OSHKOSH — After a losing streak to close out the regular season U-W Oshkosh baseball (24-3, 15-9) is optimistic they can turn it around heading into the conference tournament.
“We played really well for 14 weeks of the year and then last week we had a little bit of a rough weekend, but the good thing is the tournament gives you another chance to redeem yourself,” said Titans head coach Kevin Tomasiewicz.
By rough weekend, that means losing four straight to conference champ UW-Stevens Point and six losses in a row to end the regular season in total. Dropping the Titans to fourth in the conference.
“Putting the last weekend in the past and focusing on whatever we got ahead of us,” is what the Titans are doing said senior infielder Matt Scherrman.
Coming into the 2023 season the Titans embraced being the underdog, which helped propel them to the best start in years and a top-25 ranking. However, once their aspirations grew bigger, the team admits they started to play a little tight. Leading to their losing streak.
“Things started to tighten up a little, when (we talked) about a at large bid and winning the outright conference tournament,” said senior pitcher LJ Waco. “Why we were doing so well in the beginning of the year – because we were just playing loose, just having fun.”
The Titans are a senior heavy team, so they look to rebound in the WIAC tournament, Tomasiewicz is leaving it up to the players to pick each other up.
“He likes to let us be the ones to get each other going and stuff like that,” said Waco.
“They are a mature old team,” said Tomasiewicz. “I don’t need to get on them. They know what’s ahead of them at this particular point and they have a whole weekend to prove it now.”
Which means, remembering that they’re just going out there playing the game they love.
“We’re playing a game,” Waco said. “We’ve been playing it all since – most of us probably since elementary school and just remembering that we’re doing what we love doing. I’m hoping that can loosen everyone up enough.”
And first up in the conference tournament, you guessed it, Stevens Point. Who also beat them in the title game last year.
“It’s tough to beat a team four times, let alone five,” said Scherrman. “We (upset a team) last year in the tournament that ultimately got us in the championship.”
The Titans are confident that they can turn the ship back around heading into Thursday.
“We’re here working to try and get a WIAC Championship to Oshkosh,” Scherrman said.
“It’s going to be a dog fight to get out of there, but the unexpected is kind of the most exciting thing as a coach and I hope the players get that too,” Tomasiewicz said.
