A week and a half ago we finished our fall baseball season. We spent four weeks trying to evaluate, teach, and improve so that the Adrian College Bulldogs can get started on a quest to win a fifth straight MIAA Championship. No championship is a given; none come easy. A championship has never been won on paper or based on rosters. Championships are not given to the most talented teams, the strongest teams, the biggest teams, or the fastest teams.
Championships are earned through a combination of ingredients. Some of those ingredients have to do with physical preparation, others have to do with the development of championship attitudes, and some are related to the ability of the athletes to make sacrifices for their teammates. The ability to learn, develop consistency in execution and effort, overcome adversity, and improve at selflessness will go a long way in helping a team become champions.
For our team, the last four championships are in the past. The 2013 college baseball season is the one that our players have been preparing for, and last year's great season can help give us the confidence that we can do it again, but it gives us no guarantees. Other teams in our conference also have their sights winning the MIAA Championship, and teams throughout the Great Lakes Region hope to advance to the Regional Tournament and win that to advance to the DIII World Series.
Every team in the country is working hard to achieve team goals and win championships. Many teams have enough talent to win championships. Hundreds of teams believe they work harder than every other team out there. Lots of teams will have players with tremendously unselfish attitudes. There will be plenty of teams whose players remain disciplined for the next several months. Dedicating each day to improvement is a challenge for all college student-athletes, and it takes the consistent motivation of teammates to help each individual to become the best teammate he can be.
Our team can be the team that represents the conference in the post-season, but it has to be earned for 168 hours of every week from now until Memorial Day. Players should be able to see the big picture, and at the same time have the self-discipline to sweat the small stuff, every day, and never ever let their teammates down.
Championships are earned through a combination of ingredients. Some of those ingredients have to do with physical preparation, others have to do with the development of championship attitudes, and some are related to the ability of the athletes to make sacrifices for their teammates. The ability to learn, develop consistency in execution and effort, overcome adversity, and improve at selflessness will go a long way in helping a team become champions.
For our team, the last four championships are in the past. The 2013 college baseball season is the one that our players have been preparing for, and last year's great season can help give us the confidence that we can do it again, but it gives us no guarantees. Other teams in our conference also have their sights winning the MIAA Championship, and teams throughout the Great Lakes Region hope to advance to the Regional Tournament and win that to advance to the DIII World Series.
Every team in the country is working hard to achieve team goals and win championships. Many teams have enough talent to win championships. Hundreds of teams believe they work harder than every other team out there. Lots of teams will have players with tremendously unselfish attitudes. There will be plenty of teams whose players remain disciplined for the next several months. Dedicating each day to improvement is a challenge for all college student-athletes, and it takes the consistent motivation of teammates to help each individual to become the best teammate he can be.
Our team can be the team that represents the conference in the post-season, but it has to be earned for 168 hours of every week from now until Memorial Day. Players should be able to see the big picture, and at the same time have the self-discipline to sweat the small stuff, every day, and never ever let their teammates down.
