One issue I have run into this year is the new emphasis on “Pace of Play.”  Our guys have been denied timeouts at the plate and have been told to stay in the box.  Our pitchers have been warned about pitching quicker.

If the NCAA is concerned about “Pace of Play” why don’t they go to wood bats.

One of our guys was drilled in the head during batting practice and spent a week in the hospital with bleeding and swelling in his brain.  As of now he is doing ok, but has yet to return to school and will be out for who knows how long on the field.

“Pace of Play” is just another point of emphasis for the umpires to worry about.  Umpires shouldn’t have to think about this, they should be concerned with safe/out, strike/ball, fair/foul.  Their jobs are hard enough.  MLB doesn’t come up with rules like this year after year just to come up with something!

I am all of making our game the best possible, but if my guy has a bug fly into his eye and he can’t get time because somebody wants to make the game end 3 minutes early I have a problem with that.  If we really want to cut 30 minutes off a game let’s go to WOOD!!!

We just returned home from playing Liberty University last night.  Bus got in at 11:50pm.  We are now 15 games into the season now we are really getting into the thick of our schedule.  Conference games start this weekend.

Liberty was some tough trip.  The Flames were the whole package in my eyes.  The pitched, they fielded, and they hit.  They weren’t average in any category, they were above average in all.  Lynchburg is going to be a tough place for teams to visit this year.

Now that we have completed the majority of our non-conference southern trips I am confident that our guys will be able to get on a pretty good roll.  Our pitchers have had a rough go of it facing some pretty good hitting teams in Miami, Delaware, West Virginia, and Liberty…. hopefully they will begin to improve.

It doesn’t get too easy for us though, we open with Marist on Saturday, probably one of the top teams in our conference year after year.  To top that we are on the road…  Our guys have gotten good use out of their duffle bags, spending the first 21 games of the year on the road.  Makes us stronger.

LIU tomorrow, Hofstra Wednesday, Marist Saturday/Sunday.  Hoping for a 5 game winning streak!

It has been a long and bad winter for us here in the Northeast.  Fortunately for us we really haven’t lost too many games to the snow, rain, and cold. 

Yesterday our guys spent the day working on the field… we call it our spring cleaning.  The normal raking of leaves that are left over from the fall, fixing of the mound, hanging wind screen, etc.  It definitely isn’t something that our guys look forward to, but I think it makes us tougher.  Our guys take ownership of our field, they get their hands dirty, and they learn to appreciate what they have.  It gives them a sense of pride when they see what they accomplish.  Don’t get me wrong, I HATE doing it!!!  But in the long run it probably does more good for our guys individually and as as team than if our physical plant did it for us.

That is our program.  If you want something you are going to have to go get it yourself.  Our guys learn that nothing will be done for you.  I think its a good life lesson.

At Seton Hall today, my old school…  I hope we play well, it always feels good when you go back to your old school and perform well.

Go Jaspers!

Another year of college baseball has started!  We are coming off of a good weekend where we took one from Miami and played them tough in the first game.  It was good to see especially since the first ground balls our guys took on grass and dirt was our pre-game infield/outfield!  This winter has been tough, but temps are starting to get up near 50 and I think after this week we will be outside full time.  Tonight the Jaspers are headed to Delaware.  Not an easy place to play and looking at some of their numbers I think our pitchers better keep the ball down!

Well so far we have had a pretty solid year, that is the good news, the bad news is that we still have a long way to go!

Our schedule has brought us to various cities across the country and we have competed against some tough copetition.  We recently returned from the University of Vermont and you have to feel for those guys.  It is sad to see how quickly something can just be taken away…  How kids are just told to leave, and how careers and jobs are just ended on the spot.  If you have not been to Centennial Field in Burlington, VT, you are missing out on a great college baseball experience.  Yes it can be cold at times, but you don’t go too many places and see kids playing catch and whiffle ball in the parking lot with their dad.  You don’t see people in the community coming to games on the weekend in too many other places, but at Centennial Field in Burlington, VT you do.  It is a shame that will all come to an end at the end of the season.  To me it would make more sense to cut back in a number of areas instead of just cutting 2 entirely, but who am I and what do I know.

Anyways, as of now we are 21-10, 8-1 in conference.  We have 15 conference games left and if we are able to get 2 of 3 each weekend I think we will put ourselves in a good spot for the playoffs.  The scary thing is that there is still a lot of baseball left to be played.  Our guys have been playing really tough though, and I really believe that they think that they are supposed to and capable of winning every game.  That is a great thing to have!  I hope we can keep it going as we make the turn here.

Leighton