Spring Break
Column: Omaha appears possible for baseball team
Collin Whitchurch / Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: Sports
Eastern baseball head coach Jim Schmitz said before spring break he hoped his team could finish their Florida road trip 3-2 or 4-1.
A 4-1 finish was likely, and if anyone had guessed they would have said the one loss would come to No. 15 Oklahoma in the finale of the Bulls Classic in Tampa, Fla.
Not the case.
The Panthers did in fact finish 4-1 during their Florida trip, but Eastern stunned the 15-3 Sooners 8-6 behind the pitching of sophomore right hander Mike Recchia and the hitting of senior center fielder Brett Nommensen and junior designated hitter Richie Derbak.
The win is a sign the Panthers can compete with some of the best teams in the nation, and that mindset can be attributed to their performance in the 2008 postseason.
Last season, Eastern ended their season with losses to No. 13 Nebraska and No. 25 Oral Roberts.
While losses, those games, in front of crowds bigger than the Panthers had seen all season, undoubtedly prepared them for the big games they faced this season.
"It definitely helped playing against teams like Nebraska and Oral Roberts," said senior shortstop Jordan Kreke, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored against the Sooners. "We pretty much know with Oklahoma that it's just another ball club, they're just like us."
Nommensen said playing Oklahoma was similar to their game against Nebraska a year ago.
"I think it helps playing a team like Nebraska because we can kind of compare them," he said. "This year we're able to play with those big-time teams that are ranked."
So after a 4-1 Florida trip, and a 7-1 trip overall during spring break, the Panthers enter the brute of their conference schedule.
Having already swept a three-game series against Morehead State, they stand at 13-5 overall and have high hopes after the late season success of a year ago.
Many forget before the Panthers' run through the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last season, they were merely a below-.500 team that finished in fourth place.
But, the hot finish to 2008 has carried over to a hot start in 2009 with no signs of cooling down.
The bats are sizzling, led by Nommensen, Derbak and Kreke. Likewise, the three-headed pitching monster of Recchia, junior southpaw Tyler Kehrer, and sophomore right hander Josh Mueller have been virtually unhittable at times, and have the stuff to carry the Panthers deep into the postseason.
If those consistencies hold true, there is little doubt that a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series is possible. But they most continue.
Nommensen and senior second baseman Jordan Tokarz must continue to anchor the batting order, Recchia, Kehrer and Mueller need to stay hot on the mound, and Derbak needs to continue to solidify the back end of the bullpen. Additionally, Schmitz needs to find another arm or two in the bullpen he can rely on in tight games.
But, Omaha is within reach, just as long as things continue the way they are.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
A 4-1 finish was likely, and if anyone had guessed they would have said the one loss would come to No. 15 Oklahoma in the finale of the Bulls Classic in Tampa, Fla.
Not the case.
The Panthers did in fact finish 4-1 during their Florida trip, but Eastern stunned the 15-3 Sooners 8-6 behind the pitching of sophomore right hander Mike Recchia and the hitting of senior center fielder Brett Nommensen and junior designated hitter Richie Derbak.
The win is a sign the Panthers can compete with some of the best teams in the nation, and that mindset can be attributed to their performance in the 2008 postseason.
Last season, Eastern ended their season with losses to No. 13 Nebraska and No. 25 Oral Roberts.
While losses, those games, in front of crowds bigger than the Panthers had seen all season, undoubtedly prepared them for the big games they faced this season.
"It definitely helped playing against teams like Nebraska and Oral Roberts," said senior shortstop Jordan Kreke, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored against the Sooners. "We pretty much know with Oklahoma that it's just another ball club, they're just like us."
Nommensen said playing Oklahoma was similar to their game against Nebraska a year ago.
"I think it helps playing a team like Nebraska because we can kind of compare them," he said. "This year we're able to play with those big-time teams that are ranked."
So after a 4-1 Florida trip, and a 7-1 trip overall during spring break, the Panthers enter the brute of their conference schedule.
Having already swept a three-game series against Morehead State, they stand at 13-5 overall and have high hopes after the late season success of a year ago.
Many forget before the Panthers' run through the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last season, they were merely a below-.500 team that finished in fourth place.
But, the hot finish to 2008 has carried over to a hot start in 2009 with no signs of cooling down.
The bats are sizzling, led by Nommensen, Derbak and Kreke. Likewise, the three-headed pitching monster of Recchia, junior southpaw Tyler Kehrer, and sophomore right hander Josh Mueller have been virtually unhittable at times, and have the stuff to carry the Panthers deep into the postseason.
If those consistencies hold true, there is little doubt that a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series is possible. But they most continue.
Nommensen and senior second baseman Jordan Tokarz must continue to anchor the batting order, Recchia, Kehrer and Mueller need to stay hot on the mound, and Derbak needs to continue to solidify the back end of the bullpen. Additionally, Schmitz needs to find another arm or two in the bullpen he can rely on in tight games.
But, Omaha is within reach, just as long as things continue the way they are.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
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