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Griffons gearing up for a strong finish to the season
Despite numerous roster changes and being slightly behind some of the season's goals, Griffons head coach John Hill III says he feels good about the team thus far.
The Griffons are sitting on at 18-11 on the season and 12-10 in league play, tied for third in the Jayhawk League with the Liberal Beejays at two games out of first. The goal set for the team was to finish out the season with a .667 winning percentage, a mark they currently sit four games behind.
The Griffons have lost a total of seven players from their preseason roster for various reasons ranging from injury to simple homesickness, but are still keeping their hopes high for a good finish. "We have total control over, -- I guess you could say it's a cliche -- but our destiny for the rest of the summer," Hill said.
That kind of roster turnover will have a definite impact on any team, regardless of level or talent. The Griffons have seen some amazing improvements throughout the remaining roster and are still playing well, despite all of the roster turnover that has come throughout the season.
"The impact has been major in the fact that it's been from important, key members of the team as far as production," Hill said. The Griffons' coaches are hoping that some of the players that have not been able to produce thus far will step up and start to take up the slack from the players that have been lost, and that the players they have left who have produced can avoid a mid-season slump.
The biggest challenge that the Griffons have faced as a result of the roster turnover this year has been the fact that it has come at the top of the stat sheets. The Griffons have lost three of their top offensive players this year to injury and other issues, along with Matt Lagree, one of the team's top catchers, and two starting pitchers.
As Hill said, that kind of change and adversity on that scale can be very hard to overcome and very stressful to a coaching staff.
Nevada does have some big things to be happy about, however. The addition of Korby Mintken has been a tremendous asset to the team. Mintken has added a solid bat to the lineup, hitting .423 in the six games he's started for the Griffons, along with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Mintken has also added six stolen bases in six attempts, thus proving his athleticism even further. "He (Mintken) has just brought so much energy to this team, because he's just so athletic," Hill said.
The Griffons currently boast a team ERA of 3.96, while opposing teams have an ERA of 4.39 against Nevada. The Griffons are currently batting .280 as a team, and are sitting on a .965 fielding percentage.
The Griffons are 47-59 in stolen bases and have been hit by 33 pitches while commiting just 38 errors this year. Nevada has also given up 248 hits with 248 strikeouts, while notching 274 hits with just 149 strikeouts themselves.
The Griffons have shown a lot of individual improvement as well. According to Hill, Daniel Dellasega has become more sure of himself as a player and gained a lot of maturity over this summer. Hill also spoke very highly of Tommy Fitzgerald, describing him as a "solid rock," a player who will get the job done on the field while portaying himself as a respectable individual along the way.
The Griffons haven't shown a lot of individual improvement in players through the year, but Hill said that players like Dellasega and Justin Aragon have "grown up" signifcantly as the summer has progressed. This kind of development in maturity and overall presence could be pointed to as a major motivator for the overall improvements the Griffons have made as a team.
The Griffons still have some minor issues that they will need to work on, such as defensive presence and making sound defensive decisions, but the Nevada coachng staff believes that will come as players begin to gain more experience. The team still has high hopes for the rest of the season and is in good position to finish well, if they are able to continue playing well.
Every league game the Griffons will play from this point on in the season, with the exception of a two game set against Joplin, will be against teams that are either currently tied with or ahead of Nevada in the standings, so the team is in good position to improve their spot substantially.
"If we play well, that means we'll be at the top. If we don't play well, that means we won't be on top," Hill said of the Griffons' chances over the rest of the season. The Griffons will be hoping to improve their record and move up in the Jayhawk League standings this weekend as they play a three game set at Lyons Stadium against the Derby, Kan. Twins.