SWU Baseball

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2011-10-16T08:27:00.001-07:00

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New Updates from Matt Large for 2011 Season

2010-09-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

This year one of our pitchers, junior Matthew Large, will be blogging about the everyday life of a college baseball player in our program.

This blog started in 2008 and has continued since then with different players writing about everything that goes on as a college student-athlete over the course of a baseball season. Matt's first entry is below as the Warriors are entering their 6th week of strength and conditioning. There will be one more player (position player) to join the blog as soon as someone volunteers.

Matt's Entry:

The life of a collegiate baseball player is a tough road. The difficulty has already hit us before games have ever started.

Each day we are being pushed as far as we can. Baseball practices as a pitcher this year are very challenging; however, everyone is improving and getting better. We have had four weeks of conditioning and weight training to start the year. They have made some of us throw up, made some of us lose weight, but we all have gotten better. Everyone has went up weight in the weight room and every has gotten to be a faster runner. As pitchers we have ran the the 2 mile Exxon run, sprint jogs, sprint poles, and as every pitcher would say our favorite Mullinax Mountain.

Coach Howard has put us through a lot, but it has made us a lot better. We have two more weeks of conditioning before we start fall practice. I can't wait to see what we have as a staff this year, and we all cant wait to touch the field again. We will be better this year and I know everyone can't wait to see what we have. We are improving each and everyday.
I would like to leave you with a quote which describes our conditioning everyday.
"The soreness I have is expected. I have total movement." -Roger Clemens

Wesley Allen Checking In................

2010-03-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wesley Allen, a junior pitcher from the University of South Alabama, continues his blogging during the 2010 spring season.

Over the past week coach has given me the opportunity to read to the team Coach John Wooden’s book called the Pyramid of Success. It is a book that I had a coach read to me my first two years in college and I learned a lot from it and it hits on a lot of good aspects and can make you a better individual on and off the field.

The first night we went over it we were in a hotel in Beaufort, SC. The first building block that Coach Wooden mention is “Industriousness” he gives two examples of industriousness one being “Hard Work” and the other being “Planning.” The moral of this building block is “There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning.” Wooden says.

The next building block we went over is “Enthusiasm.” The first thing you have to do is enjoy what you do. Because if you enjoy what you do you will be successful at whatever you do. One thing the Coach Wooden mentions that I thought was a key point is “Highs leading to Lows” he says “To much enthusiasm can be counterproductive.

Third we went over “Friendship.” That day we were at practice and I read to the guys what I thought friendship was. I told them that we accomplish more when we work with others. Especially on a collegiate team we have to work together and not separate ourselves from others because we are a TEAM. This is a part from the book that I would like to share:

“If we are concerned about being successful in the eyes of others, our reputation my be fine, but our character is suspect. Our reputation is what we’re perceived to be; our character is what we really are. We should be more concerned about our character than our reputation. A good reputation is not worth much if we have a faulty character.”

Stay tuned for more on the work of John Wooden I will be updating this as we go over each building block

Wesley Allen #40

Thomas Floyd Checking In................

2010-03-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Thomas Floyd, freshman outfielder from nearby Travelers Rest, SC continues his blog for the 2010 season.

No matter what the case may be, anything in life that is challenging requires many different things.

After our first game against Truett McConnell this Saturday, Coach G gave a fiery, inspiring speech that pointed out the three main things that are a MUST for any team that wants to be successful. The three things he pointed out were having heart, pride, and intensity. He said that no matter what, a team should never lose these things.

I have been thinking about what he said and I would like to put these three things in my own words. HEART is having a gritty, never say die attitude that never quits no matter what the score may be. Teams with a lot of heart are pests to opponents because they never seem to go away; they just keep scratching back. PRIDE is going into any battle having the knowing that you and your team have the ability to conquer any task. Pride is being excited to face the ‘big dogs’ in the conference. It is also going out to the “CON” ready to beat up on any team that thinks they can come in and beat us here. Intensity is hustling everything out, pushing for that extra base, laying out for balls and anything that involves giving everything you’ve got for the good of the team. The guys that are always intense are very special. It is easy to get burned out during a long season, but those who are always ready to play and are always pumped to play wind up being the best leaders.

I know that I have been giving everything that I have got for the team, but after Coach’s speech, it made me want to reach down deep inside of me and pull out a little something more….I will find something more…. Hopefully others will follow.

Wesley Allen Checking In.................

2010-02-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Wesley Allen, a junior pitcher from the University of South Alabama, continues his blogging during the 2010 spring season.

Spring break is a time when many college kids head to the beach and get away from campus. However, for the warriors it is a time for us to focus on baseball and what we can do on the field to get better.

When I was at practice last week Coach Gillespie said something that really stuck with me and made a lot of sense. He said that in college baseball you do not get many opportunities to practice once the season starts and its up to us to utilize our time wisely in order to become better. It made me think about a lot of other sports such as football that have all week to prepare for 1 game and draw up a game plan. Now baseball on the other hand is completely the opposite each day, each pitch, each inning we have to make adjustments because anything can happen.

For those of you who do not know me I just transferred to SWU from the University of South Alabama. I’ve been around a lot of great players and coaches that have said things to me that really make a lot of sense. One of the things that I believe is a true statement came to me from Coach Phil Krum head baseball coach at Andrew College he said, “ one of the hardest things to do is hit a round ball with a round bat.” As baseball players we have to do the little things right and capitalize on each mistake and when someone makes an error someone needs to step in and say “Hey shake it off get the next one.”

One of the best things about baseball is the next day you get a chance to come out and do it again.

If you ever get a chance I strongly recommend read the book called “ The Pyramid of Success” by Coach John Wooden. If you do not know who Coach Wooden is he (born October 14, 1910) is a retired basketball coach. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (class of 1961) and as a coach (class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories. His 10 NCAA National Championships in a 12 year period while at UCLA are unmatched by any other college basketball coach. The Pyramid of Success is a great book it is a biography, philosophy and the ultimate guide to life, leadership, friendship and love.

I would like to leave you with a quote by John Wooden:

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction of knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.”

Wesley Allen # 40

Thomas Floyd Checking In.......

2010-02-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

Thomas Floyd, freshman outfielder from nearby Travelers Rest, SC continues his blog for the 2010 season.

To really see what you are made of, you have got to take on the best.
This past weekend we took on a team picked to finish in the top two in our conference and was ranked fifth in the nation during the preseason. Lee University did have alot of talent, but its not like they were unbeatable.
Although the first and last game didn't turn out too great, and although we did lose the second game; I know that we would have won the second game if we had avoided a few mistakes.
If Lee is one of the best teams we will play this year, I have no doubt that SWU will be a force to be reckond with once we put it all together and avoid mistakes that lead to big innings by the opposing team. Once we figure out how to "stop the bleeding", as Coach G says, we will start cranking out the W's.

Thomas Floyd checking in........

2010-02-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Thomas Floyd is a freshman from nearby Travelers Rest, SC. Floyd is an outfielder and will be providing updates usually once a week.

When I first arrived on campus this past fall, one thing was on my mind….baseball. I couldn’t wait to meet my teammates and start working out with them. When we had our first day of BP in the fall, I was amazed at how many balls were hit out. (At my high school you were lucky to see maybe one ball go out every practice and I thought,’ you’re not in TR anymore Thomas’).

I immediately disregarded that we were a really young team and started thinking about how many games we would immediately win starting out the season. The first game was kind of a shocker to me. I never would have imagined the game turning out like it did. It woke me up and made me grow up a little and see that although we have talented upperclassmen, the majority of team is young guys. With youth comes stupid mistakes, many of which I have been guilty of; but it also brings a lot of room to improve.

During the weekend series against NGU I saw a lot of improvements as a team. I saw a flicker of brilliance in the innings where we would scrap out 6 runs or a freshman would step up and make a great play. The point I am trying to make is that although the way our season has started out has not looked too great, we have a whole lot of games to be played and a whole lot of talent just waiting to be unleashed.

With the combination of our senior leadership and improving underclassmen, I look forward to our next practices and games, where we WILL improve.

Thomas Floyd

Wesley Allen checking in.............

2010-02-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Wesley Allen is a junior transfer from University of South Alabama. Allen played in the area this summer for the Carolina Chaos. He will be updating the blog frequently from week to week.

The life of a collegiate baseball player is a tough road. Dealing with classes, practices, games, and social life around campus can put quite a bit of stress on a team. Despite all the distractions the warriors continue to stay focused on the long journey we call a baseball season. The past few weeks have been a bit hectic as unpredictable weather have kept the warriors out of a routine. However, with the season underway we continue to focus of the basics of America’s favorite pastime.

This week is a busy week for us: first taking care of business when Toccoa Falls College rolls into The Con, then right back on the road to TMC. Before wrapping up the week the warriors will be eager to make a trip to Tennessee and focus on the first conference series with Lee University.

One of the best things about baseball is having the opportunity to come out and compete each day. No matter what obstacles may lie ahead in the road we remember that no matter what the case is ANYTHING can happen.

We are thankful to be able to play this wonderful game and be apart of something that one day each one of us will look back and say, “Hey remember when…”

For my teammates that keep up with this I just want to say baseball is a game that we are blessed to have, nothing is promised to us. Do not take each day for granted instead come out EVERYDAY with the will and desire to get better and when its all said and done with you can look back and truly say that I gave it my all…

These are a few quotes that have stuck with me over the years and I would just like to share these because I feel that we can all learn a few things from these:

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious. -Vince Lombardi

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something. – Nolan Ryan

Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you. –Satchel Paige

-Wesley Allen #40

2010 Season Nearing........

2010-01-21T18:31:00.001-08:00

In 2008, senior Davey Blackburn provided periodic updates throughout the season. Blackburn is now a student pastor at Newspring's Greenville campus and reaches out to the local student population in that area.

This spring select members of the 2010 roster will help provide you with an insider's look at the upcoming year.

Check back soon for more updates.........

16 Innings!!!

2008-04-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

That was quite possibly the longest sporting event I have ever been a part of, but I found out that the longest professional baseball game went more than twice as long!! 33 innings, between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings in 1981. Here's the Wikipedia write-up I found on it.

After the game a few of us were talking about how that had to be some sort of a record for college baseball. I decided to check into it. Here's what I found:

In an article posted here about a 19 inning matchup between our neighbors down the road, the Clemson Tigers, and the Fordham Rams, it was noted that, "In the history of major college baseball, only seven games have lasted 20 innings or more, the longest being Colorado's 22-inning, 2-1 victory over Nebraska in 1974."

I also found the longest NAIA contest here.

So there you have it. While 16 innings was a heck of a lot longer than any of us would have liked to have played, I can't imagine going on for another 7 innings or more in order to beat the record.

THANK GOD WE WON!!

Blog

2008-04-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I realized today how terrible I am at this blogging thing

I walked into coach's office to check the daily board about practice plans for the afternoon, and I tried to avoid eye contact with coach.

Why?

Because I knew that he was going to make a comment about how long it has been since I blogged. I think it's been about 3 weeks.

After self-loathing for a while I began thinking . . .

. . .if this blog is intended to give you a little insight into what it's like to be a college baseball player, it's been successful! We are, if nothing else,

EXTREMELY BUSY!!

So welcome . . . welcome to my life and the lives of the other 31 guys with whom I hang out.

College Athletics, Airplanes, and Catholics

2008-03-20T06:06:00.001-07:00

I shared a flight this weekend from Cincinnati, OH to South Bend, IN with the Notre Dame golf team. It was so funny, cuz I started text messaging everyone about how I was flying to South Bend and the Notre Dame golf team was on the flight!!

I called my fiance and told her and her response stopped me short, "So? What's the big deal. They're a bunch of kids, half of them probably a few years younger than you." Then it hit me . . . they are a just a bunch of punk kids. Why is it such a big deal. I encounter college athletes everyday - the guys I play with and against. D1 or NAIA we're all living the dream of playing college athletics. It's funny how we don't appreciate it or even realize that we're college athletes until it has almost slipped away from us.

I have about 6-8 weeks left of being a college athlete. Next time I board a plane I'm going to assume that the guy who is sitting next to me and texting is writing this, "I'm on a plane with a college baseball player . . . I'll tell you all about it later!"

Blogging blunders

2008-03-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

So I was informed yesterday while we were sitting at McDonalds that I hadn't blogged since Feb. 26th. That is UNACCEPTABLE!!! My apologies to all of you that follow us on blog world.

If anyone wants to purchase a MacBook Pro for me to be able to blog mobiley that would be great!! It would really aid in expiditing this blog process. Kidding . . . but seriously.

A little highlight from this weekend:

1. SWU pitchers did excellent! Guy pitched a gem of a game with little run-support (9 innings complete). Creighton settled in after a three-run 1st inning and dealt! Bud pitched a complete game (7 innings) only giving up 2 runs. They really stepped it up this weekend. We only pulled from the bullpen once. Matt Cape came in and shut Reinhardt's bats down in the 6th and 7th of the first game on Sun. Great job pitchers!

2. Our bats finally came alive. Hightower carried us with an unbelievable weekend at the plate. I wouldn't be able to tell you off hand what he went for but he had something like 8 or 9 hits on the weekend. WOW! If only all of us could be that good! I'm trying to find on DakStats how many hits we as a team posted this weekend. I'll let you know when I do find that. It was outrageous though!

3. We had some interesting times in ole Waleska:

-The bus driver absolutely wrecked a brick wall there at the hotel trying to park. We're still waiting to hear what happened to the axel of the bus itself. (We're still not sure if our bus driver has found a parking spot back at the Atchison headquarters. Word is he's circling the Wendy's parking lot looking for the best angle to approach a spot)

-Belk found had an interesting gift left for him outside of his room by the previous occupants. I won't say anymore.

-Zaxby's and Panda Express seemed to be the choice restaurants for the weekend.

-Getting back on a Sunday night late and waking up for class on Monday proved to be a chore but hopefully we all found a way to our 8 o'clocks. (Word on the street is that coach is giving us the day off today. That will be nice to get some rest in)

Until next time . . .

Break, Break, and Break

2008-02-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

So I've come to realize that in the blog world you're supposed to give your title three successive words. Don't ask me why . . . I have no idea. Apparently it's a trend.

So in the spirit of being incredibly original I decided to let all you guys out in the virtual world know what is going on in the typical SWU baseball player's life - break, break, break. Enough said.

There's not a whole lot going on right now since we're on break. After the series against AUM this weekend, this time has been an amazing hiatus to regroup and rest. Those of you who came out to support us against the number 14 ranked team in the nation, hats off to you. We really appreciate your fanship (I don't think that's really a word but I'm over it). It's awesome to hear a crowd erupt when we score or when Kody and Dustin roll a pair up the middle (that's baseball lingo for a double play).

Just so you know, Guy Howard pitched an incredible game Friday night. If you haven't read the write-up, make sure to do so here.

Props to Coach G for hacking away at his Photoshop Elements. He's starting to get the hang of things and making his article pictures really pop.

Weekend to Weekend

2008-02-16T06:27:00.001-08:00

So I promised last weekend that I would post at the end of the weekend . . . and then I had a ton of stuff come up. Talk about a busy week! So here it is:

I have to give a shout out to my man Coach Pollock over at Toccoa Falls. He's doing some great things over there trying to turn that program around and I just want him to know that his efforts are not going unnoticed. Toccoa played us in 3 tough games last weekend, and although we weren't on the top of our game, we barely squeaked by with 3 wins.

This weekend, after some butt-ripping, running, and hard work I think we're ready to begin playing like we know we should. We came out last night a little shaky against North Greenville, but in the bottom of the fifth we exploded scoring nine runs. It was great to finally hit the ball the way we are capable of doing. If you want to read the article just click here.

I think we are finally getting the swagger back, as coach termed it. I'll update you after today . . .

Pack it out!

2008-02-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's the first home game! Come check us out at 4:00pm. Saturday's double header starts at 1:00pm.

It's gonna be a good weekend. We have the rest of the team back and I think we're really going to start meshing as one unit again. Look for posts about the games after this weekend.

I think we're getting the bling tomorrow. It's one of those things that many aspire to but few actually accomplish - a national championship. Everyone wants a ring, and starting tomorrow we're all going to be sliding that bling right over our anticipating knuckles.

Until next time . . .

Team Component #3

2008-02-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

The third component that I feel is characteristic of every successful team is that there are no superstars. There may be some people who feel that they can point out superstars on a given team but if you talk to those "superstars" they would likely tell you the key to the success of the team are the people around them. That's the difference between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Kobe points everything back on himself and MJ pointed out his supporting staff. Did MJ get all kinds of publicity and notoriety for his success? Yes . . . but in post-game interview after post-game interview you will see MJ give the credit to his teammates. He was masterful at dishing out the limelight and making his teammates look good. That was bigtime! Check this video out . . .

Perry Noble, lead pastor of Newspring Church preached on that very thing today. (Check this link out to listen to the sermon). He is not the gears and switches behind the operation over in Anderson and, coming later this year, Greenville. If you ask him, he's not even a synapsis in the brain at Newspring. He has surrounded himself with killer people who are passionate about the same vision that he is passionate about and that's why they are successful. Sure . . . Perry Noble is a recognizable figure and the vision-caster for Newspring. He's even been listed with seven others among Willow Creek Association's "Faces to Watch in 2008". But the key is that he knows that the entire thing falls if it were to rest on his shoulders.

We used to joke around with a guy who played for SWU . . . Skinny. He would come into the locker room and tell us that his back hurt from carrying this team. We would all cut up and laugh whenever he would make that statement. Skinny was our captain, and he was good. But he knew that he couldn't carry the team, because that was everyone's responsibility.

Superstars don't win ball games . . . teams win ballgames.

An unexpected situation and unparalleled success

2008-02-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

So yesterday we had our first games and I could explain everything that happened but really here's the only thing that is important: Kellen Kmeicik (a utility infielder/outfielder) pitched a no-hitter!

THAT is a big deal. First of all, someone who had no business being on the mound except for a series of circumstances achieved what few pitchers have ever achieved and what most could only dream of doing. That is not to say that Kellen doesn't have good stuff on the mound, but if you would have told him 4 years ago that he was going to pitch a no-hitter his senior season in college he would have laughed his way back out to right field.

It got me thinking . . . unfortunately I do that way too much . . . that there are a lot of circumstances that can be thrown our way. Sometimes we may be put in situations where we don't feel adequate of worthy. We could let fear or self-doubt paralyze us, which I know almost every athlete has experience at one point or another OR we could step up, rise to the occasion, and give it our best effort. Nobody was expecting Kellen to pitch a no-hitter but he exceeded any of our expectations because he put aside his self-doubt and did the job that he had to do. Good for you, Kellen! You kicked some serious tail yesterday!!

By the way our record is currently 1-1 and we play Weber International tonight at 6pm - just in case you wanted to know.

Team Component #2

2008-01-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

I know that all three of you who read this are eager to discover what the second secret to successful team building is. Ok I won't waste any time. Every player must know his role.

Here's a simple illustration. Almost everyday I ask McKim (our pitching coach) when I'm going to get my debut on the mound. His typical response is to laugh and walk away. Ok it hurts my feelings sometimes (completely sarcastic) but one day I'll get my shot to prove myself as a hurler. Everyone wanted to pitch growing up because it's where the limelight is. That's who controls the game.

You think coach will ever put me on the mound? HECK NO! Everyone knows that I can't pitch! That's definitely not what I do! Would I like to? Sure, maybe for my own enjoyment, but for the sake of the team, I wouldn't get 3 miles from the mound.

Just because it's something that I want to do doesn't mean it's something that I should do. Every team member from the backup pinch runner to the starting pitcher has to know that his role is vital to the success of the team. Why do you think business have job descriptions? So that all the members can carry out a vital role in the most efficient manner. Enough said.

We're leaving for Florida tomorrow morning to open up our season. I'm pumped! But I think this trip will tell a lot for our team in dictating how we're going to achieve our goals this season. My only warning. Never underachieve. On the field, or off the field. Hopefully I'll be able to keep everyone updated on our progress in the great Sunshine state. Until then . . .

Team Component #1

2008-01-29T05:26:00.000-08:00

Ok so how is a team successful? There are so many characteristics of successful teams but I believe there are certain components that are a "must have." Many people would say you have to have team chemistry. I don't really agree with that. I've been on successful teams that don't necessarily have team chemistry, but they were successful. Now does that mean team chemistry is not important - absolutely not. Team chemistry is definitely an important aspect of most successful teams. But there are so many successful business teams out there that hate each other's guts outside of work but between 9-5 they strap in and work their tails off because they have the same end goal in mind.

Every team member MUST be looking at the same goal and striving to achieve that goal. At the end of the day the team doesn't necessarily have to like each other, as long as the team is all pushing and pulling in the same direction. Fortunately for us, SWU Baseball has incredible team chemistry. There is hardly anyone that doesn't like or respect someone else on the team. I've talked to several of our transfers who have played on several different teams and they have told me that this is THE closest knit team they have ever played on.

But what about our goal? Are we all on the same page trying to accomplish the same thing? Most of the time I think we are. But striving toward our goal ON THE FIELD is directly affected by what we are striving for OFF THE FIELD - academically, socially, spiritually, etc. A successful team locates the obstacles that could potentially get in the way and they either avoid them or confront them. Either way, successful teams let nothing drag them off course.

I talked to a couple guys yesterday who were part of a ministry team in Seneca, SC but after 9 years their team crumbled. The only thing they could attribute it to was that they lost sight of the goal, and when they tried to correct the steering wheel, it was too late. My heart grieves for them. Here are three or four guys who have invested their entire lives into a dream and it's all come crashing down leaving them with nothing.

It is imperative that teams have the same goal in mind and do whatever it takes (within ethical constraints) to accomplish that goal.

Team Work

2008-01-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

It's funny . . . we have this motto that all of the guys kind of make fun. It may be because it was the motto of a team some of them played for that was unsuccessful. That motto is "One Team, One Goal." If you ask the coach of that team why they were unsuccessful that year, he would tell you that it consisted of about 20 individuals and no team. No one was on the same page.

Another phrase that some of the guys tend to make fun of is the old Maxwell phrase, "Team work makes the dream work." Until this week I've definitely been up with the head of the pack in making jest of these phrases. But this week I begin to think about team work and I realized that while to a post-modern, anti-cheese culture these phrases only get shot down like a lame duck, they definitely have truth and value to them.

I began thinking about the teams that I've been a part of that were successful and those who weren't successful and the common denominator between all the successful ones. What is it that makes the Patriots go undefeated through an entire NFL season, or that makes a once cursed Boston Red Sox team be hailed as a dynasty? So over the next three days (before we leave for Florida) I'm going to highlight the three characteristics that I, in my limited experience, feel are essential to a successful team (whether it's sports, business, ministry, etc.) and then I'm going to attempt to evaluate Southern Wesleyan Baseball according to these things.

Stay tuned and until tomorrow . . .

Lead-Off

2008-01-19T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well here it is. We have officially joined the ranks as a prominent baseball program and started a blog. I guess you go big-time when you win a national championship. What was once a program that no one had ever heard of is now a program that EVERYONE wants to glean from. Well . . .

Maybe not everyone. But as a representative of the Southern Wesleyan Baseball program I want to convey to everyone who may or may not be reading this that we hope you stop by at sometime and check out this inside look into the lives of college baseball players.

I hope that at some point during this season this blog will serve to inspire, motivate, amuse, or even just entertain all of you who happen to be following our every move. So here it is. I'll be posting probably every Sunday with the first beginning tomorrow night (I can feel the suspense) and you may get lucky enough during the busy weeks to catch two posts in one week. But, until tomorrow . . .I'm out!