College Baseball: NIACC looking for consistency down the stretch (2024)

Consistency was the main message from the NIACC baseball team after the Trojans finished up it's first weekend at home this season.

In all three games, NIACC lost to Southeastern CC. And on Monday, the team fell to Indian Hills CC 13-2.

It's been an issue that spelled the team all season — the Trojans have a 14-25 record this season.

Outside of Monday's loss, NIACC was competitive with the nationally-ranked Blackhawks all weekend. The Trojans lost one game 1-0 with a chance to win late and went into the ninth inning of Sunday's game tied.

It's the balance in those games, and trying to get the pitching and offense together at the same time, that coach Josh Merrill said was the biggest takeaway from the weekend.

"I think we just have to pitch and hit at the same time," Merrill said. "I think that is the biggest thing right now — it's allowing our offense and our defense to both show up on the same day."

So far in April, the Trojans have scored six or more runs in nine games. In a conference that is as pitching-oriented as the ICCAC is, those six runs should translate to a few runs.

The issue has been the consistency in those situations.The team has a season-best 5.97 earned run average in the month of April. The offense is hitting a season-low .236 in the month, though.

On Sunday, when NIACC's offense responded to tie the game against Southeastern in the eighth inning, the bullpen allowed five runs in the ninth.

The pitching corp is relatively inexperienced compared to the team's offense this season. And a back injury to talented Austin Klug makes matters worst.

"Our three starters are really good, they are really competitive," Merrill said. "They give us a chance to play everyday."

The position player group is still dynamic. Outfielder Eli Anderson, a Purdue commit, leads the team with a .361 batting average and other sophom*ores like Isaac Huettl, Will Couchman and Sam Kwapnioski have hit well too.

"They understand what they need to do," Merrill said. "Even there the results aren't there, they are continuing to battle every day and that's all you can ask for from a position player group."

Merrill has confidence the team will figure it out.

So does Anderson, one of the elder statesmen of the group.

Even through the losses, eight of them in the last 11 games, he said the Trojans have stuck together. The consistency, and the wins, will come soon.

"It's definitely easier to be together when you are winning a lot more games, so I think we have done a good job of that," Anderson said. "We will figure it out eventually. There's not a whole lot of games left, but I think we will figure it out."

There are 14 games left in the regular season for NIACC, and a good chunk of them come at Roosevelt Field after the team spent a majority of the season on the road so far.

Merrill said if they took away an inning here and there this weekend, the results may be different.

Those bad innings come with the game though, and there is still a chance for the team to change the record around before the region tournament begins in just under a month.

The close losses throughout the season, especially the three this past weekend to a really solid Southeastern squad, instill the confidence in Merrill that the Trojans can get over the hump down the stretch.

"This team has played some close games that have not gone our way which, at the end of the season, can end up being a good thing if you find a way to win," Merrill said. "April and May is the time to get hot and we are still trying to get hot. ... It's going to be very scary when we figure it out on the same day."