Experience expected to pave path to success
Junior all-american Ian Sanders – along with the rest of the 2009 Grizzly baseball team was granted his HCaC Championship ring at the men’s basketball game Saturday.
By Bryan Ault, February 25, 2010
One pitch. One hit. One inning. One game at a time.
That is what head coach Lance Marshall said about his expectations for the upcoming baseball season and his returning HCAC Regular Season Champion Grizzlies.
“As cliché as that sounds, it’s the truth,” Marshall said. “Setting massive goals early in the year is great, but you can’t really touch them.”
“We had some really good veteran leadership [last season]” Marshall said. “It was a tremendous season, offensively. We were seventh in the nation in runs per game. We had a great spirit and a great team that played together.”
The players agree.
“We have a good core group of guys,” senior outfielder Paul Strack said. “I’m excited about the talent we have in our young guys. I think we’re going to be able to put together a good squad.”
Second basemen and co-captain Ian Sanders was named second-team All-American at the end of last season after posting a .408 batting average (69-for-169). Sanders blasted 10 homeruns, two triples, 17 doubles and a school-record 59 RBIs. He also posted a .718 slugging average.
The Grizzlies also return batting average record holder Alex Boone (.450), a junior. And junior Cody Nees broke the Franklin College record for saves as a sophomore.
The Grizzlies are picked to finish second in the conference to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and are No. 29 overall in the preseason rankings in Division-III baseball for the first time in school history.
Topping last season will not be easy. Of the first 18 games of the season, 17 are against non-conference opponents. But Marshall says that will prepare them for the conference season.
“Our conference is going to be really tough this year,” Marshall said. “Three of our league teams were picked in the top 30. That has never happened. It’s going to be a dogfight. We’re going to find out if we have the leadership and the heart.”
The Grizzlies say they do. They say it’s their team strength.
“We get along really well,” said team co-captain Luke Mehringer. “There is a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that nobody really sees. Guys are hanging out when we aren’t playing baseball. It carries on the field.”
“It’s definitely our camaraderie,” Strack said. “We’re a close-knit group of guys. We’re all close friends. Last year’s success is only going to motivate us to try to top that. We’re excited about this season.”
Young players—like freshman Corey Cragen—are following the upperclassmens’ lead.
“We have a lot of returning players from last season,” Cragen said. “I think we’ll do really well, as long as we all play together and play as a team. “
“I think our guys are confident,” Marshall said. “They go out and win. We have a solid senior class and a solid junior class. They have done a good job with their offseason workouts and they have done a good job in fall workouts.”
The Grizzlies open the season on Saturday against Spalding University at 1 p.m.
“We’re in pretty good shape,” Marshall said. “I don’t know if there’s a specific strength that stands out, but I don’t see many weaknesses.”
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