USU baseball eyeing return to playoffs

By: Logan Jones

Utah State University’s 2012 baseball team wasn’t built like a championship team. They held open tryouts in the fall, recruiting 15 players to their roster by spring — barely enough to qualify as a full squad. They had no scholarships to offer players and no paycheck to offer first-year head coach Norm Doyle. Instead, the players were asked to fund road-trips themselves and Doyle offered nearly 30 hours of volunteer time every week to keep the team afloat.

“We got zero respect,” Doyle said. “We were the underdogs and that was just fine with us.”

Even after finishing the regular season with one loss and winning the regional championship, Doyle said nobody took the Aggies seriously.

“Nobody knew anything about us,” Doyle said. “Everybody discounted us because we only had 15 guys on the team. Every other team at the national tournament was extremely good.”

The Aggies were predicted to be the first team out of the National Club Baseball Association World Series.

“We set some pretty lofty goals for ourselves,” Doyle said. “But we were dedicated and we played with confidence. Nobody saw us coming.”

The Aggies defeated Colorado State University 14-3 in the National Championship game and returned home with a NCBA World Series trophy.

USU finished the 2013 season ranked second in the Northern Pacific South Conference, in what coach Doyle calls an “abrupt” end to an otherwise successful season. Doyle said he Aggies are back in championship form, ranked No. 18 in the nation and one win away from clinching first place in the conference.

“Winning the conference means we’re heading to regionals,” said sophomore second-baseman David Clayton. “We have the same goals this year that the team did in 2012.”

Doyle confirmed the team is set on making it to the World Series this year.

“We want to play with confidence, but not overconfidence,” Doyle said. “We have the killer instinct we need to go far.”

Jeff Schiffman, one of six remaining players from the 2012 championship team, said the Aggies are ready to be back in the national spotlight.

“We should be going to Tampa this year,” Schiffman said. “We’ve got enough talent to win it all.”

The Aggies will play Weber State University on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a double-header against the Wildcats on Saturday beginning at noon.