Image of Tom Shaver.

Tom Shaver
Junior
Major: Physical education

Post-graduation plans: Would like to teach around the north suburbs of Chicago and coach baseball at the high school level.
A strong finish
March 13, 2009

We got a victory, but could not finish the sweep. We played much better baseball than we have all week aside from the first day. I think we made only one error all day, we hit the ball hard, we got hits when we needed them, and our pitchers definitely stepped onto the mound with a purpose. One pitch was the only difference in the second game otherwise we would have swept. We finished the week on a high note and we are hoping to get back home and be able to play right away, but it is not looking like the weather is going to cooperate with us. We definitely learned some things about our team this week. We learned that we can hang with any team out there, we learned that we can battle back from a big deficit, we learned that when our pitchers throw strikes, our defense makes plays, and when our hitters hit the ball hard good things happen. We also learned that we are also capable of making mistakes in key situations. As long as we continue to play good baseball and learn from our mistakes, there is no reason that this team should not win the southern division and make a serious bid at winning the Midwest Conference tournament.

Now that the first portion of our season is over, we can't dwell on what has happened. We need to move forward, take what we can from what has happened, and go into each new day with a positive and unregretful attitude. Coach said it today, the first part of the season is over, when we get back home, we start 0-0 again. Nothing that happened in Arizona makes a bit of difference on the rest of our season. Our goals are still attainable, and like I said prior to this, we have a very good chance at accomplishing them. We leave beautiful Arizona bright and early tomorrow and we are not looking forward to the cold weather. We are definitely looking forward to getting onto our home field and making the Scots nation Proud. Till then, we look forward to seeing everyone out at our games, and we hope that we can put together a memorable season for everybody involved.

From AZ, Ciao

A rough game
March 12, 2009

Today was not the Scots' day in any aspect of the game. Hits were fairly hard to come by early in the game, defense was difficult come by periodically throughout the game, and strikes were inconsistently thrown all day. There is not much that can be said about a game like today's other than being grateful that we get another chance at it tomorrow. We have two more games down here and we hope to make the most of them. We would like to walk away from here tomorrow with two victories, but at this point it would be nice to just play better than we did today. It has been a long week and I think the schedule of nine games is starting to take its toll on some of the players. However, a bad day in Arizona beats a decent day in most other places since it has been very cold in Monmouth. We really need to end this trip on a positive note and come back to Monmouth with some confidence to begin the non-conference portion of our schedule. Some minor injuries and illnesses have plagued a few of our everyday starters on this trip, so once we get back and relax a little bit we'll be fine. Despite the loss, the team was still into the game for its entirety and we began to battle back a little bit at the end.

Tomorrow everything is going to start on the mound. Seniors Matt Bourne and Matt Tye are on the bump in games 1 and 2 respectively and we really need them to come out throwing a lot of strikes and keeping us in the game. Looking back on our game against North Park, any time a team scores 14 runs, it should definitely be enough to win. The fact that it was not enough is a direct correlation to our pitching and defense. We need to be good in all aspects of the game tomorrow if we are going to salvage this trip. Hopefully everyone rests up and comes to the ball park tomorrow with one goal in mind and that is winning two baseball games.

An off day
March 11, 2009

Well today was a much needed day off. 9 games in 7 days is definitely a lot of baseball and it does take its toll on the body whether or not people would like to admit it. The team went all separate ways today. A few players went to catch a spring training major league baseball game, others hung out with their families, and others just relaxed poolside at the hotel. Hopefully it was a very beneficial day both physically and mentally for the entire team. Tomorrow we get our second chance against Rockford College and I can guarantee that our team is hungry for revenge. We need to come out stroking the baseball, get ahead early, play good defense, throw a lot of strikes, and not let up for the entire nine innings. Tomorrow is a brand new day and nothing that has happened thus far really matters in regards to tomorrow's game. We need to continue to stay enthusiastic about our purpose for being out here and keep our eyes on the final goals that were discussed in a previous entry. Everything we do now is working towards our conference season and hopefully we can peak at the proper time. I expect the team to wake up tomorrow energized and determined to go win ourselves a ball game again and we shall see what happens. I anticipate a very happy entry after tomorrow's game but only time will tell.

Hanging tough with North Park
March 10, 2009

Well yet again we came up just a little bit short. Today was a very intense game. We got down early and at one point we were losing 11 to 1. We kicked the ball around a little bit early and our pitchers were not throwing strikes. North Park capitalized on some big hits to put them up big early. However we slowly started chipping away. We had one very big inning in which we plated six that was capped by a three run homerun by senior Kevin Sashko. In the bottom of the 8th inning down by one with the bases loaded, I hit a two run single to put us up by one. I thought for sure that the game was won. However in the top of the 9th, we walked the lead off batter, got an out on a sacrifice bunt, had a dropped third strike go against us and went down by one after the next batter hit a two run triple. The next play resulted in another run scored and we found ourselves facing an uphill battle in the bottom of the 9th. We were able to plate two that inning but a substitution error cost us an out and that is all that it took.

We are hitting the ball very well as a team. The freshmen are really stepping up and living up to their hype as offensive players. Everything is still very positive down here as we continue to get better and see good things happening. Nobody is worried at all and although our record is 1 and 5, we have had an opportunity to win each game we have played in. We just need to develop a "killer instinct" and find a way to win. When it is all said and done I think this team is going to be very succesful, we just need to stay positive and competitive. We have three more games down here and we are hoping to win each of them and return home 4 and 5. The teams we have played down here are very good teams and the fact that we have played well, battled hard, and hung with each one of them is a very good sign. The hops and calls just need to start going our way and things are definitely going to turn around for the scots.

A tough loss
March 9, 2009

This morning was an early one  for us. We had a wake up call at 7:00 am for a 10:00 am game. At the start of the game it seemed as though that was exactly what we needed, because we came out smoking. We hit the ball better today than we have all week and it really looked like we were going to dominate the game. At one point we had a 9 to 1 lead. However, once our starting pitcher began to get tired, walks and errors were our downfall. Early on we gave up an unearned run but at the time it did not seem like it would effect us, however as the game progressed, more errors led to 5 more runs being scored. Finally, in the bottom of the 9th, our pitcher gave up a lead off walk, a double to right center, and a three run homerun to tie the game. We went to extras and could not push any runs across although we had a couple of opportunities. Finally, in the 11th, we gave up a lead off base hit, and then beaned two batters and that is all Rockford needed. They won the game on a single to left field. It was definitely a painful loss. We let this one slip away and we are going to have to bounce back tomorrow and really show what we are made of.

In years past, a loss like this would cause our team to go into the tank, but hopefully the attitudes stay positive and we come out tomorrow ready to win ourselves a baseball game. After the game a lot of the team got an opportunity to relax by the pool and enjoy the weather, however a lot of the team said repeatedly the only thing that could make this better would have been a win this morning. We have another shot to play Rockford on thursday and it is going to be a very intense game. We are very excited to get another shot at them.

Although we lost, there were definitely some positives to come out of the game today. Sophomore Robbie Hinkle pitched lights out and definitely deserved a win, we continue to hit the ball very well, but late in the game we were unable to get the timely hit. We just need to keep plugging away and eventually things are going to workout for us. Hopefully tomorrow brings a different outcome. We play at 10:00 am again against North Park who in years past have absolutely dominated us in Arizona. We need to come out ready to play a complete game in all aspects. We need to hit the ball, field the ball, and the pitchers need to throw strikes. If we can do that more consistantly then there is no reason we should not walk away from this trip with a record of 5 and 4. Wish us luck as we will continue to play as hard as we can to make Monmouth proud.

Progress...
March 8, 2009

Today did not go exactly how we wanted it to, but we definitely saw some good things on the field. We lost both games of our double header as a result of sub-par pitching in game one and untimely hitting in game two. As a team we all put the ball in play and hit it hard, but the ball is just not finding the gaps. If we keep swinging how we are, eventually the ball will start to find the gaps. The mentality and attitude of the team this year is truly something special. We are a very competitive group of guys and winning is our top priority. We have a chance to be a very special team this year and I am very excited to see how the rest of the season unfolds.

It is awesome playing in the gorgeous 75 degree weather on some gorgeous ball fields and the spring trip to Arizona is truly something that should never be taken for granted. Not a lot of kids get the opportunity to travel as a team during spring break and we are definitely taking advantage of the chance to do so. We will continue to get better daily and I have a feeling that everyone is going to start peaking at the proper time. Coach always discusses that we are still able to accomplish all of our team goals despite what happens in Arizona. Those goals are to win the southern Division of the Midwest Conference and to win the Midwest Conference championship. If we continue to play how we are playing and continue to work hard and get better, I think accomplishing those goals is a very realistic achievement. Everybody on the team wants to achieve these goals and I am very excited to see what happens in the next two months. Tomorrow we have one game against Rockford and hopefully we will continue to see good things happen for us. Wish us luck!

Doubleheader split
March 7, 2009

We finally played our first games today and it was awesome to get out onto a real baseball field. We faced Wheaton College which was ranked nationally and we played them very tough. The first game we lost 6-3, however we definitely showed some signs of good things to come. Collectively we had good at bats up and down the lineup and defensively we were very solid. In game two, we got down early, but as a team we battled back and rallied to score three runs in the top of the seventh inning for our first win. Everyone down here is really excited about the way we played and we are very eager to get back on the field tomorrow. Wheaton was one of the toughest teams we will probably face for most of the year and it was great that we hung right with them in the first game and won the second one. It will be interesting to see how we show up to the ball field tomorrow, but I have a feeling that this season has potential to be a very special one. The mixture of veterans and young guys definitely gives us versatility on the field, not to mention the depth that we have in our pitching staff and defensively all around the field. We continue to get better as each day passes and we are very excited for the rest of the week to progress!

Off to Arizona
March 6, 2009

This morning at practice everyone seemed very excited to get on the road and begin our trip to Arizona. There was a lot of discussion about the warm weather, but more importantly everyone was truly eager to get out onto the field and finally play ball. We left school around 8:45 for Peoria International airport. One of our freshmen players had never been on a flight before, so he was definitely nervous. Everyone on the team kept looking back at him on the plane and he was just hiding his face in his hat. The Allegiant flight was a very interesting one. They explained that since they were based out of Las Vegas, they liked to keep things different on their flights. They played two raffle ticket games with everyone for prizes. A few players on the team participated, but the only winners of the raffle were located in the front of the plane. The team was sitting towards the middle and so they jokingly argued the competition was rigged. When we landed at the airport in Arizona, it was the first time that a lot of the players had ever walked out of a plane. They all thought that it was very cool and one of them stated, "Wow, I feel like I'm somebody right now!" From the airport we went directly over to a field and had a light practice, enjoyed the warm weather and worked up a little bit of a sweat. The team was very excited to finally be in Arizona and to finally be able to play baseball outside, where it is meant to be played. Our first game is tomorrow against Wheaton College. It is definitely going to be a testament to what this team is made of this year. Hopefully, everyone shows up and just plays ball. The attitudes this year are much different than in years past and everybody is truly chomping at the bit for that first pitch.