By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University baseball team focused on small group workouts this fall, and the result was improvement in a variety of fundamental skills. It was also an excellent opportunity for players and coaches to be together after missing more than half of the 2020 season and then being off-campus for the summer.
"It was great to be back out there with the team," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "I could tell that they really missed being on the field, but more importantly, missed being around their teammates."
"First off, I think my teammates and I were thankful to even have fall practices," said Justin Miller (Sr./Jr., RHP, Poway, CA/Poway HS/Palomar CC). "I liked practices because I got to see my teammates and coaches again after last season was cut short. This fall, I also liked the design of practices as they allowed for individual development as well as team development."
"I liked seeing the new players and their talent," Ben Whitten (Grad., RHP, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) commented. "That's always my favorite part of the fall."
With COVID-19 protocols in place, it took the team and the coaches several days to adjust to practicing while wearing masks.
During practices, the coaches led the players in small groups for about 45 minutes of defensive work, 45 minutes of hitting, and 30 minutes of bunting/base-running. Pitchers for the Bearcats threw for an hour, completed some drill work, participated in fielding practice, and worked on pick-off plays each time they were involved. In addition, the team was able to work through some game simulations while wearing their masks and maintaining social distancing.
"Practice was more than just being at the field and doing your job, it was about the practice off the field that really counted," Miller said. "Being a pitcher, we were able to practice 'real game' situations by doing competitions against each other. As a team, almost everything we did was a 'real game' situation, whether it was hitting, pitching, or other drills that incorporated the mental competitiveness of a 'real game'."
"I do think that scrimmages did help me the most on the defensive side," Ethan Fischel (Jr., INF, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS) said. "Being able to see live balls off the bat and getting my reaction time up to par was by far the most helpful with regards to defense. On the offensive side, the drills Coach Mikey Nantze gave us helped me the most. He was able to study our swings and give us certain drills ... to help us out. The instant he gave me my three drills I snapped back into my rhythm and was seeing the ball much better than before."
The team's perseverance paid off. Working mostly in small groups was beneficial in terms of the players really being able to focus on fundamentals.
"We did a lot of small group work," Swick said. "It was incredibly valuable and we were able to perform a number of drills which increased the skill acquisition in those specific areas."
"COVID-19 protocols and the wildfire smoke did not have a huge impact on practices as it allowed for us to focus more on individual development through drills and workouts," Miller said. "We had set rules to follow every day when we showed up and we all did a great job in following them. In a way, nothing was going to stop us from playing the game we all love."
"Our coaches did a great job setting up our pod times that worked best with our schedules. On top of that we were with our same position as well," Fischel commented. "This was a great starting point in the beginning when first coming to campus because we were able to hit, throw, and take ground balls on a regular basis with the guys we would be doing that with come springtime. We also did events throughout the fall ... where we competed in teams apart from baseball. This was a little fun release where we were able to bond as a team away from the field."
"We were able to put trust in each other really well this fall," Layton Wagner (So., INF/RHP, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) noted. "It was hard to get to know other teammates, but we did the best we could. I also feel like our offense will be the focal point of our team. We have many guys who can hit the ball all around the park."
The commitment of the players to working hard during the fall practices also made a difference. Individual players -- and the overall team -- achieved improvements, which led to increased confidence and even more success.
"I thought fall practice went really well for me," said Miller. "I think the goal for any athlete is to be better than you were the day before, which I think I achieved. Given the circumstances with COVID protocols, nothing got in my way of working hard every day, which has allowed me to become a better athlete."
"It went really well," Whitten said. "Having a lot of experience has made me very comfortable on the mound."
"Having access to the gym at the field was really important to the team," Wagner said. "Being able to keep our body's healthy during the smoke and the pandemic set us ahead of the competition. Another thing that helped was pod times. Having the pod times and being able to go hit/throw was an important aspect of getting better outside of team practices and scrimmages."
"Overall, with everything going on, I think we handled the situation quite well," Fischel noted. "One success I would like to highlight was the growth our team showed on the defensive side. This group of guys was the most impressive in regards to defense that I have seen. Another success we had was our two-strike approach. Coach Nantze hammered into us the ability to battle with two strikes. We improved on that immensely as the fall went on."
A successful fall practice season has the players looking forward to the spring.
"Our players were enthusiastic and had good energy. We saw a number of players improve significantly over the weeks we were out there," Swick recalled. "The team is talented, driven, and eager to get back on the field in the spring."
