Though struggling through indoor practices and poor game conditions, the baseball team has already managed to get 20 games under their belt, with a 12-8 record, the Pioneers are well-positioned to finish near the top in conference this year.
Strong pitching combined with depth has to propelled the men's baseball team to a record that far surpasses last year's. "Our starting pitching has been great," said Brett Maloney '09. "Our strength is honestly our depth. We are going to score a lot of runs and days we don't our pitching will shut them down."
As well as holding a 12-8 record, the Pioneers are currently 2-2 in conference. This record comes from splitting two doubleheaders, against Monmouth and most recently Knox College. However, Pioneer offense has been inconsistent.
Against Knox, the pitching only surrendered five runs over the two games, but the offense struggled to produce runs. At the Monmouth game on March 29, the Pioneers produced a huge win, scoring seven runs on their way to a 7-3 victory. "The loss against Knox was a fluke," said Maloney. "But against Monmouth--that was the first time the senior class has won away at Monmouth."
Last year, the team lost two first team All-Conference pitchers, causing the coaches in the conference to predict them finishing third, but the returning pitchers have stepped up to the plate and outperformed anyone's expectations. Rick Berdelle '09 currently leads the Midwest Conference in innings pitched while compiling a 2-0 record with a 2.45 ERA. "It is about working hard everyday," said Berdelle. "Plus you get a little bit more confident when you are an upperclassman."
From top down in the Midwest Conference Southern Division, no team remains undefeated, and the conference is open for anyone's taking. Even still, the Pioneers are currently tied for second; they expect nothing less than winning conference. "We have the best team in conference," said Berdelle. "Everyone on our team believes that."
