2006 Spring Season Baseball Notes
It is good to get back into posting my thoughts to the
website. It has been a busy summer at
the Colucci household. My wife Jeannie gave birth to Ryan Daniel Colucci on June 11th. Things have been going well and Ryan is
getting bigger by the day.
This summer I took some time off to be with my family but
the summer league, camps, and alumni game went on. The summer team struggled a bit early but put
things together for the final few weeks of the season. We finished just above .500 but really shined
in the IHSBCA summer tournament in the Prospect Sectional. LP defeated Huntley, #4 ranked Elk Grove,
Larkin, #1 ranked Prospect, and finally fell to the #3 rank
The alumni game this year was a tremendous success. Over 20 alumni showed up with many players
from the 70’s through the 2006 team. The
current LP team took an impressive lead 11-1 but the alumni didn’t
back down. The alumni made it a game,
but fell
I hope that my loyal readers are happy that I am back. More to come.
Last night the annual awards ceremony was
held in the west campus cafeteria.
It was a special night for me as a coach because I am able to say in
public all of the nice things I have felt about our players. As the year goes on and a team and individuals
each go through their hot and cold streaks, it is easy to look at the coaches
and assign blame. I have to admit that
this season was difficult on so many different levels, but what made it special
were the players and the parents. I
would like to thank the parents again for being so great. I am sure there were
times that you wanted to voice your opinions and or talk to me about playing
time but you didn’t.
It is important that as parents you begin to allow your sons the
opportunity to speak for themselves.
I have to say that the night was also special for me because
KJ gave me a hug. If you know KJ, he isn’t much for personal contact. KJ has been here with me
since the beginning eight years ago and without a doubt, this program isn’t what it is without him. He is a very special person and a wonderful
coach.
One thing I was disappointed in was the turn out for the
freshmen teams. I think I counted about
17 of the players in attendance. I hope
that the players that did attend realized how the coaches respect the game of
baseball and what it can teach them throughout their high school years.
In closing, I again would like to thank everyone for a
beautiful evening. I will truly miss the
seniors and their parents. You are
always welcome to come back at any time.
Now for the underclassmen, this is when we start heating it
up for next year. We will begin our
tryouts next Monday at
It has been a very trying last few days, and I am sorry I haven’t updated this site since our last game. If you don’t know by
now, the Lancers were defeated in regional play by
There were three KJ Hustle Plays of the Day. Derek Klinetobe had
a great hustle play as he tried to stretch a single into a double. He was thrown out
but took a chance. Mark Stoeven hustled out a routine ground ball to the second
baseman and made it close and Anthony Carioscia’s
never ending battle with the balls in the dirt took the third award. Great work guys.
The Lancers ended the season with a record of 18-18, which
is not where anyone wanted to be at the beginning of the season. The year was up and down on the field and for
me off the field as well. One thing I
would like to say about this team is that they were made up
of great kids. This is the reason I
coach. I coach to allow me the
opportunity to enrich the lives of my players. My job is to teach them about
respect, perseverance, dedication, and hard work. Along the way, it is always nice to win
baseball games, but in the end, it really is about the relationships and the
lessons learned. When a team works hard and dedicates themselves to truly being
the best that they can be, wins will come.
I have learned many lessons of courage and perseverance this year as I
watched my father battle and eventually lose his battle with cancer. My father wasn’t the
type of person that would give anything less than his best. He had a phrase that I use, “If you don’t
have time to do it right, when can you do it
again?” He was a strong man. He was full of life. He worked his butt off for his family. He had a tremendous work ethic. He wasn’t afraid of
getting dirty at work and then putting in hours after work helping others. He was a man’s man. He was tough until the end. That end came
this past Friday. To let everyone know
how he affected my life in short he was my hero. He along with my mother helped shape me into
the person that I am today. All he
wanted was for his children to have a better life than he had, and he
accomplished his goal. So it is with a heavy heart I say goodbye to the man that
enabled me to have the opportunity to write these words you are reading today.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
12 |
2 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
X |
10 |
11 |
1 |
LP: Warn
2B: Gedrimas, Klinetobe
HR: Stoeven
RBI: Stoeven (3), Lange, Wold
SB: Sawicki, Gedrimas
The Lancer Seniors decided that they were not going out
without a fight. Yesterday LP played Glenbard North in the opening round of the IHSA Baseball
tournament. Glenbard
North was fired up early and scored single runs in the
first third and fourth and lead 3-1 going into the bottom of the fourth. The Lancers scored in the
second inning after a lead off double by Pete Gedrimas,
a bunt by Jon Busse, and a ground out by Derek Klinetobe. We
scored another single run in the fourth after Phil Wold
lead off with a single and eventually scored on a balk. The Lancers loaded the bases with one out
in the fifth but were unable to score.
Dan Haas pitched a great game for the Lancers. Dan was able to keep us
in the game. In the seventh inning the Lancers were starring at elimination with one out
and no one on. Derek Klinetobe
then coaxed a walk, Kevin Lange then ripped a triple to center field which tied the game.
GBN then intentionally walked Andy Sawicki and
Phil Wold to set up the play of the day. Mark Stoeven
stepped to the plate and lofted a shallow fly ball which
fell between the center and left fielder.
Since the fielders were playing up, there was going to be a play at the
plate. The ball beat Kevin Lange by a good ten feet, but Kevin made an
incredible slide to avoid the tag.
However, Kevin also missed home plate.
Realizing this, Kevin crawled back to the plate and beat the catcher to
score the winning run in dramatic fashion.
This game yet again proved how much we can
accomplish when we work together toward a common goal and never give up.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day without a doubt went to Kevin
Lange for his incredibly athletic slide to win the game.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
GBN |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
WP: Haas
2B: Gedrimas
3B: Lange
RBI: Lange, Klinetobe, Stoeven
SB: Klinetobe, Lange, Sawicki
Overall Record: 18-17
Senior Day was last Thursday against Larkin. Dan Haas was on the mound and the line up was
almost entirely senior based. Andy Sawicki was the only junior in the line up. The Lancers
played excellent baseball on this day. The seniors played with enthusiasm, we
hit, played good defense, and had great pitching. This was the first time
that we have put on a Senior Day since I started coaching at
The highlight of the day for me was that Joe Giesel was able
to get an at bat in the first inning.
Joe tried to lay down a two-strike bunt. Joe’s bunt attempt was caught by the third basemen.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Anthony Carioscia for making his way to third base after his
double. Anthony didn’t
hesitate as the throw came home. Good
hustle Anthony.
I would like to be able to come back to school after the
weekend and tell you all how great the weekend was and how awesome our Senior Day
was. In fact, I am only able to write
about the Saturday DH against
Saturday against
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day for the first game went to
Andy Sawicki as he covered first base on a
Game 1
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
WV |
6 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
15 |
0 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
LP: Lies
2B: Sawicki
SB: Greenberger
Game 2
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
WV |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
|
LP |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
X |
10 |
13 |
7 |
WP: Warn
2B: Gedrimas
RBI: Sawicki, Wold (2), Lies, Busse (2), Keally (2)
Overall Record: 17-17
Conference: 14-11
The Lancers have been playing the kind of baseball lately
that I knew they could. In the past
three games, we have pitched very well with three complete games and five runs
given up of which all were earned. It is good to see us making other teams earn
their runs and their opportunities. On
Tuesday, Vic Lies pitched a complete game but the Lancers fell to Larkin 2-0. It was a very good game, one in which we just
got beat. The Lancers had some opportunities
to score but just didn’t get the big hit when we
needed it. I have to give Larkin’s
pitcher a lot of credit for throwing a great game. Phil Mena won the
KJ Hustle Play of the Day beating out an infield hit.
In yesterday’s game Kevin Lange threw
a complete game gem winning the game for the Lancers 5-2. The weather wasn’t
great with wind, rain, and cold, but Kevin kept his focus and had all of his
pitches working. The Lancers scored
single runs in first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Andy Sawicki on the
day was two for three with three runs scored.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Bernie Warn. Bernie hustled all the way from left field
the cover third base on a bunt.
Tuesday’s Game
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
Larkin |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
X |
2 |
6 |
0 |
LP: Lies
SB: Klinetobe, Lange
Wednesday’s Game
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
2 |
|
Larkin |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
WP: Lange
2B: Sawicki
RBI: Wold, Mena
SB: Sawicki (2), Warn, Klinetobe,
Greenberger
Overall Record: 15-16
Conference Record: 12-10
The weather finally cooperated yesterday. The Lancers face
UEC rival
The Lancers scored two runs in the third inning to take the
lead for good. We added an insurance run
in the top of the 6th after Phil Mena
opened the inning with a double and was driven in by
Pete Gedrimas.
On the day Mena was 2
for 4 with two doubles.
Tomorrow the Lancers will bring back Senior Day for the
first time in many years. It looks to be
a good day weather wise and it will be a nice way to
show our seniors and their dedicated parents how much we appreciate them. This year’s awards presentations will take
place on May 30th at
Summer tryouts for varsity and freshmen will take place
during the week of finals 6/1 through 6/3.
These tryouts are for any outgoing freshmen whether they made the spring
team or not as well as any outgoing sophomores and juniors. This is not for incoming
freshmen. Our summer league plays games
Monday through Thursday. The varsity
will keep anywhere from 22-26 players and the freshmen team will keep anywhere
from 18-22 players. Tryouts are closed to parents.
I would also like to inform my loyal readers of an
opportunity to donate to a very worthy cause.
The cause is called “Strike Out Cancer”. It has been started by Phil
Lawler assistant varsity coach from
Strike Out Cancer
The Illinois High School
Baseball Coaches Association has been one of the more active coaches
associations in the nation. A big week-end is when
they host their annual coach's clinic drawing over 600 coaches each year,
highlighted in the evening with the prestigious Hall of Fame Banquet. But most the organization's efforts are done to help support
the kids. The IHSBCA organizes the high school summer league, help sponsor and
support the Harvey Foster showcase camps, which helps young players get recruited to college. The organization produces a summer
prospect list to help players get noticed. Most recently the IHSBCA organized an annual scholarship to
assist some players going on to play at the college level. The IHSBCA is taking
on one new project we hope every school in the state participates.
The IHSBCA is going to support a campaign that started at Naperville Central HS
called Strike out Cancer. Cancer has touched the lives of many people including
close members of our baseball families. You first think of Jack Kaiser from
With the average roster of 20 players or more and then include the sophomore
and freshman team, there is probably not a team in the state that has not
recently been effected by cancer be that a coach, player, parent, or sibling.
Coach this is a very busy time for you, so you might want to pass the project
on to someone that has been touched. The donations can be
made by just the coach, include the team, or the entire baseball family.
Every little bit of support will add up state wide
campaign.
Because the IHSBCA association is focused on the kids,
all money raised will go to sending children with cancer to camp in the summer.
For one week we can pinch hit for the cancer and substitute with a week of joy
for children stricken with this terrible disease
All check can be made out to the American Cancer society
All funds can be sent to: Diane Bates (NCHS Varsity team “Mom”)
886 Appomattox Circle
Naperville, IL 60540
Here is yesterday’s box score.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
|
WV |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
WP: Warn
2B: Mena (2)
RBI: Gedrimas
SB: Wold, Sawicki, Gedrimas. Klinetobe
Overall Record: 14-15
Conference Record: 11-8
The Lancers struggles continued yesterday during the first
three innings of the game. However, Vic
Lies kept
I have to say that I am proud of the way our guys fought back and put themselves in a position to win the
game. They showed some character. From someone outside of our program to look
at the wins and losses they would think that we are not a very good team. However, I believe that we can still do some
great things. If we can play fundamental
defense we can beat anyone. So far this
season we have been pretty good at beating
ourselves. This can change and I believe
that it will. We have a great group of
players on this team. I have enjoyed
coaching every one of them.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Mark Stoeven for hustling into second base on a wild pitch after
a walk. This put Mark into scoring
position with two outs.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Bart |
2 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
2 |
|
LP |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
8 |
3 |
LP: Lange
2B: Carioscia
HR: Mena
RBI: Mena (2), Carioscia (3), Lange
SB: Lange, Stoeven, Gedrimas
Overall Record: 13-15
Conference: 10-9
Saturday Lp
played UEC rival and possible regional opponent Bartlett. In game one LP sent
Dan Haas to the mound. The Lancers had
plenty of opportunities to score runs in this game. We left five men on base
with no runs in the first two innings.
The game was tied at four going into the bottom
of the fifth when
In game two the Lancers charged out
to a five run lead. In the first inning we scored two runs on two pitches. Kevin Lange led off the inning with a first
pitch single, followed by a slash HR by Anthony Carioscia
on the next pitch. However, the lead didn’t last long as
We play
Game 1
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
4 |
|
Bart |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
X |
10 |
11 |
0 |
LP: Haas
3B: Stoeven
SB: Sawicki, Lange
RBI: Stoeven (2), Lange, Sawicki
Game 2
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
10 |
7 |
6 |
|
Bart |
0 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
X |
13 |
10 |
0 |
LP: Busse
2B: Carioscia, Stoeven
HR: Carioscia, Gerts
RBI: Carioscia (3), Lange (2), Sawicki,
Stoeven, Gerts, Keally
SB: Gerts, Gedrimas
Overall Record: 13-14
Conference: 10-8
Yesterday the Lancers completed the sweep against
The KJ
Hustle Play of the Day went to Bernie Warn for getting down an
0-2 bunt to move Kevin Lange into scoring position. Kevin later scored the insurance run.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
|
EA |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
8 |
1 |
WP: Warn
HR: Lange, Sawicki
RBI: Lange (2), Sawicki (3)
Overall Record: 13-12
Conference: 10-6
The Lancers evened up their record at 12 and 12 with a 7-2
win over
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Mike Knorowski. Not often does a right fielder come into play and get a put out
on a run down but that is exactly what happened. Anthony Carioscia
picked a runner off of first, Mark Stoeven threw the
ball to Derek Klinetobe, who threw the ball to John Scarpelli, who then (I think) threw the ball to Andy Sawicki, who threw the ball to Mike Knorowski
covering first all the way from right to make the put out.
Wow. So if you are
scoring at home the put out goes 2-3-4-1-6-9.
But we all know if you’re scoring at home…
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
12 |
0 |
|
EA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
WP: Lange
2B Stoeven, Wold
HR: Mena
RBI: Mena (5), Stoeven, Wold
Overall Record: 12-12
Conference: 9-6
Yesterday the Lancers matched up with UEC opponent
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Bernie Warn for his
hustle around third base on a ground ball to the shortstop with two outs. Bernie scored when the throw pulled the first
baseman off the base.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
|
EA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
LP |
5 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
X |
11 |
12 |
0 |
WP: Lies
2B: Klinetobe, Sawicki
RBI: Gedrimas, Wold (2), Stoeven, Mena (2), Busse, Knorowski
SB: Gedrimas (2)
Overall Record: 11-12
Conference: 8-6
After talking with KJ about the KJ Hustle Play of the Day
winner for Saturday he informed me of the following
two plays that qualified.
Game one: Anthony Carioscia tirelessly blocking balls in the dirt during a
blow out game.
Game two: Bernie Warn’s aggressive base running. Bernie took third base on a ball in the dirt
putting him in a position to score.
Congrats on your effort in this game guys.
To be perfectly honest with my readers I have to admit that Neuqua Valley was a very good team and during our three
game series with them, the Lancers were not.
The big inning hurt us all series and did again on Saturday. In game one the
Wildcats jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning on five unearned runs. Neuqua also
scored four more unearned runs in the 4th
to put the game away. In game one the Lancers committed seven errors. Neuqua was a very
aggressive team at the plate, had solid pitching, and played fundamental
defense. In short, they made things
happen on offense and didn’t beat themselves with
their pitching and defense.
In game two the Lancers found some
spark coming out with four runs in the first inning. We had four hits, the big hit being a two out
two-run single by Bernie Warn. However, Neuqua struck back with eleven runs in the 3rd
inning on eight hits, one being a grand slam (the second of the day), two hit
batters, and two errors. To be
competitive we need to be able to stop the bleeding during these innings. I was glad to see that we never gave up and
even being down 11-4 we got back into the game with four more runs in the
bottom of the third to make the score 11-8.
The big hit during the 3rd was a two
run triple by Derek Klinetobe. This was as close as we would get, as we couldn’t really stop the Wildcats. We wound up with a loss at 14-11. The notable hitters of the day for the
Lancers were Mark Stoeven 3 for 5 with 3 doubles 2
RBI’s and a HBP, Phil Wold 3 for 4 with a double,
Anthony Carioscia was 3 for 6 with 2 doubles, and
Matt Keally was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a HBP.
The loss dropped the Lancers to a record of 10 and 12. This is the latest in the season that LP has
been under .500 since 1999. I am confident
that we can get things going towards the end of the season. We need to play better baseball, we expect
our players to work hard to improve, we can still turn this into a successful
season, we will never give up.
I have yet to consult with KJ on his hustle play of the
day. I will get that later.
Here are the box scores.
Game 1
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
|
NV |
6 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
12 |
10 |
0 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
LP: Haas (2-5)
RBI: McKeon
Game 2
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
NV |
0 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
12 |
3 |
|
LP |
4 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
13 |
3 |
LP: Knorowski (1-2)
2B: Stoeven (3), Carioscia (2), Wold,
3B; Klinetobe
RBI: Warn (3), Busse (1), Klinetobe (2), Stoeven (2)
SB: McKeon, Warn
Overall Record: 10-12
Conference: 7-6
I guess I can use the same beginning sentence in my notes
today. What a difference a day
makes. However, this time it is not for
the good. Yesterday the Lancers took on
UEC leading Neuqua Valley away. This is the game that we
have been waiting for since we are right in the thick of things in the UEC. We came out swinging in the first inning with
a couple of shots that found Neuqua’s gloves. Bernie Warn pitched out of a minor jam in the
first inning and also worked his way out of a bases
loaded situation in the second inning.
The 3rd and 4th innings proved that the Wildcats
had things going for them on this day.
They plated three runs in the 3rd on
four hits a sac fly and a suicide bunt.
The Lancers didn’t quite play they best “D” in
this inning although we committed no errors.
We failed to field our position, throw to the right base, or be at the
right place. The 4th inning
proved to be the killer however. NV sent
16 men to the plate, 7 hits, 2 errors, 4 walks, a wild pitch, a balk, and a
partridge in a pear tree dashed any comeback hopes for the Lancers. It was just one of those days for LP. We will play the same team on Saturday. I am still convinced that we can get our team
playing more consistent baseball and can rattle off a
bunch of wins in the final 14 games to contend.
It is going to take some hard work and effort, but anything in life that
is worthwhile is worth working for. I
have a few questions and comments for the players that faithfully read my
notes:
1.
Are you satisfied with your personal season so far? If the answer is yes then I want you to push
yourself to be even better, if the answer is no, what are you doing to change
it?
2.
Do you really believe in this team and its ability to win
the big game?
3.
Are we satisfied with being a .500 team?
4.
What can the coaches do to better prepare our team?
5.
Are we ready to step up and play with a sense of
urgency? Seniors you will never get
another chance at this. You have an
opportunity to leave your mark here.
6.
When will we as a team realize that when you are afraid to
make mistakes you play tentative and make mistakes? Play this game with
intensity and a desire to win. Do not
think about making mistakes. When you
play aggressively and get after it, good things will happen.
Yesterday unfortunately we did not have a KJ Hustle Play of
the Day. Hopefully
we will have two on Saturday.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
NV |
0 |
0 |
3 |
10 |
X |
13 |
13 |
0 |
LP: Warn (2-1)
SB: Greenberger
Overall Record: 10-10
Conference: 7-4
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday the Lancers overcame a few things
to beat
Had trust in Andy and Andy didn’t
disappoint. Dan Haas held
This win had some historic value since it was the 150th
win for KJ and me. I don’t
coach to put up numbers for myself, but I have to admit it is nice to reach
this number. Congrats KJ it could never have happened
without you.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Dan McKeon when on a
deep ball to center he rounded second base in anticipation of the ball
dropping. When the ball was caught Dan
had to hit the inside corner of second on his way back to first. Great base running Dan!
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
R |
H |
E |
|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
|
LP |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
9 |
7 |
WP: Scarpelli (2-0)
2B: Klinetobe
SB: McKeon, Warn
Overall Record: 10-9
Conference: 7-3
I want to go on record as saying the following: Championship teams take advantages of opportunities
and don’t give other teams many opportunities. Yesterday the Lancer squad faced
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Anthony Carioscia. Anthony
fouled off numerous pitches with two strikes and really made the pitcher
work. Anthony eventually finished up his great at bat with a line drive single to center. Great hitting approach
Anthony!
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
2 |
|
|
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
X |
7 |
6 |
0 |
LP: Busse (1-2)
2B: Greenberger
HR: Stoeven
RBI: Stoeven (2), Greenberger, Warn
Overall Record: 9-9
Conference: 6-3
Over the weekend the Lancers split
their games with
On Saturday the Lancers matched up
with Sectional opponent
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Mark Stoeven. Mark ran
out 100% a routine groundball back to the pitcher. This is the type of hustle
we need to see from everyone on every play.
Here are the box scores
Friday
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
STCE |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
2 |
|
LP |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
4 |
LP: Haas (2-4)
2B: Sawicki
HR: Sawicki
RBI: Sawicki (2)
SB: Lange
Saturday
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
BG |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
2 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
10 |
1 |
WP: Warn (2-0)
2B: Carioscia, Gedrimas
3B: Greenberger
HR: Carioscia
RBI: Carioscia (2), Mena
SB: Greenberger,
Lange
Overall Record: 9-8
Conference: 6-2
Yesterday’s game at
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
10 |
4 |
|
STCE |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
3 |
WP: Jon Busse (1-1)
2B: Carioscia, Stoeven, Warn
HR: Stoeven
RBI: Warn (3), Stoeven (1), Gedrimas (1)
SB: Warn (2), Keally, McKeon (2)
Overall Record: 8-7
Conference: 6-1
It took a while to get here but we have finally got back to
even. Our current record is 7 wins and 7 losses. The
Lancers played great baseball yesterday against DeKalb
as we swept the Barbs 11-0 in 5 innings.
Bernie Warn threw a complete game shutout and the Lancer bats provided
some thunder in the UEC victory. The
Lancers put up 5 runs in the second inning and never
looked back. Anthony Carioscia
and Mark Stoeven hit homeruns. Matt Keally and
Kevin Lange drove in two runs apiece, while Phil Mena
lumbered around the bases three times.
The Lancers next challenge is rival
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day goes to Kevin Lange. Kevin had two hustle base
running plays. The first play
occurred when he took third on a ball in the dirt that resulted in a bad throw
by the catcher and a run. The second play happened when he hit a ball to left
and hustled in for a double.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Dekalb |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
|
LP |
0 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
X |
11 |
9 |
0 |
WP: Warn
2B: Wold, Lange
HR: Cariscia, Stoeven
RBI: Carioscia (2), Keally (2), Stoeven (2), Wold, Lange (2)
Overall Record: 7
– 7
Conference: 5
– 1
It has been a few days since my last posting so I have a lot
of information to share with my loyal readers.
First of all the Lancers have gone 3-0 since I last wrote giving us an
overall record of 6-7 and a conference record of 4-1.
I will give a brief recap of every game and will include the
box scores for all three at the end. On
Thursday, we played
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Bernie Warn for his
great back up hustle of third base on a diving play by Vic Lies. Bernie put himself in a great position for a
potential throw to third.
On Friday the Lancers won a great
game in 9 innings 6-5 to sweep the
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Mark Stoevn for his heads up base running play in the third that
allowed him to score on Dan McKeon’s single in the second inning.
On Monday the Lancers took the long
trip to DeKalb for the last time in the UEC. With the game scoreless going into the 4th LP put two runs on the board without the
benefit of a hit. A
error, walk, sacrifice, infield ground out, and steal gave LP all the runs they
would need. Dan Haas threw 4 solid innings for the win.
Dan struck out 7 and walked three. Kevin Lange threw two scoreless innings and
John Scarpelli finished things up
in the 7th. Bernie Warn drove
in two runs and Anthony Carioscia and Andy Sawicki each had two hits apiece.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Joe Giesel who
consistently yelled “Bunt!” from the bench when any DeKalb
player showed bunt. Joe has demonstrated
tremendous amounts of team spirit this year.
Here are the box scores.
Thursday
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
11 |
1 |
|
STR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
WP: Haas
2B: Carioscia, Busse, Sawicki, Mena, Bakerdjis
RBI: Busse (2), Mena, Stoeven (2), Warn, Gedrimas
SB: Klinetobe, Stoeven, Warn (2),
McKeon
Friday
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
|
STR |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
9 |
4 |
|
LP |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
11 |
5 |
WP: Scarpelli
2B: Carioscia (2), Sawicki,
Greenberger (2)
RBI: Sawicki (2), McKeon, Gedrimas (2)
SB: Klinetobe, Bakerdjis, Lange,
McKeon
Monday
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
1 |
|
DeKalb |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
WP: Haas
2B: Sawicki
RBI: Sawicki, Greenberger, Warn (2), McKeon
SB: Sawicki, Stoeven, Greenberger
(2), Gerts, Gedrimas (2)
Overall Record: 6-7 Conference: 4-1
In game two of the conference series against
Yesterday’s KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Anthony Carioscia. Anthony
has displayed great work habits behind the plate blocking everything that comes
his way. His successful attempt at
blocking a bases loaded ball four won him the award. Keep working hard #27!
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
|
STCN |
3 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
13 |
11 |
1 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
LP: Lange (1-1)
Overall Record: 3-7
Conference: 1-1
The conference season began yesterday at
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Pete Gedrimas on his ground out to the second baseman. Pete had a great at bat and ran 100% through
the base at first. Pete is our only
repeat winner of this award so far this year.
He has won three through nine games.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
7 |
3 |
|
STCN |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
7 |
1 |
WP: Knorowski 1-1
2B: Carioscia, Sawicki
RBI: Warn (1), Lange
(1), Sawicki (2), Stoeven
(3), Gedrimas (2)
SB: Klinetobe (1), McKeon (1)
Overall Record: 3-6
Conference: 1-0
The Lancers played in the 2006 Flyer’s Classic last Friday
and Saturday. The weather was not great
for anything on Friday let alone baseball.
However, the Lancers game vs.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to Pete Gedrimas for his never-ending efforts to back up first base
on numerous ground balls. He put himself
in a great position in case of an overthrow.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
|
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
LP: Haas (0-3)
SB: Stoeven and Sawicki
On Saturday, the Lancers faced another very difficult
opponent in
One of the bright spots of the weekend was that Lancer Phil Mena was voted the “Larry Tanaka Memorial Sportsmanship
Award”. Congrats Phil!
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day for Saturday went to Mike Knorowski for his 100% sprint to first base on a routine
ground out to the SS.
So far in this young season the Lancers have been struggling
to be consistent in virtually all aspects of the game. I believe that this adversity should make us
a better team in conference and in the post-season. We have played some very good competition the
past two weeks. I feel confident that we
will put things together. We have some
talented young men on this team that need to keep their confidence and just go
out and play with enthusiasm. Our second
season starts today with a conference game at
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
|
NC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
X |
5 |
4 |
0 |
LP: Lies
(1-1)
Overall Record:
(2-6)
The phrase of the day for yesterday’s game vs. Conant would be “Missed opportunities”. The Lancers lost 6-3 yesterday. The Lancers left 11 men on base in the game,
7 of them in scoring position. We had 8 hits and 8 walks yet could only muster up single runs in
the 4th through 6th innings on a bunt and 2 walks. We had our opportunities but couldn’t capitalize. The bottom line is that we have to be
able to take advantages of opportunities that are presented
to us. Mike Knorowski
started on the mound and kept us close through 5+ innings. Andy Sawicki had 2 hits and an RBI.
The Lancers will play
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day goes to Phil Mena for taking second base on a ball in the dirt. It would have been easy for him to stay at
first but did a good job reading the ball and getting himself
into scoring position.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Conant |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
3 |
LP: Mike Knorowski (0-1)
RBI: Sawicki (1), Stoeven (1), Warn
(1)
SB: Warn (1)
Overall Record: 2-4
Over the weekend, the Lancers played Glenbard
East. We were playing our 6th and 7th game in four days and we
knew that our pitching was going to be a little thin. In game one Dan Haas
threw on short rest and threw well. The
Lancer offense struggled a bit with men in scoring position and LP lost the
first game 4-1. In the second game Mike Gerts threw two innings,
followed by Jon Busse’s two, and Kevin Lange’s
two. The trio gave up 10 runs but only 6 were earned. Walks
and missed opportunities on offense doomed the Lancers and we lost 10-5. The highlight of the game was an inside the
park homerun by new Lancer Mike Bakerdjis.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day winner went to Phil Wold who took second base on an outfield error in the
second game. His hustle, not his speed
got him to second safely.
Here are the box scores.
Game 1
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
|
GE |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
X |
4 |
11 |
1 |
LP: Dan Haas (0-2)
RBI: Sawicki (1)
Game 2
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
9 |
2 |
|
GE |
0 |
4 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
X |
10 |
9 |
1 |
LP: Busse (0-1)
2B; Carioscia (2)
3B: Busse (1)
HR: Bakerdjis
RBI: Bakerdjis (3), Lange (1), Busse
(1)
Overall Record:
2-3
Yesterday the Lancers took on their close rival Glenbard North.
After scoring 22 runs in the previous game it
took the lancers 5 innings to get something going against GBN. In the 5th
down 1-0 Andy Sawicki walked to lead off and was
bunted over by Zach Greenberger. Zach
beat out the sacrifice. Pete Gedrimas walked to load the bases then Mike Gerts scored the tying run on a swinging bunt single. With one out Anthony Carioscia
muscled a single into right and with two outs and the bases loaded Phil Mena came through with another Lancer grand slam. The game was
far from over however when we allowed GBN a few opportunities in the 7th. Jon Busse kept his cool and closed the door. The Lancers won 6-2.
The KJ Hustle Play of the Day goes to Jon Busse. Jon beat out
a ground ball to the pitcher. Jon went
1005 and when the pitcher bobbled the ball for a moment, Jon beat the
play. Good going Jon.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
GBN |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
X |
6 |
6 |
2 |
WP: Lies (1-0)
2B: Sawicki
HR: Mena (GS)
RBI: Gerts (1), Carioscia (1), Mena (4)
SB: Busse (1)
Overall Record: (2-1)
It is rare that I get the opportunity to update the site twice
in one day but if I let it go unttil tomorrow, I
might forget some details. Today’s game
against the
The “KJ Hustle Play of the Day” was in the 7th
inning when Mike Bakerdjis scored from second base on
an infield single to the shortstop. Great play Mike. Keep
hustling.
Here is the box score.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
R |
H |
E |
|
LP |
3 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
22 |
21 |
2 |
|
Sch |
4 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
16 |
14 |
4 |
WP: Kevin Lange (1-0)
2B: Lange (2)
HR: Sawicki (1) and Stoeven GS (1)
RBI: Klinetobe (2), Lange (3), Mena
(4), Stoeven (5), Sawicki
(5), Warn (1)
SB: Bakerdjis (1), Greenberger (1)
Notable Hitters:
Andy Sawicki 5 for 6 with a HR
and 5 RBI’s
Mark Stoeven 3 for 6 with a Grand
Slam and 5 RBI’s
Phil Mena 4 for 4 with 4 RBI’s
Kevin Lange 3 for 5 with 2 doubles 4
runs scored and 3 RBI’s
Derek Klinetobe 2 for 3 with 4
runs scored and 2 RBI’s
Overall Record:
1-1
Yesterday was the Lancer’s Opening Day. No, it wasn’t on the
schedule, and no it wasn’t even supposed to be a home game. But we finally
played yesterday against Glenbard West. This was a last minute addition to the
schedule. We have been experiencing some
less than ideal weather, which has caused us to delay the start of our
season. I made a couple of phone calls
on Tuesday and scheduled GBW for Wednesday.
The day started out with the Lancers driving down to Glenbard
for an
I would also like to introduce a new award that will be given out during every game. The KJ Hustle Play of the Day goes to Pete Gedrimas for his all out dive in RF for a ball over his
head. Pete made the play but more
importantly, this play was made with LP down 5-1. It would have been easy for him to let the
ball drop.
Here is the box score from yesterday.
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
GBW |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
9 |
10 |
0 |
|
LP |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
LP: Haas (0-1)
2B: Warn, Gedrimas
HR: Carioscia
RBI: Warn 1, Sawicki 1, Carioscia 3
SB: Klinetobe 1
Overall Record: 0-1
Last night before I went to bed I
saw a few harmless looking flurries falling to the ground. I didn’t at all feel
that it would be anything to worry about.
Boy was I wrong. We have already
cancelled tomorrow’s game vs.
On another note, I wanted to address an issue. The issue is about the concept of TEAM. It is important that the players understand
that the team and it’s success should be put before
the individual. When the team succeeds,
individual accolades follow. When a
player does something special or outstanding they may receive some attention
outside of our program like a mention in the paper or player of the week
honors. These moments are nice but I
want our players to focus their attention on doing everything in their power to
help LP have a successful year. I would rather have a team of 19 players that
want to do something special together for the team than to have 19 players that
only strive for individual accomplishments and accolades. When someone does something special, believe
me I will make sure they get the attention they
deserve. However, I am not focusing on
individual honors or recognition I am focusing on putting the best team
together to embark on a successful team season.
I hope everyone understands where I am coming from. Check the egos gentlemen
and let’s play some great baseball this year.
I am hoping that we dodged a snow bullet yesterday since the
weathermen were predicting more. The
Lancers are preparing to do battle next week against
One bullet we were unable to dodge however was the baseball pants order bullet. I had to open my big mouth to all of the
players and parents about buying pants through Baseball Express. I failed to mention that I had to place our
pants order well in advance and had already purchased 68 pairs of pants. I only had 32 people order pants
which has left the LP baseball program in a bad financial
situation. Here is my solution. I will offer our pants for $50 to anyone who
has already purchased a pair through LP.
This is actually $11 under our cost.
If you have not bought pants through us the
price will be $61 for the first pair and $50 for every other pair while
supplies last. The pants that I ordered
from Sports Depot are the Wilson Pro Style pants. They are the highest quality baseball pant
that
If anyone is interested in buying additional pants or hats
while supplies last let me know at dcolucci@lphs.org. Hats are $15 for players and $20 for everyone
else. Pants are $61 for the first pair
and then $50 per pair after.
Thanks for your support of the LP baseball program.
DC
This is the first week of practices and even though the
weather hasn’t quite cooperated with us so far the
varsity is getting a lot of things accomplished. The guys are working
hard and having fun. They are shaking
the rust off and appear to be really getting back into the swing of
things. I am very optimistic about this
year (since that’s the kind of guy I am). I am looking forward to getting out onto the
field again to compete against the other schools. Expect that we will play hard and play with
confidence this year. Expect that we
will take chances on the field to force mistakes. Expect us to work hard to accomplish our
individual and more importantly team goals.
The coaching staff will take this practice time as well as
the beginning of the season to determine who our best players are. I have told the guys
that the hard work starts now. It doesn’t end after conditioning, or even tryouts. Hard work shouldn’t
even end at the end of our season. Life
is full of challenges and baseball is just one of them. To be successful in life you must prepare to
meet those challenges. Hopefully after all is said and done and this year is over
the players can look back at the positive experiences that they have had during
the year and during their careers at LP.
I hope they can say that they are better players and better people now than they were when
they started here at LP. The coaching
staff has a never-ending desire to improve the team as well as each player.
The first game is Saturday March 25th
at home vs.
Yesterday the varsity made its first round of cuts. This is never a good time to be a coach. I would like to personally and publicly thank
those guys that didn’t make the varsity team this
year. I felt that each of them gave 100%
and that they are truly great people. I
know that if they go after other goals in life the same way they went after
baseball and our grueling workouts they will be very successful. I want them to know that they can hold their
heads high and not feel bad about not making the team. When you give 100% of yourself you can look back on your experience and be proud
of what you did.
It is hard to believe but the varsity practiced on the
varsity field yesterday! I think the
players were excited to get out there.
We had a much better day yesterday.
In the past couple of days KJ, Coach Sankey,
and I have been able to evaluate much of the talent that is out for the
team. We feel confident that we can
choose a competitive team this year.
However, we will have to make some tough decisions. This is the time of the
year that is hardest for me as a coach.
I am in the unenviable position to have to choose 18 or so players from
a group of 33. Here is my thought
process as we continue with tryouts.
This is a list of things that we look at when choosing our
team. We have tough
decisions to make and anyone who has coached and had to make cuts knows this.
We have to think about what is best for the LP baseball program. We may hurt some feelings, but rest assured
that we are going to do our best and we will treat all of these guys with respect. If
a player doesn’t make the team that doesn’t mean we
don’t like them personally. We just didn’t think he fit with our plans this year. Anyone that knows me personally can attest to
the fact that I care deeply about this program.
I have also surrounded myself with coaches that feel the same way. Also, know that I am not running for any
political office so there will be no politics involved in our cut process.
Make it a great day or not…the choice is yours.
Day one of tryouts went well. I had an opportunity to work with all of the
levels yesterday and was able to see what we have coming up. The future of LP baseball looks bright. We have talent on all three of the
levels. The varsity group got a taste of
the cold weather yesterday, which was interesting. I think the guys had
some early season jitters to work out.
Today should be much better. I
think it is important for players to realize that their status on the team will not be dictated by how they do on one ground ball, or
one throw. We will evaluate players based on what we have seen them do in the
past as well as this week and will make a decision on what they have to offer
our program this year and in the future.
Yesterday I was able to evaluate half the varsity team
hitting. Today I will get a look at the
other half. I hope the weather warms up
a bit so we can get outside the rest of the week.
Congratulations to Coach Steve Sankey
as he was baptized into LP baseball by a pitch to the
shin. I am sure that he will be fine,
but he had one heck of a knot on his shin last night. Coach Sankey will
work with the pitchers in our program this year. I met Coach Sankey
this fall at the NIU baseball alumni game and we got to talking. Coach Sankey will
be a welcome addition to the staff.
Until next time…
With only one weekend between us and
baseball I would like to provide prospective LP baseball players with
some tips for tryouts.
1.
Be prepared to go outside.
Bring warm clothes and a stocking hat. Do not wear jeans or shorts.
2.
Be on time. If the coach says,
3.
Have all of your paperwork in. Physical on file, Lancer
Code, and Emergency Card.
4.
Hustle and listen to the coaches. If you miss a ball don’t hang your head, hustle after it.
5.
Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Be aggressive and show your athleticism. People that are afraid to make mistakes,
usually make them.
6.
Have fun but stay focused.
Keep your concentration.
7.
Don’t take it personal if you don’t make the team.
(Tip provided by senior Dan Haas) Ask
for ways to improve for next year. We
have had players that were cut one year make it the next.
Above all, give it 100%!
Good luck on Monday.
With only a few short days until baseball, I want every one
of my loyal readers to know that I too am excited. I am anxiously watching the weather report to
see if we will be able to get outside next week for tryouts. During tryouts we
will do our best to get a good look at all of the athletes as they try out for
the various teams. If you have coached
before and had to make cuts, you realize how difficult our job is. We want every player and parent to know that
we will do our best to evaluate the talent, work ethic, and grades of all the
incoming athletes and to chose those players that fit
well into our program.
Don’t forget to have your paper work into the office and to
receive a receipt prior to tryouts on Monday.
We will not allow any players without the proper paperwork to tryout
until they have it.
Good luck to everyone.
Relax and go for it!
It has been a productive off-season for most of the
players. I want to let everyone know how
happy I am with the work ethic and dedication I have seen from a very large
percentage of the players. However not
all potential players have given 100%.
If you are reading this and think I am talking to you, then you’re right.
I want our players to be mentally tough. The definition of Mental Toughness is the
ability to hang on to a goal during adversity. People that are mentally
tough recover faster than others in failing experiences. They also recover faster than their game
requires. I want our players to be
mentally tough. Going through four
months of working out and conditioning should help them become not only
physically, but mentally tough.
Baseball starts on February 27th. Make sure that all potential players get the
required paperwork filled out and handed in prior to this date. The paperwork can be found
in the athletic office. No player will be allowed to try out until all of the appropriate paperwork
is in and a receipt is given to the coach.
I also want to reiterate what it takes for
a player to make the LP baseball team.
This was posted last year and still applies
this year.
1.
Baseball Talent and potential
2.
Hustle, work ethic, heart, and
dedication
3.
Coachable
4.
Grades
5. Being a good person in the classroom as well as on and off the field
Happy New Year to all of my faithful and devoted readers. It is time to get the keyboard warmed up and
start coming out of my winter hibernation.
The varsity baseball program has been weight training since November and
we will continue until tryouts. We have
been working out four days per week. The
players really seem to be enjoying this time together.
I do want to address a couple of issues before the year
begins.
It is great to be back and thinking about baseball
again. (Like I ever stopped thinking
about it.)
DC