Duncan and Team Look to Build on Successful Fall Heading into 2015 Season

When Head Coach Jeff Duncan took over Kent State’s baseball program in June 2013, he stated his vision to continue to move the program forward academically, athletically and socially.  This past fall semester, he has seen all three come to be.

Academically the team posted a 3.26 grade-point average, the highest ever for the program since such figures were calculated.  Three student-athletes had a perfect 4.0.  Athletically, Division I head coaches ranked the Golden Flashes 30^th in the country as tallied in Collegiate Baseball’s annual preseason poll while the program also signed the top recruiting class in the state of Ohio.  Both academics and athletics are easily quantifiable. 

But how do you measure success in the social sphere?

“We made a point to do something every week or every weekend this fall as far as being out in the community or doing some sort of outreach,” said Duncan.  “I think it is good for them because it keeps them humble.  I think our guys make a huge impact and they don’t even realize how big of an impact they make on the community.”

This past fall, the team made literacy kits for the Big Red Bookshelf project for the United Way on an early Saturday morning.  The kits were distributed to children in the community and the newly painted bookshelves were put out in places where families with young children visit.

Most memorably, the team spent a few Friday nights feeding the homeless in Akron, teaming up with the organization Springtime of Hope.  Their service did not go unnoticed.

“I just want to thank the people from Kent State University, the baseball team and all their associates

who have come along and helped out,” Springtime of Hope President Joe Montana said.  “Our efforts are clear that we would love to have the continuation of community support in the area, and we thank all of them for being a part of what we do at Springtime of Hope.”

Executive Director Karen McNeill was brought to tears in admiration and gratitude for the hours the team spent giving back to those in need, simply by helping serve a hot meal with a smile on their faces.

While hitting on all three pillars of Coach Duncan’s vision, the team also had time to bond and have fun.  Whether pulling off the Napoleon Dynamite routine at the annual Jock Jams event, dressing up in costume for the annual Halloween Hit-Off or being caught off guard as a Duncan look-alike Santa entertained their holiday party, the team has formed a cohesive unit.

How does all of this translate to the playing field come February?  That is yet to be seen.  But it is clear, from a team that has won a Mid-American Conference Championship in 14 of the last 15 years, forward is the only acceptable direction for the program.

“We need to stay humble and grounded and realize what this program is built on – it’s been built on passion,” said Duncan.  “Our baseball program is built on an unbelievable tradition of winning championships, and I think this year we need to have an edge to us and have an unbelievable passion, not look at the rankings or anything like that.”

That all will be on the forefront as the team begins practice this Friday leading up to opening day on Feb. 13.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do before we even start this season,” Duncan added.  “We’ve got talent, but we’ve got to have an edge and realize what this program is built on and not lose that.”

Saturday Morning Spent Helping the United Way

Our team spent Saturday morning painting bookshelves and making literacy kits for the Big Red Bookshelf project for the United Way. The project places bright red bookshelves stocked with gently-used or new books in the community where families with young children visit.

 The team also showed off their crafty side making literacy kits to coincide with the children's story "There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly." The kits will be distributed to children in the community.

For more information on Big Red Bookshelf, click here.

The "Hoenow" Phenomenon

A new gesture and saying has made its way into Kent State's baseball games this season.  Fans may have noticed a claw-like gesture being made from anyone that runs into second or third base on an extra-base hit, with an added shout of "Hoe-now!" coming from the dugout.  For clarification, we went to the players to get some answers:

Jeff Revesz: I don't know the meaning of it. It's the Flash claw. We do it to get pumped.  When you hit a double or a triple you get pumped and you do it to get everyone pumped up.

Alex Miklos: The reason is to assert our dominance over the other team.

Zach Beckner: You hit a double and, I don't know...like everyone said, it's the Flash claw.

Jon Wilson: I honestly don't know. It's something Coach Larson told us to do, I just do it.  Whenever teams hit doubles, like in the pros, they do different things. No one really knows what it's about.  It's one of those things Larson made up and we just do it.

Cody Koch: I don't know, it's something Larson came up with.  It just looks like a bear claw, that's all I know it is.  Larson started it and everyone has just kept doing it.

Curtis Olvey: It's the hoenow. It's what Larson does, it's his saying.  It's the thing we do to celebrate when someone does something good.

For proper clarification, we went to the source itself...

Volunteer assistant coach Brandon Larson: It's just something I started this fall with the guys.  It's kind of carried on.  I was actually trying to get them in the fall when they hit a double or triple (I was over there on the first base side) to get them to high-five me.  I had them do that from across the field.  In the fall they were all doing it at me, now I can't get one of them to do it during the season, they all do it to the dugout.  It's actually a high-five but it's to the side.  I think it's motivated these guys to go out there and have something to celebrate and get motivated and pumped up.  You see a lot of big-leaguers doing that stuff.  I think it's another way to get these guys to want to hit a double or triple and give it to the dugout.

Whatever the reason, the name, the meaning or the definition, let's hope the hoenow/Flash claw phenomenon follows the team all the way to Omaha.

 

Visit to Progressive Field

By winning our first two games in the MAC Tournament, we were awarded a day off on Friday.  Of course, there is no true off day for those who work hard, so we went and lifted in the morning then loaded the bus to go practice.

The team was quite surprised when we pulled into the players' lot at Progressive Field for practice.  We entered the stadium the way the players do and went into the visiting clubhouse where we heard from the clubhouse manager as he explained his job and the way the Big Leagues work.

We then went out to the field and got to sit in the dugouts, check out the bullpens and take lots of pictures before going to hit in the indoor batting cages.  Thank you to the Cleveland Indians for opening your doors to us and giving us such an awesome experience!

Conner Simonetti, Andy Ravel and Shane Biles enter the dugout

View from the first base dugout

Jeff Revesz checks out the dugout seating

View from home plate

Curtis Olvey and Zarley Zalewski pose behind home plate

Bullpen pitchers Eric Dorsch, Josh Pierce and John Fasola in the bullpen

Andy Ravel and Spencer Bryant in the bullpen

View from center field

Spencer Bryant and Zarley Zalewski snap some pictures

Shane Biles, Curtis Olvey, Tommy Monnot and Jake Neuschaefer hang out in the dugout

Always have to have a goofy shot!

Q&A With Eric Lauer on his Early Season Success

Eric Lauer
Freshman, LHP

Eric Lauer was named the No. 14 freshman prospect in the country by Baseball America and has won both MAC East Pitcher of the Week honors through two weeks of the season.

You threw a no-hitter through five innings in your start Sunday against Coppin State.  What was working for you that day?

I was just trying to get into a groove and try to pitch the best I could.  It really wasn’t anything spectacular.

What would it mean to you to solidify a starting spot in the weekend rotation this year?

I would love that, that would be my ultimate goal.  That’s what I really would like to have happen.  I’ve been working towards it and try to do my best when I get a chance to see if I can move up a little bit and secure a weekend spot.  It would mean a lot to me to have a weekend spot as a freshman.

What do you have to do to keep up the success when you travel to Middle Tennessee State this weekend?

Just keep pitching how I’ve been pitching, hopefully.  Stay loose and try to not get too worked up about what I might have to do or try to pitch harder than I should.  Just try to be me and keep throwing well.

Pre-Season Practice Report

By Alex Miklos
#12, OF

Practice has been going pretty well.  We’ve been doing a lot of the same kind of things we’ve been doing in the past, but probably have focused a little more on hitting.  We are working on bunt coverages, team defense, individual defense and breaking into hitting stations and working on some base running.

I guess the biggest difference from last year is in the past we’ve taken live at-bats in the cages and now we’ve rigged up the turf out here to take our live at-bats out on the turf so the infielders can get some live reads off the bat.

I think it does a better job of getting us more into a game-like mentality because the pitchers can see where the ball is going and the hitters can see where they are hitting the ball.

It’s kind of hard as team sometimes to fight the cabin fever of being inside every day.  Two years ago, my freshman year, at this time we were out on our own field having practice.  Unfortunately the weather hasn’t really cooperated this year.

Knowing that for our first trip we’re going out to Arizona where the weather is going to be nice, it’s kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel.  Everyone is excited to get going and get out there.

Volunteering at the Holiday Tree Festival

Members of our team will spend time during the next week volunteering at the Holiday Tree Festival.  The event is a fundraiser for Akron Children's Hospital.

The  first group went to the John S. Knight Center in Akron Wednesday night to help get ready for the event.  Luke Burch, Jon Wilson, Alex Miklos, T.J. Sutton and Sawyer Polen helped move boxes, set up display signs and did other tasks to help the other volunteers and program organizers.

This year marks the 32nd Holiday Tree Festival which takes place November 23-December 1 at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron.  Admission to the festival is free.  Hours are Monday-Wednesday 11am to 8pm, Thanksgiving 2pm to 6pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 9pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm.

Every year more than 140 decorated trees, 130,000 lights and countless other holiday creations are displayed at the Center to benefit Akron Children's Hospital.  Proceeds support patient care programs, education and research.

The Holiday Tree Festival has been the volunteers of Akron Children's Hospital's gift to the Akron community for more than 30 years and has raised more than $4 million for the hospital since beginning in 1982.  Last year, the Holiday Tree Festival raised $250,000.  Members of the Kent State baseball team have been volunteering at the event for many years.

For more information on the event, visit Akron Children's Hospital Website.

Players check out a intricate train set on display.

The Grinch, Max and Cindy Lou.

Miklos and Sutton check out a custom tree made of worn Lebron James shoes.

Miklos helps set up display signs.

Wilson and Miklos pose by a Pittsburgh Steelers tree.