Lineup changes present challenges for Blugold baseball team

By: Andy Weise

Posted: 3/2/06

When a team loses a couple of players after a very successful season, the biggest question is usually who will fill the void.

After taking third place last year in the National Club Baseball Association's World Series, the UW-Eau Claire club baseball team is back for another season and ready to take another shot at the national championship.
This year is a new start for the club team. The Feb. 23 NCBA poll ranked Eau Claire at No. 5 in the country.

They have gone through a few changes from last year to this year. Last year, then senior Brad Buchmann, ran the team by himself. This year, senior Andy Minga will be a player/coach for the team, while seniors Andrew Campbell and Justin Musil will assist Minga. The coaching situation is as a lot of people working together and giving input, said Campbell.

The team will be a little different after losing their top two pitching aces, Minga said. Pitching remains the biggest concern for the players, but he said the team will figure out which players will fit fairly quickly.

"Last year, we had mainly three starters and reliever," he said. "This year, it will be more by committee until I get a better look at guys. I can't designate any starting spots right now except Matt (Olson)."

The lone returning starting pitcher for the team is junior Matt Olson, who will be this year's top pitcher for the team. Even though Olson is the only pitcher with a guaranteed spot in the rotation for now, he said he doesn't feel too much pressure on his shoulders.

"I just got to go out there and do my thing," he said. "I'm not too nervous, I've been playing baseball forever, but there is a little bit more added pressure."

Campbell said he recognized the pitching concern but also said the rest of the team will be strong.

"Our team is so deep besides pitching, there are many good position players with a lot of experience," he said. "A lot of us have played together two or three years. We lost a lot of the power (from last year), but we have a lot of good speed in our lineup, so we should be able to produce a lot of runs."

Minga and Campbell said the Eau Claire baseball players are also hoping fan support will continue to be strong when they have their home opener April 8, a double-header against UW-Milwaukee.

"We've done a lot of work to get the name out there, let people know there is baseball in Eau Claire," Campbell said. "(We) hope our past success in the last couple years will help people come and support the team."

Minga said they would take any support they could get.

"We need all the fans we can get, (it) makes the game more enjoyable as players having people cheer for you just like any other sports," he said.

The team's season starts when they travel to the University of Illinois on Saturday for a double-header and another game on Sunday. The games are pending because of weather conditions in Illinois.