Baseball makes push toward postseason
With the regular season winding down, the USU baseball team is trying to hold on to its postseason hopes.
The trip to the University of Montana stalled that venture last weekend, as the Aggies dropped three close games to the Grizzlies by scores of 7-4, 11-9, and 5-3. At 6-7, they now must win their last six games to make it into postseason play.
“We’re doing fine at the big things,” said USU coach Ernie Rivers. “We hit the ball better than they did, but we need to run the bases a little better, and execute better at the plate.”
At the tail end of an up and down season, Rivers emphasized the team’s need for better consistency in their play.
“We’ve been relatively inconsistent,” he said. “We need to take advantage of all our opportunities.”
Second baseman Caleb Gray echoed some of his coach’s words on the game.
“We hit the ball well,” he said. “But we made some costly errors.”
During one of the games, the Aggies threw away a bunt that allowed the Grizzlies to score two runs. In the three games, Gray went 6-for-10, and said he had a “solid weekend.” While he normally bats in the middle of the order, this weekend he batted leadoff and at the tail end of the order.
As far as the Aggies’ strengths go, both Rivers and Gray said their pitching has been great. Gray said consistency from the pitchers will be an important factor if the Aggies win the rest of their games.
“The pitchers do a great job when they show up,” he said.
One of their main pitching strengths is Greg Ladd, who ranks fifth in the NCBA in strikeouts with 34, and second in earned runs with two.
Rivers also said their veterans have been strengths to the team throughout the season. He was also complementary of the first year players, saying that they have played better this season than was expected of them.
“Our first years have been great assets to us,” he said.
USU will host Boise State in a three-game series this weekend, then will finish out the season April 31 in a three game series against Weber State. The Aggies have already swept BSU, and Rivers said he is confident they’ll be able to do it again.
He said, however, he is a little concerned about Weber State, which beat the Aggies once in a three-game series earlier this season.
-mattandersen@cc.usu.edu