Baseball battles players’ injuries
Senior Ben Sondgeroth swings for the fence as on-deck freshman Scott Mourey (9) practices his swing against Lewis March 27-28. The ‘Hounds went 3-1 on the weekend at Greyhound Park.
By Dan Dick | Distribution Manager
The University of Indianapolis baseball team has struggled through hardships in pursuit of winning the 2009 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship.
“We started off the year with the goal to win conference and right now we are sitting in first place, which is a great feeling this late in the year, “ said senior Ben Sondgeroth.
Earlier in the year, the team faced several difficulties stemming from inconsistent play. The recent injuries that have accumulated the last several weeks have also challenged Greyhound baseball.
Senior Justin Russell, the team’s starting center fielder, aggravated a back injury from previous years and junior Travis Capps, the team’s third baseman, suffered a broken hand. Injuries are not uncommon, especially when players are expected to play 56 games in about four months.
“We had some key guys go down with injuries,” Sondgeroth said. “Some guys have got minor injuries. They’re getting banged up, but they play through it.”
According to Sondgeroth, the players have had to switch to new positions due to the injuries on the team.
“I moved from catcher to playing third base, which is a newer position for me. We had other guys shifting into the outfield to accommodate forJustin[Russell],” Sondgeroth said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys, a lot of freshmen got a chance to play and stepped up real well for us,” said Sondgeroth.
The Greyhounds went 2-2 against the St. Joseph’s College Pumas April 17-18.
In the first game on April 17, UIndy suffered a close 5-8 loss to the Pumas, but came back in the second game to win 8-5. On the second day of play, the team suffered another loss, but also added another win to its record.
Due to the weather conditions on April 11, the Greyhounds and the Northern Kentucky Norse, the top two teams in the GLVC, competed against each other in a double-header on April 12.
Both teams walked away with a victory, leaving the Greyhounds 27-14 overall in 2009, with 15-5 in conference play.
On April 9, UIndy was scheduled to play Urbana University, but the game was cancelled due to weather.
The Greyhounds secured their first place position in the GLVC on April 4 in a rare triple-header against the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers. After defeating the Panthers three times April 4, UIndy returned to Greyhound Park April 5 to defeat them once more, 12-7 in a seven inning stretch.
“The season is going well,” said senior Jason Ornellas. “We just need to finish strong and get ready for the Conference Tournament and beyond.”
