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Ranked teams set to collide at Larks Park
3/4/2010
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
One of the recruiting tools Fort Hays State University baseball coach Rick Sabath uses with incoming freshmen is the ability for players to immediately see playing time.
"Truthfully, we probably couldn't get them if they could go to a junior college and play or come here and sit," Sabath said. "So we felt like there was an opportunity to do some things around a core group of guys."
Through the early part of the season, Sabath has turned to multiple true freshmen and a lineup that returns just two starters. The young Tigers have built an 8-0 record, including seven comeback victories, the best start for the program since 2003, and earned a No. 24 national ranking in the NCAA Division II coaches' poll this week.
Fort Hays, picked sixth in the preseason conference coaches' poll, has won all eight contests at Larks Park, including a sweep of Missouri Western State University last weekend to open Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play.
"People around that are not part of our team might be surprised by our record and not have a whole lot of faith in us, but if you go around and ask any guy here, they expect to be 8-0 and hopefully we are going to keep winning because I think we have the right tools and the right guys to win and keep going higher and higher in the rankings," freshman right-hander Chase Newman said.
This weekend, Fort Hays plays host to rival Emporia State University, the defending national runner-up and ranked No. 9 in Division II. The teams will play a single game Friday starting at 1 p.m. at Larks Park, followed by a noon doubleheader Saturday and a noon single game Sunday.
"I think it is just a great opportunity," Sabath said. "Two ranked teams. There are not very many times in a college baseball player's career that you get to have a series between two ranked opponents in your home ballpark. I think it is a fantastic opportunity for us to come out and play on a great weekend. It is not going to define our season either way. We got a lot of games after this one."
In Sabath's first three years, Fort Hays was built around power and older players, including a senior-laden club last spring that produced a 30-26 record and hit 69 homers, most in the league. However, the Tigers stole 52 bases, tied for second-fewest in the conference, and produced a .959 fielding percentage. This season, FHSU has hit eight homers, stolen 10 bases and has a .973 fielding percentage.
"Up and down the lineup, we are probably faster than we have been and the thing that helps us both, not only does it help us stealing bases, but it also helps us on defense," Sabath said. "The ball in the outfield that maybe we didn't get to before. The ball on the infield that maybe we didn't get to before. It helps with range. It also helps put pressure on the opponents."
The Tigers, who have an entirely new infield, use juniors Sloan Souila (team-high .458 average) and Ryan Majercik at catcher and designated hitter.
Soulia, a Garden City Community College transfer, expected to play right away. He and Majercik, batting third or fourth in the lineup, have each caught and been the DH in four contests. The two have combined for two homers and 20 RBIs and helped a pitching staff produce a 4.86 earned-run average.
"I knew I wouldn't be catching the whole time, but I expected to at least get some time at the plate swinging the bat," Soulia said.
Junior Kyle Stacken, a returning all-MIAA honorable mention selection who is batting .423 this season, is at first base, freshman Chris Santoscoy is at second, freshman Kelton Rule plays shortstop and redshirt freshman Trent Mauler is at third. The outfield features juniors Clint Bieberle and Jordan Payne and sophomore Nash Smith, a two-year starter.
"As soon as I came here, everybody was open and welcome and that helps to start to build a lot of team camaraderie," said Payne, a transfer who carries a .367 batting average. "That has kind of been the grounds for our success so far."
Rule, a Hays High School graduate, is batting .346 with a team-high five extra-base hits. A year ago, Rule signed with Barton County Community College, but switched to Fort Hays in late summer and has started every contest.
'It's the same concept," Sabath said. "We really sold him on coming in and being able to play right away and it is what we envisioned happening and as he continued to get better at Hays High, we really felt like he could help us here. He has really done a great job. He is going to have an excellent career here, no doubt about it."
The pitching staff features senior left-hander Matt Augustine, a three-year starter who has posted a 0.79 ERA this spring, Newman (1-0, 2.45 ERA), junior right-hander Andy Lewton (0-0, 5.14 ERA) and senior left-hander Sean Bartholomew (1-0, 6.30 ERA) round out the rotation. Eric Gilliland, the 2008-09 Tiger ace who played professional baseball last summer, rejoined the Tigers as the pitching coach.
"He has been a valuable asset in you name it," Sabath said. "He helps out in all of our stuff that we possibly go through. ... He gives a really solid insight into what the players are thinking because of having been with most of them last year. A lot of them, he does have great relationships with the guys. They are not afraid to tell him things that they don't tell me."
The Tigers haven't been afraid to play from behind either, coming back from deficits in nearly every game. Friday, the Tigers, helped by hitting to the opposite field, had their biggest comeback of the season, posting a seven-run seventh to beat Missouri Western 11-10. The winning hit came on a three-run, opposite-field double to right-center by Santoscoy.
"That was fun," Soulia said. "We had all faith in each other. We all know that we are going to go up there and do our best and just to watch each person and keep the rally alive was really fun."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| TS | 04/06 | Emporia State | L 8-1 |
| SB | 03/30 | Panhandle State | W 10-2 (5 inn.) |
| SB | 03/30 | Panhandle State | W 13-3 (5 inn.) |
| BB | 03/30 | Washburn | W 3-1 |
| BB | 03/30 | Washburn | W 3-1 |
| TS | 03/23 | Kansas Wesleyan | L 6-3 |
| BB | 03/23 | Metro State | W 20-8 |
| BB | 03/23 | Metro State | W 6-5 |
| SB | 03/19 | Nebraska-Omaha | L 4-2 |
| SB | 03/19 | Truman State | W 4-1 |
| SB | 03/18 | Mo. Western | L 6-2 |
| BB | 03/17 | Missouri S&T | W 2-1 (10) |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 6-1 |
| SB | 03/17 | Bethany | W 8-1 |
| BB | 03/16 | Misosuri S&T | L 13-4 |
| MB | 03/14 | Central Missouri | L 80-73 |
| BB | 3/13 | NW Missouri | W 13-10 |
| BB | 03/13 | NW Missouri | W 4-3 |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |