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With winter’s frigid presence now lifting, the spring season will bring with it small white balls and the ‘tink’ of aluminum bats. Hamline gears up for a return to the MIAC playoffs, but this time they sport youth and a new outlook. Last season the Pipers were poised to make a serious run in the MIAC, a prediction based on a solid recruiting season and the return of savvy veterans. Unfortunately their high expectations ended up being counteractive. They ended up 16-22, far beneath their team goals.

“I think last season was more of a reality check because we had such high expectations with so many returning players,” Verdugo said. “We had a lot of guys that put a lot of pressure on themselves and really underachieved and had the worst statistical years of their career.”

Hamline enters the 2006 season with youthful confidence. They could have as many as six first-years and sophomores in the lineup. It isn’t all bad though. Truth be told, the buzz around the team is a good one.

“The strength of this team is that we have a lot of youth,” Verdugo said. “We don’t have a lot experience as far as understanding who we are playing against. We are just going to go out and compete and play the game. A lot of time when you’re in that situation, I think you tend to be more relaxed.”

Veteran support comes from key players sophomores Andrew Bennett, Charlie Paulson and senior Owen Walter. Bennett will revisit his position at shortstop, coming off an ’05 season which included being named All-MIAC honorable mention. He finished last season with a .316 batting average, eight doubles, three triples, a home run and 20 runs.
Paulson, also an All-MIAC honorable mention, is heading over to third base.

Following reconstructive knee surgery, Owen Waller will flip corners of the infield and head to first. His .329 average, four doubles and 14 RBIs helped land him a spot as an All-MIAC honorable mention.

To add to Yogi Berra’s arithmetic, the third half of baseball is pitching. Sophomore lefties Josh Roiger and Brian Martin will force their will upon the strike zone. In 44 innings last year, Roiger solidified an All-MIAC honorable mention, boasting a 4-3 record and 4.91 ERA. Martin led the team in strike-outs and posted a 2-2 record.

Right-handers Anders Kronberg, Chris Parent, and Kyle Foster fill up the rotation. Kronberg will help the team solely from the mound in his senior season. He finished ‘05 with a 2-2 record and a 5.16 ERA last season.

Foster, also a basketball vet, must make the adjustment from crashing the boards to playing from an elevated surface sixty feet away from his target. Foster finished last season with a 5.85 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched.
Pipers split doubleheader

Hamline had its first chance to assemble all the pieces in their doubleheader showdown against a highly touted Wartburg Knights. According to College Baseball Magazine Wartburg is the third best team in the country. Hamline split the series 1-1 and proved that it would take more than a good review to rattle their bats.

Game one was a battle, which regrettably tipped in favor of the Knights, who pulled off a 3-2 victory in eight innings. Wartburg started things off hot, bringing in two runs in the first inning. They were, however, unable to materialize the quick start into any more runs. The Knights remained two up until Hamline put on their rally hats and tied the score in the seventh. Senior Brian Kingery and sophomore Andrew Bennett each had RBI singles. Wartburg took the contest in the eighth. Brian Martin (0-1) pitched all eight innings, giving up seven hits in taking the loss.

The Pipers saved their best stuff for game two. They jumped out to a monstrous 12-2 lead on account help from an explosive third inning. Kingery brought in two scores with a single, and Bennett complemented the situation with an RBI double.

Hamline remained dominant until the 5th inning, where after the Knights closed the lead to 12-8. Yet, in the end it wasn’t enough to solidify a win. Outstanding play early in the game allowed the Pipers to cruise to the victory.

Kingery ended up 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Sophomore James Bachmeier became the first player to take it yard this season with his home run in the sixth inning, and finished overall 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs.

Kronberg (1-0) allowed two earned runs on five hits in his victory. Roiger pitched relief the final three innings.

Only two games into the season, Hamline looks primed to make a run in the MIAC. This season, however, is centered on a refurbished outlook that will likely play in their favor. Some of the players have witnessed first hand the potentially damaging effects of hopes too high. First-years balance things out with a youthful rejuvenation.

This season will be the corner that Hamline must turn, or rather, the base they must round. The Pipers made the MIAC playoffs last year but return with many of the contributors gone. It is important that they overcome adversity this year. They already have the perfect formula: 50 percent brains, 50 percent brawn, and 50 percent pitching.

“The guys that are returning aren’t waiting like ‘when I’m a junior, we’ll be really good’ or ‘when I’m a senior, we’ll be really good.’ Our approach is to play hard nowčlike this is their senior season because you never know when you will have that opportunity,” said Verdugo.

Hamline’s Sports Information Department contributed to this article.