Posted: Oct 05, 2017

TYLER MILTON'S MEN'S BASEBALL MID-SEASON REPORT

By: Tyler Milton

ETOBICOKE, ON: The Hawks have just past the midpoint of their 2017 OCAA schedule after this past weekend. Humber's 2017 campaign (10-4) has seen them improve on their record through their first 14 games from last season (8-6). With six games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Hawks have a legitimate shot at finishing first in the OCAA going into provincials as they are currently tied with St. Clair (10-4) for first in the OCAA.

THE SEASON

The 14 games that the Hawks have played so far have put them on the map in the OCAA circuit and a force to be reckoned with going forward. This season, Humber has been stellar at home with a 5-1 mark and their only loss coming at the hands of the defending OCAA champions, St. Clair College. Humber still has four remaining home games left on their schedule. On the road, the Hawks have been so-so compiling a 5-3 record to this point in the year, with two games remaining to be played away from Connervale Park.

Looking at the 2017 campaign, assistant coach George Halim provided his thoughts on what he has been impressed with this team, as opposed to previous Humber teams. "Offensively this team is very gifted. We're extremely deep all around, which gives us the flexibility to move some things around in the event of an injury, a slump, or just a different look. We've had some bangers in the past, but they were sporadic. This year, we have the ability to put the pressure on other pitchers with our entire batting order. From a pitching standpoint, we also have bonafide starters. Between Hough, Perego, Lyons and Greenwood, we're in a position to win every game, because we feel good game in and game out."

Halim, also provided his thoughts on what he and the coaching staff would like to see improved upon after the first half of the year. "We've been a dangerous team late in games. We've won in extras, and we've shown that we can put up runs in the 7th inning with our backs against the wall. The biggest thing for me is playing for a run or two early in the game so we have a bit of a buffer going into the 3rd or 4th. When we do that, our pitchers are under less pressure to keep teams off the board, and our hitters feel more relaxed because they got up early."

HOME/ROAD SPLITS

Six games at home, eight on the road.

Record

Home – 5-1
Away – 5-3

Offensively (through 12 games)

Average – Home (.325), Away (.272)
Hits – Home (50), Away (44)
Runs – Home (41), Away (23)

Pitching (through 12 games)

ERA – Home (3.07), Away (3.12)
IP – Home (41), Away (40 1/3)
Strikeouts – Home (34), Away (30)
Walks – Home (15), Away (16)

Defensively (through 12 games)

Fielding Percentage – Home (.958), Away (.960)
Errors – Home (8), Away (7)

TEAM LEADERS

Offensively (through 12 games)

At-Bats

Hits

Extra base hits

RBI

AVG (minimum 15 at-bats)

OBP (minimum 15 at-bats)

Pitching (through 12 games)

Wins

Saves

Jacob Linhares (1)
Matt Stoddart (1)

Innings Pitched

Steven Hough (21)
Brendan Lyons (18 2/3)
Dylan Perego (16 1/3)

Strikeouts

ERA (minimum 10 IP)

HAWK NOTES

As a staff the Hawks pitchers are on pace to shave off about half a run per game from their last year's totals
Offensively, Humber's 5.38 runs per game ranks them second in the OCAA this season.

MAKING HISTORY

Keegan Murphy is now the all-time RBI leader, setting the mark against Fanshawe on September 30^th.
Andrew Thomson is now the all-time hits leader after his 3-3 game against St. Clair on October 1^st.
On October 1^st, the Hawks swept the St. Clair Saints at home for the first time. The sweep was a first for opposing teams in the OCAA.

FROM MY SEAT IN THE STANDS

Through the first 14 games, I have seen a lot of positives that can be taken away from the play of the Hawks. This team has an exciting product on the field, one that isn't necessarily dominant on both sides of the ball but brings what I like to call the "little things" to the park each and every game. Little things are what brings a team together, a team that can believe in each other and have each member pushing towards an OCAA championship.

The pitching staff in my mind has been a bright spot for this year's Humber squad. The "three-headed monster" as I like to refer to them as (Brendan Lyons, Dylan Perego, Steven Hough) have been everything that you've wanted and more so far in the season. The trio has been dominant and aside from some run support problems for Perego, these pitchers could be 9-0 and ultimately we could be looking at a 13-1 Humber team, as opposed to a 10-4 team. Unfortunately for Perego, the offense has only plated just over a run and a half per game for him. Not many pitchers can win with that kind of run support, especially against the teams he has gone to the mound against. Tyler Greenwood and Rory Pollard have been solid on the mound so far for the Hawks but the duo needs to limit a number of runners that reach base against them. Through their 18 2/3 innings, they have allowed 33 runners on but only 10 have come into score.

At the plate, when the Hawks score more than five runs a game, they are 9-0. When they average less than five runs a game, they are 1-4. These numbers illustrate that the Hawks are driven by the offense provided by their bats. In their losses this season, Humber has averaged under two runs of offense per game, losing three one-run games. Andrew Thomson, Justin Marra and Keegan Murphy have been the most productive hitters for the Hawks. Liam Sutherland and Aaron Arbic-Cohen have done a great job as table setters for the middle of their order. The team has nearly a 1/1 walk to strikeout rate which is fine due to a number of runners that are being put on the base paths. The base paths have been where the Humber speedsters have done their damage, stealing 17/20 bases so far this season. The offense is driving in 45% of the runners that reach base so far this season via walk or hit.

Ideally, going forward I'd like to see Humber bring a more consistent offensive approach to their games. In games they get down early, it appears as if the pressure begins to build and puts the team even more behind the eight-ball. The offense has been great up to this point in terms of production, but when the going gets tough, the hitters need to find ways to get runs on the board to help the pitching staff as they battle to keep them in games. In my opinion, the mindset that they bring to the plate in a 3-2 game should be the same as when it is a 10-1 game. With the speed and balance of their lineup the more runners they get on the more of a mess, more of a headache it puts on the opposing pitchers and their team. If they can find a way to improve on their 1-3 mark in one-run games you can expect to see a fearless Humber team as they march their way into the final few games on the regular season and into the OCAA Championship down in Tecumseh at Lacasse Park in a few weeks' time.

TYLER MILTON'S MEN'S BASEBALL MID-SEASON REPORT

Humber College