Troy University Athletics
College Baseball is the Reason
4/28/2009 2:45:00 PM | Baseball
Everyone who knows me knows that the spring is my favorite time of the year.
I know, spring is the favorite time of year for a lot of people. The flowers are blooming, the weather is warming and love is in the air, blah, blah, blah.
Spring is my favorite time for year for one reason ? college baseball.
I have had the pleasure of working in college athletics for 15 years, and there are many things about it that I enjoy, but there is something different to me about baseball season.
I guess it all goes back to when I was a kid, playing Little League baseball in Huntsville with my dad serving as the coach. There were not many things that my dad ever got excited about, but coaching his sons was one of them.
As an eight-year old, I was pretty good. I played third base, first base and even pitched some. As a 10-year old I even led the league in home runs. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of my playing career. Being nearsighted with extreme astigmatism made it very difficult to hit a curveball.
But, my shortfall on the diamond never curbed my enthusiasm for the game.
It wasn't long after I realized that I would not be playing in the big leagues that I set my blurred sights on a new goal. I wanted to be the play-by-play voice of the Cincinnati Reds. To that end, when I went off to college, I majored in broadcasting but I also spent time working at the school newspaper.
That was when I discovered college baseball.
Back in the mid-1980s, college baseball was not a very high profile event on most campuses. Where I went to school, the field at that time had only a small section of wooden bleachers and an old wooden pressbox that had room for just a hand full of people.
I attended a lot of games back then, and most days there were rarely more than a couple hundred people in attendance with me.
That same stadium now seats thousands and is packed for most weekend games.
When I got into college athletics several years later, I knew that I wanted to be involved with the baseball program. Since that first season I have seen more than 1,000 college baseball games in venues big and small all over the eastern half of the country.
Not all of the teams I have worked with have been successful, but all had the same passion for the game that I have, which is what I love about the sport.
This past weekend, when Troy hosted Louisiana-Lafayette in a three-game series, I could feel the frustration of the Troy players, who were struggling to find a way to get on base against a Cajuns pitching staff that always seems to be at its best when facing Troy. I don't know what it is about playing Troy that brings out the best in ULL's pitchers, but I know it does.
Troy has been in the Sun Belt Conference for four years now, and ULL has had the Trojans number all four years. Inevitably, it has been the Cajuns pitching that has caused the Trojans the most trouble.
A couple of weeks ago senior Trevor Tyre wrote in his blog about how baseball players are superstitious. Well I can tell you that it is not just the players.
During the weekend series against ULL, I wore different color Troy shirts each day, just hoping to find one that would help (by the way, gray worked best). During Saturday's game, I was trying different styles of rally caps when the Trojans were at bat, just searching for some positive mojo.
It drew some chuckles from people in the press box, but they are all baseball people as well, and understood what I was doing.
I can tell you that no one wants the team to do well more than I do. I have been to Omaha to the College World Series once, but never with a team. I am a firm believer that Troy's program is headed toward a date with Omaha, and I want to be a part of that.
I know this Troy team has a chance to get there because, over the last three seasons we have seen teams from Oregon State (twice) and Fresno State win national championships. Not one of those teams had more talent than this Troy squad. In fact, Fresno had to win its conference tournament just to get into an NCAA Regional, so I know that anything is possible.
The next three weeks will be huge for the Trojans. Following tonight's game at Auburn, Troy will play eight straight games at Riddle-Pace Field before closing the regular season with a three-game series at South Alabama. After that, the entire Sun Belt Conference will descend on Troy for the league championship tournament.
This weekend's series against Middle Tennessee will be the biggest home series for the Trojans since the final weekend of the 2006 season when, against the same Blue Raiders, Troy had to win all three games to clinch a conference title.
When the Blue Raiders come in this weekend, it will be as conference co-leaders. Troy enters the weekend within striking distance, but with little room for error. Winning the series would keep the Trojans in the hunt, a sweep would put Troy right in the mix for a league title.
Trojans coach Bobby Pierce mentioned on the radio following Sunday's win over ULL that the crowds for the weekend series had been great. He also mentioned that he hoped those crowds would continue to grown, both in size and in intensity of support, as the team heads into the stretch run.
On Wednesday, when Auburn visits, I know there will be a packed house. There always is when the Tigers visit. What I hope to see is a crowd full of fans wearing Cardinal and cheering for the Trojans.
The game will be special in a lot of ways, but one of the things that will make is extra special is the fact that senior Steven Morelock will take the mound as a starting pitcher for Troy for the first time in almost three years.
Morelock was a key part of Troy's Atlantic Sun Conference title team in 2005, and Sun Belt title team in 2006, but missed all of the last two seasons following arm surgery. He will complete the long road back on Wednesday and I am looking forward to seeing him get a loud and rowdy standing ovation when he takes the mound to start the game.
The other thing I am looking forward to is seeing all of those fans who come out tomorrow night to see Auburn play, return to the park on Friday, to see the Trojans play Middle Tennessee. This team deserves and needs the support as they take on the Blue Raiders.
That's it for now. I'll see you at the ball park this week. Remember, wear your Cardinal and get rowdy at the games!
Go Trojans!
Ricky
