2008 Woodie Awards
'Necks fall to Illini, prepare for SDSU
Jon Oakley
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Sports
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The Leathernecks baseball team plays conference foe South Dakota State this weekend.
After getting blown out 10-2 by the University of Illinois on Wednesday, the Leathernecks (10-24, 4-8 Summit League) will continue their seven-game road trip. Western will take a 2-20 road record to Brookings, S.D., with a limited squad.
Sources close to the team said freshman Jimmy LaPlume and junior Eric Eden will be staying in Macomb with arm soreness, and Eden could be down for the year. Senior first baseman/pitcher Steve Strutz will also not compete in this weekend's series after a non-baseball related accident.
Western's two doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday against the Jackrabbits (21-19, 9-3 Summit) mark the beginning of a grueling stretch of 11 games in nine days.
The 'Necks play eight of its remaining 16 Summit games in that time. Western is chasing IPFW (9-25-1, 5-7 Summit) for the final spot in the conference tournament and needs to overcome its busy schedule to stay in the playoff hunt. Western needs to keep pace with IPFW, which adds extra importance to this weekend's series.
"If we don't split this weekend, we really need to start looking at next year," said coach Stan Hyman.
The Leathernecks will play the first four conference games well rested but against a difficult SDSU squad. The Jackrabbits are currently third in the Summit standings but are restricted from a tournament appearance due to their recent transition to the Division I level. The coaches have said that despite the long road ahead, they will rely heavily on the starters and not the bench.
"If you're on the bench right now, it's for a reason," Hyman said. "We need Kenny Price to turn it around, he's been struggling. We need Cooper (Stewart) to get back on track. He's hitting the ball hard but right at people. I think we really need our starters to start producing runs."
The 'Necks will have to take advantage of the games they get at full strength. The four conference games at the end of the stretch are against second-place Southern Utah (21-16, 8-3 Summit). Hyman said getting wins early was going to be key, and he was going to be aggressive this weekend.
"We are going to throw everything into those first two games," Hyman said. "We are going to roll the dice. If the starter is hot, we'll stick with him. If the starter's not hot, we'll go with a guy who we think can get it done."
This tough conference combination and the abundance of innings present a big hurdle for Western's pitching staff. Injuries have reduced the 13-man staff to only nine traveling pitchers for this weekend.
"We are really in a pinch right now," Hyman said. "Being two arms down with Eden and LaPlume, especially with Eden who eats innings up, that is a real concern."
Saturday's doubleheader against SDSU is set for a noon start.
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