Halfway through their Missouri Valley Conference schedule, the University of Evansville baseball team (26-13) languished in third place in the MVC standings. After a tough non-conference schedule, the defending champs looked for some key aspects of their game to turn the corner at they prepared to make another postseason run.
“Usually it is a team with about five or six losses that wins the Valley and this year is looking to be similar to that,” said head coach David Seifert.
By late-April, Evansville had dropped five league games, and compared to No. 11 Wichita State’s (31-9) two, and it became clear they had some work to do. To catch WSU, Seifert said his team must find a way to get clutch hits.
“The key with this team is situational hitting,” he said. “Our defense is good enough to win the Valley, our pitching is good enough to win the Valley and our overall hitting is good enough to win the Valley. But our situational hitting is not good enough.”
In their two most recent MVC series the Aces have found ways to win, enough to come out on top, but not enough to complete the sweeps they need.
Indiana State (18-16) took the last matchup of their series 4-2 and Northern Iowa (14-19) squeaked out a 4-2 victory over UE on April 14.
But after key non-conference victories against Murray State (12-22) and Indiana (14-18), the Aces have won eight out of their last 11. But Seifert said there is not much to change.
“Baseball is different than other sports,” he said. “If you have the talent, which we do, you just prepare the same way for every game and go out there.”
While UE’s early non-conference schedule did not produce the wins for which it hoped, it still was beneficial facing the likes of Mississippi (25-14) and defending national champion Oregon State (28-8). But earning only one win out of the six games against those teams was disheartening.
“The trip to Mississippi and Oregon State hurt our preseason record,” Seifert said. “But we are not concerned with our preseason record, we are concerned with our post- season record, and those games will benefit us. We got the experience we needed out of those games.”
And with 13 seniors leading the defending MVC champs it is clear experience is in the lineup, but the challenge comes in motivating everyone to succeed.“We have to get the hitters to take the pressure off of guys like [first baseman] Kasey Wahl, [outfielder] Jim Viscomi and [designated hitter] Pat Tulmilty,” assistant coach Wes Carroll said.
Through April 21, Viscomi, Wahl and Tulmilty ranked No. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, in UE batting average. Shortstop Robbie Minor also was hitting over .300.
Luckily the Aces pitching staff has been stepping up on some occasions when the hitting has not been there. Right-hander Ben Norton is a perfect 4-0 in MVC play with an ERA of 0.00 while pitcher Matt Brinkman has allowed just four runs in five appearances.
“But don’t forget [pitcher] Kai Tuomi, he has pitched very well in every game he has played.” Seifert said.
Tuomi is 7-1 overall with a 2.29 ERA only bettered by Norton.
A concentration on pitching is important for Seifert as the teams acting pitching coach. An interesting position for a head coach to fulfill, but he would not have it any other way.
After former head coach Dave Schrage was offered the top spot at Notre Dame he selected Seifert to take over the squad for the 2007 campaign.
“It has been a transition, but it has been easy,” Seifert said. “I am still the pitching coach, so I still have those responsibilities.”
As the 2002 NJCAA National Coach of the Year, it is clear he has the ability to satisfy the head coaching job, after leading Parkland to a school-best 55-9 record. But it was Seifert’s pitching prowess that led him to Evansville.
After working as the pitching coach to turn around a 4-51 Northern Illinois squad into a 24-33 team in 2000 he made enough of an impression on Schrage, NIU’s head coach, to sign him up with the Aces in 2005.
But Seifert is quick to be humble, thanking his fellow coaches for his successes.
“I have also been blessed with a good staff of assistant coaches who have made it even easier,” he said.
But one thing that will not be getting any easier for the Aces is their schedule, a series with the Shockers on the horizon and big names like Kentucky and Louisville rounding out their regular season along with ever-dangerous MVC squads around every corner, staying tough and producing when necessary will be key if UE wants to revisit the NCAA tournament.
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