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Baseball preview:  Koop's troops will be ready

By Tim Clemens

The IVCC baseball team is gearing up to open their season on Feb. 29 in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.

This year’s team, coached by Bob Koopmann and assisted by John Cruz, has 28 smembers, 10 of them returning players. Among the newcomers is Dustin Atrmestrof who transferred from SIU.

According to coach Cruz, the strength of this year’s team lies in their hitting.

"We should be able to score a lot of runs," Cruz said.

On the flip side, defense will be the team’s main weakness.

"We need to improve on our errors," Cruz said. "To be competitive we need to cut down on the errors and play better defense."

Having played a fall season will help this spring’s team, the assistant coach said.

"It (fall baseball) gave the kids a chance to play together," Cruz said. "It gives the kids a couple extra months to stay busy and play ball. It also gives the coaches a chance to see what they had."

Last year’s team finished with a 27-26 record, and Cruz said he hopes the team will show considerable improvement on that record.

"The defense has improved and so has the hitting and pitching," the assistant coach said.

He predicted that Kishwaukee would be the favorite in the conference.

"IVCC played Kishwaukee in the fall, and they have a lot of good hitters and pitchers," Cruz said.

He added that Black Hawk should also be strong.

In the Minneapolis Metrodome, the Apaches will play a team from Kirkwood Iowa. Cruz said this trip is a "chance to get a lot of kids ready for the Florida trip."

Over spring break, the team will travel to Florida where they will play against 12 other junior colleges and four-year schools. The games will be played in Homestead, Fla., 25 miles south of Miami.

"It worked well into our schedule," Cruz said in explaining the trip.