2008 Woodie Awards
'Necks face Huskers in non-conference play
Jon Oakley
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Sports
The Leatherneck baseball team's series against South Dakota State was canceled due to inclement weather.
Although the snowy conditions eliminated four important conference games from the schedule, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Not playing this weekend didn't hurt Western (10-24, 4-8 Summit League) in the chase for the final conference tournament seed.
IPFW (11-27-1, 7-9 Summit) currently has the final spot but couldn't pull away over the weekend, only splitting its series. The tournament seeds are allotted by winning percentage in the Summit, so the 'Necks haven't lost any ground.
The Leathernecks have also struggled on the road this year, and by removing the four games at SDSU, 12 of the remaining 16 Summit games will be played at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. The 'Necks have played significantly better at home this year and hold a 8-4 home record opposed to a 2-20 record away.
"The statistics don't lie. This year we flat out can't win on the road," said coach Stan Hyman. "It seems from a confidence standpoint we know our ballpark is always kind to us."
The Leathernecks will face off against the Big XII's Nebraska (32-7-1) on Tuesday in the first of a two-game series. The Huskers have been rolling lately, winning four in a row, and beat both Baylor and Creighton in that span.
Coaches said the focus for the rest of the season has been narrowed to the remaining conference games, making the two games against Nebraska somewhat meaningless.
"We have the rest and we just want to get all the starters some (at-bats) and set us up well for this weekend," Hyman said.
The pitching load should be distributed throughout several pitchers, keeping Western's starters fresh for the upcoming home-conference series against Southern Utah.
"I think the No. 1 factor is we only have 19 guys able to travel for Nebraska so we are limited to six pitchers," Hyman said. "We need a couple of good performance (junior Ben) Percival and (senior Mark) DiBernardo will go. They will be on a pitch count and they won't throw again until the doubleheader. We will combine Percival and DiBernardo for Game 1."
First pitch of Tuesday's game is set for 4 p.m.
Although the snowy conditions eliminated four important conference games from the schedule, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Not playing this weekend didn't hurt Western (10-24, 4-8 Summit League) in the chase for the final conference tournament seed.
IPFW (11-27-1, 7-9 Summit) currently has the final spot but couldn't pull away over the weekend, only splitting its series. The tournament seeds are allotted by winning percentage in the Summit, so the 'Necks haven't lost any ground.
The Leathernecks have also struggled on the road this year, and by removing the four games at SDSU, 12 of the remaining 16 Summit games will be played at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. The 'Necks have played significantly better at home this year and hold a 8-4 home record opposed to a 2-20 record away.
"The statistics don't lie. This year we flat out can't win on the road," said coach Stan Hyman. "It seems from a confidence standpoint we know our ballpark is always kind to us."
The Leathernecks will face off against the Big XII's Nebraska (32-7-1) on Tuesday in the first of a two-game series. The Huskers have been rolling lately, winning four in a row, and beat both Baylor and Creighton in that span.
Coaches said the focus for the rest of the season has been narrowed to the remaining conference games, making the two games against Nebraska somewhat meaningless.
"We have the rest and we just want to get all the starters some (at-bats) and set us up well for this weekend," Hyman said.
The pitching load should be distributed throughout several pitchers, keeping Western's starters fresh for the upcoming home-conference series against Southern Utah.
"I think the No. 1 factor is we only have 19 guys able to travel for Nebraska so we are limited to six pitchers," Hyman said. "We need a couple of good performance (junior Ben) Percival and (senior Mark) DiBernardo will go. They will be on a pitch count and they won't throw again until the doubleheader. We will combine Percival and DiBernardo for Game 1."
First pitch of Tuesday's game is set for 4 p.m.
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