Pirates take aim at positive finish
After losing 14 players off last year’s roster, Keith Ward figured his Whitworth Pirates would suffer through some growing pains this spring.
But the Bucs’ 10th-year head coach never expected them to hurt this badly.
Heading into this weekend’s back-to-back doubleheaders against Northwest Conference rival Puget Sound in Tacoma, Whitworth is a disappointing 10-17 overall and 7-8 in conference play.
Adding to Ward’s frustration is the fact that seven of the Pirates’ losses have come by two runs or less.
“I think the reason that has happened is because of all the guys we lost from last year’s team,” Ward said. “We brought in a lot of good players – a lot of transfers and some really good freshmen – but, unfortunately, it’s just taken a little longer than I had hoped to get going.”
Still, Ward is pushing his young team to remain positive and keep looking ahead to its final three NWC series, all of which are against teams ahead of the fifth-place Pirates in the conference standings.
“Which means if we play really well, we can move all the way up to third,” Ward said. “I’ve been trying to keep the kids focused on, hey, we can jump over some people in the next few weeks if play to our ability.”
Following this weekend’s road trip to third-place UPS (12-15, 11-7), the Bucs return home next weekend to face conference-leading Pacific Lutheran (24-6, 13-2) in a three-game series at Merkel Field. They close conference play with a three-game series against fourth-place Linfield (14-12, 9-6) in McMinnville, Ore., on April 28 and 29.
“It’s one of those thing where we’ve been really close a lot of times,” Ward said, “and that’s what we’ve talked about – how to stay positive and win some of those close ones. We have a good chance to finish strong as long as we worry about what’s in front of us instead of what’s behind us.”
To finish the way Ward wants, the Pirates will need to continue their fine pitching and splendid defensive work.
“We’ve been pitching it really well,” Ward said, noting that his staff’s earned-run average of 5.08 is the lowest in his 10 years at the school. “And our team batting, which was off at the beginning of the season, is starting to come around.”
Junior right-hander Chad Flett (2-2) leads the starters with an ERA of 2.90, followed by senior right-hander Brandon Zimmerman (3-3, 3.46). The Bucs’ top offensive threats are senior Ryne Webb, who is hitting a team-high .321, and junior Dan Ramsay, who leads the team with 25 runs batted in.
“We’re not playing that poorly,” Ward said, “but those close losses do get a little frustrating.”
Hit the road
There won’t be much to sample in the way of home cooking for the region’s four college teams this week.
Community Colleges of Spokane will host Wenatchee Valley College at Spokane Falls Community College this afternoon at 1, but Washington State, Gonzaga and Whitworth will all be on the road.
WSU plays a three-game series against Arizona State in Tempe this weekend, while Gonzaga does the same against Santa Clara in the Bay Area. Whitworth, as mentioned, is scheduled to face Puget Sound in back-to-back doubleheaders in Tacoma this weekend.