Cardinals Rewarded for Hard Fought Season...

As Marietta was being crowned the 2011 DIII National Champions, the NCC Cardinals celebrated a season that we believed ended way too early with the Annual Cardinal Players' Choice Awards.

Congratulations to this year's winners!

Scholar Baller - Matt Abraham
Teammate of the Year - Dan Scott
Most Improved - Nick Daniels
QAB Award (highest % of quality at-bats) - Brennan Hagensee
Gold Glove Award - Dan Scott
Silver Slugger Award - Michael Corrigan
Rookie of the Year - Jon Rashid
Pitcher of the Year - Nate Arenson
Most Valuable Player - Michael Corrigan

The Cardinals were also well represented across the CCIW and the region. Check out the plethora of awards that 2011 Cardinal Men accumulated at http://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2011/5/23/BB_0523115744.aspx.

A special congratulations to Michael Corrigan for his selection to the 2011 Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-Central Region Baseball Team. Read more about this honor at http://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2011/5/24/BB_0524110831.aspx

CCIW Championship Within Grasp...

After suffering a 4th straight loss to defending national champions, Illinois Wesleyan in the first game of the CCIW tournament, the Cardinals did what the coaching staff knew they would eventually do...bounce back and get back to solid, hard-nosed Cardinal baseball. The following day, the Cardinals eliminated both CCIW regular season co-champions---North Park early in the day and Illinois Wesleyan in the nightcap.

An emotional roller coaster is the best way of explaining the ride that these young men have been on for the past few weeks, especially the last two days. The lows of errors, backwards Ks, and missed opportunities give more meaning and significance to the clutch hitting, webgems, and big pitches.

Today we saw our games get washed out by the Bloomington blob of precipitation, but tomorrow will present a chance for the Cardinals to earn their way into the National Championship tournament for the second year in a row. GREAT DAY TO BE A CARDINAL!

***A special shout out to the Lady Cardinals' softball team for a great season and an amazing run. The baseball team salutes you on your great season.***

Thank You Seniors...

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the senior players for their effort and contribution to the Cardinal Baseball squad. It will be sad to see these fine young men move on to a new and exciting phase of their lives, however, the leadership they have brought to the club will stay long after they have hung up the spikes for the Cardinals.

2011 North Central Cardinal Seniors:
#1 Matt Burke
#6 Dan Scott
#18 Michael Corrigan
#22 Brennen Hagensee
#30 Nate Arenson
#32 Matt Abraham
#50 Jeremiah Torres
#59 Jeff Dickey

Thank you senior Cardinal Men!

Check out the newest slideshow of the Cardinals' Senior Day ceremony, which included a first pitch from family members to the senior players. Senior Cardinals were presented with a baseball action photo (thank you Mr. Woltman), and were able to present their mothers with flowers for Mother's Day.

Sometimes You Get the Bull...Sometimes the Bull Gets You

A Saturday sweep of Augustana couldn't have put us any higher last weekend...since then things have been rather unexplainable. There is not much to say. We are not playing our best baseball. We haven't scored a run in 18 innings. We haven't had a hit in the last 9 innings. We only have 4 hits in the last 16 innings. We are making errors that we usually don't. We are getting picked off bases, missing signs, dropping fly-balls, swinging at 2-0 off speed pitches, throwing wild pitches, walking batters....if it is a negative...we have done it and plenty of it.

Here is the kicker: WE ARE STILL ONE OF THE TOP TEAMS IN THE CCIW. The sad fact is is that we play like we are at the bottom of the barrel. It is an unfortunate time to be in a slump as a team, but that is what we are dealing with.

It is something that I have never been a part of. I have been a part of bad teams that played well for a game or series and "fooled" people for a while. But I have never been around the talent that the Cardinals have and played so poorly. Hence, I believe that we are simply "out-thinking" and "fooling" ourselves. We had a bad week...yeah, sure...it sucks. But we have another game to go win and a tournament to do some damage in...SO LET'S GO. DESERVE TO WIN by having an approach at the plate, making the routine plays that you have done hundreds of times in practice, throw strikes, and execute. We have done it before---we WILL do it again.