UEC newcomers learn you can’t have enough pitching
From a baseball standpoint, you couldn’t blame Batavia and Geneva for being a little envious of their Tri-Cities neighbors to the north, St. Charles East and St. Charles North.
And I’m not just talking the home fields at both St. Charles schools. I can’t think of any high school in Illinois who wouldn’t be envious of those.
Making their debut in the Upstate Eight this season, Batavia and Geneva are learning how important it is — and what a luxury it can be — to have the kind of pitching depth the Saints and North Stars have.
Playing in the Western Sun Conference the past four years, the Bulldogs and Vikings got used to a pretty standard schedule. Three-game conference series with games Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and a nonconference doubleheader Saturday.
That made it fairly simple to come up with three starters you can count on and a handful of bullpen arms. The Saturday games or doubleheaders could be used to give other kids a chance to throw, especially with the second game usually a JV contest.
Now Batavia coach Matt Holm and Geneva’s Matt Hahn are adjusting to the Upstate Eight schedule with as many as five conference games scheduled a week and Saturday doubleheaders that both games count.
That means you better be able to find a couple more quality arms to compete for this conference title.
“You definitely have to have depth in a pitching staff,” Holm said after the Bulldogs and Vikings split a doubleheader Saturday. “In the offseason we will re-evaluate how we do that. At St. Charles East kids are only on the team as a pitcher. That mentality goes more with the conference with the way it is structured.”
The rainouts this year have only made the transition more difficult, Hahn said.
“One week it’s Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday doubleheader, the next week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday — some weeks you need five starters, some weeks four. Some weeks with the rainouts you need six. It’s definitely been a challenge.
“We kept a couple extra pitchers during tryouts knowing some of these weeks would be more challenging than others. This (schedule) is definitely more of a challenge.”
Geneva catcher John Swiderski said he likes how the Vikings staff has adjusted.
“I’d say if you have a guy coming out of the pen on a Tuesday, he can come back and pitch or start on Saturday,” Swiderski said. “Our guys are staying fresh. A lot of long toss. Coaches have them running. It’s helping them out a lot.”
In addition to putting a premium on pitching depth, the Upstate Eight schedule has had another effect.
With both games counting in the varsity standings Saturday, there isn’t as much opportunity to get playing time to the JV kids who in the past seasons relied on those doubleheader nightcaps to get some playing time and improve.
“I like the fact they both count, but I’d like to play some of our other guys more and without a JV schedule and the rain hasn’t helped (it’s hard),” Holm said.
“Maybe it is just a transition but I like having the second game of a doubleheader for the guys to play in and I can use it as a teaching moment for all our others. As it is now you don’t get many practices. At times when you are struggling like we have been there are things you need to work on.”
jlemon@dailyherald.com