Takin' it for the team...

Update to the Hustle...

I should have done this a while ago...

We have had three "over the fence" Home Runs hit this year at Cooper. The first was hit by Colin Irvine a few weeks ago.

The next one was hit by Nick Hooper on Tuesday night. The 3rd was hit by Caleb Boston just, 2 innings later.

The first for the Hustle team was by Buddy Mills, that came last year in the World Series.

Musial's golden anniversary arrives

Hall of Famer collected hit No. 3,000 fifty years ago

2008 Spring Classic - 1st Place

LogRog vs Hustle / Hustle wins 7-3
Hustle vs Comets/ Hustle wins 7-1
Stars vs Hustle / Hustle wins 15-0

Hustle wins Tournament

2008 Spring Tune Up - 1st Place

Wildthings vs Hustle / Hustle wins 6-5
Hustle vs Red Raiders / Hustle wins 11-1
Nixa Bulldogs vs Hustle / Hustle wins 5-4

Hustle wins Tournament

Heart of the Hornets

Every baseball coach wants a 6-foot-something, 200-pound brute of a ball player with a cannon for an arm who can hit cleanup and strike fear in the opposition.

But those players are rare.
What every baseball coach realistically wants in this day and age -- and, more truly, needs -- is a Deven Hulse.
The Hillcrest junior may be average in stature (5-foot-8, 135 pounds), but he more than makes up for it with his heart and work ethic.
"You can look at him and see that he's not gifted with a lot of size but he has the desire to be as good as he possibly can and he doesn't let a day go to waste," Hillcrest coach Ryan Schaffitzel said.
"When everybody else is having a bad day, he's out there working hard and getting better."
But hard work will only get you so far. It's the immeasurable will -- or heart -- of a player that often sets them apart.

"The things he does are the things that people who don't know baseball real well just don't notice," Schaffitzel said. "He'll execute the hit-and-run, he'll get the bunt down and you may not even remember that what he did won the game.
"He does the things other players don't want to do ... I see no ego there."
Hulse admits he's not a power hitter, but a contact hitter, and you can see the confidence he has in his bat every time he's at the plate.
He's one of three Hillcrest pitchers fighting for the No. 2 spot in the starting rotation, however his best asset is probably his glove.
Hulse is the Hornets' starting second baseman, but can play any of the infield spots and is also the backup catcher.
Hulse defines an "unsung hero" on the field as a player who is "smart about every situation," someone who does key things like "taking an extra base on balls in the dirt but doesn't look for credit."
To St. Louis Cardinals fans, this description of a scrappy, undersized infielder with a big heart may sound familiar.
And it's not the first time Hulse has been compared to 2006 World Series MVP (and now Toronto Blue Jay) David Eckstein. He's just fine with the comparisons.
"I'm glad to be compared to a guy like that," Hulse said. "He's not going to hit walk-off home runs and he may not have the strongest arm in the league, but he's going to put you in a position to win a lot of games."
- Hornets embrace tradition, but aren't relying on it: This season the Hornets have adopted "Tradition isn't given, it's earned" as their motto, showing respect to those who laid the foundation of the program.
The baseball program's continued winning success at Hillcrest can arguably be traced through its bloodlines.
Schaffitzel went to Hillcrest (class of 1991), as did the fathers of five current players on the Hornets' roster: Ryan Buckner, Tanner and Logan Counts, Bart Lairmore and Hulse.
"The north side is almost like its own small town even though we're a part of Springfield. People come here and they stay here," Schaffitzel said.
Hillcrest's reputation no longer provides an added advantage like it once did according to Schaffitzel, citing better talent throughout the area.
"Other schools have definitely caught up," Schaffitzel said. "We can't just sit back and say, 'We're Hillcrest and we're supposed to win now.'
"There are times where we win games we're not supposed to, but there are fewer teams that are intimidated by coming over here like it used to be."

USA softball team to make return

Springfield included in 2008 Olympic tune-up tour; state baseball tournament will be at Meador Park. The return of Team USA comes as a stop on its "Bound 4 Beijing" tour — a 46-city swing that will ready it for the 2008 Olympics in China — which lands at the Meador Softball Complex on July 18.

The 2008 version includes such recognizable names as pitchers Jennie Finch and Lisa Fernandez. Tickets will go on sale March 3 at the Park Board office, 1923 N. Weller.
Team USA will again compete against a regional all-star team comprised of former Missouri State players and others from area programs.

Be sure and read the last paragraph...

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols is willing to forgive, but he clearly hasn't forgotten.

On Monday, Pujols made his first extensive public comments since his name was falsely reported to be contained within former Sen. George Mitchell's report on illegal performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

"I don't have to prove myself," he said. "Since 2001, I've been proving myself with the numbers. I've been proving myself every year. How much better can I get? Only God knows how much better [I can] get. But do I need to cheat in this game to get better? This is nothing for me.

"Baseball is just a hobby, man. God has blessed me. And I fear God too much for me to do a stupid thing. I fear him. If I do some stupid things to help me out, to hit .400 or three-something or hit 30 home runs, he's going to take that away from me. So why not be the natural guy like I've been since I was in the Minor Leagues? To cheat in this game, that's not right."

DON'T MISS PUJOLS AND THE REDBIRDS!

The Springfield Cardinals are excited to announce that individual tickets for the 2008 season will go on sale Wednesday, March 5th at 9am. Tickets for all 70 regular season games at Hammons Field will be available, in addition to both exhibition games against the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as the 2008 Texas League All-Star Game presented by Great Southern.

To make the purchasing process convenient and fan-friendly to all Cardinals’ fans, tickets can be purchased one of two ways; by calling (417) 863-2143 or by logging on to www.springfieldcardinals.com.

A limited amount of chair-back tickets, along with general admission tickets (grass and standing-room) will be available for the exhibition games on March 28th and 29th, as the St. Louis Cardinals make their first visit to Hammons Field since the Inaugural Season of 2005.

Don’t wait for individual tickets to go on sale and risk not getting to see Albert Pujols and the gang…become a Springfield Cardinals Season Ticket Holder! Season Ticket Packages begin at just $99 for a Quarter Season Ticket Package. To become a Springfield Cardinals Season Ticket Holder, call (417) 863-2143 or for more information, log on to www.springfieldcardinals.com. We hope to see you at Hammons Field very soon. Go Cards and Get Your RED On!

Hustle is off to an early start

Show-Me Hustle is off to a 1-0 start in a five week series of Wiffle Ball. Thanks to a lot of good team pitching and fielding and a 2 run homer by Isaac, We won 2-1. We have next week off to celebrate Thanksgiving. Be there Nov. 29th.

St. Louis Cardinals Return to Hammons Field

October 30, 2007 - The Springfield Cardinals and St. Louis Cardinals are thrilled to announce the return of the St. Louis Cardinals to Hammons Field. The St. Louis Cardinals will take on their Double-A affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals, in a pair of games at Hammons Field on Friday, March 28th at 7:10pm and Saturday, March 29th at 1:10pm.

The return of the St. Louis Cardinals to Hammons Field marks their second-ever visit to Springfield and first since Springfield’s inaugural season of 2005.

“We’re ecstatic about another Cardinals versus Cardinals event at Hammons Field”, said Vice President / General Manager Matt Gifford. “We have the best fans in minor league baseball and it’s great that the St. Louis Cardinals are rewarding them for their great support. It’s going to be just as memorable this time around.”

The only way to guarantee a ticket for the Cards vs Cards series is by becoming a Springfield Cardinals Season Ticket Holder. Full Season, Half Season and Quarter Season Ticket packages are now on sale. Current Season Ticket Holders will be receiving information in the mail within the next week.

Individual game tickets for the St. Louis / Springfield series will go on sale at a date yet to be determined.

Fund Raiser for Show-Me Hustle

We raised $90 for the team. Thanks to those that bought food and helped support the team.

2007 Stats
33-23-2
Hustle / Opponents
434 runs scored / 333 runs allowed
.342 batting avg. / .286 batting avg.

364 hits / 313 hits
67 doubles / 38 doubles
18 triples / 9 triples
8 inside park HR / 3 inside park HR
1 over the fence HR / 1 over the fence HR
1065 at bats / 1093 at bats
448 stolen bases / 325 stolen bases

13 caught stealing / 20 caught stealing

263 K / 264 K

260 W / 223 W
4 Shut Outs

Hustle only shut out once
139 errors

37 double plays
.886 fielding %

.464 slugging %
.486 OB%

Some seens from the 2007 WS

12th Place in 2007 World Series

Show-Me Hustle took 12th place out of 24 teams in their very first World Series appearance in Kansas City last week. Some of the other teams coaches were over heard saying their goal "was to just make it to the Championship Bracket each year". Hustle achieved this in their first year.

GREAT JOB HUSTLE. Get ready 2008, here comes the Hustle.

Hustle finishes 2007 World Series 2-3

Hustle lost Thursday morning 4-3 to complete their first trip to a World Series.

Make up your own caption for this...

Leave it in the comment section. Remember, the boys are reading this, so be nice.

Having fun in KC as well as playing baseball

Some warm up practice in KC on Memorial Day Weekend

Thanks to Michelle Petry for the pictures.

Great Job Hustle !!

3-0 against AA teams, 0-2 against AAA teams. Finished the tournament 3-2 and took home 2nd place. Watch out KC, here we come.