Utah State University College of Eastern Utah baseball coach Scott Madsen is slightly frustrated with his team. Madsen said, “We’re a young team, I knew we would have struggles, but, I mean, we’re really talented.”
Madsen said the Scenic West Athletic Conference website has their record wrong and that they have won more than just four games.
The Eagles issue is that they are inconsistent. “One inning they’ll go out and they [the pitchers] will be perfect, nobody can hit ’em. The next inning, you know, they’ll go out and they can’t find the strike zone,” said Madsen.
After acknowledging that he has talented pitchers that can “throw with the best of them”, Madsen said it has everything to do with “their freshman nerves”. He also stated that his players are getting better and they are working through those nerves.
When asked about the Colorado games and the eight pitchers he used in the sixth inning, Madsen sighed and said, “I was looking to find a guy who could throw a strike.”
“It’s frustrating when you are up seven to two in the bottom of the sixth and your team walks nine people in a row,” said pitcher Colby Tidwell.
Madsen agreed saying, “That’s kind of been the story the whole season, they get in those counts where it becomes easy to hit, 2-0, 3-1, counts that you know everyone can hit in those counts because they know we have to come with a fast ball.”
Madsen turned the focus of the conversation away from the pitching staff and toward the hitters. “In the start of season we had a lot of strike outs … since I told the hitters to just focus on making contact and not trying to hit a home run, our batting average has jumped up,” said Madsen.
Despite their issues, Madsen showed a great respect for his team, encouraging fans and outsiders to be a patient. “If they would just watch this team during the week, they would be amazed at how good they actually are,” he said.
“We are kind of beating ourselves … but I always have high expectations,” Madsen said. “If we play to our potential, I know we can beat teams like Salt Lake Community College and College of Southern Idaho.”