Babe Ruth once said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
This quote accurately sums up the turbulent beginning of conference play for the Islanders. Although we have struggled for consistency, we’ve shown signs of a team that could be in the hunt for a Southland Conference title.
The gameplan for Ders’ conference opening series with Nichols State was virtually executed to perfection. Playing on the road in Louisiana is never easy, but we managed to take two-of-three from the Colonels and win the series. Pitching was the key to those two wins, as starters Matt Danton and Trevor Belicek were dominate in their appearances. The Nichols hitters were stymied, as we took the first game 7-0 and the second 4-0. We came up just short of a series sweep, failing to hold off a late inning rally by the Colonels on Sunday losing, 3-2. We left Louisiana and headed back home to Texas feeling confident though.
We headed back home to face Southeastern Louisiana, but failed to achieve the success of the week before. The Lions capitalized on seven Islanders fielding errors over a double-header on Friday, and then took advantage of another four errors on Sunday, sweeping the three-game series. The three losses were a serious blow to the rhythm we felt a week before, but even after being swept we were still confident and had no doubt that we would bounce back.
The last weekend of March would be spent in the friendly confines of Chapman Field, as the Islanders hosted the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin. We needed to find the consistent play we displayed earlier in the season, but game one did not go according to our plan. The Ders’ bats only managed to connect for five hits, and the bullpen stumbled, giving up five runs to the Lumberjacks over the last four innings. We fell 7-2 in the opening game. Saturday was a different story though. Senior LHP Trevor Belicek had a stellar outing, going eight complete innings and striking out a career high 13 batters. The Ders took a hard fought game two from SFA by a score of 3-2. Game three on Sunday saw the Ders’ bats come alive for an 8-run explosion in the first inning, but inconsistent pitching allowed the Lumberjacks to chip away at the lead and re-take the momentum over the mid to late innings of the game. The Ders’ ended up dropping the rubber-match by a score of 10-11, and lost their second consecutive weekend conference series.
No one was hitting the panic button, but it was definitely gut-check time at the Dirty Chap. A record of 3-6 in conference play is not where we anticipated being at this point in the season, nor is it an accurate reflection of the teams potential. We decided, as a team, that we were drawing the proverbial line in the sand and that we were going to turn things around. No team can be truly successful until they learn to persevere and overcome hardship. It was time to focus, believe in ourselves and play the kind of baseball that we all know we’re capable of. Things were going to change and they were going to change right now.
On Tuesday, we boarded the bus and headed for Austin, Texas to face the No. 18 ranked Texas Longhorns in a nonconference matchup. The Horns are probably not a team you want to face when you’re looking for a bounce-back game, but the “line in the sand” had already been drawn and UT was up next. It was time to show what we are really made of… and we did.
We recorded a 6-4, 10-inning victory, on the road, against the Longhorns. We were able to take the early lead, and responded to every threat that Texas could muster. Islander pitching was consistent and sharp, as the staff held the Horns to four runs on seven hits. Defensive play was flawless, as no errors were committed and several outstanding plays in the field were made by sophomore second baseman Brett Burner and senior outfielder Jordan Lee. Offensively, timely hitting connected with Texas pitching resulting in nine hits, including a home run by Lee in the 6th inning and multi-hit performances by catcher Lukas Hermanson and Cody Clarke.
The adversity we’ve faced so far this season has made us more mentally tough and taught us that we can overcome any obstacle. We’re looking to prove that again this weekend as we face Southland Conference foe Lamar University in a road series in Beaumont, Texas.
The Babe was right… Every strike does bring you closer to a home run. Beating Texas on the road was definitely a home run. Winning a Southland conference title will be another. The Ders are at bat, we have the green light, much like the Babe, we’ve called our shot, and we’re swinging for the fences!
Jacob Dorris
