Entry #43 - 03/23/05

March 23, 2005

The last few lines of my most recent entry stated:

“The teams on our schedule are not going to give us victories. We are going to have to earn them with good play. So as I look at our upcoming schedule it won’t do me any good to worry about our opponents. My only concern is the quality of our play and how we approach and respond to the various situations we will encounter. I know our players are excited about what lies ahead. I hope they are up to the challenge.”

How true those few sentences have turned out to be. Last weekend versus Georgia Southern was not what we hoped for. We lost three close, hard fought games. Georgia Southern simply made more plays then we did. Those plays came in various forms (pitches, defensive plays, timely hits, good base running, etc.). Their players deserve a lot of credit because they rose to the occasion and got it done in a hostile environment on the road. I didn’t think we played poorly, we just didn’t execute as well as they did in crucial moments of the series. A great example is for the series we only hit .200 (7 for 35) with runners in scoring position. We actually out hit Georgia Southern for the weekend but they had 24 RBI and we only had 13 RBI. We also struck out 25 times compared to only 12 times for them. Many of those strikeouts we had came with runners in scoring position. In college baseball strikeouts will kill you, because when you strikeout you do not put any pressure on the defense. By putting the ball in play, at least it forces your opponent to have to handle the baseball. Currently, our strikeout numbers for some of our hitters are too high. Especially for those guys in our lineup that run better than average.

Coaching is a profession that can drive you crazy at times. I have said it before that college coaches must be insane to put their own family’s future in the hands of 18 – 22 year old kids. But that is how the business works. I explained to our team that six games ago our club was 9 and 1 and feeling pretty good about ourselves. Now we have won two out of our last six and the looks in our players eyes are not what a coach wants to see. The funny thing is I think we are a better team now at 11 and 5 then we were at 9 and 1. I explained this to our players and they didn’t quite understand. The game of baseball has so much to do with confidence. When you are confident about what you are doing then everything seems to happen easily. Your actions are fluid and you are stress free. You expect good things to happen. When your confidence drops, then you begin to press and tighten up. You begin to think too much and you make the routine things difficult. Ask a hitter in the midst of a hot streak to explain why he is hitting so well and he will struggle to find an answer. He will probably give you the generic answer of, “I am just seeing the ball well.” Ask a player in the midst of a slump why he is struggling and he will come up with a million answers of why he is failing.

My objective over the next week or so is to get our guys confidence where it needs to be. This is easier said than done. Obviously good play and winning will cure just about any ailment, but our players need to understand that they always can’t control the outcome or result. But they can control their approach and response. How we prepare and how we respond (to the good and the bad) is the key to being successful on a consistent basis. Currently we have one or two guys who are feeling sorry for themselves because they are not performing at a high level. We also have one or two who are beginning to sulk when they are not in the lineup or pitching on a consistent basis. I’m just like most coaches; I don’t have a lot of sympathy for those two groups. When I see this negativity it bothers me. Baseball is a difficult game at any level, but especially at the Division I level. It is a game of failure and how you handle those failures will ultimately determine your success. Pouting and moping around won’t solve anything, but preparation, enthusiasm and having a positive attitude will help you turn the corner. It is a fact that we still have many answers that need to be solved concerning our club. We need to solidify the DH spot. We need to find some answers in our bullpen. Third base has been a revolving door. These are only a few, but we are in the midst of a very difficult part of our schedule and for us to be successful we must regain our confidence.

So far this season we have only played one mid-week game and that has made it difficult for us to get into a rhythm. By losing these games (4 of them) to weather we have not been able to get some of our players the at-bats or innings pitched they have needed. This has slowed our progress a bit and it is the main reason we still have some areas which need to be solidified. I am optimistic that as we begin to play more innings we will also find our rhythm and confidence. We have a lot of baseball to play this season and I am anxious to get right in the middle of it.

We have a very difficult challenge tonight as the University of Tennessee comes to town. They are extremely talented and they are playing very well. Some of their numbers are “mind boggling”. It is a big game for our fans and our community. It should be a great atmosphere at Cardinal Park. I know our players will be excited to play. This game will be a good measuring stick to see how we stack up against one of the top teams in the country. Although this is a midweek game versus a SEC opponent, our series this weekend at UNCG looms very large and has my attention. They are also playing very well and we will see one of the top pitchers in the country on Friday night. Like I said before, nothing is easy. We are going to have to go out there and earn it.

Tilo, my oldest son just turned six years old. He is in the midst of his kindergarten spring break and because his school goes all year around, his break has been for three weeks. I have had him with me a lot during this time and it has been a blast. He has gone with me on the road recruiting, come to the office, come to practice and hung out a lot in our clubhouse. He loves being around our players. Last night we were driving home from the stadium after tarp duty and he said, “Dad I love the Bucs, and I love coming to the ball park.” I smiled and told him that was nice of him to say. Later that evening when I went to tuck him in for the night I noticed he had his glove on. I asked him to take it off and place it on the floor beside his bed and told him it would be there for him in the morning. He pulled his glove down even tighter on his hand and tucked it close to his chest. He said, “Dad, if I sleep with my glove, I think it will help the Bucs catch the ball tomorrow.” I smiled, kissed him good night and as I left the room I thought to myself, maybe I should go get him his bat. Until next time...

Coach Skole