Members of the Baker University baseball team have a running joke about being insane.
“We always like to say, ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,’” head coach Phil Hannon said.
After nine losses in a row, Hannon thought it was time for some adjustments to be made and for the team to take its definition of insanity to heart.
All it took was some fine tuning and a positive shift in energy, and Baker was able to end that nine-game losing-streak with back-to-back wins at Sauder Field on Sunday and Tuesday.
Oh, and junior Brett Lechien pitched a one-hitter against Tabor College, which didn’t hurt the Wildcats either.
“(Lechien) is one of those kids that will step up and do the best he can any time you ask something of him,” Hannon said. “I feel like he fell right into place with what our pitching staff has been doing this season, which over all they’ve done a really outstanding job.”
The one-hitter came during Lechien’s second ever start on the mound and just days after he described the team’s season as “unfortunate.” He typically starts in right field and is the team’s leadoff hitter.
With a record of 4-25 on the season, Lechien is proud of his team’s accomplishments in the 3-2 victory over Tabor on Tuesday, which came shortly after a 10-4 win over the University of Saint Mary on Sunday.
“The one-hitter was cool, but most importantly, we got a win,” Lechien said. “These past couple wins just go to show that we have a lot of potential. We just need to keep putting in work day-in and day-out as we keep searching for our identity.”
After realizing they’ve lost 17 games by two runs or less, 13 of which have been a one-run ballgame, Hannon felt his team has been hit with bad luck and hopes the Wildcats will find confidence from their recent performances.
“Anytime you don’t have very much success, as we’ve had this year, it’s tough to go to the ball field,” Hannon said. “We (coaches) talk all the time about how we just need the ball to bounce our way once or twice so the guys know they can win games. I really applaud them for sticking with it and not folding in, so to speak, and just continuing to go out and play every day.”
The Wildcats are 1-11 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play and will look to improve this record as they take on MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe this weekend. The HAAC rivals will face off on Friday and then again on Saturday with two doubleheaders that will each start at 1 p.m.
“As long as our guys just keep being the tough warriors that they are instead of being ‘insane,” the adjustments they make will help them to gain confidence in their ability on the field for the rest of the season,” Hannon said.
