2014 Baseball Season

We would like to welcome you to the web site of coach Wilson and coach Traver.  Our goal is to provide you will information concerning the 2014 baseball team and let you know when things are happening.  As coaches, we want to provide a positive learning experience for all the players.  We are searching for "Excellence" which is found in hard work and dedication.  Our team moto is, "Excellence both on and off the field."   Our long term goal is not to have our players 20 percent better than our opponent in one thing, but to be 1 percent better in 20 things.  That is how we will win baseball games.  Though we are low in numbers we will work hard to create a team that is functional in the sport and able to make the correct plays....  Once again, welcome to our web site.  There will be more information on the web site as the season progresses.

2014 Knights Baseball Team

#4  Brady Nance

#5 Dalton Hlubek 

#8  Brady Wilson

#10 Kyle Smith

#11  Nolan Willoughby

#12  Eric Medenblik

#21  JoLynn Frederick

#22  Shawn Hintz

#23  Josh Ellinor

#24  Alex Hoppe

#99 Colby Dikstra

For many years I have kept very good statistics.  These are used during the season to help the coaching staff direct our practice sessions as well as set the roster for the games.  I have never shared statistics with anyone, parents, players or anyone else.  Though other schools do post their individual player stats, I have not.  My thought process is to have the players play for the team, not for individual stats.  One college coach stated very sternly, "Statistics are for losers."  Though I am not quite that forceful in my process, I believe that during the season statistics should be kept confidential.  That will continue to be the case.  Below you will find statistics for our 2014 season.  The data input was done live during the game via a Palm and uploaded into my statistics program.  None of the coaches input the data in the Palm but it is done by a third party. 

Giving historical team data is something new for me.  I hope you enjoy the information.

Coach Wilson

Knights Begin Practice Sessions

The Unity Christian Knights began the 2014 practice session this week.  The weather is still cold with snow and very cold wind.  Not very good for baseball.  Indoor practice may last a while this year.  The Knights are working on footwork, getting through the ball, cutting time and distance, the proper form for throwing, and hitting.  Unity did not have a team last year so we are working on developing the team concept. Pitching is a priority on any baseball team and we are developing the proper form for our pitchers.  The coaches this year are very impressed with the development of the team so far.  Though we have a lot to work on, we will develop and we will learn to play as a team.  Our goal is to have "Excellence both on and off the field."  We will all strive to meet that goal.  The baseball team has added an indoor baseball batting cage this year.  It will allow us to hit in the gym and not in a very cold bus barn.  As we work in the gym feel free to stop in and see our practice sessions.

Go Knights!

Saturday's Home Game is "ON".  We need everyone there.  Please be at the field by 9:45 for the 11:00 game.

Our game for Saturday is cancelled.  Practice Saturday 10:00 to 2:00 at our practice field.  Lunch will be provided.

The game at Galena is complete and in the book.  Though we played like a team that knows how to play, we did not play like the team we could be.  For the first game and playing in 38 degree weather with a 25 mile per hour wind, we did not do so bad.  We did come out ready to play wihich was great to see.  Though our bats were cold (not by the temperature) our desire was hot.  This is the game the coaches needed to begin to zero in on our opportunities (deficiencies) and help us develop.  We are a very young team in skills as well as the ability to play as a team.  We have stated many times this is a growing year.  We are now in the growing time and with growth comes bumps and bruises.  It is imperative we work through those bumps and bruises and not stop growing because of them.  We are looking for our players to have a strong desire to get through those so they can get better.  That is persoal growth!  That is team growth!  That is being a Knight!

Go Knights!

 After playing in Galena on Friday evening with an outdoor temperature of 38 degrees it was great to wake up Saturday to see the sun shining.  Though our scheduled game was cancelled, a last minute game with a non-traditional Fulton High School team was put together.  When the game started it was warm, the sun still shining and the wind at a minimum.  This is the weather baseball should be played in! 

Once again the Unity team showed they know how to play baseball.  Though the final score was 3 - 4 in favor of Fulton, Unity played very well and many parents from both teams stated that Unity has a good team this year.  As a team we know who we are.  We are a young team with a lot of growth ahead.  We have many skills to master and the coaching staff is still learning what the players can do.  As an example Unity had the bases loaded, no outs and were unable to score.  Learning how to hit a sacrifice fly or just to put the ball in play would have changed the score of the game.  Laying down a good bunt would have scored a run.  But reality is we were unable to score anyone.

Oh, did I mention this was only our second game?  Or that we were only able to be on a practice field for a week?  We will get better and our skill levels will get better.  Learning infield plays such as 3rd base pick offs and first to third plays are not yet in our functional repertoire.  It will happen, we just need to work on it and grow.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players for their work in getting to this point.  As I have said before, we have a lot of bumps and bruises ahead of us.  Our destiny as a team will be defined on how we handle them.  As an individual player there will be some days things go well and some days things go poorly.  Being able to work through those hard times and get better is the type of player we are developing.  Excellence is not something that is easily obtained, it is something that requires diligence and persistence.  Together the players and the coaches will work to obtain Excellence.

Go Knights,

Coach Wilson

Though the team had some issues determining which field we were to play on, once the game started it was evident the Knights came to play.  In the top of the first inning the Knights first three hitters were very patient yet not afraid to swing at the ball.  All three players got on base.  Though we only scored one run that inning there was more scoring to come with a total of 9 hits.  On the defensive side we had a good performance from our pitcher who struck out 10 and allowed only 1 hit.  The pitcher's performance was backed up with fielding that made only 1 error.  Offensively we kept the pressure on our opponents and scored a total of 11 runs with a final score of 11 - 0.

This was the first win of our season out of the 3 games we have played.  Though we looked good there will be more experience teams to face in the future.  We have a lot of work ahead of us in our positioning and diversifying each position.  Our three top items to work on are pitching, pitching and pitching.

Great Job Knights!

Coach Wilson

IMPORTANT......

The Unity Knights baseball team will be participating in a community project this year.  In the past it was typical for the baseball team to complete a community project each year as part of the team's goal:  Excellence both on and off the field.  On April 26th we will be working to finish the play set at the Unity Day Care.  We will be moving dirt to fill in under the play set, place railroad ties around the play set and finish by moving wood chips.  Lunch and refreshments will be provided.  We will start at 9:00 and hope to be done by 1:00.  We ask that all players make this their top priority for the morning.  This is a "team" project.  We also would like as many parents to join in as can make it.  More information will follow.

Coach Wilson



The game against East Dubuque was cancelled by East Dubuque.  Jana has been able to set up a replacement game against Fulton on Friday.  Today the Thursday game was cancelled by Alwood due to a school scheduling issue.  We are looking for another game.  The Knights continue to practice to be ready for any games we can schedule.  

The Friday game has changed again.  Fulton had to cancel and Mrs Behr worked very hard to get us a game.  We will be playing West Carroll in Thomson at 5:00.  The field is behind the school in Thomson.

Go Knights!

The Unity Knights played against the West Carroll JV team on an evening that was made for baseball.  The knights came out with a run in the first inning, two runs in the second, third, fifth, and seventh innings.  With another run in the sixth and tree runs in the fourth the Knights scored a total of thirteen runs while holding West Carroll to three.   The Knights had a total of fourteen hits while holding West Carroll to five.  Though throwing and fielding errors will require work by the team to shore up, we played like a team that has been together for a few years, not a couple of months.  

We had three good pitching performances during the game which is a very positive part of our growth plan.  Our pitching will only get better as we grow and we face even better teams.  

We Are......Knights!

The community project is postponed due to the lack of materials to put under the play set.  We will reschedule for a later date.

The Unity Knights played the Forreston FS on another very cold and misty evening.  The Knights held the Cardnials to no runs in the first inning while scoring 2 in their half.  The  Knights went on to score 12 while holding the Cardnials to 1 run through 5 innings.  The game ended 2 innings early due to the 5-inning mercy rule.  Typically we would have tried not to involke the mercy rule but with the temperature in the lower 40's it was good to have the game end and to get out of the rainy mist.  The Knights made their first textbook double play, made no infield or outfield errors, and took advantage of our opponents freebies to score many runs.  We we're hitting the ball hard while having out highest amount of quality at bats.

Great job Knights!

The last two weeks of our season will be the most challenging of the year.  We have planned this year as a growing and developmental season.  This was my opportunity to see the team for the first time, a time for the players to learn my systems and a time for the team to grow individually and as a functional group.  So far this we have worked hard and the progression has been good.  Had the weather cooperated better, we would be developmentally much farther along.  As an example, the last game we should have allowed all our pitchers to throw.  But due to the cold misty weather my decision was to get the game over as quickly as possible.  Thus we did not develop our pitching during that game.  The next two weeks we are going to need that pitching.  Some of the upcoming games we will go long with our starting pitching while others we will not.  The game plans will be set and we will work through out difficulties.  

At out practice sessions it is plain to see we are not functioning as a team yet.  During the games we are showing we do know how a team should function.  This difference between practice and games is not unusual with a first year team made up of a consideral amount of underclasman.  Rather, it would be the norm.  At practice we spend a lot of time going over, and over and over, the fine points of baseball.  During those repetitions we add a new nugget or two.  This is the building block approach to coaching.  And it is working well with this group of players.  We have also learned, Excellence is not an act, it is a habit."  We are building those habits.

Please come to our games and cheer on the players through the hard times and the good times.  Through the wins and through the times we do not win.  We really appreciate you loality!  At each game I remind our players,  "Tonight you are playing for your families, your school and your Maker."  Our goal is to represent all three to the best of out abilities no matter the final score.

Thank you again for your loyality.

Go Knights!

Coach Wilson

The Knights entered the game against  the AFC F/S hoping to play a quality team.  It was a great day for baseball at the Lumberkings stadium.  We played a team that had good pitching and players that hit the ball well.  Unity put together a solid performance both offensively and defensively.  We were able to get players on base and advance them into scoring position.  it was a game with a lot of action and quality plays made by both teams.  As we look towards the future we will play better teams which will help the Knights grow and develop as a team.

The Knights went into the game against the Fulton Steamers a little sluggish and it showed through the entire game.  The Knight hitters hit pop flys twelve times in the game and had to work hard to score their 3 runs.  In addition to the fly balls the Knights gave up 19 freebies to the Steamers while only getting 4 in return. The Knights had their lowest quality at bat total since the first game (23%).   It was only by sheer determination and some good plays that the Knights were able to hold the Steamers to 4 runs.  The knights turned another double play which paid big dividends as they scored 2 runs the bottom half of the inning.  When the end of the 7th inning was complete the Unity Knights found themselves behind by one run.

Though this was not one of our better games we learned from it.  In addition to giving the players some opportunities for individual improvement, it also showed we can play well with a quality JV team.  We look forward to more opportunities to play quality teams.  Wins will come as we develop into a better team ourselves.

We Are....KNIGHTS!

Coach Wilson

The Knights traveled to River Ridge to play a true varsity team.  The weather looked like it could storm at any time but it let us play three innings before putting a hult to the game.  The River Ridge team looked sharper doing the little things than we have seen anytime this year.  The Knights started the game knowing they needed to continue to play baseball their way and not change or get excited. At the end of three innings the Knights found themselves behind by three runs.  The Knights made plays, hit, and ran bases the way we always have.  The River Ridge pitching was the fastest we seen all year but we stood strong and made contact.  At one point in the game we had the bases loaded but came away with no runs.

It was good to see we can play at this level.  Though we have a lot of work to do to be able to continually play at the varsity level, we did a good job at this game.  

Go Knights!

Coach Wilson

The Knights played Quad City Christian to a 10 - 0 win.  This game was the first baseball game Quad City Christian had ever played.  The Knights came out playing their style of baseball and took an early lead.  The Knights continued to put runs on the scoreboard until the 10 run rule was met after 5 innings.  With the weather a little on the cold side, it was good to get the game over and get inside where it was warm.  The game allowed us to put players in different fielding positions.  It was a good game for the players and a chance for the parents to see the team score a lot of runs.  We will see a much different team on Thursday when we play West Caroll Varsity.

Go Knights! 

The West Carroll game was to be our greatest challenge of the year.  Their team consists of seven seniors and a couple of excellent pitchers.  The game started with a light rain and cold breeze.  The Kights had three people up to bat and just about as fast had three outs.  West Carroll had the same in their half of the inning. Meanwhile the rain slowly continued to get heavier.  The Knights got runners on base but could not turn them into runs while West Carroll scored a total of five.  In the top of the fourth inning the rain continued to get worse.  After scoring one run and the bases full of Knights, the game was called due to the very cold rain.  

This game showed we have parts of out game we need to improve.  We played a better team and it showed.  Our ability to play at a higher level is only restricted by our dedication to our level of play.  You see, "Excellence is not an act, it's a habit."  Habits are learned by repetition.  Repetition is developed through practice.  

This was an opportunity for the Knights to show we can play with a good varsity team.  And we did just that.  As a team we have discussed that great moments are born out of great opportunity.  Though this opportunity ended up with a four run deficient in an official rain out, it also helped us see our opportunities for improvement.  And I can assure you we will improve Our opportunities.

We Are, KNIGHTS!

Coach Wilson



The Knights came into the game expecting to face a team with very little experience and that was the team we faced.  Though our opponents came out with a harder throwing pitcher, it did not take the Knights long to put a lot of runs on the scoreboard.  Our ability to hit and their numerous errors made for a very one sided game.  The Knights pitching was very good and our defense up to the task.  We played many of our players in positions they typically did not play.  At the end of 5 innings the mercy rule was met with a score of 13 - 1.  However the QC Christian requested to play two more innings so we agreed.  Typically we would not do this but due to their lack of game experience we tried to help them out.  

This type of game is the hardest to coach.  Trying not to "run up" the score but yet having our players play the way we coached them is a challenge.  We tryed to be very creative on offense to hold the score down.  On defense played hard and made some good plays.  The Knights got another win!

Coach Wilson

The main goal for the Monmouth game was to get our first win.  As it turned out we played a team with very little experience which helped to meet our goal.  The Knights played well enough to keep the pressure on our opponents for the entire game. while doing this we never lost sight of playing our style baseball.  The coaches direction for this game was not to grow our players but rather to play hard and win the game.  Of course, this was done within our team goal of: "Excellence both on and off the field."  From this game forward we will turn to growing our players while also working to win the game.  By moving our players to defined positions we will be advancing the abilities of the team for future play.  We want to be able to backfill a position should a player be unable to play.  

As an example, at the Monmouth game I typically would have pulled our starting pitcher in the fifth inning to allow another pitcher the chance to pitch in a game situation.  We had already scored 7 runs in our half of the fifth inning and it would have made good coaching sense to bring in another pitcher.  But the main goal this game was to get our first win.  Coaches learn quickly that when things are going well do not make changes.  That is exactly what we did.  To grow as a team we need to diversity our positions by putting other players in positions during game situations.  That is how we will learn and grow.

Lastly, let me apologize to the parents that came to the game.  Not knowing we were playing at Alexis is inexcusable.  I will make sure this does not happen again.

Go Knights!

Coach Wilson