Last year, the Ball State University men's golf team had no seniors on its roster. This year, however, the Cardinals have five seniors, which gives coach Mike Fleck valuable leadership he lacked last season and makes Fleck's expectations higher.
"Having five seniors this year affects things a lot," Fleck said. "The players have been through another season of experience, and I really like the fact that we have everyone coming back from last year's squad. That experience will definitely help as we try to be competitive not only in our conference or region, but in the nation."
Senior teammates Andrew Rhodes and Brian Maurer, among others, are ready to lead Ball State to a conference title.
"Now that we have five seniors we have the leadership to win the conference," Rhodes said. "If the team can play more consistent golf, we are capable of winning a few tournaments. I just want to work my tail off and have the team come with me. I know we can do big things and anything is possible."
Because Ball State did not have any seniors last year, Fleck had a difficult time configuring his five-man roster for tournaments. This season, however, Fleck said he wants to establish the lineup right away.
"I want to get the lineup established and set during the first week of school," Fleck said. "It's going to be interesting, but in order for us to be in the mix and capable of the things we can do we need guys like Rhodes and Maurer to continue the foundation that they laid last year."
With an established lineup, Fleck hopes to see a much more balanced squad from last season. Fleck said the extra year of experience would benefit the team.
"We have shown the talent over the years, but the thing we have to do with a sport like golf is that we need all five individuals to play well at the same time to make the team better," Fleck said. "The key is to get four or five guys going at the same time. I am confident with a summer's worth of success that it will bode well for the fall segment of our season."
Similar to Rhodes, Maurer said he believes this is Ball State's year for a conference title. With a solid summer performance, Maurer is prepared for the fall season.
"This has been the most productive summer in my career. I had a great summer and hopefully I will get some results this fall," Maurer said. "We have plenty of experience coming back and learned a lot last year so hopefully that will create success. We have one of the best teams in the region and it could be a special year for Ball State."
Even though Maurer is a senior and was named co-MVP for the 2007-08 season, he does not view himself as the only leader.
"We don't have one or two leaders," Maurer said. "Anyone from the core we have coming back can lead in some way. That is something not a lot of teams can say and we can use that to our advantage. Hopefully I can get all five guys with that mindset and if so I think we can win some tournaments."
Despite having five seniors on this year's squad, Fleck said every golfer has a chance to make an effect on the team. As freshmen last season, Eric Steger and Anthony Novak contributed to the roster. With a 12-man squad, Fleck has plenty of players to choose from - nine of who played at some point last season.
"There are some talented guys coming back," Fleck said. Even our three freshmen should come in and threaten to get a spot in the lineup. Overall, it will be pretty darn competitive, but that's exactly what I want."
Regarding the Mid-American Conference, Fleck said he believes his team stacks up well against conference opponents.
"The landscape of college golf tends to improve and the players keep getting better and better," Fleck said. "It's going to be very competitive within our conference, but the experience from last year will help us a lot. I just have to make sure these guys continue to work hard and improve to a level that I know we can play at. We've got the talent and the experience. It's just a matter of going out there and putting it all together on the course."
As a team, Maurer said he and his teammates have matured and are excited for what lies ahead.
"From top to bottom we have a lot of room for success," Maurer said. "The team is confident and we are ready to see what special things will happen in the coming weeks and months. Last year we were just happy to tee it up and be in the top five, but now we want to win and be the best team. We have had a solid summer collectively as a group, and now it's just a matter of doing it together. As long as we believe in ourselves and as a team that is."
The Cardinals begin their season Sunday at the Rutherford Intercollegiate in Farmington, Pa. The 54-hole tournament will end Tuesday.
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