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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Southwest Oregon fire season starts Friday ... Mother of missing boy Kyron Horman: 'It doesn't get easier with time' ... Craterian Performances announces 2015-16 season ... Southwest Oregon fire season starts Friday ... Mother of missing boy Kyron Horman: 'It doesn't get easier with time' ... Craterian Performances announces 2015-16 season ... PREP NOTEBOOK Comets' surge is one to be admired Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 7:02 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 11:20 AM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 7:02 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 11:20 AM » Social News When you’re on a winning team, it’s easy to maintain your competitive spirit. Practices become more tolerable, gearing up for games is a little easier and maintaining a positive attitude is rarely a concern. When faced with one loss after another to start the year, however, the grind of a season can squash spirits. That’s why it’s so important to take note of what the Crater baseball team is doing these days. No team at the Class 5A level got off to a worse start to their season as the Comets, who went winless in their first 11 contests, and few have shown the kind of resiliency as those same Comets. Entering the last regular season series of the year, Crater is guaranteed to finish no worse than fourth in the Midwestern League and conceivably could wind up in second place with an automatic berth in the 5A state playoffs. It really has been a remarkable effort by the Comets (9-14, 9-6 MWL), who are 9-3 in their last 12 games and are No. 14 in the 5A power rankings entering this week’s three-game series with North Eugene (17-5, 12-3). “I don’t know why we’re doing it,” Crater head coach Jay Campbell said of the turnaround, “but I’m happy that we are. Usually when a team starts 0-11, its season’s over.” If anything, Campbell said, the fact that the Comets didn’t just pack it all in midway through the year is testament to the tradition built by the Crater program and the unflinching attitude of the players. “The kids have been great all year long,” said Campbell, “really there was never a doubt we were going to get things turned around, it was just a matter of when. They continued to work hard every day to leave practice better than they arrived at practice. That’s been our mentality all year long, just to get better one day at a time and play our schedule out and see where we end up. It’s kind of nice that they’re being rewarded for their efforts.” One year after finishing with the No. 1 power ranking at the Class 6A level, the Comets put forth another competitive schedule as they prepared for their first run in the MWL. Early season losses came against teams currently ranked No. 1 in the power rankings at their respective classes, Clackamas (6A) and Liberty (5A), as well as a winless week in Fresno, Calif., against four California teams that are now a combined 80-31. As the losses piled up, Campbell found himself at a loss. “It was funny,” said the coach, “after we’d lose a game I’d say, ‘Guys, I don’t know what to say, we’ve never started a season 0-3.’ And then it was 0-5 and just kept going. I wasn’t saying it to be mean, it was more about wondering how are we going to handle how we’re starting.” Lost in the confusion is the simple fact that it may have been even more surprising to see the Comets open the season 11-0 given they returned only one pitcher (senior Dylan Pearce) and one hitter (senior Gunnar Asher) with varsity experience. “We’re a whole new crew and it took a little longer than I expected but a lot of it has to do with our schedule,” said Campbell. “We just had to keep the kids focused on the fact that we were playing good teams and they were revealing things that we’ve got to fix.” One key to the turnaround has been the effective pitching of Pearce, whose efforts just weren’t enough against a loaded schedule early on but have more than fit the bill lately. After losing his first four games, Pearce has earned four straight wins on the mound — and in impressive fashion. His latest outing was essentially a no-hitter against Marist, with the only blemish coming on a dropped fly ball as Pearce secured a 4-0 victory with seven strikeouts and two walks. “Dylan threw the best game he’s thrown in a long time last Tuesday,” said Campbell. “He’s been throwing the ball really well and, you know how it is in the playoffs, when you’ve got somebody who can get on the mound and shut a team down, you’ve got a chance to win every time.” Pearce’s earned runs allowed have been two or less during Crater’s recent upswing, allowing the Comets to take a more confident approach out to the field in support of the right-hander. “That’s what makes us pretty dangerous,” said Campbell of Pearce, “he could potentially beat anybody.” Neil Bastendorff has also stepped up in his first varsity season to provide a solid No. 2 pitcher, which was a spot many believed Asher would assume this year before shoulder concerns left Crater to view him only as a third baseman this season. Brady Roland has also come on to give the Comets a good third-game option. At the plate, senior Avery Martin and the junior Bastendorff have been on a hot streak as of late, with the Comets also getting steady play from Asher, Pearce, senior outfielder Dylan Morgan and junior catcher Cavin Gillispie. “We’re starting to peak at the right time, for sure,” said Campbell. “We’ve just been preaching that if they continue to work hard, good things are going to happen. And here we are.” At the 5A level, the top two teams in each league automatically qualify for the 16-team playoff bracket. The remaining eight spots are filled from a 16-team play-in round, with the MWL’s Nos. 3 and 4 seeds earning home games and the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds playing on the road against teams from the Mid-Willamette Conference. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Posted May. 11, 2015 at 7:02 PM Updated May 12, 2015 at 11:20 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Comets’ surge is one to be admired When you’re on a winning team, it’s easy to maintain your competitive spirit. Practices become more tolerable, gearing up for... Varsity 541 Photos North vs. Sheldon Crater Classic Track & Field North vs. South Softball Ashland vs. Springfield Softball Medford Rotary Relays North vs. South » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.