MICHAEL ADAM RAY

(written for The Daily O’Collegian in April of 2008)

There aren’t a lot of things that can change about college baseball.

There are no experimental clock changes, like there have been in football over the past few years, in an attempt to speed up the game.

There is no clock. It’s something the game’s fans love and its critics hate; but it’s baseball.

With the exception of the designated hitter, baseball has been virtually the same game for decades.

However, there’s one thing that’s sure to change every season: the schedule.

This season, though, the teams on the schedule aren’t the only things changing about it. This year, the season’s start date has also changed.

The NCAA pushed the start of the college baseball season back three weeks this year in an attempt to allow pleasant weather to create an even playing field between Northern and Southern schools.

Although the change brought more sunshine around the country, it also has its drawbacks, Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson said.

“They basically took away 3 1/2 weeks of the season, and we still have the same number of games,” Anderson said. “So now you end up having at least one or two midweek games every week.”

The added midweek games not only equate to more travel for players but also to less time in class. In an attempt to create a level playing field for teams around the country, the NCAA may have created an uneven one for athletes in the classroom, Anderson said.

“We don’t have that luxury of playing that many teams that are close enough to play them all at home, so we’ve spent a lot of time on the road,” Anderson said. “It has become a stress academically as much as it has ever been in NCAA baseball.”

Anderson, who takes pride in his team’s accomplishments in the classroom, said he expects the scheduling change to have a negative effect on his player’s grades.

“We have maintained a pretty high standard academically over the last couple years,” Anderson said. “Our goal is a 3.0 GPA as a team, and we’ve reached that quite a few times over the last two or three years, but this year’s going to be a lot tougher. It’s so much tougher to deal with because of the time commitments.”

Anderson said the scheduling change is harder for teams in locations such as Stillwater, where there aren’t many decent opponents within a short distance. As a result, the team has to spend more time on the road than some other schools.

“Where we’re located, it’s tough to get quality teams to come to Stillwater for midweek games.” Anderson said. “OU is trying to get the same people we are, and Wichita State and Arkansas, and there are only so many people to go around that you can play.”

OSU assistant coach Billy Jones said the increased number of midweek games, especially those on the road, has been hard on the players this semester.

“If you play Tuesday and Wednesday at home, usually we can get through class, but we really don’t have a lot of time to get caught up on things we miss,” Jones said. “If we play midweek on the road, it’s really tough on those guys to make sure they’re taking care of their studies.”

Because players aren’t able to spend as much time in the classroom, Anderson said this season has been one of his hardest as a coach in regards to staying on top of his players’ grades.

“I’ve worked harder and tugged and pushed and prodded more than I ever have in the past,” Anderson said. “Basically, when we’re here in town, the players have no opportunities to miss a class, ever, because of how many times we’ve been away.”

Anderson’s players are also feeling the stress of the compacted season.

Sophomore outfielder Dusty Harvard said the changes have made focusing on school more difficult for him than in previous years.

“For me, the late start has been really hard,” Harvard said. “I’ve missed a lot of class, and I’ve had to take a lot of Internet classes, which aren’t always the best. I’ve missed a lot of school, so grades are probably the biggest factor.”

When the players are in town, Harvard said they are often so tired from trips that it is hard to focus in class.

“When we do get back and can go to class after a long road trip, sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed,” Harvard said. “We got back at 2:30 in the morning after the Missouri series, and that was really hard on some of the guys with earlier classes on Monday.”

Harvard said he expects the team’s GPA to be lower this semester than it has been during previous seasons because of the time during which the baseball season falls.

“Our GPA is definitely going to be a lot lower than our last three or four in-season semesters because of the schedule and the way it’s been,” Harvard said. “We had those extra four weeks in class before the season started, but you’re not really doing much in class at that point. Missing it all right now is probably the hardest thing.”

Junior shortstop Jordy Mercer said the condensed schedule is having an effect on the field as well as in the classroom.

“It’s pretty tough, it really is,” Mercer said. “You’re always on the go and there’s something you’ve got to do before you get to the field. We can’t even practice anymore. It’s tough on us, but we’re making our way.”

Senior pitcher Matt Gardner said school was easier to focus on in previous years when the schedule was spread out.

“It was a little easier because you could go to class two or three days a week when the season is spread out instead of one or two,” Gardner said. “I think we learned the material better.”

Harvard also said he would prefer to return to the old schedule format.

“If we could just keep it spread out like it was last year, it would be a lot better for us academically,” Harvard said. “It’s unfair for the whole country the way the schedule is now. You just can’t go to class if you’re going to be traveling as much as we have.”

Mercer said the players’ teachers are trying to accommodate the extra travel and are doing everything they can to help the players succeed in the classroom.

Jones said the schedule change has also changed the decisions coaches make on which players to play, especially among the pitchers.

“The one positive [to the condensed schedule] is it’s forced us to make sure that we have guys to pitch midweek, especially when you’re playing five or six games a week,” Jones said. “If we were only playing one midweek game every other week, there would be some guys that don’t have the innings that they have now.”

Anderson agreed there are benefits in using players during midweek games who might not get to play if the schedule wasn’t packed so tightly.

“Maybe we’ll find some people in the midweek that we didn’t know we had,” Anderson said. “Then, maybe down the line, we can use them on the weekends and they’ll become viable options.”

Jones said senior pitcher Matt Gardner is one of the players who has taken advantage of extra time during midweek games.

Gardner, who is coming off an injured shoulder, accepted his role as a midweek starter and seemed to get stronger as the season progressed, Jones said.

Gardner performed so well during midweek games during the past few weeks that he was moved into the weekend rotation against Kansas this weekend.

Without the increased number of midweek games, Gardner might not have been given ample time to prove himself, Jones said.

In addition to the increased scholastic workload, players are also dealing with increased fatigue from all the travel, Anderson said.

Mercer said the increased travel can be difficult, but it also has positive effects on the team’s play.

“You play and then you go on the road and come back home and do some work and then you play again,” Mercer said. “It’s tough on you, but you can deal with it. It’s good for us; we have less down time between games.”

Harvard agreed the increased travel can take its toll on the team, but said most of the players are used to playing so often because of their time spent in summer leagues around the country.

“We’re all pretty adjusted to the travel,” Harvard said. “We expect it and we know how to handle it. Just talking with the whole team, grades and missing school is what’s hurting us. That’s the biggest deal.”

This week, for only the second time since the season started, the team doesn’t have any midweek games scheduled, and there’s a good reason behind it: finals.

Harvard said the team is looking forward to putting all of their focus on baseball, but is trying to focus primarily on academics until the end of school.

“We’re trying to make a hard push for academics,” Harvard said. “That’s the only thing that’s really bothering us about it all right now.”

Senior pitcher Josh Neal said the team’s morale is high, despite having so much to do this semester in so little time.

“It’s tough, especially going from school to ball every day, but you just kind of deal with it and go with it,” Neal said. “It’s tough but we’ve been dealing with it pretty well. We’re playing really well right now.”

Anderson said he hopes the team’s momentum will carry through its down time with finals this week.

“You hate to quit playing now, but they’ve got to get ready for finals,” Anderson said.

After finals wrap up Friday, the Cowboys have 12 games left before post-season play begins.

Finally, they will be able to focus all of their attention on baseball, Harvard said.