Wofford - CofC series

[wocogoose94]

Hopefully this situation will get better next year as all conference series will be played over two days and not three.

[BossTerrier]

This type of discussion really chaps me. Last year posters on this board torched the coach when he did not allow a player to leave after a game to take his girlfriend to the airport. Now, he puts academics first and gets torched for that. Gimme a break.

Being a baseball player at Wofford is without doubt the toughest challenge any student athlete can face. No other sport plays 56 games in 13 weeks including 3 game overnight hotel stays on away game trips. Not one - only baseball. And yet at Wofford, the players get no special considerations, no academic tutors, study halls, or help of any kind. They are expected to perform as normal students despite putting in 4, 6 or sometimes 8 hour days on the baseball field. If a player asked for and was granted some "grace" in order to succeed in the classroom then there must have been a good reason for it and it is no reason to attack the administration or the coach - whoever made the decision. As I said, these guys carry the toughest load at the school bar none and should receive nothing but our respect and admiration for what they do.

I call total BS on this-you are out of your mind if you think other sports aren't putting in the same amount of time with the same restrictions. I ran cross country and track at Wofford 10 yrs ago and not one time recieved the assistance of a tutor-we did have study hall as this was a coach mandated decision-
I ran 100+ miles a week in the fall and practiced 4 hrs per day at the track in the spring. We traveled every weekend to meets and spent at least 4 overnight stays per season, fall and spring. It was like a job, and this was for a "minor" sport, with no athleteic scholarships whatsoever-I had an academic scholarship that required a certain GPA to maintain.

The fact is, this baseball team has played poorly for the entire second half of the season-period. Continue to make excuses if you will, but that doesn't make a man-all you are teaching is the blame game. What happens in life when your business budget gets cut or your company fails to meet the bottom line, or you lose the case in the courtroom due to an incompetent jury, or you amputate the wrong leg because " the hospital staff marked the wrong one?" Do you get to blame it on something else, or do you have to take the responsibility for your actions?

These kids are smart and no doubt behind the 8 ball with regards to funding and support and all that, but I am sick and tired of making excuses. If these kids were playing to the best of their ability, then I wouldn't criticize-I, however, believe they are not-They are sandbagging and gave up several weeks ago, long before exams were in the picture.

[Ruckus]

The second half wilt is now to be expected with Wofford baseball, I am afraid. Year in and year out we crawl to the finish after a promising start. But it was happening before Coach I took over. I tend to attribute it to tired arms and the whole pitching/few scollie scenario. However, I wholeheartedly agree that making excuses every year is getting old. Lots on this board get indignant when you bring up the success of our past baseball programs which is fine but I would offer Coach Ayers and the football program as a perfect example of why excuses don't help you. Even in the initial years of our joining SoCon, you never heard, not even once, one inkling of an excuse from MA in getting our butts handed to us by GSU, ASU, or FU, etc. Instead what you heard is: we just didn't get it done; we have to get better, tougher, faster, bigger, stronger, smarter, etc. There are a number of reasons we have had success in football. Sure schollies help, but coaching and attitude account for a lot too.
As I have said before, I think we have more talent than our yearly performance indicates. Sure would be nice for the team to just love playing ball and exude that joy, win or lose. These kids have their whole lives to work; now is the time they should be playing for the fun of the game. I know losing sucks but I continue to get the feeling when I see them play that it is hard work. I may be completely wrong about that but it just appears that way to me.

[Natural]

Ruckus: You are completely wrong. The players who have earned the right to play love to play.

BossTerrier: my comments had nothing to do with "excuses" regarding our lack of success on the field. It had to do with someone questioning why a player would be allowed to take a day off to study for exams. Too many people on this board make judgmental comments about our student athletes without considering the heavy burden they carry. That is not an excuse, it is simply a fact.

[BossTerrier]

Ruckus: You are completely wrong. The players who have earned the right to play love to play.

BossTerrier: my comments had nothing to do with "excuses" regarding our lack of success on the field. It had to do with someone questioning why a player would be allowed to take a day off to study for exams. Too many people on this board make judgmental comments about our student athletes without considering the heavy burden they carry. That is not an excuse, it is simply a fact.

as one of those former student athletes, I have earned the right to call it as I see it-

these boys have alot to battle for sure, but they are better than their record and performance the last few weeks. That is a fact.

[Ruckus]

If I am wrong, Natural, why does it appear that way? If they love to play as you contest, shouldn't it show in their attitude and performance? Shouldn't there be energy on the field and in the dugout? Shouldn't there be some chatter? Or is something else the problem if it is not the player's love for the game?
Having been around baseball all my life, I know what I see. The kids look beaten down to me and losing the last 6 or so games 90+ runs to 30+ runs is a tell tale sign of it. We should NEVER lose games by those margins.

[lawdog]

About leadership. 90% of any group will give great effort and enjoy some success if the leadership is there. Look at the football team under its present leadership; even before their scholarship situation improved they won more than their share, had motivation and esprit, and the players were enthusiastic and proud to be part of an intelligent and persistent effort to succeed . Every sports team at Wofford should have at least that; more importantly, we owe it to these young men and women. That is the lesson each player should take from playing a sport at Wofford.

Related to that: leaders don't dwell on what is lacking, but find a way to utilize what is there so as to achieve maximum results. It's the old play smart syndrome. When a team that was winning its share starts to lose badly and often, one has to wonder.

I...and others here, I'm sure...have played in both kinds of environments, and the difference is amazing.

[dialing8]

The kids look beaten down to me and losing the last 6 or so games 90+ runs to 30+ runs is a tell tale sign of it. We should NEVER lose games by those margins.

Not that I like it either, but I did post under my "WHIP" topic that Furman gave up more runs to App. state and CofC than we did.
They are not all over their team on their board. In fact if you look at nearly every series for the year you will see the Furman(another underfunded program with high academics similar to ours) has had similar weekends with the SoCon teams in terms of results and scores.

Lack of depth and injuries to the pitching staff have hurt both programs.
Losing our second baseman to injury did not help us. Then losing the only other middle infielder really hurt us and actually cost a game when an outfielder had to play second and could not make a crutial play because he was out of position.

And what really chaps me is the fact that I was called by a dad of a pretty good 10th grader from the upstate who wanted advise about his upcoming(tonight actually) recruiting meeting with Coach Holbrook of South Carolina. "They are going to make an offer", said the dad. I asked who else had he talked to. "Well, CofC came to see him play last week and offered 55%".
Once again the point is being made that the programs with the money can offer EARLY and OFTEN while Wofford and Furman have to wait for the diamond in the rough that no one else found or has to wait for the kid that is in the top 3% of his class so he needs no athletic money.

With Impact Baseball from NC and Diamond Prospects from SC reporting which pitchers can hit or break 90 and have an offspeed pitch to boot, it will only get harder to get these pitchers. The big money programs get them locked down before our coaches can pull their GPA.

As for the boys looking beat down. I am sure they hate getting it handed to them more than we the fans do.

[Ruckus]

Not that I particularly care what FU people think, I know plenty of Furman people who are not at all happy with the state of their program either. Besides that, I would hope the measuring stick for our program isn't FU because the history of our program outshines FU's to begin with.
BTW - I was at the Clemson - Furman game this week. They played pretty well in the 8-5 loss. Glad we took 2 of 3 from them.
I stand by my original statement that we should never lose by the margins of late. If that isn't a concern, then something is wrong and we need to just give up and become a club team.

[wocogoose94]

Why does Wofford have to wait? Why can't it offer the 10th grader? Granted, they may not be able to match the offer of other colleges, but why not make the offer all the same? Should Wofford be "embarrassed" to offer something less than other colleges?

I would think Wofford should sell the college and the experience and everything about Wofford. If the student doesnt want to come to Wofford over a difference in 10%-20% in athletic aid, then Wofford's probably not the place they need to be.

I know I certainly didnt go to Wofford because of the amount of the partial scholarship I received.