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After beginning the 2009 season with a 6-2 mark, the Slippery Rock Sliders have fallen on some hard times as they currently show a mark of 10-10 after 20 games.
After starting at 6-2, the Sliders had a disastrous homestand that saw them lose 7 of 8 games before they recently went on the road to win three of four to even their log at 10-10.
As for the recent road trip, Sliders manager Chase Rowe liked what he saw from his club.
“I think the biggest thing for our success on the trip was that we got the bats going offensively,” said Rowe. “When we lost six of seven games, we were getting outhit by seven or eight hit’s a game and as a result, we weren’t putting up any runs. We started changing our approach at the plate with hopes of putting the ball in play more often.”
While the Sliders picked up the offense (46 hits in 4 games), they also had some improved efforts in the pitching department.
“We got a great pitching performance in Danville from Nate King and we got another one a day later from Cory Mazzoni in Chillicothe,” said Rowe. “It is a long season with a lot more games to play, but things are starting to come together for us.”
While many teams feast on opponents at home, the direct opposite has been the case for the Sliders. In the first 20 games of the campaign, they are 3-7 at Critchfield Park, but sport a solid 7-3 log on the road.
“I think it might have something to do with where we are playing,” said Rowe. “Some of the crowds we played in front of on the road have been 2,000 or more people and that atmosphere might have something to do with it. They (crowds on the road) don’t particularly like you, so that sometimes gives you more incentive to play harder.”
Now 20 games into the season, Rowe is satisfied with the overall performance of his squad.
“Players are starting to get more comfortable with the wooden bat and some of the pitchers are starting to get their legs and arms back after a month off from their college season,” explained Rowe. “I like where we are right now because we are heading in the right direction. The one number one thing we stress to the players is to play the game the correct way. When were losing, we weren’t doing the little things to get on base and in some cases, we weren’t hustling. Right now we are stressing to them to go hard every day and if they make an error, it should be an error on the side of aggression and not on the side of laziness.”
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