Unless a team is very special, it will go through some ups and downs during the long course of a season.
The Utes have experienced some good and bad times thus far in their season. Although they haven’t been perfect, they still feel their goal is in sight.
That goal: the postseason. Though it’s a lofty ambition, the team remains confident that they can push through the remaining stretch of conference play and reach it.
Despite losing a slugfest to their bitter rival, BYU, the team’s confidence is still on a good note, and the players are pressing on toward another weekend series.
“I think everyone still has pretty high [confidence] right now,” said junior pitcher Dalton Carroll. “We’re not out of a regional race right now. I think people understand that. We do have a lot of work if we do want to see ourselves playing past conference play and into a regional.”
If the team wants to make a regional game they will have to win the kind of close games they have lost lately. The season didn’t start the way Utah wanted. The Utes won their season opener over Sacramento State, only to drop 11 out of their next 12 games.
During that stretch, the team really struggled in regards to their batting average, as they couldn’t seem to get rolling on offense.
Then the Kansas series came, and the Utes found their feet on all sides of the ball. The series against Arizona was also a success as the team found a way to win their first conference series of the year.
Since then, they’ve struggled to remain consistent on both sides of the ball. However, the team does see some positives since the start of the season despite what their record shows.
Junior catcher AJ Young said the team has done a good job in getting some key hits in crunch time and that he’s happy the team’s overall batting average has gone up substantially since the earlier series they played this season.
He did say the Utes’ short game has been giving them some trouble lately.
“No one really plays back on us,” he said. “I feel like we need to start push-bunting a little more because that could help our short game.”
He said it’s hard for players like him to use their strengths when all the players are so tight in to home plate. Young said he isn’t a base running guy so opposing infielders coming in doesn’t play to his advantage.
Both Young and fellow junior Cody Scaggari said the confidence the team carries and plays with every week comes from their past success.
“We try to think of past successes we’ve had as a team,” Scaggari said. “As individuals, we think of the preparation we’ve been through. You think of that and focus on that you’re good enough to be here and play on the highest level.”
The thought of postseason is still on Scaggari’s mind, but he knows his team needs to get on some kind of a winning streak to achieve that goal.
Both of the juniors said that if the team trusts the process they have implemented, the game will come to them and the wins will follow.
“I think we’re only allowed to lose so many games,” Young said. “That’s going to be tough. I think we can do it, but it’ll be tough. At least finish in the middle of the pack.”
The feeling around the practice field wasn’t one of disappointment from their previous night’s loss but one of refreshment as they prepare for Washington State. If the Utes are going to make a move to secure their spot in the postseason, the time is now.
@ISmithAtTheU