Quick, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a team with an 11-24 record?
Bad? Awful? Pathetic?
Those words would be describing the 2003 Spartan baseball team, though, none are exactly fitting.
There is no doubt an 11-24 record isn't pretty, especially following a record-setting year when the team finished 38-19. However, very few bounces have gone the Spartans' way this season.
Take MSU's 3-1 start as an example. It looked to be a sign of things to come, carrying over from last season's success.
Nothing could have been more untrue.
The next 10 games resulted in 10 losses. The solid 3-1 start turned into a Detroit Tigers-esque 3-11 mark.
Of course, it didn't help that MSU's offense was nearly nonexistent during that streak, scoring only 26 runs combined. The pitching was suspect as well, giving up 26 runs combined in just two games.
The Spartans said they were starting a "new season" once the Big Ten season got underway. But the results have been very similar - four wins in 14 games.
MSU manager Ted Mahan has continuously pointed to injuries as a problem.
Senior second baseman Charlie Braun, one of the team's biggest returning offensive threats, had shoulder surgery in the off-season, and it wasn't until last week that he finally began feeling comfortable. Prior to the previous week, he had been just playing designated hitter.
Junior first baseman Scott Koerber was also hit with the injury bug in early March after being drilled in the hand by a fastball. The starting first baseman missed more than a month of action, returning to the lineup a week ago.
And despite the mediocre record since both of their returns, Mahan is more than optimistic about the rest of the season.
"From a settling down effect, it is helping," he said. "I still think getting those guys back will help us the rest of the year.
"The lineup is better now top to bottom. This is a game of longevity. Hopefully over the next four weekends, it'll prove to win some games."
With the steady performance Koerber brings to the lineup and Braun's clutch hitting and solid defense, the Spartans shouldn't have huge mountains to climb the rest of the season.
But the fact remains - the Spartans have already dug themselves a trench to climb out of.
After this weekend's performance against Michigan (a 1-3 record and the first series loss to U-M in four years) the Spartans now sit 4-10 in the conference, just 1 1/2 games ahead of last-place Iowa.
Today's 3 p.m. game against Siena Heights has no bearing on the team's conference standings, however, it does provide a glimpse into the future of MSU's season.
Can the Spartans rebound and make a push for one of the top six spots in the conference, a reward that would give them a spot in the Big Ten Tournament? The Spartans currently sit three games behind sixth-place Penn State (8-8).
Will the Spartans ever look like the team that shined last year?
No one knows, but Mahan said this game is more than a must-win.
"We need to get our confidence back," he said. "We sure want to win from that standpoint and build something going into the weekend. We need to get back on track."
The time frame to get back on track - minimal. The time is now.
Chris Mackinder, the State News men's basketball reporter, says if you get depressed looking at the Spartans' 11-24 record just look at the Detroit Tigers 1-16 mark. He can be reached at mackind8@msu.edu.
