Cross Roads....

The Petrels have finished their first half of the season with a disappointing 4-17 record. After starting the season 4-0 we have fell on hard times with 17 straight losses...Hard to believe, but on March 16th it will be one month since our last victory. When examining the season thus far there really is not been one thing that sticks out on why we have not been able to break through....but I do know that it is not too late. We can still do some special things.

The team has been given off 4 consecutive days starting today. We need to refresh our bodies and minds and come back with a new sense of vigor and enthusiasm for the game. In one of my favorite movies there is a great line that applies to this exact situation:


"When the job goes wrong, you go back to the beginning." -Inigo Montoya


And that's exactly what we will do...We'll have 4 days of practice to go back to the basics, cover all the little things and be prepared as possible to play Centre College next week. I am the head coach and I take accountability for MY team. It is my job to put the guys in the best possible situations to win ballgames. During the next four days I will re-evaluate everything from the way we stretch to the way we call pitches. We will work not until we get it right, but until we can't get it wrong. I promise you we will be prepared. This team makes it fun to come to the ballpark each and everyday. They refuse to give up and I expect them to come back and get this going in the right direction. We have two Seniors who are staring their final 20+ games right in the face....I know both of them won't go without a fight. The freshmen on this team are no longer freshmen...they have been in the trenches, they have seen all they need to see. Time to relax, play ball and get Stormy on some folks.

With 12 SCAC games left we are by no means out of this thing. The 'real' season has only just begun. Centre College is up next and they are a very good team. Scrappy, hard-nosed and they can hit. If they do have a weakness (and all teams do) it is their pitching depth. It will be a fun weekend of some great baseball.

For all the doubters out there, for all the people who have jumped off the bandwagon....We'll see you in Memphis at the SCAC Playoff.........we'll save you a seat and a hot dog.


Go Petrels!!

Turning Point...

What a draining weekend...physically, mentally and emotionally. Four very tough losses to a good baseball team, 10-7. 8-6. 8-7, 10-9. What I take from this weekend is the coming of age of a program ready to explode on the SCAC. Rhodes came into Atlanta with a 12-2 record, the returning SCAC pitcher of the year, an offensive averaging nearly ten runs a game, and a boat load of momentum. Rhodes is a team that starts juniors all over the field who have played together for nearly 2 1/2 years...they were in our situation two years ago. What they ran into this weekend was an Oglethorpe team that played full throttle every pitch of every game. We played a gritty, hard-nosed style of baseball that is just so much fun to watch. That is what I dream of as a coach. Give me a group of guys with character, attitude and determination...I'll show you a team that is going to win A LOT of ball games over the next four years.

Losing four games in conference is hard to swallow, but there were more positives than negatives this weekend. I'm sure I'll leave out one or two but please feel free to post some of your top moments from the weekend:

Tim Ernst now holds the OU career hits record at 191...congratulations!
Gutsy start by Chris Lucas in Saturday's 2nd game...5 innings of really solid pitching...
Mario Rivera continues to get better...he can win a lot of games for this team...
JJ Rizzo had a clutch HR against Flanagan, wow....
Stephen Archer, all he does is hit and hit and hit some more...
Andrew Llano continued to hit and made some very nice plays in the field, especially the diving play in game one...
Good to see Robert Pavelka get hot with the stick, and to see his blocking skills improve. What about those two caught stealing's in game 4, both on low curveballs!! Teams think they can run against us...keep trying boys.
Ben Giddens is starting to find his stroke...a couple of big hits and a couple of "Atom balls"....
Evan Baker was solid at 2nd base and swung the bat like we know he can...

Really we played good enough to win a couple of those games. Unfortunately we didn't get too many breaks this weekend. I feel bad for the rest of our teams on the schedule...if we play like we did this weekend, and get those breaks to even out....watch out!

The fun doesn't stop...

Tuesday 2pm against Heidelberg
Tuesday 6pm against Franklin and Marshall
Wednesday 3pm against Heidelberg

Both teams are very strong...one day to regroup and rest the bodies and then back to the field.

On a side note:

Most of you know that John Hale was not with us this weekend. His girlfriend was in a terrible car accident and has spent the last four days in the hospital down in Florida. She is doing better and is hopeful to return home soon. Our thoughts are with John, Margo and their families.