Wooster's diamond nine struggling out of the gate
Surprises come in many forms. Unfortunately for Wooster baseball coach Derek Boyd, he’s becoming an expert on the downside of a series of surprises this spring, with those surprises encapsulated in a set of numbers – 1-7.
“Baseball can be a very humbling game and I’ve had enough humbling for the year,” said the Generals’ second-year coach. “If anyone would have told me we’d be (1-7) at this point, I would have been surprised. I think we’re better than our record. We did play some good teams that are playing better than us at this point.
“We’re in a tough spot right now. … I hope we start to create some of our own breaks.”
Wooster dropped its first six games of the season before posting a 4-3 victory over Barberton to end that skid. The Generals couldn’t turn that into a winning streak, though, as they dropped a 10-3 decision to visiting Mansfield Senior April 10.
“The three teams we played (to open the season), Ashland and West Holmes in the league are solid, and GlenOak is historically a strong program,” said Boyd. “The Ashland games could have gone either way. We lost a tough one 4-3 and in the second (a 7-1 loss in eight innings) it was 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth (and tied after seven). We didn’t get a whole lot of breaks but we didn’t do enough to make it happen.
“Against GlenOak we lost 9-6 and 10-6, then we ran into a good West Holmes team that swung the bats well,” he added. “Those were some tough losses. I was happy to get a win, because the longer it went, the more it creeps into your mind. I’m happy to get the first one; now I want to get up and rolling and string things together.”
The big issue for the Generals this season has been it performance at the plate as the Generals simply aren’t generating any offense.
“We’re not swinging it well enough,” said Boyd. “That’s a big reason why we’ve come up on the short end. We’ve pitched OK to be in games, but we haven’t got on track swinging the bats. Some of the guys are starting to put pressure on themselves. Our Achilles’ heel since the beginning is being able to manufacture runs. We’re not getting runs because we’re not swinging the bats well enough and that’s a problem. It’s a big part of why we’ve continued to change the lineup and look for people to give us good at-bats.
“Up until Friday (against Barberton) we had only averaged three hits a game, but we were able to get seven against Barberton. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but against a team that is struggling that’s a nice start. We had three in the first inning back-to-back-to-back… and scored some runs, which took a little pressure off. The conference games are tournament-type games. Usually we’re evenly matched (in the OCC) and if you get on the board first, that makes it easier. What helped Friday was we took the lead for the first time in seven games all year. That’s a big part of trying to build confidence.
“My concern now is getting our kids focused on what we have to do. We’ve put ourselves in a tough spot. They need to worry about themselves and come out and be prepared, no matter who is in the dugout. We’re just trying to improve ourselves at this point.”
“Baseball can be a very humbling game and I’ve had enough humbling for the year,” said the Generals’ second-year coach. “If anyone would have told me we’d be (1-7) at this point, I would have been surprised. I think we’re better than our record. We did play some good teams that are playing better than us at this point.
“We’re in a tough spot right now. … I hope we start to create some of our own breaks.”
Wooster dropped its first six games of the season before posting a 4-3 victory over Barberton to end that skid. The Generals couldn’t turn that into a winning streak, though, as they dropped a 10-3 decision to visiting Mansfield Senior April 10.
“The three teams we played (to open the season), Ashland and West Holmes in the league are solid, and GlenOak is historically a strong program,” said Boyd. “The Ashland games could have gone either way. We lost a tough one 4-3 and in the second (a 7-1 loss in eight innings) it was 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth (and tied after seven). We didn’t get a whole lot of breaks but we didn’t do enough to make it happen.
“Against GlenOak we lost 9-6 and 10-6, then we ran into a good West Holmes team that swung the bats well,” he added. “Those were some tough losses. I was happy to get a win, because the longer it went, the more it creeps into your mind. I’m happy to get the first one; now I want to get up and rolling and string things together.”
The big issue for the Generals this season has been it performance at the plate as the Generals simply aren’t generating any offense.
“We’re not swinging it well enough,” said Boyd. “That’s a big reason why we’ve come up on the short end. We’ve pitched OK to be in games, but we haven’t got on track swinging the bats. Some of the guys are starting to put pressure on themselves. Our Achilles’ heel since the beginning is being able to manufacture runs. We’re not getting runs because we’re not swinging the bats well enough and that’s a problem. It’s a big part of why we’ve continued to change the lineup and look for people to give us good at-bats.
“Up until Friday (against Barberton) we had only averaged three hits a game, but we were able to get seven against Barberton. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but against a team that is struggling that’s a nice start. We had three in the first inning back-to-back-to-back… and scored some runs, which took a little pressure off. The conference games are tournament-type games. Usually we’re evenly matched (in the OCC) and if you get on the board first, that makes it easier. What helped Friday was we took the lead for the first time in seven games all year. That’s a big part of trying to build confidence.
“My concern now is getting our kids focused on what we have to do. We’ve put ourselves in a tough spot. They need to worry about themselves and come out and be prepared, no matter who is in the dugout. We’re just trying to improve ourselves at this point.”
Published: April 11, 2012
