Greg Nesbitt would be great fit as Truman State’s football coach

By Brent Foster

Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering said the search for a permanent head football coach is making progress and that the number of candidates has been narrowed to “a handful.” Wolmering said that as of Monday he had received 101 applications for the job. He said they are still on pace to have a new coach in place by the end of the semester, which is Dec. 18.

When asked if interim head coach Aaron Vlcko is one of the handful, Wollmering hesitated before saying it would be inappropriate to comment on any candidates. Vlcko was 2-9 last season after replacing Shannon Currier, whose contract was not renewed in March.

One name that has caught the attention of fans is University of Central Missouri defensive coordinator Greg Nesbitt. According to footballcoachscoop.com, Wolmering interviewed Nesbitt on Tuesday.

Nesbitt played at Truman from 1976-79, and he was the Bulldogs defensive coordinator from 1990-1992, which was the last time the Bulldogs made the Div. II playoffs.

Nesbitt has been the defensive coordinator at UCM for three seasons, and he had the same position at Central Methodist University for one season. Before coaching in the college ranks, Nesbitt had success at the high school ranks. He was 139-64 in 17 seasons as a high school coach at Hannibal and Hickman High schools, highlighted by a state championship in 2004 with Hickman.

Nesbitt would be a great fit for several reasons. As an alumnus and former Truman coach, he could instill a sense of pride in the team and its fans that has seemed to be missing the last several seasons.

Even though he has never been a head coach at the collegiate level, his high school record shows he knows how to win. A winning attitude is the first thing the team needs.

A defensive head coach would serve Truman well. The Bulldogs were atrocious on defense last season, ranking last in the MIAA in run defense and seventh in total defense. Nesbitt could be a big step in fixing the ailing defense. Central allowed more than 400 yards a game last season, but the scoreboard did not reflect that. The Mules allowed just 23 points a game.

Wollmering should let Nesbitt’s track record speak for itself.

More on Ray Armstead

By Jack Nicholl

I would first like to thank head cross country coaches John Cochrane and Tim Schwegler for their time with the Index this week. Schwegler was interviewed for four stories – I can’t remember the last time someone was interviewed for that many stories in one week.

With Ray Armstead, there was a common theme with everyone I talked to that Armstead had an extremely good work ethic and he continued to get better throughout college. Here, I want to share some information I did not use in the 1300+ word story.

Cochrane said his first memory of Armstead was before the two ever talked. Cochrane went to a couple Northeast Missouri meets in 1979 before he starting coaching there. He was trying to see the women run, because he was originally a women’s coach, but would watch the men as well.

Cochrane on first seeing Armstead at a meet in Northern Iowa:

“I can vaguely remember they ran the 400 and there was this skinny guy that was way back and closed it up – he didn’t run very fast. And then he ran on their B mile relay and I just happen to remember him for some reason. And then next meet I went to I was trying to keep track of what different guys had done, and I didn’t see this kid. I found out later he missed the bus – Gardner darn near killed him I guess. And so it went on. Next time I saw Northeast run was the Drake Relays, and this guy was running anchor on their mile relay. So he had gotten a lot better.”

Cochrane on Armstead’s personality and work ethic:

“He did not like to lose. Incredibly didn’t, incredibly didn’t. The last 50 meters he was incredibly tough. In ’86 or ’87 they still had the sports festival which started a few years before the ’84 Olympics. And what it was, you divide the country up into four areas and you have Olympic-style races.  One of the last ones they had was in St. Louis….. and he won the 400 that year, and it was like – I don’t know how much track he ate at the finish line.”

“He was very, very competitive. The first few years he was here he wasn’t in all that good of shape, but he would go to the conference meet and he loved to race so much he would do some incredible things on no conditioning.”

Former coach Ed Schneider on Armstead making the Olympic team:

“It surprised a lot of people, but I don’t know if it was a big surprise to Ray. He had a lot of confidence in himself. He worked and trained very hard that year and it just all seemed to kind of blossom out at the right time. He had his peak performances when it really counted.”

Schneider on what made Armstead such a good runner (Note: Armstead later said it was Schneider who gave Armstead distance workouts and Cochrane gave him endurance workouts).

“He was a very coachable individual. If you talked with him or had some suggestions of how he could make himself better he would certainly listen and worked hard. I think of Ray as always doing a little bit extra. In workouts it always seemed like he gave a little bit extra or ran a little bit extra. As a quarter miler, I remember him doing more longer distance type training than some of the other sprinters or quarter milers we’ve had.”

Armstead on Cochrane’s training program. Remember that before his senior year of high school, Armstead had never ran track:

“I didn’t realize what I was actually doing. I was just working toward the times he put down on paper. He was just putting down times that I needed to meet and each year they got better as far as how fast he wanted me to run and everything just came together.”

 

A few final notes on Armstead:

-          He still has his gold medal, locked away in a safe deposit box.

-          These days he gets his running in, but not by sprinting. “It’s not running anymore – it’s jogging,” he said.

-          Armstead is currently in school and he will be for a couple more years. He said he’s going to “do what I should have done years ago and taught art in high school.”

Truman football vs. MSU-Mankato, 7 p.m. (Preview)

By Blake Toppmeyer

The Truman State football team opens its season 7 p.m. tonight at home against No. 17 Minnesota State University-Mankato.

With so much turnover – including the departures of former head coach Shannon Currier, three-year starting quarterback Matt Ticich and several key members of the defense – from last year’s Bulldog team that finished 4-7, there should be plenty to watch for tonight.

Here are some top areas of the game to keep your eye on:

1. The battle for starting quarterback. Head coach Aaron Vlcko hasn’t tipped his hand publically as to who will be tonight’s starter. In all likelihood, it’ll be junior Phil Davis, the only quarterback on the roster with game-time experience.

Davis has good speed and knows the offense well after serving as Ticich’s backup the past two seasons. But also look for redshirt freshman Taylor Breen and maybe even another quarterback to get some time tonight. I think Vlcko will want to look at all his options early in the season so he can better decide who his No. 1 guy is come MIAA play.

2.      Will the Bulldogs establish the run more? The past three seasons, Ticich led the team in carries and rushing yards. The Bulldogs haven’t really had a featured running back since 2006, when Jake Cunningham rushed for 676 yards in eight games played.

Maybe this year – with the offensive line having more experience – is a good time to develop a feature back or two.

Junior Anton Bernard and sophomore Donald Harvey are two who I will watch closely this season. Harvey has good speed and Bernard should pick up some yards between the tackles.

3.      How does the defense hold up? The Bulldogs will be going against a Mankato team tonight that averaged more than 30 points per game last season. 

Holding the Mavericks in check will be no small task for Truman, which lost four of its top five tacklers from last year’s defense.

Luckily for the ’Dogs, senior Eric Sternberg is back to provide leadership to the linebacking corps. For the Truman defense to remain strong this year, it will need solid performances from Sternberg week in, week out.

Prediction: Can the Bulldogs pull off the upset, like they did in their season opener in 2005, when they beat No. 13 Winona State University 21-16? Probably not.

I’m picking Mankato to win 35-14. Regardless, I’m still looking forward to tonight’s game. And who knows, maybe it’ll be a closer game than I think.

Federer continues his reign

By Jack Nicholl

Let’s ignore for a second the argument that Roger Federer, 15-time grand slam champion, is the best tennis player ever.

He’s the best player right now.

Federer won Wimbledon for the sixth time in seven years by outlasting Andy Roddick, outserving Ivo Karlovic and outplaying everyone in between.

A month ago, Federer won the French Open for the first time in his career. Add in the Madrid Open and he has won the last three tournaments he has entered. In all, Federer has reached the semifinals in eight of his nine tournaments this year.

Nevermind that Federer is 1-5 against Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic this calendar year. Murray and Djokovic can be tossed out of the ‘best player’ argument right away. Federer has more majors in the last month than those two have combined in their careers.

Then there’s Nadal. The detractors will say Federer’s last two wins, especially Wimbledon, are not completely legit because he did not beat Nadal. This is like saying 9-4 Oregon State football is better than 10-1 USC because OSU was the victor head-to-head. It doesn’t make sense.

It’s not as though Nadal has really owned Federer either. Nadal has a 9-6 record and a 27-23 record in sets against his counterpart. Take out the sets on clay and I’m sure Fed has a slight edge on grass and hard courts.

Sure, Nadal is better than Federer these days, on any surface, when they are both at their best. But Nadal’s strength is also his weakness.

A quote from the June 29 issue of Sports Illustrated says:

“One tennis medical official notes that after matches Nadal’s shoes often resemble bald tires. “Why,” the trainer asks, “would you expect his joints and muscles to be any different?” Because of the immense strain he puts on his body, Nadal’s results invariably taper off by late summer; it’s no coincedence that at the U.S. Open, the fourth major on the calendar, Nadal has never so much as reached the finals.”

Nadal is like a dominate pitcher who throws too many innings at the beginning of the year and can’t stay strong throughout the season. To succeed at the US, Nadal needs to either play less or not play as hard earlier in the year.

Federer is comparable to a pitcher who is strong and steady. He’ll take a couple small losses, but stay strong throughout the year and raise his game at the big moments.

It showed in Federer’s 6-1 record in tiebreaks at Wimbledon and in the waning moments of the fifth set against Roddick. It has shown in the 21 straight major semifinals. And the 15 major championships.

So go on Federer, celebrate. You are the best player of all time.

MLB All-Star selections

By Blake Toppmeyer

I’m not an advocate of fan voting for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. Never have been.

Countless times over the years, I’ve been at a ball game and watched a youngster vote for every player on his favorite team.

Sure, Khalil Greene seemingly has spent as much time on the disabled list for social anxiety disorder this year as he has on the field. That doesn’t mean that some 6-year-old Cardinal fan isn’t punching the circle next to Greene’s name for N.L. starting shortstop.

And clearly more than a million fans missed the memo that Manny Ramirez is in the midst of a 50-game suspension for using a banned substance. Ramirez ranks sixth in fan voting among N.L. starting outfielders.

But just because I don’t think the fans should get to vote for the All-Star starters doesn’t mean I pass up the opportunity to vote. After all, if some toddler who’s more interested in devouring a six-dollar batch of cotton candy than watching the action on the field gets to vote, I might as well vote too.

Fan voting runs through July 2, with the All-Star Game to be played July 14 in St. Louis.

Here are my picks for All-Star starters, followed by the leader in fan voting.

National League:

First Base: Albert Pujols, Cardinals (.329, 26 HR, 68 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Albert Pujols

El Hombre is putting together another MVP-caliber season. He’s not just the best N.L. first baseman. He’s probably the best player in baseball yet again. Pujols leads the majors in home runs in runs batted in.

Second Base: Chase Utley, Phillies (.297, 15 HR, 45 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Chase Utley

Utley leads N.L. second basemen in home runs and ranks second in RBI.

Third Base: David Wright, Mets (.349, 4 HR, 39 RBI)
Fan vote leader: David Wright

In a dilapidated Mets’ lineup, Wright continues to produce. Although it’s odd that his home run numbers are down, he’s more than made up for it with his batting average. And he’s tied for second in the N.L. with 18 stolen bases and second in on-base percentage.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins (.328, 9 HR, 36 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Hanley Ramirez

A great battle at this position between Ramirez and the Astros’ Miguel Tejada. Tejada has the edge in batting average. Ramirez has the advantage in homers, OBP and slugging  percentage. Unfortunately, the fans have Jimmy Rollins, who’s having the worst season of his career, second in the voting. Tejada ranks fourth.

Catcher: Brian McCann, Braves (.325, 6 HR, 28 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Yadier Molina, Cardinals (.284, 5 HR, 23 RBI)

I’d like to vote for the Giants’ Bengie Molina, who leads N.L. catchers in RBI. But Molina has two walks all season. Yes, two. That makes for a .273 OBP. So I’m going with McCann, who has an OBP of .409. Impressive.

Outfielders: Ryan Braun, Brewers (.320, 15 HR, 50 RBI); Raul Ibanez, Phillies (.312, 22 HR, 59 RBI); Carlos Beltran, Mets (.336, 8 HR, 40 RBI)
Fan vote leaders: Raul Ibanez, Phillies; Ryan Braun, Brewers; Carlos Beltran, Mets

Ibanez was the story of the year before he went on the D.L. on Thursday. Still, his numbers are All-Star worthy right now. Braun is solid year in, year out. And Beltran – along with Wright – is carrying the Mets lineup. I also think Arizona’s Justin Upton (.321, 13 HR, 42 RBI) should get a strong look for this spot.

American League:

First Base: Justin Morneau, Twins (.320, 16 HR, 57 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox (.316, 12 HR, 40 RBI)

Morneau is mashing the baseball yet again. But not surprisingly, the first baseman on the East Coast is leading in votes. Although Youkilis’ numbers are solid, Morneau should get the nod.

Second Base: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays (.302, 15 HR, 48 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Ian Kinsler, Rangers (.267, 18 HR, 48 RBI)

Hill plays north of the border, and thus, goes largely unnoticed. But he’s having a breakout season. Kinsler is having a heck of a year too though. And he’s the only second baseman who has a realistic shot of beating out the Red Sox’s Dustin Pedroia in the fan vote for this spot.

Third Base: Evan Longoria, Rays (.309, 16 HR, 61 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Evan Longoria

Longoria has lived up to his billing. And luckily, A-Rod was outed for steroids. Whether because of this or because he’s struggling at the plate, A-Rod isn’t doing all that well in voting. Kudos to the fans for getting this one right.

Shortstop: Derek Jeter, Yankees (.301, 9 HR, 30 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Derek Jeter

Jeter is probably on his way to his fifth straight season of batting over .300. His power numbers are solid (although everyone has been knocking the ball around the new Yankee Stadium). And Jeter’s three errors in 64 games played are remarkably low.

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins (.407, 14 HR, 42 RBI)
Fan vote leader: Joe Mauer

As good as the Twins’ Justin Morneau is, he’s not even the best left-handed hitter on his team this season. That honor goes to Mauer. He has an OBP of .475 – a number normally reserved for Little League and video games. And Mauer suddenly has added power to his game. His 14 homers are already a career high.

Outfielders: Jason Bay, Red Sox (.276, 18 HR, 66 RBI); Torii Hunter, Twins (.316, 16 HR, 52 RBI); Carl Crawford, Rays (.307, 6 HR, 32 RBI)
Fan vote leaders: Jason Bay; Josh Hamilton, Rangers (.240, 6 HR, 24 RBI); Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners (.358, 5 HR, 17 RBI)

It’s looking more and more like the Red Sox made a pretty good deal last year when they swapped Manny Ramirez for Jason Bay, who fits in perfectly in Boston. Fans voting for Josh Hamilton this year have the, “Oh, he was really good last year,” voting problem. Hamilton is playing nothing like he did in the first half of 2008 when he took the baseball world by storm. I gave Crawford the nod over Ichiro simply because Crawford has 37 stolen bases. He’s the only player in the majors with 30+ steals.

Overall, it looks like the fans are doing a great job voting this season. I only differ with the fans on one position in the N.L. and four players in the A.L. Really, Hamilton is the only fan vote leader who is undeserving of a spot on the roster. Hopefully, he has slipped down the leaderboard by the time the A.L. leaders are next announced.

Disagree with some of my picks? Leave me a comment, and let me know your thoughts. I’m always up for some All-Star debate.

MLB debate: starting rotation

By Jack Nicholl

I’ve always been one for a baseball debate, but one question has recently been on my mind more than others – If you could pick a rotation for a whole season, who would be your five starters?

Notice how this question differs from Who is the best pitcher right now? or Who would you have throw one game? 

I’m looking for reliable pitchers. Not the Rich Harden or Chris Carpenter type. And not Zach Greinke either. He has only been good for a third of a season. 

The Ace: Johan Santana. 

No one can legitimately argue Santana is not the best pitcher the in the game and has been for a few years. Despite limited run support this season, Santana leads the NL in wins and ERA and he is second in the league in strikeouts. 

Since he became an everyday starter in 2004, Santana has had a plus-three ERA once and never less than 15 wins. His worst season? It came in 2007 when he managed 219 innings, 235 K’s, 15 wins and a 3.33 ERA. 

#2: Roy Halladay. 

Halladay is finally receiving national attention from the public despite a stellar performance for most of the last decade. Four times he has finished top-five in Cy Young votes and he won the award in 2003. 

Halladay’s success doesn’t come from strikeouts or a low opponent batting average – it is a result of a low walk rate (top-seven in the league four times). The low number of walks and pitch-to-contact philosophy allows Halladay to work far into games and give the bullpen a rest. 

#3: CC Sabathia. 

The only differences between CC and Halladay is that CC throws lefty and his uniform size is immeasurable. I gave CC the No. 3 slot because he is less consistent – CC has patches where he is unhittable but he also has the occasional six-run game. 

#4: Tim Lincecum 

Usually I would not put such a young pitcher in my starting five, but Lincecum is the exception. In his well-deserving Cy Young 2008, he was first in the league in K’s and hits per inning and second in wins and ERA (Santana was first). 

It’ll be interesting to see how Lincecum does in the next few years. He doesn’t allow many hits and he strikes out a ton, but career 3.5 BB/9 has led to a 1.21 career WHIP. Until his walk rate improves, he won’t crack my top three. 

#5: Dan Haren. 

The toughest pick of all. I originally thought Brandon Webb, but he is currently on the DL. The likes of Jake Peavy (been hurt a couple times), Cole Hamels (not great this year) and Greinke crossed my mind. Even Adam Wainwright (hasn’t been a starter for long and was injured last year) deserves a shoutout. 

Instead, I chose the centerpiece of the worst trade in recent Cardinals history. Haren has been remarkably consistent since 2005. For each of the last four years he has been top-10 in the league in WHIP, innings pitched, strikeouts, and K/BB ratio and he has gradually improved during the last few years. 

In 2009, Haren has a 2.51 ERA and a lead-leading .905 WHIP. Combine that with a virtually guaranteed 215 IP and I have my fifth starter.

Former Truman assistant hired at UIS

By Blake Toppmeyer

Former Truman women’s basketball assistant coach Marne Fauser was hired Thursday to be women’s basketball head coach at the University of Illinois-Springfield, according to an article in The State Journal-Register.

Fauser was a Truman assistant for eight seasons, from 2000-2008, under former head coach John Sloop. Sloop and Fauser left Truman in spring 2008 after Sloop’s contract was not renewed for the 2008-09 season.

Fauser served as director of women’s basketball operations at Div. I Bradley University (Ill.) in 2008-09, according to The State Journal-Register.

UIS is an NAIA school that will join Div. II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference next fall. Truman last played UIS on Nov. 20, 2007, when Fauser was the assistant coach for the Bulldogs. Truman won that contest 88-63.

During Fauser’s eight seasons as a Truman assistant, the Bulldogs compiled an 87-131 overall record, including a 34-108 mark in the MIAA. Truman’s best year with Sloop and Fauser on the sidelines was 2007-08, when the Bulldogs finished 16-13 and 7-11 in the MIAA.

Fauser also played for the Bulldogs for two years. In 1996-97, she earned an Honorable Mention All-MIAA selection.

Easter weekend for Truman athletics

By Jack Nicholl

It is Spring Break/Easter weekend, and most Truman students are away at home. However, the world of Truman athletics goes on.

Track and golf are competing at away events, but it was the Bulldogs home turf that saw the most wear and tear this weekend. At one point today baseball, softball, tennis and rugby were all in competition.

You know what that means. The tennis players were able to hear the creative language that comes out of rugby games and senior softball centerfielder Dani Mayer had to defend pop flies coming from the baseball and softball fields.

A quick recap of the home events:

Women’s Tennis: The team lost 5-4 to the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The ’Dogs lost all three doubles matches by a close margin but could not complete the comeback. Freshman Dagmar Velez looked like she had a chance to come back in the last match of the day at No. 5 singles, but she ended with a 6-0, 6-4 defeat.

UNO is not as good as conference leaders Washburn University and Northwest Missouri State University, but that doesn’t take away from the importance of this match.

The Bulldogs are virtually assured of a No. 4 seed in the MIAA Tournament with the loss today, assuming Northwest beats the Bulldogs on Tuesday. Washburn is currently undefeated, Northwest has one loss (to Washburn, 5-4), and Truman and UNO both have two losses. That leaves the ’Dogs in fourth. Why is this important? It means they will have to face Washburn in the second round of the tournament. Washburn beat Truman easily, 6-0, earlier this season.

The loss today also hurts the Bulldogs in the regional standings. They needed a win today to have any chance of improving their No. 11 regional ranking. The loss assures that Truman needs to win the MIAA tourney to make the NCAA tourney.

Men’s Tennis: They won 8-1 against UNO, with the only loss at No. 1 doubles, 9-8.

The result of this match wasn’t unexpected, but it was still good for the team. Lately, they had only been playing difficult matches and this win helped them get back on track. The win ended losing streaks in singles for multiple players.

The UNO win also had little effect on the season-standings. The top three teams in the MIAA are all ranked in the ITA Top 40, and the Bulldogs, who are fourth in the conference, have little chance of catching them. UNO is currently tied for sixth with Emporia State University.

Baseball: The team lost 16-0 and 5-1 to complete the four-game series with No. 5 ESU. Freshman Seth Huninghake was tagged with 13 runs and 14 hits in three innings in Game 1 while the ’Dogs had just two hits.

In Game 2, freshman Ryan Trimble pitched well as he gave up two runs in six innings of work. However, the ’Dogs offense was again held in check with five hits.

Saturday’s games offered a stark difference from Friday’s, when the ’Dogs offense did well but could not score enough runs to keep up with ESU. In the 16 inning span today, here is Truman’s offensive line: seven hits, one run, 28 strikeouts, three walks, one HBP, zero XBH.

Softball: The Bulldogs split two 2-1 games with Southwest Baptist University. This was a matchup of the two teams lowest in the MIAA standings. In the first game, junior Richelle van Gennip pitched a gem. She went 7.2 innings, struck out five, walked one, allowed one hit and one run. Senior Stephanie Johnson recorded the win by getting the last out in the eighth, and junior Erica LaCombe had a walk-off single to center field in the bottom of the inning.

Game 2 saw the teams trade runs in the first inning before SBU added the winning run in the fifth. Johnson started for the ’Dogs and she went 5.1 innings with two runs.

Rugby: I’m going to have to end this post on a sour note – I don’t know how rugby finished. In the short time I watched the match, I saw the Bulls score on two tries while the University of Missouri was shutout.

With that said, I know the Bulls at least improved from the tally against Mizzou at the beginning of the fall season, when the Bulls lost 31-0.

With no Truman athletics tomorrow, my day will be spent celebrating the holiday and then watching the Masters for four hours. Amazingness.

Midseason report card for Truman’s spring sports

By Blake Toppmeyer

 

So as promised in Thursday’s print edition of the Index, I’m releasing here on the blog my midseason report cards for Truman State’s spring sports.

 

The spring sports season here at Truman has a fairly different atmosphere than the fall and winter seasons. In the fall, you always have the national title possibilities in volleyball and women’s soccer. And in the winter, you have the juggernaut that is the women’s swimming program.

 

Spring is, well, just different. But different doesn’t mean worse. Although Truman doesn’t really have any national title contenders (at least on the team level) in the spring, I really enjoy heading to the Truman baseball/softball complex to watch the Bulldogs compete.

 

I am not including men’s/women’s track or men’s/women’s golf in this report card, as the spring season is not developed enough to form an opinion on those sports. But here are my midseason report cards for Bulldogs’ baseball, softball and women’s and men’s tennis.

 

Baseball: C

 

This team is better. That’s the main thing. Yes, Truman’s record is 7-23. On the surface, that’s not good. But when you consider the team has had 26 straight losing seasons and finished 8-42 in 2008 and 9-38 in 2007, 7-23 is improvement.

 

And there are other reasons to be excited about Bulldog baseball. For one, the team is playing much better lately. The Bulldogs are on a modest two-game winning streak, and since starting the season 1-18, Truman is 6-5 in its last 11 games. I’d venture to say it’s been a long time since any Truman time has won six games in an 11-game span.

 

A perfect example of Truman’s improvement came in last Friday’s 7-5 win against Maryville University. The game entered the ninth inning tied 4-4. In the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs made an error, which allowed Maryville to take the lead. At this point I thought, ‘O Lord, here we go again.’ During the last couple years, the Bulldogs have had numerous opportunities to win games but let them slip away with late miscues.

 

But this time was different. This time, the Bulldogs recovered. Instead of folding up the tent, Truman responded in the bottom of the ninth with three runs. After sophomore outfielder Kenny Swanson and senior third baseman Eric Mathews got on base to set the table, sophomore first baseman Matt Herrick drilled a walk-off homer to left field to lift the Bulldogs to victory. It was probably the most dramatic finish to a Truman baseball game I’ve seen in my three years at the University.

 

And this team is loaded with freshmen and sophomores so they should continue to improve next season. The Bulldogs have just three seniors on the roster.

 

Offensively, freshman shortstop Steven Rose and freshman catcher Devon Myers have brought a breath of fresh air into the program. Rose is hitting .291 and Myers is at a .262 clip, and Rose is third on the team in RBIs while Myers ranks second. Junior outfielder Keaton Jones continues to hammer the ball. Jones moved into the 3-hole in the lineup early in the season, and the move paid off for head coach Dan Davis. Jones leads Truman with a .330 average and 22 RBIs.

 

The pitching staff – with a staff ERA of 8.11 – definitely still needs to improve a bunch. But at least the team has found a couple of reliable arms in sophomores Michael Staihr and Kyle Veazey.

 

So all in all, I think things are looking up for Truman baseball. With 27 games left on the schedule, I don’t think it’s out of the question, that Truman could reach 15 wins this season. That might not seem like much, but for a team that hasn’t reached 15 wins since 2002, it would be a nice stepping stone to bigger and better things in the future.

 

Softball: C-

 

This team has struggled to overcome the loss of 2008 seniors Christen Belcher and Katie Noski, and the Bulldogs’ 8-17 record reflects this.

 

Truman was not a power-hitting team last season, but at least with the speed and table-setting skills of Belcher at the top of the lineup, the Bulldogs could manufacture enough runs to finish above .500. And Noski was the ace of the staff last year, posting a 1.34 ERA.

 

Although other pitchers have stepped up to help ease the loss of Noski, overcoming the loss of Belcher has been especially difficult. Truman’s .222 batting average is last in the conference, and the team has no power to overcome its low on-base percentage (.267 OBP). The Bulldogs have just three home runs.

 

The pitching staff has carried the team in the Bulldogs’ wins. Senior Stephanie Johnson (2.98 ERA) has been fairly solid, and freshman Ashley Rotkvich (3.42 ERA) has shown her potential, being used mainly in relief work.

 

But if the Bulldogs want to compete in the MIAA, they must improve their hitting. Either that, or the defense must become especially solid and the pitching staff will need to become even better, which starts by surrendering fewer home runs. The Bulldogs have allowed 23 round-trippers in 25 games.

 

Women’s tennis: B+

 

Surprise, surprise, head coach Pete Kendall has developed yet another successful women’s tennis team. Kendall’s women’s teams have had winning records in each of the past four seasons, and this year will be no different. The Bulldogs are 11-1 overall (includes fall season) and 3-1 in the MIAA. In the spring alone, Truman is 5-1.

 

The team is incredibly balanced, getting solid production from all six singles players and three doubles teams. Five singles players have at least 16 wins, highlighted by freshman Ellen Russell’s 17-2 record overall and 8-0 dual record (records include fall matches) out of the No. 4 singles slot.

 

So why not give them the A instead of a B+? The Bulldogs haven’t proven that they’re in the top tier of the MIAA. Conference power Washburn University beat Truman 6-0 Saturday. The Bulldogs will get another chance to make a mark in the conference April 10 when they play Northwest Missouri State University. A win in that match will prove Truman is a force to be considered dangerous when the MIAA Tournament rolls around.

 

Men’s tennis: B

 

The men battled through the fall season without their star No. 1 singles player Peter Bracha, who was studying abroad. Now Bracha is back, and the Bulldogs are playing fairly well this spring, as indicated by their 3-2 spring record.

They did take their lumps against Southwest Baptist University and Washburn University, but that was to be expected as those two schools are solid MIAA opponents. And it was nice to see Truman pick up a 5-3 conference win vs. Emporia State University.

 

 

There are still lots of spring games/matches left, and with conference tournaments nearing for women’s and men’s tennis (and baseball and softball if Truman qualifies), the seasons should continue to get more interesting. Also, men’s/women’s track and men’s/women’s golf all should enjoy strong seasons. It all makes for what projects to be a fun end to the 2008-09 Bulldog sports season.

 

Thank you Mike Anderson

By Brent Foster

As I sat on my couch watching the final seconds of Missouri’s season slip away yesterday in the Elite Eight, there were no tears, or shrieks of anger, and I didn’t throw my Spanish book in distress. I sat there and reflected on the long journey this program has taken during the last five years.

Five years that included suspensions, dismissals, arrests, assaults, NCAA investigations, cheating scandals, probation and ATV accidents at the president’s home, are now a distant memory. The dark cloud that has hung over this program for the last several years has gone away.

The house that Wal-Mart built and Quin Snyder tried to destroy sat half empty for the last several seasons, but it became a house of horrors for opponents this season. The Tigers went 18-0 on Norm Stewart Court this season, including victories against Oklahoma and Kansas.

It wasn’t until the Tigers knocked off KU in January that I started drinking the Kool-Aid. During the football season, I’m not sure half the state even knew Missouri still had a basketball team. But the Tigers were quietly going about their business, while few knew something special was begin built South of Faurot Field.

Mike Anderson deserves all the credit in the world for this team’s turnaround. He used a combination of holdovers from the Snyder era and seven newcomers to create the “fastest 40 minutes in basketball.” Last season, I mocked Anderson’s style by calling it “40 minutes of turnovers and fouls.” But this year something clicked. The Tigers started playing defense with their feet instead of their hands. Everyone was a step quicker, leaps and bounds stronger, and played with 20 times more passion than any Tiger team I’ve ever seen. The team started caring and represented the Tigers uniform with class on and off the court. Anderson turned this team around off the court, before making them better basketball players. Once a week, Anderson spends one-on-one time with every player on the team, to talk about anything in life — except basketball. I don’t know many coaches that care that much about their players.

Never mind that Missouri would have beaten Connecticut had they hit their free throws. Never mind that the Tigers fell to 0-4 all-time in the Elite Eight. When the final horn blew and UConn began celebrating their trip to Detroit, I stood up and applauded a group of young men who overcame enormous barriers to make Mizzou basketball a joy to watch. Thank you Mike Anderson. May this be the first of many successful seasons on and off the court at Mizzou.