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No bang for 2007 Bucks again
By MATT COSS, Courier Sports Writer
WATERLOO -- The extended winning streak never came. The power was missing in the middle of the lineup. The defense had several lapses throughout the summer.
Add it all up and the Waterloo Bucks' baseball franchise saw their frustration continue with a fifth consecutive non-winning season at 29-38.
"We never hit that stride where we could rattle off eight, 10 wins in a row," field manager Dan Fitzgerald said. "To win in this league with the competition, you've got to get lucky and play well for 10 days to two weeks."
In fact, Waterloo didn't record back-to-back wins until the 22nd and 23rd games of the year.
By season's end, the Bucks' longest winning streak was three games on two occasions. However, both of those came after they had been eliminated from playoff contention in each half.
Conversely, Waterloo's division rivals were able to sustain streaks. Green Bay won 11 straight in the first half, while Madison reeled off 16 consecutive victories in the second half.
"You've got to play darn-near perfect baseball for 34 games to put yourself in a position to win a half," Fitzgerald said. "I thought our effort was there, the intensity and preparation was there, but we just never stuck it into fifth gear and cruised. We tried pushing all sorts of different buttons to get a streak going."
The players could sense that, too.
"It's a real grind in this league," shortstop Travis Hendrix said. "It just seemed with our team that one day we were here, the next day we weren't."
Pitcher Scott Shaw said, "We certainly had the talent, and the coaching is good. It was more about us guys and the chemistry. We never quite gelled."
Waterloo did see its team average balloon from a franchise-worst .221 in 2006 to .248 this summer and its run production increase by more than a run per game.
Still, the Bucks were lacking thunder in their lineup. Mark Pappas had a team-high six home runs, but Waterloo managed just two home runs in June -- a month during which it went 10-18.
"If we had two more big bats in the middle of the lineup, we would have been a different team," said Fitzgerald, whose team had an ERA around 3.60. "The M.O. of our team was quality start after quality start, and Tom Close is one of the best bullpen guys in our league. We were just lacking a bat or two."
And when the offense did show a power surge in July, the defense was shaky.
Waterloo committed 105 errors -- more than 1.5 per game. In 30 of their 67 contests, the Bucks had two or more miscues, including five or more errors on four occasions.
"It's just about bringing guys in here that want to be here, that play hard and execute," catcher Scott Dunwoody said. "At times, we had everyone together, but we didn't execute."
Now, questions surround the Bucks as they begin to turn their attention toward 2008.
Fitzgerald, recently promoted to head coach at Des Moines Area Community College, is uncertain if his new responsibilities will keep him from returning for a second season. If he doesn't come back, the Bucks will be looking for their fifth field manager in six years, compared to just two during their first eight years.
"I haven't crossed that bridge with DMACC, and I haven't talked with the Bucks about their plans for next year," Fitzgerald said. "It's a bridge I'm sure we'll cross in the next week or so."
If Fitzgerald does return, he doesn't plan on making significant adjustments.
"The baseball decisions are easy, in terms of when to hit and run, bunt and steal," he said. "The biggest challenge is making sure the energy in the clubhouse is good where guys are positive and ready to go each day.
"I feel good about the job we did as a coaching staff. I just wish we could have put together one or two long winning streaks."
Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com
Breakouts:
TEAM LEADERS
OFFENSE
Average: Jeff Lanning .310, Jeff Whitlow .294, Chris Clark .290
Runs: Mark Pappas 30, Brent Milleville 29, Whitlow 28
Hits: Pappas 58, Whitlow 55, Travis Hendrix 55
Doubles: Pappas 16, Milleville 10, Hendrix 9
Triples: Brandon Bantz 2
Home runs: Pappas 6, Bantz 5, Milleville 4
RBIs: Pappas 37, Milleville 26, Whitlow 19, Bantz 19, Adam Gaylord 19
Stolen bases: Whitlow 28, Mike Giller 7, Pappas 6
PITCHING
Record: Josh Rickards 6-3, Scott Shaw 5-4, Dan Jennings 4-3
ERA (25 or more IP): Tom Close 1.92, Tom Boleska 1.95, Brandon Hennessey 1.97, Jennings 2.01
Saves: Boleska 8, Close 6
Innings pitched: Shaw 76.1, Rickards 71.0, Jennings 67
Strikeouts: Shaw 67, Jennings 64, Rickards 61
Five-year drought
Here's a look at what the Bucks have done since their last winning season in 2002:
Year Overall Home Away
2007 28-39 15-19 13-20
2006 28-40 14-20 14-20
2005 22-46 13-21 9-25
2004 32-32 21-11 11-21
2003 20-44 12-20 8-24
Add it all up and the Waterloo Bucks' baseball franchise saw their frustration continue with a fifth consecutive non-winning season at 29-38.
"We never hit that stride where we could rattle off eight, 10 wins in a row," field manager Dan Fitzgerald said. "To win in this league with the competition, you've got to get lucky and play well for 10 days to two weeks."
In fact, Waterloo didn't record back-to-back wins until the 22nd and 23rd games of the year.
By season's end, the Bucks' longest winning streak was three games on two occasions. However, both of those came after they had been eliminated from playoff contention in each half.
Conversely, Waterloo's division rivals were able to sustain streaks. Green Bay won 11 straight in the first half, while Madison reeled off 16 consecutive victories in the second half.
"You've got to play darn-near perfect baseball for 34 games to put yourself in a position to win a half," Fitzgerald said. "I thought our effort was there, the intensity and preparation was there, but we just never stuck it into fifth gear and cruised. We tried pushing all sorts of different buttons to get a streak going."
The players could sense that, too.
"It's a real grind in this league," shortstop Travis Hendrix said. "It just seemed with our team that one day we were here, the next day we weren't."
Pitcher Scott Shaw said, "We certainly had the talent, and the coaching is good. It was more about us guys and the chemistry. We never quite gelled."
Waterloo did see its team average balloon from a franchise-worst .221 in 2006 to .248 this summer and its run production increase by more than a run per game.
Still, the Bucks were lacking thunder in their lineup. Mark Pappas had a team-high six home runs, but Waterloo managed just two home runs in June -- a month during which it went 10-18.
"If we had two more big bats in the middle of the lineup, we would have been a different team," said Fitzgerald, whose team had an ERA around 3.60. "The M.O. of our team was quality start after quality start, and Tom Close is one of the best bullpen guys in our league. We were just lacking a bat or two."
And when the offense did show a power surge in July, the defense was shaky.
Waterloo committed 105 errors -- more than 1.5 per game. In 30 of their 67 contests, the Bucks had two or more miscues, including five or more errors on four occasions.
"It's just about bringing guys in here that want to be here, that play hard and execute," catcher Scott Dunwoody said. "At times, we had everyone together, but we didn't execute."
Now, questions surround the Bucks as they begin to turn their attention toward 2008.
Fitzgerald, recently promoted to head coach at Des Moines Area Community College, is uncertain if his new responsibilities will keep him from returning for a second season. If he doesn't come back, the Bucks will be looking for their fifth field manager in six years, compared to just two during their first eight years.
"I haven't crossed that bridge with DMACC, and I haven't talked with the Bucks about their plans for next year," Fitzgerald said. "It's a bridge I'm sure we'll cross in the next week or so."
If Fitzgerald does return, he doesn't plan on making significant adjustments.
"The baseball decisions are easy, in terms of when to hit and run, bunt and steal," he said. "The biggest challenge is making sure the energy in the clubhouse is good where guys are positive and ready to go each day.
"I feel good about the job we did as a coaching staff. I just wish we could have put together one or two long winning streaks."
Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com
Breakouts:
TEAM LEADERS
OFFENSE
Average: Jeff Lanning .310, Jeff Whitlow .294, Chris Clark .290
Runs: Mark Pappas 30, Brent Milleville 29, Whitlow 28
Hits: Pappas 58, Whitlow 55, Travis Hendrix 55
Doubles: Pappas 16, Milleville 10, Hendrix 9
Triples: Brandon Bantz 2
Home runs: Pappas 6, Bantz 5, Milleville 4
RBIs: Pappas 37, Milleville 26, Whitlow 19, Bantz 19, Adam Gaylord 19
Stolen bases: Whitlow 28, Mike Giller 7, Pappas 6
PITCHING
Record: Josh Rickards 6-3, Scott Shaw 5-4, Dan Jennings 4-3
ERA (25 or more IP): Tom Close 1.92, Tom Boleska 1.95, Brandon Hennessey 1.97, Jennings 2.01
Saves: Boleska 8, Close 6
Innings pitched: Shaw 76.1, Rickards 71.0, Jennings 67
Strikeouts: Shaw 67, Jennings 64, Rickards 61
Five-year drought
Here's a look at what the Bucks have done since their last winning season in 2002:
Year Overall Home Away
2007 28-39 15-19 13-20
2006 28-40 14-20 14-20
2005 22-46 13-21 9-25
2004 32-32 21-11 11-21
2003 20-44 12-20 8-24
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