Hello Children!
It has been awhile since my last post, and for that I am deeply sorry, but baseball has gotten incredibly busy... Oh yeah, I have been spending some time lately being a student, as well.
It is a great time to be a CSU baseball player. We just spent the week in BEAUTIFUL Phoenix, Arizona, and it was a great week.
The week started off with two games against Illinios Central Community College. We swept that series.
Next, on Monday, March 15th, we played against my alma mater, Phoenix College. This was quite the experience for me. We won the first game handely behind a very strong outing from starting pitcher CJ Cannell.
The second game was what was special for me. I got to start the game on the mound for the Rams, and it was an incredible experience. I spent two amazing years at Phoenix College, but at the same time, I felt like I left that program with a lot to prove. I had a lot to prove to the coaches there, to my team here, and I had a lot to prove to myself.
Warming up for the game in the bull pen, I didn't know if I had my best stuff that day, but I believed in myself, and that was what was most important.
I can't remember being as nervous for a game as I was on that Monday night, but as soon as the game started, I felt right back at home. I was in a familiar place against a familiar opponent, and I pitched the game of my life.
The game was a pitchers duel from the start. Phoenix was the first to score on a double that scored one, but that is all that Phoenix would get that night.
We won the game in extra innings by a final score of five to one.
One of the more special parts of the night was that my little brother, freshman Travis Childs, came in and closed the game. It would have been picture perfect if I would have gotten credit for the win, but that went to Kyle Swets.
It is nice to get statistical acknowledgment for good games, but in this case it didn't matter for me. I went down to Phoenix and did exactly what I went there to do. In front of a crowd of family and friends along with the people that I used to play for, I was in full control of the game. It was an amazing feeling.
Looking back on it now a week a later, I can honestly say that it was a game that I will never forget and a game that I will always be thankful for.
As I have learned this year from Coach Abernathy, it is important to remember the people that have given you chances in this game. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities that Coach Mike Rooney and Coach Kurt Palmer gave me at Phoenix College, and I will forever cherish the two years that I spent there.
In the next chapter, I will forever appreciate the opportunity that Coach Abernathy has given to me. Playing baseball for this team is special. It's not often that people are given a second chance to continue their college baseball careers, and Coach Abs and CSU have given me that opportunity.
Man, it is difficult to put an experience like that into words!
After sweeping two games against Phoenix College, we spent the next three days as a team enjoying everything that Arizona has to offer, and it was back to work on Friday.
Friday, we played three games. The first was against Iowa Western Junior College. To be honest, we did not come to play, and we lost a very close 3-2 ballgame at Mesa Community College.
After the loss we went to Scottsdale Community for a two-game set.
Chalk-up another sweep for the Rams.
It was a difficult series, but we were able to get a couple wins, one of which came in the tenth inning.
All in all, I must tell you; it was a great weekend! We came out with a record of 6-1, and we had a great time doing it! It was a spring break to remember.
Upcoming for the Rams is a five game series with NCBA rival, Weber State, starting Friday night. Check www.csuramsbaseball.com for game times.
As always, Children: Be Great! God Bless! Good Luck! FFF!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde season so far
Hello Children. My aplogizes on the delay between my last update and this one. I am dedicating this post to looking at the season so far for us. Consider it a season-in-review.
It has been a very uneven ride so far, and we are definitely looking for a more even look. After all, it is a long season and consitency is what ultimately leads to championships.
We started with an almost too-good-to-be-true start to the season at Northeastern. We dominated those games in every aspect. That was followed by an absolutely embarrassing weekend in Lamar, enough said about that. After Lamar, we went back to Northeastern and combined great baseball with awful baseball. We put together our first venture to Sterling and Lamar together in one day.
Most recently we really turned a page as a team, and played three incredibly consistent games. This is exactly what we are looking for out of the remainder of our season.
We traveled down to Trinidad and swept the Plainsmen. On a side note, the Plainsmen go up towards the top of my least favorite nicknames. I plan on writing a blog about the best of the worst team mascots when we go down to Scottsdale to play the Fighting Artichokes. Yep, that's right, the Fighting Artichokes, instilling fear into the hearts of their opponents before they even take the field! If you have any ideas on mascots that you would like to see on the list, leave a comment!
Back to baseball. We won the first game in Trinidad 3-2 in a gutsy win in which the offense scratched out three runs in the final inning of the game. The game-winning run came from a 75-foot squibbler from pinch-hitter Bryce Enwold.
Regardless of how we got the win, this was the biggest win for the season so far. It showed how mentally tough we are, and really proved that we are never out of a game. The next two games were relatively boring. Bob Moller carried a perfect game into the fifth... What else is new? We won that game easily. In the third game, it seemed like CJ Cannell struck out every batter he faced, except for the three hitters that came to the plate in the fourth inning in which it took Cannell three pitches to retire the side. Thats right, three pitches, three outs.
When you have a three pitch inning, you really wonder who is to blame. Is it the coaches? Is it the players? I blame both in this instance, and it was awesome. I mean, what was going through that third batters mind? He must have just not wanted to be out in the cold. (It was under 25 degrees throughtout the game).
All in all, it was great to dominate a series the way we did. We pitched better than they did, we hit MUCH better than they did, and most importantly we were tougher than they were. We wanted it more. That says a lot about the group of guys on this team, and it makes me very excited to see what we will accomplish!
Lets look to the future! This week we have Otero Junior College on the agenda. We will be going down to Otero for a four-game series beginning Friday. Two games will be played Friday and two on Saturday.
This week's goals are similar to previous weeks.
1. Win the first game.
2. Win the second game.
3. Win the third game (and the series).
4. Sweep the series.
We have been off to a great start with a record of 6-2, and we hope to keep this momentum rolling.
This week's thought: "Do all the good u can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can." -Rev Run
Thank you for stopping by!
God Bless! Good Luck! FFF!
It has been a very uneven ride so far, and we are definitely looking for a more even look. After all, it is a long season and consitency is what ultimately leads to championships.
We started with an almost too-good-to-be-true start to the season at Northeastern. We dominated those games in every aspect. That was followed by an absolutely embarrassing weekend in Lamar, enough said about that. After Lamar, we went back to Northeastern and combined great baseball with awful baseball. We put together our first venture to Sterling and Lamar together in one day.
Most recently we really turned a page as a team, and played three incredibly consistent games. This is exactly what we are looking for out of the remainder of our season.
We traveled down to Trinidad and swept the Plainsmen. On a side note, the Plainsmen go up towards the top of my least favorite nicknames. I plan on writing a blog about the best of the worst team mascots when we go down to Scottsdale to play the Fighting Artichokes. Yep, that's right, the Fighting Artichokes, instilling fear into the hearts of their opponents before they even take the field! If you have any ideas on mascots that you would like to see on the list, leave a comment!
Back to baseball. We won the first game in Trinidad 3-2 in a gutsy win in which the offense scratched out three runs in the final inning of the game. The game-winning run came from a 75-foot squibbler from pinch-hitter Bryce Enwold.
Regardless of how we got the win, this was the biggest win for the season so far. It showed how mentally tough we are, and really proved that we are never out of a game. The next two games were relatively boring. Bob Moller carried a perfect game into the fifth... What else is new? We won that game easily. In the third game, it seemed like CJ Cannell struck out every batter he faced, except for the three hitters that came to the plate in the fourth inning in which it took Cannell three pitches to retire the side. Thats right, three pitches, three outs.
When you have a three pitch inning, you really wonder who is to blame. Is it the coaches? Is it the players? I blame both in this instance, and it was awesome. I mean, what was going through that third batters mind? He must have just not wanted to be out in the cold. (It was under 25 degrees throughtout the game).
All in all, it was great to dominate a series the way we did. We pitched better than they did, we hit MUCH better than they did, and most importantly we were tougher than they were. We wanted it more. That says a lot about the group of guys on this team, and it makes me very excited to see what we will accomplish!
Lets look to the future! This week we have Otero Junior College on the agenda. We will be going down to Otero for a four-game series beginning Friday. Two games will be played Friday and two on Saturday.
This week's goals are similar to previous weeks.
1. Win the first game.
2. Win the second game.
3. Win the third game (and the series).
4. Sweep the series.
We have been off to a great start with a record of 6-2, and we hope to keep this momentum rolling.
This week's thought: "Do all the good u can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can." -Rev Run
Thank you for stopping by!
God Bless! Good Luck! FFF!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Disappointment in Lamar
I'm going to keep this one short. This weekend was not what we were looking for by any means, but we will learn from everything that happened and come out of this stronger and better. This season is going to be a marathon, and one moment won't define us.
This team has a lot going for it. That was seen on the field against Northeastern, but we also have an unbelievable amount of growing to do in order to accomplish the goals that we have set for ourselves. This was exposed this weekend. We lost both games, and neither were that close. It was embarrassing. I hate to use cliches, but this fits incredibly well. "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."
I look forward to another great week of baseball, and it starts Tuesday against Northeastern. We will be heading to Sterling for a two-game set. Keep checking back for updates. The next update probably won't come until Wednesday or Thursday, but as always, if you want immediate updates, see my Twitter page. I will update that as soon as the games are over.
Thank you everyone for their dedication and support for the CSU Baseball Family. We love you.
Remember, Be great! Good luck! God bless! FFF
This team has a lot going for it. That was seen on the field against Northeastern, but we also have an unbelievable amount of growing to do in order to accomplish the goals that we have set for ourselves. This was exposed this weekend. We lost both games, and neither were that close. It was embarrassing. I hate to use cliches, but this fits incredibly well. "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."
I look forward to another great week of baseball, and it starts Tuesday against Northeastern. We will be heading to Sterling for a two-game set. Keep checking back for updates. The next update probably won't come until Wednesday or Thursday, but as always, if you want immediate updates, see my Twitter page. I will update that as soon as the games are over.
Thank you everyone for their dedication and support for the CSU Baseball Family. We love you.
Remember, Be great! Good luck! God bless! FFF
Friday, February 12, 2010
Potential schedule change and article in school paper
http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2010/02/csu_baseball_is_looking_for_another_championshipChildren. I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday. I have a couple quick updates about this weekend against Lamar. It looks like we may only be playing Saturday. If this is the case, we will be leaving tonight for Lamar and playing 3 games Saturday. Check www.twitter.com/NickChilds21 for the latest updates.
Also, be sure to go to the provided link to see an article about the CSU Baseball team in today's Rocky Mountain Collegian!
That's all I have for you today.
Be Great! Good Luck! FFF!
http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2010/02/csu_baseball_is_looking_for_another_championship
Also, be sure to go to the provided link to see an article about the CSU Baseball team in today's Rocky Mountain Collegian!
That's all I have for you today.
Be Great! Good Luck! FFF!
http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2010/02/csu_baseball_is_looking_for_another_championship
Thursday, February 11, 2010
CSU's offense tallies more in game hits than batting practice hits
What's up Childs' Children? How is everyone doing? Before we get to baseball, I would like to address a couple things. First, I want to apologize for the late posting on this past weekend in Sterling. I ran into some technical difficulties that lead to my post being deleted which resulted in me being too frustrated to rewrite it until now.
I would also like to thank all of the CSU Baseball Family that came out to watch us play our opening series! We appreciate all of the support and will need it throughout the year. More thanks to give. A special thank you to Bob and Pam Fox. For those of you who don't know these great people, they are the parents of CSU third-baseman Jake Fox and provide the team with snacks, water, and Gatorade. Thank you for everything Fox family. I want to also thank my loving parents Debbie and Rick "Papa Ding" Childs for making the trip. Finally, a big shout out must go to Ceri and Jim Anderson for the amazing lasagna dinner Monday night. Ceri and Jim are the Aunt and Uncle of CSU CF Matt Kurtz. They are huge fans of their nephew Matt and the CSU Baseball program. You will see them at most home games (Ceri will be the one cheering the loudest).
With all of that being said, let's talk about Saturday's baseball! The day started off less than ideal for us. Batting practice was disappointing to say the least. Let me put it to you this way: the CSU offense put up more hits during the games than they did in BP. The lone bright spot on batting practice was my outstanding shagging of fly balls in center field.
Once batting practice ended, and the games began, everything started to improve for us. We were able to dominate the first game, winning by a final score of 7-1. The offense jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after the first thanks to two opportune errors by the Northeastern third-baseman. Bobby Moller was... well, he was Bobby Moller. Outstanding. He cruised through six, striking out 10 and allowing no runs. The offense on the day was lead from the top. Leadoff hitter Casey Reale and two-hitter Brian Chuckran both had great games at the plate.
After winning the first game easily, the second game was the same song, different verse. The game was dominated by offense and starting pitching. The game was never close with the score ending at 12-1. The game's starting pitcher was transfer-student David deBesche? Is that how you spell it? However you spell the kids name, he was incredible. He owned the Northeastern hitter and was perfect through four innings. The pursuit for perfection ended on a soft line drive in between first and second that was nearly caught by a diving Reggie Rossi. It is debatable whether the play should have been ruled a hit or an error. (The Northeastern scorekeepers gave it an error.) DeBesche went on to throw six innings, surrendering one run. Freshman closer Greg "Gart" Hart made his first career appearance and threw a shutout inning to close the game.
On to the next. This weekend we travel to Lamar. It is going to be a great series, so all of Childs' Children should get down there if they can. Last year, we swept Lamar in the three game series, so they will be ready for us this year, and word on the street is that they have improved a lot since last year. I personally can't wait for this weekend!
This Week's Goals
1. Win the first game.
2. Win the second game.
3. Win the third game.
4. Win the series. (By accomplishing goal 3)
5. Sweep the series.
Quote of the Day
"Have faith in your abilities. Without reasonable confidence in your gangsta, you CANNOT be happy and successful!" -Rev Run
Translation: Have faith in your abilities. Without confidence in yourself, you cannot be happy and successful.
That’s all for now, Children.
Be great! Good Luck! FFF
Friday, February 5, 2010
Baseball anyone? Mmmm, that sounds nice. I'll have that
How are Childs' Children doing? (Thank you Mr. Reale) Rome's clones don't have anything on Childs' Children, but here is what I am burning on. What's better Christmas Eve or New-Baseball-Season Eve? For me it is a real tough call, but in light of a new season being on the horizon, I am going to have to go with New-Baseball-Season Eve!
Our season begins tomorrow as we travel to Sterling to play Northeastern Junior College, and we are ready to go. Practice this week went really well, and we can't wait to get outside, playing baseball! It is going to be interesting since we have only been practicing indoors, but we feel that it has also benefited us in many ways. We have been able to focus on the little things that are going to help us win games.
The forecast this weekend isn't stellar to say the least, but that is not a big concern. We pride ourselves on not letting things like that affect us in a negative way. "Control what you can control," Coach Abs always says. Not to mention, we just got a whole mess of new gear to help us stay warm. Man, does it look good, too!
This weeks goals:
1. Win the first game.
2. Win the second game.
3. Win the series.
We will be great. "Wake up with the attitude that you're someone. Know that the world is a better place with you in it. Always live with a chip on your shoulder." Faith, Focus, Finish.
That's all I have for now, Children. Check back Saturday for how the first two games went. If there is nothing posted, go to www.twitter.com/NickChilds21. There will for sure be something there.
Be great, and good luck.
Our season begins tomorrow as we travel to Sterling to play Northeastern Junior College, and we are ready to go. Practice this week went really well, and we can't wait to get outside, playing baseball! It is going to be interesting since we have only been practicing indoors, but we feel that it has also benefited us in many ways. We have been able to focus on the little things that are going to help us win games.
The forecast this weekend isn't stellar to say the least, but that is not a big concern. We pride ourselves on not letting things like that affect us in a negative way. "Control what you can control," Coach Abs always says. Not to mention, we just got a whole mess of new gear to help us stay warm. Man, does it look good, too!
This weeks goals:
1. Win the first game.
2. Win the second game.
3. Win the series.
We will be great. "Wake up with the attitude that you're someone. Know that the world is a better place with you in it. Always live with a chip on your shoulder." Faith, Focus, Finish.
That's all I have for now, Children. Check back Saturday for how the first two games went. If there is nothing posted, go to www.twitter.com/NickChilds21. There will for sure be something there.
Be great, and good luck.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Baseball Is Back, Baby!
CSU Baseball fans, we are back! I am trying to think of a creative name to call my thousands of dedicated followers... Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but there has to be hundreds of you, right? No? Well, soon enough there will be! Fine, I admit it, my readership consists of Mr. Reale, father of CSU Baseball's President, Casey Reale, and my pops, or as CSU shortstop, Brian Chuckran, likes to call him "Papa Ding." Seriously though, about the name for my readers... Jim Rome has his "clones;" I feel like you all need some sort of name. Don't worry, we will think of something as the year goes on.
We will be giving you a slightly different look this year in light of four starting position players as well as three starting pitchers graduating, but the team is younger, faster, and ready to get working towards another National Championship!
With the additions of a few transfer students as well as a few freshman, including my brother, Travis Childs, we should not have any problem picking up right where we left off last May in Fort Meyers. Along with the new additions to the team, returning players that have played lesser roles in the past are ready to step in and fill the roles of our teammates that are no longer with us.
The themes for this year for me (I stole them from two of my favorite NFL wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Chad Ochocinco) is doing my best to be great everyday and FFF. FFF stands for Faith, Finish, and Focus. In order to accomplish our goals for this year we will need to have Faith in ourselves and our teammates, Finish everything we start, and Focus on our goals (long and short-term).
I hope you guys are excited about this season as I am!
Alright, that's all I've got for now. Check back later this week and this weekend for more news as we get closer and closer to GAME 1! You can also follow me on Twitter where I will be providing updates about the team as well as my thoughts about anything and everything. www.twitter.com/NickChilds21
Goodnight everyone. Be great, and good luck! FFF
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