While the Major League baseball season is coming to an end, the Northern Kentucky University baseball team is beginning a season that they hope to end with a GLVC Championship in May.
The team has begun fall baseball workouts three days a week with an intersquad game on Saturday mornings.
“It really gives us a chance to put in our plays and evaluate all of our new and returning players,” head coach Todd Asalon said.
The NCAA allows you to have 24 scheduled workouts in a 48-day period.
Asalon said breaking the schedule up each week with a game on Saturday is beneficial to his team. “The games give us an opportunity to see live pitching and work on real game situations.”
The NCAA also allows you the opportunity to play three games outside of the intersquad games on Saturdays.
The team has one game scheduled for Oct. 2 at NKU against Thomas More College.
“It really gives us a chance to come and get together and start gellin’ as early as possible,” junior catcher Conor McGeehan said. “It helps us get rid of the physical and mental mistakes early in the season.”
Core players return to NKU from last year’s team that finished the season with a 37-25 record and 26-14 in GLVC play.
Returning with McGeehan on offense is senior Keith Jackson, who led the team in doubles last year with 20, returns as infielder.
On the mound, they will be anchored by junior closer Justin Seiter, who finished last season with a 5-2 record and recorded nine saves.
Senior pitcher Matt Wiedeman finished last season with a 9-4 record and a 3.50 era, while junior pitcher Derrick Moeves had a 7-4 record with a 1.74 era.
After the 24-day period, the team is off until the spring semester when they can begin full workouts with the team.
Seiter has good reason to enjoy playing fall ball. “It gave us an opportunity to meet the new guys and start to mold our team.”
Junior catcher Joe Kendall has personal goals for fall ball. “I want to earn a spot in the starting line-up somewhere,” he said. “I just have to keep playing hard everyday.”
Another thing that makes fall baseball popular in college is that the weather is usually nice for outdoor workouts.
“We get plenty of time outside because of the nice weather,” said Asalon. “It’s not always like that in the spring.”
Fall baseball is also an adjustment to the incoming freshmen for the Norse.
The addition of the wooden bats they use in GLVC makes a freshman have to adjust his approach to hitting.
“The key area for us is our offense right now. We have to continue to get better at the plate,” said Kendall. “Our defense is really solid right now with our strong fielding up the middle.
“We will come around and produce runs on offense.”
The team will continue to workout through the month of October four days a week with games on Saturdays at 10 a.m. at NKU.
