Ag baseball looks to end fall season on a high note
Getting back into the win column was important for the confidence of the Utah State baseball team last weekend.
The club hopes to continue its momentum in the final game of the fall season against the Utah All-Stars Saturday at noon in Providence.
“We’d like to finish the season with a win,” said Head Coach Ernie Rivers. “I felt a lot better after the way we played against Fort Lewis.”
After playing a tough fall season, Rivers said he plans to take it easy on the team in practice this week, focusing on hitting the ball the opposite way and communication.
The club has a lot of sore arms and assorted small injuries, he said. The team wants to head into the winter healthy.
“We are really working on our hitting this week; that’s a part of the game no one can practice too much,” Rivers said. “We’re headed into the winter break and it’ll help to get the little injuries healed and let the guys concentrate on school.”
Rivers is happy with the progress his young team has made this fall, both offensively and defensively.
“We’ve made a lot of progress since camp started,” Rivers said. “Once we got some things figured out, things have gone really well.”
Freshman left-handed pitcher Justin McDermeit has done a good job for the club this fall, picking up several wins and keeping the team in every game he has pitched.
Randy Johnson is a pitcher McDermeit tries to emulate when on the mound.
Although he doesn’t have a Johnson fastball, McDermeit said he tries to capture that type of competitive intensity when he’s throwing.
“I’m real intense when I pitch; sometimes I take a deep breath and pull myself back in,” he said. “I’m as aggressive as possible when I’m throwing.”
McDermeit has a good enough fastball to get a strikeout when he needs one, but has a real good change up and curve that he uses to get a lot of groundball outs.
With the team having defensive problems at times this year, some pitchers would be a little concerned headed into the spring, but McDermeit said he feels good about the club.
“We’ve struggled at times this fall, but we have a lot of good, young talent,” he said. “Come spring we’ll have all the kinks worked out.”
McDermeit is one of the young players that has made Rivers confident as they head into the spring.
“Justin has done a really good job for us this fall,” Rivers said. “He has given us quality innings every time out.”
McDermeit doesn’t know if he will be a starter or reliever come spring, and said he really isn’t concerned about it.
“I don’t know what my job will be yet,” he said. “When they tell me to pitch, I’ll pitch.”
Rivers believes the team will be ready to compete come this spring, and a new league format will help give the club something new to compete for.
The Western Mountain Conference has been divided into two divisions.
USU will compete in the South Division with Weber State and Boise State. The North Division will be made up of Western Washington, Central Oregon and the University of Oregon.
The top two teams from each division will play a double elimination tournament with the winner going on to the College World Series.
“It was my idea to have a four-team format to get to the series,” Rivers said. “I don’t necessarily like the idea of two three-team divisions, but it’s something new to shoot for.”
After Saturday’s game, the team will practice once or twice a week outside until the weather gets too cold, then they will move into the Fieldhouse and work on fixing the little things, Rivers said.
-eds@cc.usu.edu