2008 Woodie Awards
Baseball continues hot streak down South
By Caleb Pardick
Rocket Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: Sports
While many SRU students were lazing away on spring break, the university baseball team was doing nothing of the sort, going 7-4 on an 11-game, nine-day trip to Port Charlotte and Fort Myers, Fla.
The Rock now sits at 11-4 on the season and is ranked No. 30 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II poll.
The trip was highlighted by wins against Saginaw Valley State, Southwest Minnesota State and West Chester, which is currently ranked No. 23 in the same poll.
Coach Jeff Messer said that while the team's four losses were disappointing, the trip could've been much worse.
"We were 7-4, but we easily could have been 9-2," Messer said. "But then again, we easily could have been 5-6, too."
The Rock kicked off the trip with a doubleheader split with St. Cloud (Minn.) State on March 9.
Messer said his club was forced to overcome a bit of sluggishness at the onset of the trip's games.
"Honestly, we didn't deserve to win either one of the St. Cloud games," Messer said. "It was one of those days, our first day out off of a 20-hour bus ride, out in the hot sun. But we played better the next day."
The quality of competition the team faced was a plus, Messer said.
In addition to splitting a doubleheader with nationally ranked West Chester, the Rock also closed out the trip with a loss to Ashland (Ohio), which was ranked No. 21 prior to falling out of this week's poll.
"Any team down there, they're all good teams, and when you play so many games, you're not sure what kind of match-up you're getting," Messer said. "Sometimes they're throwing their No. 1 (pitcher) and you're throwing you're No. 6.
"But the competition overall was very good. There were no so-called 'bunnies.' Once in a while you can plan on playing half your team and getting guys some time, but that really wasn't the case this year."
Messer also said he was happy to escape the trip with no injuries to his 13-man pitching staff.
The Rock now sits at 11-4 on the season and is ranked No. 30 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II poll.
The trip was highlighted by wins against Saginaw Valley State, Southwest Minnesota State and West Chester, which is currently ranked No. 23 in the same poll.
Coach Jeff Messer said that while the team's four losses were disappointing, the trip could've been much worse.
"We were 7-4, but we easily could have been 9-2," Messer said. "But then again, we easily could have been 5-6, too."
The Rock kicked off the trip with a doubleheader split with St. Cloud (Minn.) State on March 9.
Messer said his club was forced to overcome a bit of sluggishness at the onset of the trip's games.
"Honestly, we didn't deserve to win either one of the St. Cloud games," Messer said. "It was one of those days, our first day out off of a 20-hour bus ride, out in the hot sun. But we played better the next day."
The quality of competition the team faced was a plus, Messer said.
In addition to splitting a doubleheader with nationally ranked West Chester, the Rock also closed out the trip with a loss to Ashland (Ohio), which was ranked No. 21 prior to falling out of this week's poll.
"Any team down there, they're all good teams, and when you play so many games, you're not sure what kind of match-up you're getting," Messer said. "Sometimes they're throwing their No. 1 (pitcher) and you're throwing you're No. 6.
"But the competition overall was very good. There were no so-called 'bunnies.' Once in a while you can plan on playing half your team and getting guys some time, but that really wasn't the case this year."
Messer also said he was happy to escape the trip with no injuries to his 13-man pitching staff.
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