Slow start; looking to turn season around

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Sixteen games into the 2011 season, the baseball team sits at 4-12 on the season with hopes that they will turn around.

“I’m really disappointed with our season,” said Head Coach Eric Madsen. “Obviously injuries – you have to try and overcome them.”

Prior to their most recent win and big comeback against in-state rival Southern Utah, the Wolverines sat on a 10-game losing stretch, all of which were on the road.

“I feel like we’ve let a lot of opportunities slip away,” said Madsen. “We’ve had good chances to win games. We’ve had good pitching, we’ve had bad pitching, we’ve had no hitting and we’ve had great hitting.”

In their 12 losses, the Wolverines have faced six different teams on four road trips.

The teams include Northwestern, Western Michigan and Texas Tech early in the season and Arizona, Washington State and Southern Utah most recently.

“You try and stay positive, but it’s tough because I think we’ve missed on some opportunities that we’ve had against some very good programs,” said Madsen.

Although Madsen is disappointed, he still sees a lot of potential in his roster. “For the most part I think they know they are a good team and I think they just want to keep playing and they hope it’s going to turn around – and it will – but it’s good that they are a little more positive than we are.

Last season saw a similar start. The Wolverines sat at 6-10 about the same time last year, but with a smaller gap of a losing streak and a couple more wins on the road. “Early last year we didn’t play great on the road and then we kind of turned it around and started to play really good on the road,” said Madsen.

Madsen remains positive for their upcoming road trip and said, “I think this road trip will be good for us. Obviously its tough to win on the road, but you can find a way to turn your season around on the road too.”

After two weeks of road games, the Wolverines will return to home field to host in-state rival University of Utah on April 12 at 6:00 p.m.

The end of April and, much of May will be the fans best opportunity to catch the Wolverines in action with 18 homes games scheduled.