their teammates, playing for their teammates rather than themselves.

My players don’t know Ryan or Frank, but I want to thank Frank for sharing Ryan with me for a few years, and thank Ryan for giving everything he had for his teammates for four years.  Victories on the field may not be able to be taken away, but the selflessness of teammates carries over for generations, always to be warmly felt and remembered.

Senior Day, last regular season games

Tomorrow the Adrian College Baseball Team plays its last two conference/regular season games with a home doubleheader against Hope College.  We just completed our four game series against Kalamazoo College by winning the last three games following an opening game loss.  Though our sixteen game winning streak ended on Friday, it was good for the team to be battle tested again.  I'm certain that tomorrow's games against Hope will also provide us with great competition that will help in preparation for next week's NCAA Regional Tournament.

During our winning streak, I didn't change anything about our practices for the pitchers.  Perhaps it was superstition (like shaving, or not shaving on game day!).  Today, though, I felt like I needed to make a couple changes to our practice.  We did our 'flat ground' work in the bullpens from the slope of the mound.  We really threw short bullpens today rather than flat ground.  I thought the location of some of our pitches took a step backwards last week, which caused us to fall behind more batters and put us in hitter's counts rather than pitcher's counts.

The other change was that we added a new conditioning drill for our pitchers.  It was a drill that Eric and I talked about (and Eric diagrammed) Friday night at home, with pitchers starting on the mound and sprinting to ten different locations, and sprinting back to the mound from each location.  The locations were various spots around the infield that pitchers may have to go to during a play, while either backing up bases or covering bases.  The drill took each pair of pitchers just a bit over three minutes.  It was different than our normal conditioning for the day before a doubleheader, but sometimes different is good, and it is a drill we will use again in the future.

The weekend series against Kalamazoo was highlighted by Senior Day at home on Saturday.  This year's senior class has accumulated more wins than any class in the history of Adrian College baseball, and they have a lot to be proud of.  Not only have they set a new standard of excellence, but the class is filled with guys who have exhibited a great amount of positive leadership to go along with their success.  It has been a privilege for me to be able to work with all ten of the seniors, and our work is not yet complete!!

Hopefully, our underclassmen will take a page from the 2011 Senior Class's book, by continuing to lead their teammates with unselfishness and a dedication to improving every day.  The work ethic and positive attitudes of these seniors will provide each of them with a solid foundation for the rest of their lives!!

Today is the beginning

Okay, today is graduation day for our ten seniors.  Hopefully they will enjoy this day with their families, friends and teammates as it signifies the beginning of the rest of their lives.  Fortunately though, they don't have to leave campus yet, as they still have some business to take care of.

We clinched the MIAA championship on Friday by beating Albion College twice at their field in two one run games.  We had already beaten them twice at home on Thursday.  Now there is certainty in the numbers; we have officially earned a trip to the NCAA DIII Regionals. We still have six conference games remaining to continue to improve as individual players, as coaches, and as a team.  The regional tournament isn't going to be something that we can win without getting better than we already are, so these last six games should be played with the idea that we are preparing for success in the regional tournament.

One of the best things about the way we won the two games at Albion is that we had to execute late in each game to earn the wins.  In game one we fell behind 3-0 in the second inning, but we held them scoreless through the 7th inning as we battled and tied the game before winning it in an extra inning.  Mike Herzog was the offensive hero with huge rbi hits scattered throughout the game, and Rylie Robinson kept putting up zeroes in Albion's half of each inning.  I thought that our mvp in this team victory was catcher Joe Dubina, who blocked several breaking balls in the dirt to prevent baserunners from advancing in almost every inning.  As always, Joe saved us some runs!!

Game two was a quick game, as Josh Burd threw only 60 pitches in the first six innings and Jake Cappelletty had two rbis, including a solo home run (did he get that home run ball yet?) to get us into the bottom of the 7th with a 2-0 lead.  The bottom of the 7th began with Albion hitting a double, reaching on an error, and hitting another double off of Burd to put the tying run on third and the potential winning (walk-off) run on second base with nobody out.  Fortunately we had Lucas Willitzer ready to come into the game from the bullpen, even though Burd had easily cruised through those first six innings.

Coming out of the bullpen with the game on the line, runners on base, and nobody out is not an easy thing for a pitcher to do.  We haven't had many situations like this in recent weeks, so this was a good game situation for our guys to try to deal with.  Lucas has a great arm, and we have been real cautious with it during the season.  We found out that he has the ability (and more importantly the attitude) to close out a game in such a circumstance.  He got the first guy on a routine ground ball to third, and then basically blew fastballs by the next two guys for two strikeouts to clinch the game and the conference title.  Winning the game in that manner made the victory so much better for our team than if it wasn't such a nail-biter

After today's graduation, our guys can prepare each day for the trip to the Regionals in a couple weeks.  It is an opportunity to finish strong in the conference season and sweat the small stuff at practices each day, so that we are confident and proficient in all aspects of the game when that regional tournament begins.

Today is the beginning, but it isn't the beginning of the end.  It is the beginning of a few weeks to continue playing and acting like champions, of several days of looking and believing like champions do. Today we can celebrate the academic achievements of the seniors, and tomorrow those seniors can lead us to complete the goals we set before the season started.

"I believe in the promised land."  Bruce Springsteen

Baseball on Easter Sunday

Eighteen games into the MIAA schedule we are now 17-1, with ten games left to play.  Half of our four game series against Hope College was postponed due to Friday's weather, and those games will be made up on May 10th.  Though I was hoping we would play last Friday, now we will be able to use six different starting pitchers during that last week (Friday, Saturday, Tuesday) and thus have some more of our pitchers prepared for the Regional Tournament.

Though we still can't count our chickens before they hatch and we can't take a Regional appearance for granted, our practice of believing in ourselves gives us the opportunity to visualize the regionals already.  Our closest competitor in the loss column is Kalamazoo College at 9-7, and the next best team in the win column is Calvin College at 12-8.  We play our Kalamazoo series in two weeks, and we have already played Calvin.

Early in the season, or actually in the pre-season, I had the pitchers use visualization while we practiced inside.  For the returning players, I told them to envision being on the mound at Marietta College's field.  That is where the Mideast Regional tournament was last year and again next month that will be the site.  All of the players who played last season in that tournament are able to visualize themselves being successful on Marietta's field, and that can only help us when we get there.

Again though, we still have to take care of business in our last ten games.  Yesterday we swept Hope, with Ryan Domschot throwing another shutout in game #1, which gives our pitching staff eight shutouts in our 18 conference games, and seven shutouts in our last twelve games.  That is an indicator that we are continuing to improve, but we have to keep reminding our guys that no matter how well we have been playing, there are still mistakes made that we can learn from and thus make ourselves a better team.

The luxury that a team has when it is playing well is that in trying to improve on weaknesses, or mistakes, it is easier to pick out those mistakes after games because there aren't as many of them as in a poorly played game.  In providing feedback after a bad game, there are often so many mistakes to try to hash out and then some of them can unfortunately be overlooked.  After well played games, we can look at the mistakes we made and spend some time in dialogue as well as in practice to try to take care of those situations more effectively in the future.

Yesterday our hitters did a great job of giving us a lead early in each game.  They executed great in all situations and hit a few long balls for good measure.  Though the homers by Brian Bilius and Nate Sarkissian were great, special props go to senior Nate Clark for absolutely crushing his first career homerun!

Today was a fantastic Easter Sunday.  I was able to watch some baseball on tv with my kids, cook a roast along with potatoes and veggies for us, watch a movie, and nap on the couch.  These kind of days don't happen as much as I would like anymore!!  I'm grateful for the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and for being able to share this day with both of my kids!!

Go Adrian College Bulldogs!!

Faith in selves, teammates, and salvation

Today we have had some wind and some rain, thus our doubleheader against Hope College has been postponed until Tuesday, May 10th at Adrian College.  We are still traveling to Hope tomorrow to play two games of the four game series.  As always, when you love getting out there and competing on the baseball field, it is a bit of a disappointment to have games postponed.  And when a team has been playing as well as we have, the players and coaches just want to get back out there to get at it again.  But of course, some things are out of our control, so we had a practice and can get prepared to play two games tomorrow.

Fortunately this week we were able to play two non-conference games at home against Siena Heights University, a school and baseball program that I love.  We started two freshmen on the mound, with local right hander Rylie Robinson throwing a complete game shutout in a 2-0 first game victory.  Rylie has improved throughout the season, especially with his efficiency, as he threw first pitch strikes to 21 of the 28 batters he faced (75%).  Getting first pitch strikes and getting leadoff batters out are two of the main things we have talked about throughout the season, and in doing those two things well a pitcher can make things easier for himself and his defensive teammates.

In game two, Brent Greenwood had a rocky first inning with some bad luck, and gave up four runs, two of which were unearned.  But to Brent's credit, he pitched the next five innings without allowing a walk and giving up only one more hit. It says a lot about a pitcher when he can bounce back from sucha rough first inning and pitch like a champion for the rest of the game!!

Brent was relieved in the 7th inning by Lucas Willitzer, a converted catcher who earned his first college pitching victory by throwing a scoreless inning.  We scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th to get a walk-off win as Jake Cappellety drove Brian Bilius home with a two out single up the middle.

Bilius made a major league play at third base during the game, and for him that is just 'business as usual'.  He has been making great plays all season, saving runs for us and helping to keep pitch counts to a minimum.  With the combination of Brian's leadership, defense, and hitting, I think it would be a shame of he does not get named as the MIAA player of the year when the coaches get together to vote.

I have enjoyed reading quotes from our pitchers in the local paper this season.  On just about every occasion they mention that the defense had been great behind them.  Having faith in teammates and remember that it is always 9 against 1 when we are on the mound helps to make pitching a lot easier than it might otherwise be!!

Hopefully this dreadful spring weather (though I am grateful to be out on the field!!) will change and we can play in nice conditions tomorrow and for the rest of the season.  Our guys have final exams next week and then they can really focus on daily baseball improvements and achieving our team goals.  We can't take anything for granted, and we must continue to compete and be grateful for the opportunity to have fun on the baseball field.!!

Since today is Good Friday, I would like to end this post with a quote from St. Thomas Aquinas:  "To one who has Faith no explanation is necessary. To one without Faith no explanation is possible."

Business as usual.....again!!

Our run to the first of our 2011 team goals, winning the MIAA Championship, is beginning to become a little  more clear.  We are now 15-1 in conference games and 20-6 overall.  It doesn't come easy, and the next three weekends will be anything but routine as we continue to try to improve every day.  We still have twelve games left, including four games each against Hope College, Albion College, and Kalamazoo College.

On Saturday we finished a four game sweep of Alma College, a team which has had some good pitching performances this season and took a couple Division I teams into extra innings a few weeks ago.  They are also coached by legendary former Ferris State and Central Michigan University coach Judd Folske.  We weren't going to out coach them, but as coaches you don't concern yourself with that.  We just want our players to out play the other team's players.

How do players out play another team?  First of all they (pitchers and hitters) need to execute each pitch and stay focused on the immediate task at hand.  That amounts to two teams having a new goal to accomplish approximately 200-250 times per game.  A team can out play another team by executing as efficiently and effectively as possible 200-250 times per game.

In addition, athletes can be most effective when they are aware of the task at hand throughout the game.  Their awareness helps them to understand what they need to do to accomplish the immediate task.  Players also out play their opponents when they have genuine belief that they are going to be able to execute their tasks successfully, as well as the faith in their teammates' abilities to help them execute each pitch and every play.

Of course, all the execution, focus, belief, and faith doesn't guarantee anything.  Having the physical ability to perform and compete and having prepared themselves physically as well as mentally is important in executing a game plan.

So what our players did in the four game series against Alma was execute tremendously for 28 innings, winning all four games by scoring 33 runs and allowing only 3 runs in the series.  The hitters got big hits in crucial situations in Thursday's two close games, then on Saturday they drove the ball impressively all over the park while the defense and pitching executed nearly flawlessly, especially with baserunners on the bases.

There are still twelve big games to play, and when a team is playing well it is important to remember that in baseball any team can beat any other team at any time.  We still need to work on the right things at practice, practice with a purpose each day, play with passion and aggressiveness, believe in each other, and check our own thoughts persistently through each day, practice, and game.

Last weekend's series doesn't matter anymore, other than the things we can learn from it or the positive things we can carry into our next series.  Our next games are now the focus, and the next practice takes place so that we can leave the field better than when we arrived there.

Don't let your teammates down, check your thoughts

Baseball is a team game.  I have always told players that it is more of a team game than any other sport.  When the game is on the line, you can't just put the ball into your best pitcher's hand; he may have thrown all his bullets for the week.  You can't just put your best hitter in the batter's box; it may not be his turn in the batting order. In all the other team sports, the coaches have the opportunity to get the ball in control of their best scorers and playmakers when the situation is critical.

In baseball, a pitcher relies on his teammates playing defense.  He tries to get the opposing hitters to hit the ball to them so that they can do their jobs.  It is a 9-against-1 situation.  Hitters sacrifice themselves for the team, so that their teammates on the bases can advance and score runs to help the team to victory.

Baseball players have to understand that baseball is often a game of failure.  A great hitter fails in his at bats approximately 70% of the time.

If any player (hitter, pitcher, fielder) makes a mistake or has an instance of failure, bad execution, bad luck, he has a choice.  He can choose to hang his head and feel bad about it, appearing to be selfishly thinking of his own misfortune, or he can choose to stick his chest out and fill his mind with positive thoughts.  A player can replace negative thinking with positive thinking by choice;  it doesn't happen accidentally.

All of our thoughts are consciously chosen thoughts, and we have to check them constantly when we are out there playing for our teammates.  Teammates deserve to have peers who have their backs, and great teammates pick each other up with words, body language, and positive energy.

The best team doesn't always win the game, but the team who has players who believe in themselves and in each other has a better chance of winning than the team who doesn't have those characteristics, regardless of the talent level.

On the field, a player must focus on the immediate task at hand, not on the results.  Focusing on the task at hand, one pitch at a time, and maintaining a positive mental approach, with positive body language, unselfish energy, and the attitude of not letting his teammates down.........will allow the results to take care of themselves.

Playing baseball is an emotional game in the sense that an athlete must control his emotions no matter what is happening around him.  He must not let a negative event reveal any negative thinking nor body language.  Players should show happiness when a big play is made, and then get ready for the next task to accomplish successfully.  A game is played by performing and completing the task at hand 250-300 times per game.  Each time, a player must have a goal that he will not let his teammates down.

In baseball you don't play with a sense of urgency, you play with the idea of completing a specific task, one pitch at a time.  Accomplish the task at hand on each pitch, and the results will take care of themselves.  A coaching staff or a teammate can't ask anything more.

You don't know what you don't know

I began working as a college baseball coach in the summer of 1987, 24 years ago.  At that time, at the age of 28, I certainly didn't know what I didn't know.  I still don't know what I don't know.  That is a quote that my good friend Mark Merriman once told me, and I have repeated it hundreds of times since then.

One thing I have learned in the sport of baseball is the importance of pitching.  In particular, each game is in one way or another determined by the two guys who oppose each other on the mound at the beginning of the game.  Another thing I learned is that the results of a pitcher on any certain day are unpredictable, and I believe it is the most unpredictable thing in the sport of baseball.  We can look at Major League Baseball games to figure that out.  Hall of Fame bound pitchers sometimes get rocked and pulled from a game in the early innings.  Occasionally an unknown guy will throw a no hitter or flirt with a perfect game and never come close to doing so again.

Our Adrian College team has started the MIAA season by winning seven of our first eight league games.  We have to be careful not to feel too high about it, and by the same token we have to be cautious about having any negative thoughts about our only loss so far.

We had won our first six league games and had our #1 and #2 pitchers going in the next doubleheader against Trine University last Saturday at Trine's field.  For good reason, we felt pretty confident about our chances of sweeping that doubleheader, leaving the field with an 8-0 conference record and with Coach Craig Rainey's 400th and 401st career victories.

Our two pitchers, Ryan Domschot and Dave Parytyka, were coming back on only three day's rest, perhaps for the only time this season.  They both felt pretty good and had worked exceptionally hard during those three days to assure that they would be as close to 100% as possible.  But again, as unpredictable as pitching is, we discovered that there are no guarantees.

Dommer gave up a single to the first batter in inning #1, then after a couple fluky kind of plays they had scored a run.  The next couple innings some similar things happened and soon we were down 7-4, but still in the game.  Craig Steadman, who has been tremendous out of the bullpen all season, came in and was also the victim of some unfortunate things and we ended up behind by eight runs.

The freaky types of things that happened were things like wind blown pop flys dropping in, ground balls and bunts that we didn't get outs on, and umpire's questionable calls that ultimately ended up in two of our coaches getting thrown out of the game.

One good result of that game was that I saw our pitchers return to the dugout and become the models of leadership for their teammates, not sulking but rather being supportive of their teammates for the rest of the day.  That is important for any athlete in any sport!

We ended up winning game two even though we gave up runs in similar style as game one, in addition to allowing the first home run hit against us since opening day in February.  We also hit our first three home runs of the season and got back to our winning ways.

The last two days we have played three jv games, with some pretty good pitching being displayed in those.  We threw seven shutout innings out of nine on Monday, and then yesterday we had guys go deep into games and pitch effectively throughout.  This is an indication that our entire pitching staff continues to make progress, and the younger position players are learning how to compete and win close games.  Those are invaluable experiences for any athlete.

Although I was not expected to be in uniform for our jv games, I have donned the uniform (sometimes with the wrong team pants) because I enjoy the opportunity to be there during competition, to communicate with the pitchers and position players and help them to make strides of progress every day.  But don't get me wrong, I can't admit that I am just there for them; I'm there because I love being in the dugout, competing with the players.  They give back to me more than what I give them, for sure!!

Our goal was to win every league game, one at a time.  It is a lofty goal, but goals are meant to be challenging.  We have now lost one of eight, which is pretty darn good.  Now our goal is to win the next game, and then the one after that, etc.  If we continue to get better and climb out of the temporary valleys that come in the form of losses, we will again represent the MIAA in the Regionals and put ourselves in a position to get back to the DIII College Baseball World Series.

Business as Usual

A lot has happened in the almost two weeks since we played Heidelberg College, unfortunately most of what was happening had to do with Mother Nature trying to prolong winter here in the Great Lakes Region.  Our MIAA conference openers last Friday were postponed due to cold temperatures and rescheduled for May.  But when we got to practice Monday we were informed that we would play our four game series against Calvin College on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Therefore, we (and Calvin) now faced the prospect of playing four conference doubleheaders in the next five days.

As soon as Coach Rainey told me the news of the week's schedule, I genuinely painted a positive picture of the opportunity that it presented for our pitching staff.  Then I was able to meet the pitchers in the left field corner and tell them the great news.  This was going to be an opportunity to prove to ourselves that we have a very deep and talented pitching staff.  Our conference format of 28 games over seven weeks, facing one conference opponent each week (a doubleheader at our place and a doubleheader on the road), puts us in a position of using our top four pitchers in those games.  Because the games are seven innings (rather than nine innings), if our pitchers are efficient in their starts we don't need to use our bullpen very often.

As I presented the scenario to our pitching staff on Monday, it was clear that I was excited.  I have been saying for the past few years that our schedule has not prepared us as well as possible for our Regional Tournament and DIII World Series, tournaments in which we play nine inning games.  We are forced to use the bullpen more in the post-season, and thus we use some guys who haven't pitched much in legitimate pressure situations.  Sure, they have pitched some quality innings, but nothing like the kind of innings we play against great teams in the post-season.  So I told the pitchers that this week we would probably use six or eight starting pitchers and that would be a good thing for us, for the reasons already mentioned above.

What has happened so far is working out to be exactly the way I thought it would.  We have played our first six of the week's eight games, and have won all six.  On Tuesday we used our staff aces, Ryan Domschot and DavePartyka, our only two senior pitchers.  They were their usual dominant selves, as we won by scores of 3-2 and 4-2.  Again, our defense was also outstanding.  We struck out 19 batters in the 14 innings and gave up only eight hits.  As I predicted in my previous blog post, our hitters started to make strides as well, and this was only the beginning of the offense getting back to being fat (in a great way)!!

On Wednesday we went to Calvin and beat them twice again, with Jason Fryman throwing a complete game on only 67 pitches in the opener and Josh Burd, getting his first start, going the first five innings in game two.  Freshman Mike Osterman made his first varsity appearance and pitched the last two innings, allowing only one hit.  During the wins by scores of 6-2 and 9-1, the offense continued to improve and our pitchers allowed no walks in 14 innings.

Yesterday we began our four game series against Trine, playing at home.  Game one was started by sophomore Zach Robbins, who had some shoulder tenderness after our southern trip.  He was perfect through four innings, and then walked two guys and hit one in the fifth.  We decided to take him out after five, even though he had a no-hitter going.  Sean Hartman pitched the last two innings and did not allow a run as we won 6-0.  Freshman Rylie Robinson started game two, and after throwing five innings of 2-hit baseball we took him out so that Brent Greenwood and Craig Steadman could shut down the opposition in the sixth and seventh innings for a 5-0 win.  For the day we threw 14 innings and again with great defense, did not allow a run and gave up only five hits.

I had told the pitchers that if we ever threw two shutouts in one day they would be treated to some batting practice, so at today's practice they will get to take some swings.  Hopefully we can limit them to only a handful of swings each, and then we can be prepared for tomorrow's doubleheader at Trine and continue with  business as usual.

Tomorrow, Head Coach Craig Rainey will be going for his 400th victory at Adrian College.  If we play up to our expectations, he will also get victory #401 and we will be off to a good start to the 2011 MIAA season!  I'm sure he is more focused on getting one victory at a time tomorrow rather than reaching a milestone like 400, as are we, but it is always special to be able to congratulate a friend for such an accomplishment!!

Bittersweet weekend....time to eat an elephant

The weekend is over and spring has arrived, we have played nine non-conference games, and now it is time to prepare for a 28 game conference schedule.

As for the weekend, it was bittersweet.  After beating the nation's top ranked Heidelberg College team in a 2-1, ten inning game yesterday, Heidelberg turned the tables on us today and won another ten inning game by the same 2-1 score.  One could say that the weekend was a success, but it didn't necessarily feel that way when the last out was made in today's tenth inning.

When a team comes so close to knocking off the top ranked team in two consecutive games, only to lose the second one, it might be natural to feel a little deflated.  The way I generally try to look at things is that it is now time to prepare for the next game.  A team is only as good as its next game.  Our last game is over and has been entered into the history books, but if we indeed achieve one of our often stated goals of trying to improve every day, we have to take a look at these two games, evaluate our performance, and look for ways to improve.

We did some things very well this weekend.  As in our last two games (two weeks ago in Florida against Marietta College), we pitched well and played great defense.  In two games (20 innings) against Heidelberg we gave up a total of three runs, one of which was earned.  As for that earned run, it was scored when a fly ball to deep left-center was caught by left fielder Kyle Strawn and the runner on second base advanced to third and home.  It was a very good defensive play by Strawn and an outstanding hustle play by the Heidelberg runner to score all the way from second base (an extremely rare occurrence) .

So we can say that we did a pretty good job pitching, but it was a little more difficult to pitch all those shutout innings than it was against Marietta two weeks ago.  Against Marietta we retired the leadoff batter in 15 of the 17 innings we played.  Anytime you get the first batter out, there is a lot less pressure on the pitcher and defense.  We walked more Heidelberg batters (this weekend we walked 14 batters in 20 innings) than we did Marietta batters (4 walks in 17 innings) and thus had to make more stressful pitches this weekend.

What we did a very good job of, partly due to allowing more freebies, was maintaining damage control.  It is an important part of pitching that the pitchers and I often talk about.  One of the reasons we were able to prevent Heidelberg from scoring when they had runners on base so often was that we did a great job of getting strikeouts and pop outs with runners on base.  Runners don't advance on strikeouts and pop outs; thus we successfully pitched and played great defense in crucial situations and kept the Student Princes from scoring.....in other words, our damage control was pretty good.

What can we do better?  As a pitching staff, we need to do a better job of allowing the hitters to get themselves out and thus make it easier on us.  By allowing freebies and pitching so often with runners on base, we are forced to throw more pitches than we would like to throw.  Therefore, efficiency is probably the most important thing our pitching staff has to improve on as we prepare for our first conference games.

We all know that we also need to score more runs, and I am confident that will come with time as our hitters face game pitching more consistently (remember, we had gone two weeks without playing a game).  We do have to tip our caps to the pitchers Heidelberg threw at us this weekend, just as we had to give Marietta's pitchers credit for keeping the games low scoring.  As we play our MIAA conference games, I'm sure our batting averages and situational hitting will gradually improve, and soon we will put up some good offensive numbers.....it happens every year!!

And now that spring is here, we hope to have warmer weather on a more consistent basis.  That is another thing that can help any team score more runs!

MIAA conference games begin for us Friday when we play two home games against Calvin College.  Saturday we will travel to Calvin for two more games.  In the last two seasons, we have won 48 conference games and lost only eight in earning the MIAA Championship both years.  Our goal is to win every conference game that we play, but just one at a time.  The regular season MIAA Champion earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Regionals, which is the first step in earning a trip to the DIII World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The path to the World Series is like eating an elephant, which one can only do one bite at a time.  We have taken a few small bites already; now it is time to put on the bib and get to work on the main part of that elephant.  Personally, I am proud of our entire Adrian College team; they have played well enough to know for sure that they are one of the country's best DIII baseball teams!!

The importance of believing

The down time between our last game to our next game is 14 days.  We played Marietta College on Saturday, March 5th and we will play Heidelberg College on March 19th and 20th.  Even though baseball is a sport that is best played on a regular, even a daily basis, this delay is one of the results of being a college team in a northern climate with a spring break in late February/early March.  We are one of the fortunate programs that has a turfed field surface, and that makes the opportunities to have quality practices much easier than if we played on natural grass at Adrian College.

So how does a team go from playing almost daily for a week to not playing at all for two weeks?  One thing that we have been able to do is play some JV/Reserve games during this time.  We played six such games in cold weather last Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  We didn't use our varsity starting position players, nor did we have any of our top pitchers throw.  Those games were a good opportunity to play some of the guys who did not travel south with us as well as the guys who just need playing time for development and consistency.  Tomorrow (Thursday) we play two more JV games before this weekend's games against Heidelberg.

Heidelberg is ranked #1 in the NCAA DIII National polls, and their record is currently 10-0.  We are very familiar with them, as we played them three games a year ago and then once again in the Mid-East Regional Tournament.  Last year we were on the wrong end of the scores in each game against Heidelberg, but in previous years we have fared much better against them.  In saying all that, none of the past really matters any more.  The next game is the only one that matters now, and then after that one is played it also becomes history, so again the next one after that will be the most important.

One of the things I have been telling the pitching staff the past few days is that it is important that we believe we are going to win these games, but that as always we have to take them one game at a time, one inning at a time, and one pitch at a time.  It is important that each player on the team believes in himself, in his teammates, and in the team.  The analogy of the weak link is appropriate.  A team is only as strong as its weakest link, and by that I explained that I mean we are only as strong as our weakest link mentally!

If any player, even just one, doubts that we are going to beat this weekend's opponent, then that doubt becomes difficult for the rest of the team to overcome.  If a team member goes into a game with doubts, but good fortune turns the doubts into belief, then that can help, but if doubts deepen during a stressful inning or misfortune it is tough for a team to overcome those doubts.  Personally, I like to doubt the doubter, but I can't control the thoughts of the entire squad and coaching staff.

Today we talked about visualization again.  I want the pitchers to practice visualizing hitting specific spots with their pitches, and to imagine them being able to expand their strike zone as they get ahead in the count and thus visualize pitches 3-4 inches out of the zone as well as the pitches on the edges of the strike zone.  The need to be able to envision their pitches being swung at and missed, and they also need to be able to mentally see pitches which are hit by the handle of the bat and the end of the bat.  It is important that they visualize success in several different ways.  Proper and positive visualization will lead to more consistently good execution.

As for these two upcoming games against the nation's top ranked DIII team, we have already been there and done that.  As was mentioned above, we have been battling with Heidelberg for several years now in the Regionals, and we faced them four times last year.  We have beaten them in huge games before, much bigger games than this weekend's games.

We are also 2-2 this season against ranked teams already.  We split with #8 Marietta and split with #24 Millsaps College.  I would bet that unbiased observers who may have seen our games against those teams might even say we are a better team than both of them.  It really doesn't matter in mid-March.  When it does matter will be when (or if) we play them in May, and that is when it will come down to execution as well as belief.

I believe we are going to win this weekend.  Most of all, I believe that our players are going to execute tremendously and are going to give a 100% effort for all 500 or so pitches that will be thrown in these two games!!

I can't wait!!

Northern baseball and professional/personal growth

After over a week of games in the warm south, the reality of college baseball up north can hit us and cause us to count our blessings.  How many college students get to take a trip south on their spring break, with all expenses paid by the college and the added bonus of playing a sport they love?

After five days back in Michigan though, we just don't know from day to day if we are going to be able to practice outside or be forced (due to weather/field conditions) to work on our game indoors again.

Fortunately, this week at Adrian College, with the benefit of having Pro Grass Field Turf on our field, we have been able to get outside every day.  The position players have gotten defensive work done out there and then gone inside for their hitting.  The pitchers have been able to do all of their work outside.  It has given us an opportunity to do some good throwing, including our normal daily drills, and have important long toss sessions and flat ground work.

We are hoping to play an intrasquad game today and then have JV doubleheaders the next three days (Saturday through Monday).  This will be a great opportunity to get all of our pitchers (except two) some live action so that they are staying (or getting) sharp as we head into next weekend's two game series against #1 ranked Heidelberg College.

I've got to admit that I have felt a bit out of balance this week, though in my mind there is no good reason for it.  Twice this week I fell asleep on the couch at about 8:30, which is very unusual for me.  Fortunately, having a normal week of school and practice helps to keep me busy and grounded as I try to return to a daily routine.  I suppose that 22 hour bus ride back from Florida gave me a little jet lag.

One of the other nice aspects of my week (besides school and baseball) is the fact that I got to spend some time with both of my kids.  Tess is here in town on her last college spring break, and Eric is in and out during his season at Hillsdale College.  Tess is on her way to Chicago with friends for the weekend and Eric is leaving this evening for a weekend of games against the University of Indianapolis.

Eric and I have been able to share game experiences with each other now that our seasons have begun, and even as an old guy it is great for me to share baseball information and knowledge with Eric and with my young colleagues Luke Harrigan and Xander Younce at Adrian.  I can learn a lot from these young, passionate coaches!  I hope I never stop learning about coaching this great game of baseball.

Just like in life, sometimes I think that if I knew back then (insert whatever year you want) what I know now, I would have been a better coach and mentor for many of my teams and players in the past.  But since we can't go back, all I can do is continue to try to improve every day!!

What more could a coaching staff want?

A few hours ago we arrived back at Adrian College after a 22 hour bus ride.  Though it's nice being home, after playing baseball in sunny, 80 degree weather, the snow on the ground here isn't what we ever hope to see upon returning for the baseball season.  The weather is out of our control though, and now we have to continue to prepare for our next games and our conference schedule.

Our last day in Florida was yesterday.  We had already played and won two games there on Wednesday and Thursday.  After using Friday as a practice day and playing a JV game, we played two nine inning games against NCAA DIII #8 ranked Marietta College.  We are familiar with them, since we seem to see them every May in the Mideast Regional Tournament.

Originally we were only scheduled to play Marietta one game on Saturday, but since we had a game rained out earlier in the week in Georgia, we had room on our schedule to add the second game with Marietta.  It almost didn't happen!  I was personally hoping we would get to play them twice, as the opportunity to play against teams that are currently and traditionally strong helps us to improve, regardless of the outcome.  I think that as a result of playing yesterday's doubleheader, we are not only a better team than we were the day before, but we also have a team full of players who believe we are better than they believed the previous day. What else could a coaching staff want??

Yesterday's doubleheader with Marietta was a quick one in comparison to a lot of college doubleheaders.  We finished two nine inning games in four hours, losing the first game 3-1 and winning the second game 2-0.  The two games were full of great pitching and defense, as the scores would indicate.  Game one was scoreless until the fifth inning, when Marietta scored two runs, one of which was earned.  The rbi single that Marietta shortstop Tim Saunders hit was on an 0 and 2 pitch, and the second run scored when our centerfielder's throw hit the baserunner sliding into third and bounced away.  The throw was a good throw and just took an unfortunate bounce off the runner's body.  Saunders deserves credit for making good contact on a pretty good pitch.

Marietta scored again in the sixth on a ground ball to our second baseman with a runners on second and third.  We considered bringing the infield in to prevent the run from scoring on a ground ball, but kept the middle infielders back to avoid giving up two possible runs on a blooper over their heads.  Therefore we were down 3-0.

Ryan Domschot again pitched a great game for us, going the distance, striking out ten batters and allowing only six hits and two walks.  Unfortunately for us, Marietta's pitcher Mark Williams was outstanding as well, pitching 8 1/3 innings, allowing only five hits and also striking out ten batters.  The run we finally scored off of him in the ninth inning was an unearned run.

The second game featured another pitcher's duel.  Marietta's Austin Blaski pitched a complete game, allowing only six hits and three walks while striking out seven batters.  Our sophomore shortstop Cody Meyer scored both of our runs, one in the first inning after he walked, advanced to second on a bunt, third on a hit by Brian Bilius, and then scoring on a wild pitch.  He scored our only other run in the fifth inning, after he tripled and then scored on a ground ball by Andrew DeLuca.  Cody was hit in the back of the head in the seventh inning and had to leave the game.  He was up in a situation with a runner on second, two outs and first base open and he had done all the damage almost by himself already.  By hitting him and putting a runner on first base it set up an easier force opportunity for Marietta's defense, who got the third out on the next pitch.

We heard a comment from the fan section about us getting back at them for hitting Cody, as he had to leave the game and go to the Emergency Room (fortunately he is doing great!), but with a 2-0 score we couldn't afford to intentionally throw at a batter and put a potential run on base.

The game ended, fittingly, with a routine ground ball to Mike Herzog (who replaced Meyer in the lineup) at shortstop.  I had just made my only trip to the mound when the last batter was coming up.  Our winning pitcher, senior Dave Partyka, was pretty excited at that moment, with a shutout and the game on the line.  His heart rate was a little higher than it had been the previous eight innings.  He had gotten two outs in the inning and allowed a hit and then hit the shirt sleeve of their cleanup hitter to put runners on second and third.  We had two guys warming up in the bullpen at the time, but the game was Dave's game to finish.  During my trip, I told him that he was in charge of the game from the beginning, was still in control of it, and that he would be to the end.  Dave proceeded to get ahead of the hitter and induce him to hit the easy ground ball to finish the game.

Having two pitchers throw complete games in the same day is pretty rare, especially when we are playing a nationally ranked team in nine inning games.  Domschot and Partyka both did such a great job of throwing their fastball where they wanted to and got ahead of a lot of hitters.  They both deserved victories; but so did the pitchers for Marietta.  It was a great day of college baseball for both teams.

I think that ultimately, what that doubleheader (thankfully we added that second game to the schedule) did was enhance the confidence level of our players and of course, the team.  They experienced two tight games against one of the top ten teams in the country, and succeeded in winning one of the two games.  We can say that we could have won both games, but Marietta could say the same thing.  A couple of balls being hit a few feet either way could have made the outcomes of each game different.

After a nice trip and some success in close games, we are now preparing for our next games (on March 19th and 20th) against #1 ranked Heidelberg College and then the beginning of the MIAA Conference schedule.  Again, what more could a coaching staff want??

Sweating the small stuff

Yesterday we evened our record at 2-2 with a 16-3 victory over John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a school from New York City.  It was one of those games in which we clearly were physically a better team than our opponent was.

I have to give the John Jay coaching staff and players a lot of credit, though.  Their players hustled from the time they got to the field to the time that they left.  They were respectful of the game, their opponents, and the umpires.  They were disciplined and they seemed to genuinely enjoy playing the game of baseball.

What a game like that does for us is a couple things.  First, it gives us an opportunity to get some additional position players in the game and give some younger guys a taste of game experience.  Second, as the game progressed, it allowed our players to execute without the fear that a mistake might cost the team a victory.

Being the pitching coach, most of my focus is on executing the game plan and trying to get our pitchers to get ahead of the hitters by throwing strikes, and especially by throwing first pitch strikes.  We use three guys who hadn't made an appearance yet, but who all are deserving of more opportunities.  Out of 150 pitches in the nine inning game, we threw 138 fastballs.  We had four walks in the nine inning game, which is one more than our goal per nine innings.  That is something we still need to be better at doing.  Even with some of the batters who did not walk, we got behind in the count more than what we want to do.  We went to 3-ball counts on nine batters total and threw first pitch strikes to only 19 out of 34 batters.

As a coaching staff, what you want to do after a game like this is to be happy for the win but not allow the players to think they are better than they are.  We want them to believe in themselves, but also to be able to evaluate their performance(s) not just based on the scoreboard, but on some of the little things.

One of the sayings I have been using with the pitchers this year is to 'sweat the small stuff'.  Even though I generally don't want to sweat the small stuff when it comes to daily living, I have tried to get the pitchers to sweat the small stuff during practices, drills, and conditioning.  I want them to practice the right way so that it becomes habit and helps them to execute more consistently during games.  Therefore, our pitching charts can show us if we are doing things well, if we are achieving some of our smaller goals that are going to help us achieve the bigger goals.

We are making progress, and we are trying to develop an entire pitching staff.  I discuss the pitchers more than the position players because those are the guys I spend every practice with, and those are the players I am fortunate enough to work with and set goals with during the pre-season, during each game, and throughout the entire season.

Did we pitch good enough yesterday to shut down a good team?  Perhaps, depending on many other factors, but we can still get better.  It was definitely a day that good things happened, and our team can build on the successes of those three pitchers and the execution of the hitters who squared up some pitches and drove the ball into the gaps!  On to today's game against Ferrum College.