Baseball teams looking to find right combo

CHAMPAIGN — The Unity and St. Joseph-Ogden baseball teams don't have the best records in the area, and both teams have been slowed by young pitching staffs, but I think the next few weeks could be exciting ones for both clubs. I've seen Unity and St. Joe play enough this spring to know both squads have talent, they just need confidence and a good push to get them moving in the right direction.

The Rockets' are only 6-11 on the season and have lost seven of their past eight games, but four of those losses were to powerhouse programs in Tennessee and one was a Saturday afternoon loss to a very good Marshall team. The Rockets are better than their record, and if they can start stringing together some offense behind ace Daniel Gaither and their pitching staff, they can pick up some wins.

The Rockets' offense hasn't been bad at all, they've actually hit for a high average, the team has just struggled to bring runners home in key situations. Unity has been stranding runners for weeks, and when they're playing teams as good as they have, it doesn't leave the Rockets' staff a lot of room for error.

St. Joseph-Ogden's problem is the opposite. The Spartans' bats have been solid in the games I've seen and SJ-O can put the ball in play, the Spartans' staff just hasn't been able to hold down opponents long enough for them to pick up any wins. They need to get a couple quality starts from their starters when they get back to action next week. Ace Lucas Gones left after three innings in the team's 9-3 loss to PBL last Thursday, and coach Brad Allen had to use a pair of starters out of the pen to finish the game. SJ-O will have had eight days off when they take the field again Friday, so hopefully Gones can be back on his game and work deep into the game. If he can go long, it opens up the Spartans' bullpen and gives everybody else extra time off. That would be key.