SPRINGFIELD – Entering July, the Springfield Drifters were 11-15 overall, riding a 9-6 stretch in their last 15 games. Hopes were high, and the team was optimistic about reaching their first playoff berth.
As the month comes to a close, that hopeful outlook has dimmed, thanks in large measure to a slew of injuries that have left the team with a 16-28 record, coach Alan Embree said.
“One word: Injuries. We’ve lost a couple kids, a couple important pieces to injuries, (or) wanting to go home, and pitching,” he said. “We lost four of our starters so we’re trying to piece it together, and this is the time of the year where some of those guys that didn’t get playing time in the first half of the season are gonna have to step in and do the job.”
Roster turnover is a challenge for the three-month wood-bat league teams. It can be a challenge week to week, Embree said. Players who want to go home, or play for other teams, scheduling conflicts, etc. all can lead to a virtually “new team” taking the field in any given game. Embree said he uses it as motivation for keeping everybody ready.
“It’s really not that big a deal, you just have to be prepared for it,” he said. “We’ve been prepared, it’s just they haven’t fit as well as you’d want (them) to. You’re always searching for an extra arm; you’re always searching for an outfielder, something you can add to benefit the program. We just haven’t had the right fits.”
As the Drifters head into the final weeks of their season they will need to win seven of their final nine games to surpass their previous season win total. For Springfield, though, the improvement starts with three things, Embree said.
“Attitude, effort, and setting a good foundation for these boys going into the fall,” he said. “If I get them right before they go into the fall, that means we’re playing good baseball, and we’re winning baseball games again. It’s more of a mindset like, ‘Yes, you’re gonna be tired at this time. Everybody, every team we’re playing is tired, but it’s the guys who play tired and do things correctly who win.’ We need to do a better job at that.”
