It is soon to be May in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, and our very own Titans are preparing to make a run for the Championship trophy. As the final tournament for the Titans takes off, fans are anxious to see how their favorite team performs. Because of this, IU South Bend Baseball Coach Doug Buysse shared a glimpse into the picture for his team in the CCAC Tournament.
First, Buysse shared the elements of the team that he plans to emphasize in the postseason.
“Pitching has turned a corner here – my starters have been throwing it really well, so if we’re going to win the tournament, it’s going to have to continue. Starters are going to have to give us a shot, and then just find some consistency on offense,” Buysse said.
Next, he discussed the strengths of the team.
“Again, pitching is our starters right now. Our four guys, Gavin Lake, Josh McCormick, Noah Dowler and Andrew Parker have all put together really solid outings for the last three outings,” Buysse said. “Hitting-wise you’ve got Jojo Nelson, Clint Goodman and Luis Turmero who kind of carried us all year. We’re going to need them to continue throughout the tournament if we’re going to have a shot.”
Then, Buysse shared potential obstacles that the team could face.
“Beating ourselves; mental mistakes and physical mistakes. Within the conference I don’t really feel like we’ve ever really been ‘beat.’ I feel like we’ve just kind of given games away, so if we can just play our game, play confident as a group, we’re fine,” he said.
Buysse concluded with an optimistic tone for the CCAC tournament.
“I think this team can win the tournament. We’ve got the pitching to do so, our offense is good – it’s as good as any offense in the conference – we’ve just gotta find a way to get there and play well,” Buysse said.
As the Titans stand sixth out of nine teams in the conference with an overall record of 18-28 and a conference record of 13-15, this ambition could prove hard to follow as we enter the postseason. That being said, everybody loves an underdog come-up, and the Titans winning it all could be just that.
The CCAC Baseball Tournament continues on April 30 at 6 p.m.
