Johnson Rebuilds Grace Baseball Program

10-23.

Not exactly an awe-inspiring record. However, at that rate, the Grace College baseball team will improve in wins for the third consecutive season. The Lancers are on pace for 15 or 16 wins this year.

If you take a long hard look at the Grace College baseball records over the last few decades, you'll find some startling trends. It's been 18 years since a Grace baseball team won 16 games and 25 years since a team won 17 games. The last time a Lancer team won 20 games was 1972 (21-8). Head coach Glenn Johnson is already the second-winningest coach at Grace despite a record of 48-151 in almost five seasons. He is, however, also the losingest coach in Lancer baseball history as he took over a program five years ago that hadn't won even 10 games in four years.

That's not to say that the Lancers don't have a strong history in baseball. The Lancers have won the conference title three times and were the NCCAA District 3 Champs in 1978. But the strong seasons have been few and far between lately.

"It was a disaster (when I came here)," Johnson said. "We had good kids here but what they had been taught baseball-wise was not something that was taught in-depth. They were told to just go out and play."

But coach Johnson has begun to turn things around.

This year is different. Even the Lancers' record, 9-20 at the time this was written, is a bit misleading.

Grace is a respectable 5-9 in conference play and has won five of the last nine games against NAIA schools or NCAA Division III schools.

Manchester College, a natural rival because of proximity, has a strong baseball team this year, winning about 65 percent of its games.

Grace beat the Spartans, thanks to a Mike Cox home run in the bottom of the seventh. The Lancers opened the season 1-8 and are 8-12 in the last 20. That includes two losses against NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State and a pair of losses to last year's NAIA runner-up, Indiana Tech. And the Lancers have lost two extra-inning games and four others by one run this year.

"The quality of kids that we are getting baseball-wise is much better than we've had," Johnson said. "It's sad, but the guys who have been here for four years have paid the price."

Chad Newhard, Josh Bailey, Steve Babinski and Jonathan Edwards are the four seniors on this team. Newhard and Bailey have been at Grace four years. Babinski has been a Lancer for three and Edwards for two.

These are coach Johnson's leaders. These are the players Johnson loves to go to war with.

"Without those four, I don't want to go on the field," Johnson said.

"My four seniors have been great leaders."

And there are numerous players poised to break school records or end in the top five in various individual statistics.

Newhard has 122 career hits, fourth on the all-time list. He needs 24 to pass Todd Radford (1989-92) for first. He has also scored 88 runs and needs just six to pass Chuck Griswold (1970-73) for first. He's also taken 73 walks in his career and needs 11 to move ahead of Tim Cope (1988-91) for first. Newhard has already tied the putout record, garnering 217 this year. Brad Navis also had 217 in '91.

"When we were recruiting him I called his coach," Johnson said. "He said that he can't run, he can't hit and he can't throw, but they couldn't go on the field without him. We can't go on the field without Chad. He gets on the old guys and the young guys when they're not doing things right. I hate to see him go."

Bailey has a career batting average of .327. If that holds up, he would end fifth all-time, just ahead of Brian Walta (.326, 1994-97) and just behind Ron Roddy (.328, 1982-83). This year he has 99 at-bats and is on pace to break Radford's record of 141 in '91. He is also on pace to break Radford's '91 hit record of 50. Bailey has 33 so far this year. He could also end near the top in runs, with 23 (Dave Hershey, 34 in '86), and RBIs, with 22 (Greg Straits, 41 in '82).

"He was homeschooled and never played public school ball," Johnson said. "We brought him in as a pitcher and he always gave the maximum human effort and never complained. After two years, we thought we ought to give this kid a shot to play a position (right field). He's played it ever since."

Babinski has 81 runs in his three-year career with the Lancers and should end behind only Newhard. He also has 23 runs, like Bailey, and could break the fielding percentage record. He does not have an error in 47 attempts this year. The most attempts in one season without an error belongs to Trent Lehman, who fielded 61 attempts cleanly in '91.

"He has caught, pitched, played infield and played outfield," Johnson said. "He's done everything but played first base for us. He's not a vocal leader, but his play encourages others."

Junior Andy Manes could break many of the records that those three set by the time he's finished after the 2000 season. He has the highest active batting average right now at .328 and is only nine hits behind Newhard. Manes has scored 56 runs and has 85 RBIs, placing him in second already, 34 behind Straits (1980-83). With 20 doubles, Manes is already fifth, 14 behind Walta, and his eight home runs put him in a tie for fourth, although he won't catch Straits, with 27.

"We've never had any big power hitters, but lately he's been hitting the ball hard someplace," Johnson said. "His catching has gotten better and his percentage of throwing out runners is high. He has really improved the mental aspect from last year to this year. Next year, he'll have to be one of those leaders."

No, the Lancers are not the class of the Mid-Central Conference yet.

But they're getting there.