Talked about the historic second inning on Friday afternoon where we scored 12 runs on 13 hits in the second inning. The scouting reports said that their starter was throwing 84-86 and instead he came out in the first inning throwing over 90 and blew us away. Had talked in practice last Thursday about not hitting fly balls and had some practice doing that in the batting cages. Goal is to hit no more than six fly balls per game. It worked on Friday.
The infield at Carbondale is covered most of the time because it can't take much water and in like playing on a pool table...making for errant bounces. That is what has made SIU's defense shakey this season.
During the second inning, Petricka had to warm up twice as the half inning took more than a half hour. Mentally, it's a little tough to have that much of a lead. It wasn't Jakes best outing but was very good, especially in the face of the two best power-hitters in the league, Bullock and Serritelli.
Return of Levi Ferguson was great. He got some key hits in the big second inning on Friday. But in Sunday's game, he strained his back throwing a ball back to the infield becuase of the wet conditions.
We couldn't play the final game Sunday for a few reasons. First, because they couldn't get the game underway until 4:30 or 5:00, we'd run into a darkness issue, as they have no lights. And, the bigger reason is the field doesn't take water well and the mound and infield dirst wouldn't have heald up as the light rain continued for several hours anyway.
Sunday, we were down 11-3 going into our final at-bat in the ninth and scored eight of the nine runs that inning after two were out! Heller said, "I'm really proud of our guys for not giving in or giving up." It is the most amazing comeback that Heller has ever been associated with. He was disappointed they couldn't seal the deal and get the win...losing 13-12 in ten innings. They fought as hard as they could. The bullpen has been "awesome" all year, "its just too bad we couldn't get it done."
The mound was an issue even with dry conditions Friday as Petricka fought the way the mound was sloped...particularly hard on the taller pitchers. The landing area was not graded right. The problem intensified with Sunday's rain.
Tuesday against SIU-Edwardsville, we'll see Jason Van Skike throw about 80 pitches as his game was cancelled Sunday. That will allow him top be ready for next Sunday. Then on Tuesday at Indiana, Blake Drake will get the start and throw several innings.
Talked about the team's mental toughness and the leadership of the seniors on the team. Their leadership is a big reason for our success. We have the number one pitching stff in the league and are near the top in fielding and hitting.
This Friday night is shaping up to be a real pitcher's duel with Petricka facing MSU's Mike Kickham who has really shaped up as the season has progressed. Both pitchers are pro prospects and you can expect 50-60 pro scouts in the crowd Friday night.
MSU's Aaron Meade is coming off an injury and he may be back to full speed as well. This weekend will be the best pitching we've faced this season.
We've had a chance to win every games we've played this season and we've won a lot of close games. The guys have been consistant all season long.
Talked about Ben Ferrell's success after an initial pre-season slump. He has been a key to victory in 5, 6 or 7 games this year. Heller has had other coaches say, "Just love your shortstop." He would like Ferrell to be a volunteer assistant next year as he finishes up his degree.
We made a few more errors this weekend than we're used to. Need to get our consentration back. Since we'll be back on our own field this weekend, we should be OK. Look to finish in the top 20-30 for top defensive teams in D1.
The infield at Carbondale is covered most of the time because it can't take much water and in like playing on a pool table...making for errant bounces. That is what has made SIU's defense shakey this season.
During the second inning, Petricka had to warm up twice as the half inning took more than a half hour. Mentally, it's a little tough to have that much of a lead. It wasn't Jakes best outing but was very good, especially in the face of the two best power-hitters in the league, Bullock and Serritelli.
Return of Levi Ferguson was great. He got some key hits in the big second inning on Friday. But in Sunday's game, he strained his back throwing a ball back to the infield becuase of the wet conditions.
We couldn't play the final game Sunday for a few reasons. First, because they couldn't get the game underway until 4:30 or 5:00, we'd run into a darkness issue, as they have no lights. And, the bigger reason is the field doesn't take water well and the mound and infield dirst wouldn't have heald up as the light rain continued for several hours anyway.
Sunday, we were down 11-3 going into our final at-bat in the ninth and scored eight of the nine runs that inning after two were out! Heller said, "I'm really proud of our guys for not giving in or giving up." It is the most amazing comeback that Heller has ever been associated with. He was disappointed they couldn't seal the deal and get the win...losing 13-12 in ten innings. They fought as hard as they could. The bullpen has been "awesome" all year, "its just too bad we couldn't get it done."
The mound was an issue even with dry conditions Friday as Petricka fought the way the mound was sloped...particularly hard on the taller pitchers. The landing area was not graded right. The problem intensified with Sunday's rain.
Tuesday against SIU-Edwardsville, we'll see Jason Van Skike throw about 80 pitches as his game was cancelled Sunday. That will allow him top be ready for next Sunday. Then on Tuesday at Indiana, Blake Drake will get the start and throw several innings.
Talked about the team's mental toughness and the leadership of the seniors on the team. Their leadership is a big reason for our success. We have the number one pitching stff in the league and are near the top in fielding and hitting.
This Friday night is shaping up to be a real pitcher's duel with Petricka facing MSU's Mike Kickham who has really shaped up as the season has progressed. Both pitchers are pro prospects and you can expect 50-60 pro scouts in the crowd Friday night.
MSU's Aaron Meade is coming off an injury and he may be back to full speed as well. This weekend will be the best pitching we've faced this season.
We've had a chance to win every games we've played this season and we've won a lot of close games. The guys have been consistant all season long.
Talked about Ben Ferrell's success after an initial pre-season slump. He has been a key to victory in 5, 6 or 7 games this year. Heller has had other coaches say, "Just love your shortstop." He would like Ferrell to be a volunteer assistant next year as he finishes up his degree.
We made a few more errors this weekend than we're used to. Need to get our consentration back. Since we'll be back on our own field this weekend, we should be OK. Look to finish in the top 20-30 for top defensive teams in D1.
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