Entry #44 - 03/23/05

March 24, 2005

“Just Enough”

I didn’t get much sleep last night. Yesterday’s loss to Tennessee was a difficult one to swallow. We played well enough offensively to win, but we just couldn’t keep Tennessee from scoring runs. We finally regained some of our aggressiveness offensively, but our pitchers could not keep the ball in the park, and ultimately that was the difference in the game. It was a great atmosphere for college baseball and our kids played hard, we just came up a little short.

After last night’s game I went through and gave our program an entire evaluation. I’m sure Coach Goulet and Coach Mac will be excited when we get back on the winning track because I’m sure they are tired of the three and a half hour staff meetings that we have had after our last two defeats. We have evaluated everything, inside and out to try to find some answers.

It is funny because when you win, you look back at the game and recognize your mistakes you made and point out all the areas where you need improvement, but you move on. When you lose, you do the same thing except it is just more difficult to move on. I expect our club to win every time we take the field. It doesn’t matter who we are playing. So when we win, it doesn’t surprise me. After the game is in the books, I instantly start thinking about the next game. When you lose, it hurts and the pain has a tendency to linger. I don’t know if I can speak for other coaches, but for me, the joy I get from winning doesn’t measure with the disappointment I get from losing. That is probably not a healthy way to approach things but I can honestly say I hate losing more than I love winning. I know one thing; we haven’t had any three and a half hour staff meetings after a win.

The greatest thing about the game of baseball is there is always a next game. Win or lose you still have to go out there and lay it on the line the next game. Only eight days ago we were 11 and 2 and a very confident team. Now we sit at 11 and 6 and we are looking for some answers. During my evaluation I went back and compared our team at 11 and 2 to our team at 11 and 6. I compared all of our team statistics and individual statistics. After this in depth look I was amazed. Our numbers have not changed very much at all. Our team era has gone up slightly, but everything else has basically stayed the same. The individuals who were performing well when we were 11 and 2 are still performing well, while the individuals who were not performing well at 11 and 2 are still struggling. Nothing has really changed, except for the fact that during our 11 victories we have done “just enough” to win. While during our 6 defeats we simply have not done enough to win. When I look at our last five defeats I realize that if we just get one timely hit or just make one more pitch or play, then we win all of those games. It is that simple.

So this evening during our team meeting, that is what I tried to get out players to understand. Even though we have lost some tough games as of late, we are still the same team whose confidence was soaring through the roof less than eight days ago. In baseball there is no such thing as playing a perfect game because outs must be made, but it is obviously our goal to strive for this perfection. We have played games where we have pitched it great and not hit well, or hit it well and not played good defense. But in our eleven wins no matter how we played or which individuals played well, the bottom line is we have done “just enough” to win. Now if we get everything working well on the same day then those will be the days when you can bury your opponent. I like those days. But right now as we as our team and players search for some answers, our goal this weekend will be to do “just enough” to win. UNC Greensboro is a hot team and has a dominant pitching staff. It will be a very difficult series to win on the road, but I’m looking forward to getting on the bus for a great weekend of baseball.

It is now after 10:00pm and I still have to get home and pack for the weekend. I’m not a big fan of packing. Jody, my wife is an unbelievable housekeeper and keeps our house so organized. I definitely don’t help her as much as I should, especially during the season. Tonight, I know when I get home she will have herself and the boys suitcases packed and ready to go because we leave early tomorrow morning. The house will be spotless and everything in order. My plan when I finally get home is to watch the end of some of the late basketball games, do some reading, then do “just enough” laundry to be ready for the weekend.

Until Next Time…

Coach Skole