Baseball team climbs to the top

With wins against big teams like University of Tampa, Columbus State and Shippensburg University, the Bobcat Baseball team continues to bring in the wins. So far this season, the team is ranked No.2 in the nation, winning 24 of the 28 games played.

The team feel to No. this week to the University of Tampa after being ranked No. 1 for three weeks. It was the 3rd time that the baseball program had been ranked No. 1 in the nation. The last time was for a two week run during the 2002 season, and previously in 1998.

Earning the No. 2 spot in the league took a lot off hard work, practice and dedication to acquire . Pitching, being a significant part of the game, has been a crucial asset for the Bobcats.

“Our pitching has been fantastic,” said Hans Stancil, junior second-baseman.

Right fielder Brian Anderson also said the pitching has been a critical aspect.

“Our pitching has carried us so far this season,” Anderson said. “The guys are doing a great job.”

The team practices six days a week and all practices are planned around the game schedule. If a series of games is scheduled for the weekend, the players get the next day off. Practices can be anywhere from one to four hours of hard work with three different groups: outfielders, infielders and pitchers.

The Bobcats’ toughest challenge so far has been the University of Tampa; however the Bobcats took two of the three games.

All the teams in the conference provide competition, so the players must stay on their toes and stay focused on both their offense and defense. This requires trying to make the fewest errors possible, getting on base every time at bat, and maintaining strong pitching.

“There are a lot of good teams behind us, and we’ve just got to keep winning and doing our job,” said Stancil. “We win a lot of close games and it seems that everyone in the line up is doing their job-doing little things like bunting and moving guys over. Not one person stands out. We have a different hero every night.”

When asked which team is their toughest challenge, Mills laughed.

“Definitely Georgia College & State University,” Mills said. “I think that if we had to play ourselves it would be a really competitive game.”

Being the No. 1 team has not prevented significant team challenges. Players face issues with their teammates on a regular basis and they all must work extremely hard to make sure they are all on the same page at the same time. Without this combination, any team would be left in a state of confusion and dysfunction. The Bobcats’ teamwork has been challenging, yet successful.

The players continue to work on not only their game, but their place on the team and in the Bobcat baseball family. The players said they are excited about being in first place, and even though it is hard work, it is all worth it in the end.

“It’s a great feeling,” Mills said. “We take a lot of pride in having the first place ranking and we are going to work hard to try and keep it.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 24 2006. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry