The Gustavus Baseball team has had an up-and-down season but seem to be hitting its stride near the end of the season, winning six of the past eight games. With a 7-9 record in the MIAC and an 11-18 record overall, the Gusties aren’t necessarily where they’d like to be in terms of record, but have seen improvement over the course of the season.

“The season has been a little disappointing up to this point due to the fact that we are not where we want to be in the standings. We have had some tough losses this season, which includes many close games against the top teams in the conference,” Senior pitcher and infielder Cody Sukalski said. “We are a very young team, and each game shows us something we can work on. Together as a team we have taken great steps forward and continue to get better.”

The Gusties have indeed been competitive all year and have lost many close games. During a stretch in April, the Gusties lost five straight games by a total of 10 runs. However, they have closed out those close games as of late, winning their last three one-run games.

“We knew we were a young team coming into the year and would go through some stretches where we didn’t click, but I think that has become less pronounced as the season has gone on. We have played a lot of close games this year and have started to win those close games as the season has gone on,” Junior pitcher and infielder Taylor Fish said.

While the Gusties have struggled at times during the season, they have certainly had some highlights this year. “The best thing about the season so far has been sweeping Bethel,” First-year infielder Michael Holbrook said. “They had an eight-game winning streak at the time, and we ended it by sweeping them, including the last one on a game-winning single. It was also the start of our streak.”

The sweep of Bethel jump-started a five-game winning streak, which they have extended into winning six of their past eight games heading into Wednesday’s doubleheader against second place Hamline. The Gusties have been able to incorporate every phase of the game during their streak: pitching, fielding and hitting.

“Lately we have been executing all aspects of the game. We have been pitching well, playing solid defense and also hitting well. In the games that we have lost, it is usually just one facet of the game that we are lacking, and lately we have hit our stride and put everything together,” Sukalski said.

In fact, that consistency has been one of the major problems for the Gusties this year. “[Our biggest challenge has been] finding consistency in all three facets of the game.  This is hard for every team, but with a lot of new guys adjusting and trying to contribute, we have had to roll with some ups and downs,” Fish said. “We have had times where two parts of the game would be clicking, but the last part wouldn’t.  It gets frustrating losing close games and knowing we are close but not getting the job done.”

Despite their lack of consistency throughout most of the season, the Gustavus Baseball team is still encouraged by competing with many of the top teams in the conference, even if they suffer the loss. “We have been so close in all the games, but have not been able to pull through in the end in some games. It’s awesome that we are so close with the top teams in the conference. We hope we can end the season right and win those close games,” Holbrook said.

The Gusties will only lose two seniors next year, but two key contributors in Sukalski and Senior catcher Mitch Johnson. It will certainly be hard for them to leave behind a team with plenty of promise for the next couple of years. “I can’t believe that four years has gone by so fast. I have had the pleasure to play with some great guys over the years, and I have many memories that I will never forget,” Sukalski said. “It is one of the best decisions that I have ever made, and I hope that the great tradition continues. This is a great program, and I would recommend it very highly to anyone.”

The youth on the roster, including 12 first-years and six sophomores, means the Gustavus Baseball team has a great deal of potential in the upcoming seasons. “I look forward to just being with the guys on the team and the potential that we have.

We are losing one of our top pitchers next year, but we have three or four guys that are sophomores and [first-years] now that are the top pitchers on the team. I am excited to see how we are in the next couple years,” Holbrook said.

The Gusties will look to continue their winning ways to finish out the season with a home series against Concordia on Saturday before playing their final two games against Buena Vista in Iowa on Sunday.