Back to basics: pitch by pitch

By Kyle Lazarus
The Collegian

In baseball, it all comes down to playing in the present. Fresno State was swept by No. 15 Pepperdine this weekend in Malibu, Calif., but the Bulldogs fought hard in every game.

Many times it was what the Bulldogs did not do, like not throwing a ball that thwarted their chance to win. There are players at every level, even the major leagues that make the same mistakes that the Bulldogs made on defense last weekend, but it does not mean that the mistakes should happen every game.

If there is no chance for an out, the chance should not be taken. The Bulldogs’ defense was erratic, sometimes brilliant and sometimes dismal. Throwing errors are inexcusable.

Patience leads to fewer mistakes. The Pepperdine batters were going to get hits, as the Bulldogs saw last weekend, but if the mistakes were limited, the score would have been limited. In the middle game of the three game set, the Bulldogs cut down on their mistakes until the last inning, where a Tanner Scheppers throwing error forced the Bulldogs to walk the bases loaded.

That error led to the eventual game-winning hit by Pepperdine. Unforced errors are how teams lose championships.

Rankings do not matter. College, high school, the Major Leagues — the rankings are irrelevant.

Nobody thought the St. Louis Cardinals had a chance against the Detroit Tigers.

Listen to the announcers sometime during the World Series. They make it sound like a ridiculous three-hour promotional commercial for the stronger team.

Sports announcers and ranking polls all base their opinions on what has happened, when in baseball, it really has no relevance to the present.

As cliché as it may sound, the Bulldogs have the talent to beat teams like Pepperdine. The Bulldogs can be like the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching of the Bulldogs leaves something to desire, but the pitching staff is young.

Otherwise, youth is no excuse, and the pitchers would agree. They can get the batters out. Giving up only three runs on 11 hits in the second game is impressive.

The Bulldog pitching had only their first big blowup inning of the season in the last half of the game Sunday against Pepperdine, something that makes the rest of the season look promising.

Even more promising is that the Bulldogs immediately responded with three hard-earned runs.

Too often it appears that the Bulldogs pitchers are not focusing on the next pitch they throw. It looks like they are looking at the situation, and how to solve the situation rather than the present pitch.

Baseball is all about precision, and the Bulldogs know that, but it means letting the coaches deal with the situation, and having the players react to the pitch.

Intelligence with the baseball wins games. Taking chances can win baseball games. Taking unnecessary chances can lose baseball games. The Bulldogs are going to be the underdogs the rest of the season. It comes down to one pitch at a time, something the Bulldogs need to really focus on.

The Bulldogs players will find their roles.

The best thought that the Bulldogs can take away from their weekend in Malibu, Calif. is that they can compete with the top teams in the nation. Sure, they were swept, but there were a lot of positives.

The Bulldogs realized what they need to accomplish for future competition. They know what they need to do to win against No. 18 San Diego this coming weekend.

The Bulldogs need solid pitching. Throwing strikes is essential. The hitting will follow. It is the little things that will shift the momentum for Fresno State.

Holding onto the ball when there is no play and not making unforced errors like against Pepperdine will give the Bulldogs a great opportunity to win.
A sweep by Pepperdine means nothing, except that Pepperdine might move up a little in the rankings.

But everyone knows that rankings mean nothing.
It’s all about the next pitch.

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