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“It’s an exciting time of year for coaches, especially when
you have new coaches,” said Durkac, who was named head coach
June 19 after serving as an assistant at ISU for the past five
seasons. “Both the new coaches and I want to see what our new
guys look like, especially after having recruited them, you want
to see what they look like on Duffy Bass Field.”
Durkac welcomed back 17 returning players from the 2013 team
that posted a 33-21 overall record and advanced to the title
game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Durkac also
welcomes in 17 players new to the program, as well as an all-new
coaching staff.
Mike Stalowy returns as an assistant coach and recruiting
coordinator after a successful playing career at Illinois State
and a recent stint as an assistant at Valparaiso, while Michael
Kellar joins the staff as pitching coach from Siena. Ryan
Copeland and Clint Stroud will serve as student assistants.
Durkac stressed that what his team does in the fall directly
impacts its performance in the spring.
“This is the best way to evaluate our guys and project them for
the spring,” he said. “We keep stats – and that’s no guarantee
that the players with the best stats will play – but we want to
see the pitchers pitch and the hitters hit.”
[Text received; MATT WING, ILLINOIS
STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS]
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