Splitting a four-game series to open the Midwest Conference baseball season may seem like equal parts satisfaction and disappointment.
It would be tough to blame Lawrence University is they were feeling more satisfied than disappointed with going 2-2 against Ripon College.
It marked the first time since 2000 that the Vikings won more than one game during a season against the Red Hawks, and Lawrence (4-12, 2-2 MWC) now has more conference wins and more total wins in 2012 than it had all of last season.
“That is a big step forward,” Lawrence coach Jason Anderson said. “To split with the defending conference champions, looking at it a few days later, we’re pretty pleased with getting a split.
“We were happy but we weren’t satisfied. There was a pretty big level of disappointment because we felt like we missed (winning the final game of the series). That really shows that we’re maturing. The level of expectation for each other has gone up a lot and that’s nice to see.”
Anderson is in his fourth season with the Vikings, and in many ways he was rebuilding the program. The Vikings hadn’t had a full recruiting class for two seasons when Anderson took over in 2009, and this year’s squad is still dominated by underclassmen.
“Almost everyone who played last year was a freshman or a sophomore. We were very inconsistent as individuals. One or two guys having a bad day doesn’t allow you to win baseball games,” Anderson said.
“That level of consistency with guys who have played a year or two of college baseball has gone up.”
The Vikings are regularly starting their one senior, third baseman/pitcher Eric Bohling, juniors Davide Harris, Gabe Henriques, Phil Wisniewski and Alex Brewer, sophomores Sam Kossow and Darvis PridGeon and freshmen Joel Birch and Jake Gordon.
Bohling is leading the team in hitting at .358 and Harris is close behind at .355. Henriques is next at .344 and leads the team with 13 runs batted in. Wisniewski is at .340 and has a team-best eight doubles.
The biggest issue in 2011’s 3-32 season was pitching. The pitching staff is larger this season and it is freshmen Drew Doares, Davis Ogilvie, Kelton Jenkins and Atley Gay that are spearheading this group.
“Our freshmen are pitching pretty close to their potential, but it takes some adjustment to pitch at the college level,” Anderson said. “You can’t always get a guy out with the fastball so you have to have something else in your pocket there.
“We have cut our ERA almost in half because we’re throwing more strikes. Our biggest disappointment this year has been our defense. We need to throw even more strikes and get better on defense to keep improving.”
With the solid start to the Midwest Conference season in hand, Lawrence has six nonconference games before resuming league play against Beloit on April 21. Anderson believes this stretch of games allows the Vikings to get some more experience on the mound and solve some defensive issues.
“We’re in a good spot right now, but we need to get better,” Anderson said. “We’re in a spot where we’re not behind the eight ball (to start the conference season). If we throw strikes and take care of the baseball, we can play with anyone.”
Henriques ranked
Henriques, a junior infielder from Chicago, is ranked in the top 25 nationally in a pair of statistical categories. Henriques is tied for 24th at 0.19 triples per game, and he is tied for 25th in toughest to strike out. Henriques has struck out only twice in 64 at-bats this season.
Dunn wins MWC honor
Lawrence men’s tennis standout Jason Dunn was named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week. Dunn, a Fond du Lac native, went 2-0 on the week at No. 1 singles as Lawrence split a pair of matches.
Dunn beat UW-Whitewater’s Byron Balkin 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8) and then pounded John Rolando of Rock Valley 6-0, 6-3. Dunn, who improved his season singles record to 10-9, also split a pair of No. 1 doubles matches with partner Max Zlevor.
Closing in on 300
Lawrence softball coach Kim Tatro has a chance to hit 300 career victories this week. Tatro, in her 19th season at Lawrence, has a career record of 296-270-1.
Tatro is a six-time Midwest Conference North Division Coach of the Year and has won more games (387, 296 in softball, 91 in volleyball) than any coach in Lawrence history. She coached the Vikings to MWC championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Lawrence plays at St. Norbert on Wednesday before traveling to the Midwest Conference Classic in Waukegan, Ill., for five games against the South Division on Saturday and Sunday.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.