Following their best season in program history, the Oakland University baseball team has high expectations this year.  Led by a respected coach, a strong group of returners and exciting freshmen, Oakland has its sights set on the conference title.

Trusted leader

Head coach John Musachio enters his fifth year at the helm of the Grizzlies. Known as “Moose” around the diamond, the skipper was named Summit League Coach of the Year last season after leading his squad to a 15-6 conference record — the most league wins in OU history.

“It (the Coach of the Year award) was very special to me, because it was a reflection of what the entire team was committing to doing,” Musachio said. “The award was definitely more about the program than just me.”

While he is quick to brush off accolades, Musachio is part of the turnaround for the Oakland program. Prior to his arrival in 2008, the Grizzlies only had three appearances in the league tournament over the course of eight seasons. Since Musachio has taken over, Oakland has made tournament appearances in two of the past three seasons and will host this year’s Summit League Championship for the first time in school history.

Establishing a focus

“Winning breeds winning, and the standard has been raised,” Musachio said. “That to me is the most important thing, that the players themselves have raised that bar, and they go out and are focused on bettering themselves every single day.”

Musachio highlights that focus, attributing the Golden Grizzlies recent success not just to their physical achievements on the field, but also to their mental strength. His entire staff echoes that mindset, including new assistant coach Ty Rogers.

“Each day, minute and second has a purpose,” Rogers said. “These guys are working within a structure that is allowing them to develop each day. Athleticism, talent, fundamentals and experience are all important, but nothing is more important than energy and mental toughness. We have to bring that every day.”

Musachio’s message has not only had a positive effect on the team’s current performance, it has also has raised expectations of future performances. Todd Dunham, a senior middle infielder, calls this current OU roster the best team he has ever been a part of and also a team that is ready to make a huge statement.

“This group of guys has the best focus, concentration and work ethic that I’ve experienced,” Dunham said. “Our team goal has always been winning a championship, and this is our year.”

Dunham and his fellow teammates are extremely confident in themselves despite losing 10 seniors from last year’s squad.

“The seniors from last year were a huge part of our team, and it is a challenge to replace some of them,” Dunham said. “Our current team is up to the challenge, and our lineup will be extremely strong. Everyone on our team pushes each other to be the best they can be, on and off the field.”

High expectations

Musachio believes he has the right combination of both seasoned veterans and younger guys to have a successful season. The mix of experience and talent has both the coach and the team thinking that the conference title is within reach.

“We are very talented, and we have everything we need to win a championship,” Musachio said. “We have a tremendous senior class that is a blue collar group and some exciting freshmen and younger guys that are ready to step up. The guys believe that we are going to raise that trophy on our field at the end of the year.”

OU placed a conference-leading 10 players on the All-Summit League Preseason teams, five on the first team and five on the second team. In addition, newcomer Drew Bechtel was named Preseason Freshman of the Year.

One player in particular that Musachio is excited for is Mike Carson. Carson, a four-year starter at third base, drew high praise from the skipper.

“He hits in the middle of our order and is one of the best hitters in the league,” Musachio said. “We expect big things from him, and I expect him to have a breakout year.”

Summit League opponents will shudder to think what a breakout year can be for Carson, given his performance last year. Carson led Oakland with 46 runs batted in and a .495 slugging percentage. The senior was third on the team with a .303 batting average and hit six home runs.

“As a player I do not have goals statistically, but rather my goals are to bring energy to the team and contribute as much as I can to help my team win ballgames,” Carson said. “Our lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen are all strong and we are going to go into every game expecting to win.”

Oakland’s first game will be in Maryland Feb. 22. OU will not play at home until the beginning of April. Musachio has scheduled a tough slate of nonconference opponents, including Kansas State, Ohio, Michigan State and Illinois.

“We don’t design our non-league schedule to jump out to a 20-win start,” Musachio said. Obviously we want to win, but we are trying to play in the most hostile environments against the toughest competition possible so that we can get better.”

If the high expectations can be met, Oakland will be finishing in a very friendly environment, looking to capture their first league title.

Contact Timothy Pontzer via email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer