Here is the newest episode of Saints Talk!

In our first segment, we review the last week in Saints baseball action. Also, we interview assistant coach Robert Huckstep and pitcher Pat Jacobs.

In our second segment, we talk about the men’s and women’s golf teams. They’ve been inactive for the last week but will be in action this upcoming weekend.

During halftime, Kim Gebken lets us know what’s going on this week on campus.

In our third segment, we review the week that was for the Saints softball team.

In our fourth and final segment, we discuss big wins from the men’s and women’s tennis teams as well as the Saints track and field team.

Follow the link to listen to the newest episode of Saints Talk!

Here is the newest episode of Saints Talk!

In the first segment, we discuss the Saints baseball team, and their action in the last week.

In the second segment, we discuss the Saints softball this past week and their success against the University of Illinois Springfield.

During halftime, Kim Gebken lets us know what happening on campus next week.

In the third segment, we recap the tennis action from the past week and look forward to the competitions of the track and field team and tennis teams.

In the fourth segment, we wrap up the women’s basketball season and interview Coach Chris Ellis to get his thoughts on the season that was.

Listen to this week’s episode of Saints Talk!

The obvious reason, of course, is the loss of Albert Pujols.  Although Pujols may be exiting his prime, the Cardinals do not have anyone to compensate for the career 162 game average of 42 HR, 126 RBI’s, .328 BA, and .420 OBP (baseball-reference.com).  Both Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman put up very solid numbers last year, though loosing a star player, especially one like Pujols, and not gaining anything in return is going to hurt.  Pitchers will work Holliday and Berkman a little differently: going after them a lot more, not having to worry about facing a man who has been widely considered the best hitter in baseball over the past decade.  It will take a career year from the likes of either David Freese or the newly acquired Carlos Beltran to fill that gaping hole in the middle of the lineup.

Freese certainly did show a lot of potential with his MVP performance in the World Series last year, but no one knows as to whether or not he can play at that level over a full season.  Beltran put up numbers similar to that of Holliday and Berkman last year, but all three of these sluggers are aging quickly.  Holliday is the youngest of the trio at 32, and Beltran and Berkman will be 35 and 36, respectively.

Much of this season will also depend on the health of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.  Both are very good “front of the rotation” starters, but Wainwright missed all of last season to undergo Tommy John surgery, and Carpenter was just placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Another question mark for the Cardinals will be new manger, and former catcher, Mike Matheny.

Tony LaRussa’s retirement came at just about the right time for St. Louis.  His managerial skills were noticeably dwindling–i.e. forgetting how to use the bullpen phone–but he had enough left to capture one more world championship.  Matheny comes in with big shoes to fill, and very little managerial/coaching experience, including none at the professional level.  However, catchers do tend to make good mangers, and having a veteran roster with playoff experience should help ease him in to things.

It would not surprise me one bit if the Cardinals win the division this year, mainly because they play in a rather poor National League Central.  The only real threat to their divisional dominance is the the Milwaukee Brewers, whom also lost a star player over the offseason in Prince Fielder.  If Ryan Braun hadn’t won the appeal of his 50-game suspension, the Cards may have gone uncontested.

The Cincinnati Reds should also be a contender, although after an impressive run to win the central in 2010, they fell short of expectation in 2011.

No need to fret, though.  Your St. Louis Cardinals will be competitive; they just won’t win it all.  It’s likely that they will make the playoffs, especially with commissioner Bud Selig’s’ additional wild-card team, and once you get in, who knows what can happen.  If they do make it though, all the way to the world series, that means they will face a team like the Yankees, the Tigers, or the Angels. Those guys, with stars like Verlander, Cabrera, Granderson, Teixiera, and, dare I say it,  Pujols, they just have too much.

The event was sponsored by the NCAA Choices Grant, which promotes responsible decision-making and alcohol awareness. It allowed student-athletes to participate in an alcohol-free bowling tournament and socialize with members from different teams. A total of 30 athletes were in attendance.

“The night was all about getting athletes to interact with each other in an alcohol-free setting,” said CHAMPS Co-president, Tomi Benney. Benney, who is also a member of the Maryville women’s soccer team, played a large role in planning the event.

The night also provided attendants with drug and alcohol information. An interactive trivia game was conducted with the help of members from Maryville’s HERO’s Program.

“We learned about the affects of alcohol on the body,” said Freshman Hanna Seitter, member of the Maryville volleyball team. “I don’t think most people realize the extent of which alcohol negatively affects athletic performance. We learned that drinking can prevent muscle gain from exercise for up to 48 hours.”

All participating athletes donated $1 or more to a fund that will be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Other items that were donated included canned goods, which will be delivered to a local St. Louis charity.

“The greatest part of the event was that all athletes were able to hang out outside of our individual sports. I bowled with two basketball players and a wrestler. It was a cool way to get to know the people I support at games,” Seitter said.

Another mission of the event was to promote camaraderie between athletes. For CHAMPS member, Sophomore Tony Boehmer, being a part of the program has taught him the value of building friendships with other athletes.

Boehmer, a member of the men’s tennis team said, “We support Maryville as a whole. I’ve become friends with people in CHAMPS that I wouldn’t ordinarily get the chance to know.”

Boehmer joined CHAMPS because of what the name stands for: “Challenging Athletes’ Minds for Personal Success.”

According to the director of the program, Tonya Charland, assistant director of athletics for NCAA compliance, CHAMPS is designed to benefit and enrich the lives of Maryville’s student-athletes.

“We are being collaborative in our efforts to be interactive in the community,” Charland said.  “This was our program’s first major planned event. It was encouraging to see the fellowship and interaction between the athletes from our teams. We hope to have more involvement in our future events.”

The mission statement, according to the CHAMPS/Life Skills program, includes commitments to five major components:

• Academic Excellence – to support the academic progress of the student-athlete toward intellectual development and graduation.
• Athletic Excellence – to build philosophical foundations for the development of athletic programs that are broad-based, equitable and dedicated to the well-being of the student-athlete.
• Personal Development – to support the development of a well-balanced lifestyle for student-athletes, encouraging emotional well-being, personal growth, and decision-making skills.
• Career Development – to encourage the student-athlete to develop and pursue career and life goals.
• Service – to engage the student-athlete in service to her/his campus and surrounding communities.

October was not a very good month for the Blues.  With a slow 6-7 start, their performance was less than exciting and caught the attention of management.  The Blues hired Ken Hitchcock as the new head coach and have not looked back since.

After beating the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 on Mon. March 25, the Blues’ advanced their record to 47-20-9 and putting up a total of 103 points on the season.  The win extended the Blues’ lead to 7 points over Nashville in the Central Division.  Not only are the Blue Notes in first place in their division, but also they currently hold the top spot in the Western Conference.  In fact, the team with the most points in the entire NHL is your St. Louis Blues.

So far this season, the Blues have gone 29-4-4 at home and have gone 6-2-2 in the last 10 games.  These staggering numbers are due in part to the coaching of Hitchcock, and the other part should be attributed to the men on the ice.

Just as any hockey team, the Blues have experienced their fair share of injuries this season.  At the end of December, Alex Steen suffered a concussion, but he finally made his return Monday night.  February came with another injury, but this time it was Jamie Langenbrunner.  After sitting out for a month with a broken foot, Langenbrunner has returned to the ice.

Andy McDonald has not had a smooth road the last few seasons.  A pair of concussions forced him to be sidelined.  He finally made his return in early March, scoring two goals in his first game.  His stint back on the ice was short-lived.  A check into the boards injured McDonald’s shoulder in the middle of March, and he has not played in a game since.

David Perron also suffered a concussion last year.  Sitting out and resting for over a year helped Perron heal enough to return to the Blues.  Similar to McDonald, Perron scored in his first game back.

With injury also comes success.  The Blues signed 19-year-old Jaden Schwartz in March.  Critics may have thought he was

rather young to be playing in the NHL, but Schwartz proved he was read to compete with the big boys.  Schwartz scored a goal in each of his first two professional starts.  No, this does not happen very often, especially for teenagers playing among men.  The last player to score in each of his first two starts in the NHL did so in 1992.  If 20 years isn’t a big enough gap, I don’t know wha

t is.

The once injured and newcomers are not the only ones making a splash on the ice.  The tag team of goalies in net for the Blueshas performed remarkably so far this season.  The win on Monday against the Coyotes was the eighth shutout for Brian Elliot, which tied Glenn Hall’s record for the most shutouts in a single season.  Combine Elliot’s shutouts with veteran Jaroslav Halak’s 6 shutouts this season and that makes 14.  This may be simple math, but it is a big deal in the Blues’ organization because it broke the record for the most shutouts in a single season by a Blues duo.  Halak is also tied at number two for the most shutouts, just three behind the number one spot.

With only 6 games left this season, the Blues have clinched a spot in the playoffs and hope to make a commanding run at the Stanley Cup.  Let’s Go Blues!

The Maryville Roller Hockey Saints are heading to the 2012 Nationals. Image courtesy of Matt Pierson.

The team, nicknamed the ‘Nard Dogs, will compete in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) championships starting Apr. 11 at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah.  They lead the GPCIHL with 28 points.  Sophomore Kyle Lovell, the team’s top scorer, was recently named a Division II First Team All-American by the NCRHA.

“I had no idea that I would have been named an All-American.  I suppose you could say I was more surprised than anything,” said Lovell.  “It is a great honor to be named All-American and I couldn’t have done it without my team.”

With their season now over, the ‘Nard Dogs are focusing on getting ready for Nationals.

“We are mainly focused on getting ready for the trip. We’re really stoked to be competing at Nationals, so we’re working on physical and mental preparation,” said sophomore team president Matt Pierson.  “We will have practices closer to the departure, but the dates haven’t been decided.”

Pierson knows his team has spent countless days perfecting the game and has a positive outlook on the upcoming Nationals.

Kyle Lovell was recently named a Division II First Team All-American by the NCRHA. Courtesy of Matt Pierson.

“Every athlete expects to win,” said Pierson.  “The trip will be fun and a rewarding experience. But make no mistake; we’re there to take care of business. We haven’t invested this much time and money, not to bring home the title.”

“Honestly, I’m not too sure what to expect at nationals. I think we can finish with a high seed after the round robin tournament. Then after that it goes into the bracket system like college basketball,” added Lovell.  “If we play our game and not sink to the level of the other competitors, I think we have a good chance at going far in the tournament.”

As the ‘Nard Dogs head to Utah in the coming weeks, Pierson offers words of wisdom to his teammates and recognizes their effort and teamwork.

“We just gotta keep playing smart hockey. I have faith in every one of these guys. I’ve played with them, I know their talents, and what they can do,” adds Pierson.  “If we play our game, there’s no better team. And no matter the outcome, I’m honored every time I set foot on that rink with them.”

The Maryville roller hockey team started in 2010.  The players include #91 Kyle Lovell, #2 Shaun O’Rourke, #96 Matt Harris, #48 Justin Riley, #12 Ryan McNorton, #9 Craig Wild, #88 Zac Hornung, #77 Clayton Denten, #27 Matt Pierson, #7 Chad Meyer; and goalies #41 James Kramer and #00 Eric Roach.

Virtually unknown to the majority of students until now, the ‘Nard Dogs are enjoying awareness from the announcement of their trip to Utah.

Image courtesy of Matt Pierson.

“This is all kind of happening so fast,” said Lovell.  “At first no one knew about us and now we are like celebrities.”

The ‘Nard Dogs hope to have fun in Nationals but also expect to win.  With an increase in on-campus interest, star players and an excellent season; the Roller Hockey Saints enter post-season play with faith and talent and the hopes of obtaining that National title.

Megan Piontek Volleyball Tournament

Date: Fri. March 16

Time: 6 p.m. to midnight

Location: Simon Athletic Center (Gym)

The winning team will receive t-shirts.  Baskets and prizes will be raffled off throughout the night.  Pizza will be served to attendants as well.

Come and watch or put a team together today!

Amanda Kosyan: akosyan@live.maryville.edu 636-443-5257