Entering the final week of regular season play the motto for the Baker baseball team is now “win and we’re in.”
With four games left to play, the Wildcats could wrap up a HAAC playoff berth by simply beating Graceland University in its final weekend series of the year.
Considering this team started the season losing its first nine games, making the playoffs for the first time in nine years would be a nice way to cap the end of the season.
“This team has persevered throughout the whole season and all we talked about was getting in the conference tournament,” head coach Phil Hannon said. “Those guys set their goals and that’s all they could think about. So that’s what inspired them and kept them going.”
Before entering last weekend the Wildcats were third in the conference but slipped to sixth after losing four straight to Benedictine College.
The four losses also dropped Baker out of the first place spot in the western division of the conference. Baker had built a 9-3 record before facing Benedictine, which jumped ahead to first, dropping Baker to second.
“Before the series we were really looking forward to the series,” junior Marc Burchard said. “We had the chance to get first and we were real upbeat and looking forward to it. After it was kind of somber because we really needed to take … one victory.” Those losses are in the rearview mirror and Baker is now focusing its attention on the upcoming series against the Yellow Jackets, who lost three out of four games to Avila University last weekend.
“The only thing we can do right now is go on and play.” Burchard said. “We are going to go out Saturday with all that we have.”
This weekend could bring any number of results for the Wildcats as they play for their first playoff appearance since 1997. The ‘Cats need to win at least two of the four games to make the playoffs.
“We have to consider every scenario. The thing is we have to take care of our own business first and let the cards fall where they may,” Hannon said.
If Baker fails to win two games against the Yellow Jackets, the chance of making the playoffs would be all but exhausted.
Baker will carry a 9-7west division record and a 13-13 conference record into the series, with hopes of staving off Graceland. The Yellow Jackets are 8-8 in the west division with a 13-13 record in the conference.
Baker will probably throw the usual four starters against Graceland in hopes of a sweep or wins in three games. Senior Adam Podschun will start the first game followed by junior Logan Peck, sophomore Nick Burd and senior Kyle Metzger.
Last season Baker shut out Graceland three times in four games.
“We just need to give our team the chance to stay in the game and win it,” Peck said. “If we go out there and try to do too much and take on things by ourselves we are not going to be as successful as if we work as a team and let the defense work for us.”
Baker hopes to rebound from last weekend’s dismal plate appearances when they scored only four runs against the second best pitching staff in the conference. In last year’s series against Graceland, the Wildcats outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-11 in four games.
Each west division team has played 16 games, and five of the six teams still are in the hunt for the two spots in the HAAC conference divisional tournament. Baker trails Benedictine by one, and leads Avila, Graceland and Jewell by one game.
MidAmerica Nazarene University is four games behind Baker and has no chance of making the playoffs.
Baker will play for the final two times in front of a home crowd starting at 1 p.m. tomorrow out at Sauder Field.
The second game of the doubleheader will follow shortly after the conclusion of the first game.