Photo by Jordan Vredeveld
Photo by Jordan Vredeveld

2013-14 Stories of the Year (No. 4): Baseball makes run to NACC title game

MEQUON, Wis. - The 2013-14 athletic year at Concordia University Wisconsin saw many inspirational moments by student-athletes and countless victories on a variety of levels. The initial list of top stories was long, but was eventually narrowed after several difficult decisions (honorable mention and top five).

The list was compiled by the Athletic Communications Department and a committee of coaches, and like all lists is subject to debate. The list of top stories will be revealed over the next six weeks with a story being released each Tuesday.

No. 4
Baseball makes run to NACC title game

Ask any head coach and they will say a preseason poll means very little to their team and their expectations. However, those polls are fun for the fans to look at and are always interesting to take a look at the end of the season to see what predictions were right and what ones were wrong.

The CUW Baseball team proved the NACC Preseason Poll wrong this spring, as after being slated for an eighth-place finish, the Falcons made a strong run to the NACC Tournament Championship Game. CUW would eventually fall to nationally ranked Concordia University Chicago in the finals.

Year one under first-year head coach Eddy Morgan was a big success for the Falcons, although it didn't appear headed in that direction at the midway point of the season. Entering a doubleheader against MSOE on April 13, CUW was 6-14 and just 2-8 in conference play.

April 13 just happened to be the day the season turned in the right direction for the Falcons as they began a 12-game winning streak with a sweep of the Raiders. Eight of those 12 games were in conference play, and they closed the regular season with a sweep of Lakeland College to win their final 10 NACC games before tournament play. A look back at the 12-game winning streak can be found here.

The momentum carried over to the NACC Tournament where the Falcons posted a 3-2 record on their home turf of Kapco Park. CUW posted wins over Edgewood College, Benedictine University and Dominican University in tournament play.

The CUW Baseball team had an impressive year in 2014, especially considering where they started. With plenty of young talented players expected back in the fold next season, including four who earned All-NACC Freshman honors, the Falcons can be expected to make deep runs in the NACC Tournament for the next several years.

2013-14 Top Stories
Honorable Mention: Lacrosse breaks nearly every record
No. 5: Women's Golf continues recent success