Senior infielder Garrett Koster said his team fell just short of an opportunity to play postseason baseball on a national stage.
“Turns out we were one win away from getting into the tournament," he said. "So one more mid-week win and we were in."
The 2011 version of Elon baseball experienced some of the highest of highs, but not without its lowest of lows. The Phoenix did win its third regular season championship in four years, sending its seniors out with a 14-0 shutout of Furman University in their final game at their home ballpark Latham Field.
But just five days after locking up the regular season title, the Phoenix dropped its opening game of the Southern Conference tournament to Western Carolina in a 20-inning, six-hour and 33-minute heartbreaker, 10-7.
The following day, Elon departed early from the tournament thanks to a 4-3 loss at the hands of College of Charleston.
Though a bid to the NCAA Tournament seemed imminent, it never came. Elon’s season was over, missing the tournament for the first time since the 2007 campaign.
“I think it’s really disrespectful that we didn’t get a bid,” junior outfielder Niko Fraser said. “Coming off the year, I’ve got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. It’s just a realization of how important every single game is. You can’t take games off.”
Though the season ended earlier than expected, it was not by any means a lost cause.
After all, the Phoenix did compile an overall record of 36-21. In conference, Elon was even more impressive, posting a 23-7 record, which included season sweeps of in-state rivals Appalachian State, Western Carolina and Davidson.
“Our goals aren’t to win the conference tournament, never have been,” said Phoenix head coach Mike Kennedy. “We want to be the best team in our league throughout the year. Early March through May, we were the best team in our league, and I think our record showed that.”
Though the season ended on less than desirable circumstances, losing a game that broke numerous Southern Conference records and missing the NCAA Tournament, the result hasn’t forced the hand of Coach Kennedy to change preparations for the coming season.
“We prepare the same way year in and year out,” Kennedy said. “The only thing that causes us to change is our personnel. Never do we try to adjust from just one game or one outing. We have a system in place, a belief that hard work and a will to win will get you a long way, and so far, that’s been successful for us.”
Physical preparation might not have changed, but the same cannot be said for mental preparation. Especially for the upperclassmen, whose experience is shining through on this predominantly young team.
“Every day, thinking this could be my last day out here and just thinking about how it’s all coming to an end, it’s very motivating,” Koster said.
Fraser agreed and said that his past experiences have influenced his season this year.
“I’m more relaxed,” Fraser said. “I’m a lot more excited. I think the past two years, there’s been a self-pressure that I’ve put on myself to perform, and that’s not how you should play baseball.
As one of the team's three co-captains, Fraser takes special care of the freshmen, with whom he shares a simple, special connection — once being in their shoes.
"Seeing a lot of the freshmen doing what I used to do, I try to help them," he said. "They’ll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the first day or two, but once they realize they’re still throwing around a baseball, still running 90 feet and hitting with a baseball bat, they’ll get right back into it.”
With hopes of defending their reign over the Southern Conference, Elon baseball looks to improve on last year’s end with another conference title and hopefully a deep postseason run in search of a different kind of championship: a national championship.