Entry #64 - 3/26/07

Once again it is time to catch up. I just can't believe how fast our season is moving along. We are already 26 games into the season. Since day one I've been stressing to our players that the season is a marathon and not a sprint, but when you sit back and take a deep breath, it sure seems to be flying by. As a coach I seem to mark time by each game on our schedule. Once a game is played I sit down with my calendar and I plan out the days, hours and minutes leading up to the next game. Once that game is over, I do it over again and again. This how the season plays itself out. Sometimes you have a game the next day and sometimes you may have a few days in between games. Either way a coach's life and schedule is dictated by the time that passes between games. In the off season it is usually dictated around recruiting events, visits and camps.

Our record currently stands at 18 and 8 and we are 5 and 1 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Even though we have played 26 games (almost to the half way point of our overall schedule) we still have 21 conference games remaining. (Matter of fact 21 of our final 30 games happen to be conference games.) Obviously this means we have many important baseball games to be played. One nice thing about where we are in our schedule is the fact that we play 12 of our next 13 games at home. We usually play well in Johnson City, so hopefully this will be a sign of good things to come.

Thus far I have been pleased with the development of our ball club. We have done a lot of things very well, but we sure have a lot to improve on. This team has been very fun to coach. They have a tremendous amount of character and confidence, which they have parlayed into us currently being ten games over .500. We have a lot of young and new players in the lineup and also a lot of older players becoming comfortable in their leadership roles. The exciting thing for our coaching staff is that we are not even close to playing our best baseball. Not that we have played poorly, but we really have to a ways to go until we put it all together. Obviously, that is the coach in me coming out, always striving to obtain perfection out of our guys. So as we move past the end of March and into April we must continue to improve. If we stay the same we surely won't accomplish our goals, but this group really likes to work and I've always believed good things will happen to those that work hard. So hopefully each day we will continue to improve in small increments.

In our opening game versus The Citadel we did not have one starter who was at a position they played last year. Our lineup consisted of either freshmen or returning players who were now playing a new position. This had me worried because I knew The Citadel would be very solid and I was not sure how we would play in that environment. Combine that with the fact that we had been outside to practice only a handful of times, thus making it difficult for me to sleep very well.

As the series played out, we did not play especially well (winning only 1 of 3) but I was encouraged by many things. Mostly by the fact that our guys did not have a "deer in the headlights" look about them. They competed hard and individually did some good things. After breaking down the weekend our coaching staff was very encouraged and felt like we would instantly improve once our season started to flow.

Since that opening series we have won 17 of 23 and what has amazed me most about this team is how well we have played in close ball games and pressure situations. These kids seem to have ice water in their veins when a big situation arises. Whether it is coming to plate with a runner in scoring position, making a routine play with the tying run on third base, or having to make a big pitch, this group has been unbelievable in what we call "clutch time". The makeup of these kids is something else. The bigger the moment the bigger they play. It is asking an awful lot for such a young team but if we can just execute and be more consistent throughout the entire game, then this team could really get hot.

Offensively our clubs at ETSU have always been a threat. We are a little below of what we've done in the past but ahead in RBI's and hitting with runners in scoring position. The biggest difference thus far for this club has been our pitching and defense. These two areas have been much improved and it has allowed us to have a 14 and 2 record in games decided by two runs or less. Our pitching coach Reid Casey has had a tremendous influence on our pitching staff and assistant coach Clay Greene has been phenomenal with our defense.

So as we continue to progress through our "marathon" of a season we reach a point where the pace picks up a little bit, 13 games in 19 days. I'm not sure how our kids will respond but one thing I am sure is that this team will make it exciting.

Before I sign off I want to send out our prayers and condolences to the Bluffton University baseball team and all the families who were involved in a tragic bus accident in Atlanta about three weeks ago. Our softball team at ETSU was actually playing a tournament in Atlanta that weekend and was able to visit and provide comfort to some of the team members in the hospital. Hearing their descriptions of the accident and their talks with the players and family members really hit close to home. Our thoughts and prayers are with those families and young men, along with the families of the bus drivers, as they get through this very difficult time.

Every week from January to June college baseball teams throughout the country load up buses all over the country and place their trust and lives in the hands of dependable and qualified bus drivers. At ETSU we have always used the Greene Coach Bus Company, run by Mr. Russell Ooten. Russell does a fantastic job and over the years our baseball program has developed great relationships with many of his drivers. As our players watched the news the day after the accident, you could tell they were in disbelief. Accidents are a part of all our lives but this was one seemed hard to believe.

Ever since I became a Head Coach our routine has always been the same the 15 minutes before we board the bus to go on a road trip. The entire team meets in the clubhouse and we go over a checklist of personal gear and team equipment to make sure everything is packed and already loaded on the bus. The last thing I ask our players to do before we leave is to make sure you say thank you to our bus driver every single time we unload the bus. There hasn't been a meeting before a road trip in 11 years when I have not asked this of our players. The reason for requiring our players to do this is because I want our driver to know that we sincerely appreciate his efforts to get us to our destination safely.

From time to time for some reason, some of our kids would forget to say thank you as they unloaded and I would have to remind our players to continue do this. (All my former players, coaches and trainers who read this digest know exactly what I'm talking about.) I think some of them just felt funny saying thank you every time they unloaded the bus. But since the accident occurred in Atlanta our players have not forgotten one time. I don't think any of us will ever take the safety of a bus trip for granted again. We will continue to pray for the families and loved ones of the young men and those of the driver and his wife. Until Next Time...

COACH SKOLE