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| Eli Steadman helped spark the Panthers' 14-4 finish to the regular season, hitting almost 50 points better down the stretch and scoring 26 of his 43 runs in those 18 games. Birmingham-Southern athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Birmingham-Southern is ready for one last dance.
The Panthers, who boasted the fourth-winningest baseball program in the country during the 2010s, won’t get a chance to make their mark after this season. The college announced in March that it will cease operations on May 31.
So, the team’s at-large berth to the Division III NCAA Tournament guarantees at least one final chance for the team to compete together.
“I think it is a special opportunity,” said head coach Jan Weisberg, who has led the program since 2006. “We’ve been fortunate to be in a lot of postseasons and we’ve had high goals. We started off the season really strong, then hit a little lull with all the uncertainty hanging over us. Since the news of the closure, we are 14-4.”
One might think the sudden news that your entire college path — and not just athletic career — changing in an instant during the middle of a season could be devastating. Not so for these Panthers.
“We sat the guys down and talked about things, about living in uncertainty of where they’d be next year and the sadness of losing something they love,” Weisberg said. “We simply told them their job was just to finish. And, by finishing, it doesn’t mean we have to win a national championship — we can’t put that weight on our shoulders. We just want to do things the right way like we’ve always done them. We want to play the game the right way and play it hard.
“In the past, we’ve talked about passing that work ethic onto the next guy after the season is over. Now, our job is to close up the shop and do it the right way.”
The news was announced on March 26, about halfway through the team’s season. It sent shockwaves through the group.
“It was weird. I was not really expecting it,” senior outfielder Ian Hancock said. “It had a very similar feel to when we got the news about COVID (and the 2020 season being shut down midway through). This is the place I’ve been for five years — and that’s it. It was just a really weird feeling.”
Instead of sinking the team, it buoyed it.
“It was almost a weird thing. Right before we heard the news, we were in a rut and were struggling,” junior outfielder Eli Steadman said. “Once we heard the news, it was like a weight was lifted from our shoulders. We just rallied around each other and all the alums who reached out and have given us support. We came together like one big true family and gave each other our all and we’ve been playing so much better since.”
With uncertainty looming — in the classroom and on the baseball field — for the players, they turned to each other and Weisberg to find a way through it all.
“It’s been weird for us. Whenever we first heard the news, everyone’s minds went straight to what do I do now? A lot of guys had a couple weeks of panic wondering what will happen. There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Steadman said. “Academically, finding what schools will take what credits we’ve earned here and how will they apply there — that’s been the most difficult thing, Our administration has been great about helping us. They’ve compiled a large list of schools that are willing to help.
“We have a team chaplain that comes every week and meets with us. That gives guys a little bit time for reflection, things they need help with and just talking through. That’s helped guys get some stuff off their chest. Every guy has had a period where he’s been stressed out by the situation. Just talking here and there, having each other to lean on — we’re able to help each other.”
With his college career far from complete, Steadman has gone through that uncertainty. He needs to find a place for the next academic year to finish his studies and college baseball career.
“As the season has gone on, we’ve all grown closer. For me, I have been at peace. I am extremely happy with what I have been able to do at Birmingham-Southern and hope to do even more,” he said. “I put my trust in God and that God has a plan and will put me where I need to be. I am not super anxious about it. I am focused on finishing strong with the guys. I think after finishing the season strong, things will work themselves out.
“It's been a growing thing that’s made us closer as a team. Coach has done an outstanding job since I have been here at keeping us focused on what we can control. Every time you go on out on field, the best team doesn’t necessarily win each day. But, it’s who plays the best,” he continued. “It’s about going out there and giving our all and leaning on each other and trusting everyone to do their job. If we do our job enough times throughout the game, odds are, we will win.”
The team closed the regular season with a scorching-hot 14-2 record. However, the Panthers went 0-2 in the Southern Athletic Association tournament, which left them wondering if they had played their last game or not with no automatic tournament berth secured. They took to the field for practice the past two weeks in anticipation they’d see their name called once the NCAA tournament bracket was revealed. They were elated to be slotted in the Transylvania Regional as an at-large squad.
“It was a weird feeling for us. The past couple years when our season ended at a regional or super regional, you knew it was over,” Hancock said. “With the way we finished out, Coach said there’s a chance we could get into the tournament. When we saw our name on the livestream, there was a big sigh of relief. The practices have been more free and energetic ever since. We certainly did not play our best baseball in the SAA tournament. I know we will all be eager to play a better brand of baseball now.”
The Panthers (27-14), in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth year in a row, play host Transylvania (32-12) on Friday.
“We’re more than excited to get a chance to compete,” Steadman said. “We’re not worried about what happens later on. We have nothing to lose. We want to go out and give it our all every single pitch. We’re extremely excited. We can’t wait to get out there and let loose.”
Weisberg is impressed with how his players have handled adversity.
“They’ve loosened up a bit and it’s like a weight was taken off their shoulders. They started to play free. It’s no coincidence we started seeing an outpouring of support from our alums, too,” he said. “I am happy for them that there’s been an injection of good emotions. As we won games after we got the news, it was refreshing. One place that didn’t have uncertainty and the one place they were really happy was when they were on the field.
“No matter how it turns out, I am glad that our players can say they didn’t limp to the finish. Once again, they were able to put Birmingham-Southern in the postseason and can look back and have no regrets. They did all this and put themselves in the postseason while dealing with all of that. I think they’ll look back and realize what a tough thing that was to do and how well they did it.”