The Observer, March 30, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 22
Good pitching, defense fuel winning streak for baseball team
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As the old saying goes, "defense wins championships." Though out of contention for a UAA championship, solid defense has been winning games for the Case baseball team.
With their record at 4-0 since returning from their stint in Florida, the Spartans have kept their heads up even when the ball has not rolled their way, notching three wins against Myers University and one against Lake Erie College.
"The emphasis has been on improvement," head coach Matt Englander said. "Our defense has not been perfect and we have had some mistakes, but they are aggressive mistakes and we live with that. It is just about getting better every day."
Englander said that during this streak, the team has shown that it can better handle adversity compared to the first few games of the season.
"The past four games have shown us how our team responds when things go wrong," he said. "We would make some errors, but they were not followed by more mistakes. Against Myers we followed an error with a pickoff at first base. We have shown our heads don't go down after mistakes, which is a sign of a good team."
According to junior shortstop and pitcher Kevin Haley, the team's recent success can be attributed to the team's work ethic and pitching.
"I think our hard work during the off-season is really paying off, and we are minimizing mistakes," Haley explained. "We have found a way to win, and we have been able to close out games. Our pitching has come through. We have been getting consistent outings from J.R.[Doolos] and John Thuermer. And even though we have not scored a lot of runs, our pitching has kept us in games."
Using his fastball, change-up, and occasional curveball, Doolos, a senior, has proven to be an ace with a 4-1 record and 2.20 earned run average. Scheduled to throw one game of the doubleheader this Sunday at home against Penn State University-Greensburg, Doolos sees a chance to earn redemption from last year's defeat.
"Last year they defeated us in the last inning," Doolos said. "It was the bottom of the ninth with a man on, and they won on a game-winning hit. But I think we have proven that our team is ready for different situations. We haven't given up a lead when we have had it, and we have come from behind to win games."
Doolos said that he will rely on his defense to help him get outs this Sunday.
"On the mound, I am going to try and keep my pitches down and rely on my defense to make plays. If I get a strikeout, that's an added bonus," he said.
With a four-day layoff until Saturday's doubleheader, Englander said the team will spend the time working on fundamentals, especially along the base paths.
"We will be working on getting better at all aspects of the game," Englander said. "If there is one thing we need to work on, it is base running. We need to get practice in game situations. In games, we have made some bad mistakes and have also done some great base running, but we really need to clean that up."
Stressing progression from all of his players, Englander has seen leadership and improvement from many of his upperclassmen.
"We have a great group of guys who have been dedicated to the team this year," Englander said. "The team has responded to J.R. when he is on the mound. They see that he is their main guy on the mound and they know they have a chance to win when he is out there. Also, Kevin Haley has had some really good days at the plate and some not so good ones, but his play at shortstop has been great for us and has carried us through hard times. Dave Adams has improved and has also been hitting the ball very well this year."
