Things are looking up

The Medford Tigers have played six games so far this season. They have won all of them. 
Last year, the Tigers won three of their first six. The season before, they won two. Three years ago, they had a single at this point. 
The Tigers have outscored opponents 56-17, and opponents are averaging less than three points a game to the Tigers’ nine. Medford played four games last week, defeating Blooming Prairie, Glenville-Emmons, Minneota/Lincoln and Edgerton/SWMC. 
There’s undeniably something different about those Tigers this year, and according to players and coaches, it has very little to do with the games. 
“This year’s focus is that we work hard in practice. We have fun in the games,” said Chappuis.
“I have to keep reminding the boys that each game is an opportunity,” said Chappuis. “It’s a new opportunity for the other team to come here and beat us.”
That’s why Chappuis is less concerned about the games themselves and more concerned about what happens in practice and off the field. 
“A baseball season can change in the blink of an eye. And with a team our size, we can’t have any distractions, (players) missing practice or injuries,” said Chappuis.
To keep his team focused, Chappuis has developed several off-the-field required activities to promote a team spirit and work ethic. 
First, Chappuis has developed weekly focus time for his team, a time to read an inspirational life-lesson article and discuss it. 
“Last year I kind of eased into it, and I got a lot of yes/no (answers to questions),” said Chappuis. “This year I told them this year it’s not going to be acceptable to write yes or no. There’s got to be some thought in it.”
Chappuis said the articles cover topics such as teamwork, commitment, love for each other and discipline. This past week’s article involved focusing on doing the little things in life. 
Senior AJ Chappuis said the articles have definitely made an impact during games and practice. 
“If someone is losing focus, you got to focus on what’s in front of you, like the fundamentals,” said AJ, referring to last week’s article. “It’s helped a lot.”
Another mandatory activity is a new workout program developed by Brent Yule. 
“We’ve struggled to get numbers in the weight room,” said Chappuis. “You have to put in time in the weight room if you want to improve.”
Like his idea for a weekly focus, Chappuis was inspired for a mandatory workout at a coaching conference. The speaker spoke of the need to create athletes, not just baseball players. To do that, players needed to work out more than on the baseball field. So, Chappuis introduced the mandatory workout program last season. 
“I think it’s really paid dividends,” said Chappuis, stating that this season has already seen an explosion in stolen bases and extra-base hits. “We’re faster and quicker. I think mentally we’re more confident, because our athletes are stronger.”
Despite the six-straight wins, Chappuis’ coaching mentality hasn’t changed. It’s still not about winning. 
“We need to do more than just coach baseball,” said Chappuis. “I’m trying to teach (them). They hear me preach all the time. Hopefully it’s sinking in.”
If the wins weren’t enough reason for Chappuis to grin, he’s seeing his hard work pay off in his players’ lives as well as their athleticism. 
Although Medford is displaying one of the most diverse teams Chappuis has ever seen, he said he has never seen a team so close. He noted that the seniors have really come along beside freshman. 
“There must be some kind of chemistry going on,” Chappuis said. 
According to AJ, the team has traded individual pride for team pride. 
“We’re more focused on doing it together, instead of worrying about ourselves,” said AJ. “So when we’re down, we don’t bash them. We try to lift their spirits up to make them do better. We tell them to ‘flush it.’ That’s kind of our motto.”
Senior Nick VonRuden said the team has really grown up together, and that most of them have played together in previous seasons and in summer ball. .
“It keeps (pitchers) more relaxed on the mound,” said VonRuden, adding that no one is afraid of ridicule from teammates for making a mistake. “This team is like everyone’s second family. We look out for each other.”
In their two most recent games on Saturday, the Tigers defeated Glenville-Emmons 12-4 and Minneota/Lincoln 11-4, amassing 19 hits and only one error in the two games. 
“It was a great experience for the players to go through,” said Chappuis. “They travelled and played two games against quality opponents and played sound baseball. The offense has picked up, while still playing sound defense and great pitching.”
According to Chappuis, each game has shown a new hero coming up big for the team. In their two Saturday games, freshman Javis VonRuden had six RBIs.
“What is more important than the RBIs has been the maturity that (VonRuden) has shown behind the plate as a freshman,” said Chappuis. “He has an uncanny sense to call the game and put our pitchers in a position to be successful.”
Chappuis said the team treats each game as an opportunity to play baseball. The hard work happens off the field, and the wins seem to take care of themselves.