Sidearm Scoop: The Tarpaulin Love-Hate Relationship

The regular season is coming to a close and we have a chance to do something I haven't had the opportunity to do since I came here: Play in the NAC Tournament. We are currently in second place and three wins away from securing a bid to the tournament. I wish I could name every person in here who has stepped up for our team but it really as been a total team effort. Jimy Landwehr has been hovering around .500 all year and freshman Blake O'Brien went 21 straight innings without giving up a run. Mike Selvaggi has been on an absolute tear lately and even Treye Dennison hit his first home run the other day. (Editor's Note: I didn't see that one coming either.) This team is unlike any we've had the last two years and I am excited to see how the rest of the year plays out.

The greatest blessing, and curse, to happen to our program was when we got our tarp my freshman year. Rain is a common occurrence this time of year and the tarp has saved us from being rained out numerous times. This weekend was one of those times. When we arrived at the field Saturday morning I could not believe the amount of rain that was on the tarp. We pooled all of the water into one corner and used buckets to haul hundreds of gallons of water off the field. It ended up being a beautiful day to play baseball and without the tarp we would probably still be waiting for our field to dry. As much as I hate getting Coach's text messages at eight in the morning to put the tarp on it is way better than being rained out for several days.

My favorite part about the baseball season is the bus rides and finding ways to pass the time. Lately I have taken to engaging in intense chess matches with Eric Massey. I am a very conservative player who likes to make low risk moves while he is more of a daredevil who likes to get his queen out early and wreak havoc on the board. The wise old man has been getting the best of me lately winning about every three out of four games, but I picked up a few chess strategy guides this weekend and feel confident my luck will change on the trip to Platteville tomorrow.

That's about all I have right now but would encourage all of you to come out and watch us wrap up the regular season this Saturday against Lakeland. It should be two good games and we are planning a little surprise for all the mothers in attendance for Mother's Day.

- Blake Hunt

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