The purpose of Xavier Club Baseball is to play competitive baseball while balencing the school and work. A member of this club is defined as any full time student at Xaiver that maintains a GPA over 2.00, that meets all the Univeristy and NCBA membership requierments and pays all necessary dues.

Xavier Club Baseball was formed in the spring of 2003 and joined the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA). The NCBA has over 150 participating teams from universities all across the country. It is divided into Division I and Division II, Xavier is in DII which contains mostly smaller universities.

FAQ

Who runs the club? The club is run by four officers that are elected at the end of each season by the team.  These four officers run and manage the team. They do it all - scheduling, rosters, budgeting, paperwork, etc. in order to keep the team running. The following people will be officers for the 10-11 year: 

Position                       Person                   Year   

President                      Joe D'Agostino         Senior

Vice President              Dave Dansart           Junior

Treasurer                      Steve Rosenbaum     Junior               

Secretary                      Nate Ruhenkamp      Junior                                  

The club is also aided by advisor, Dr. Doug Olberding (Sport Management Department) as well as Club Sports Director, James Alexander (Recreational Sports Department). 

What is a Typical Season for XUCB like?  The team competes in a fall and spring season each year.  The fall season consists of tournaments, scrimmages, and exhibition games. These games do not count towards the final NCBA standings for the year. The club uses these games to get guys playing time. We especially want to see how new players perform in game situations. We are going to attempt to expand the fall schedule next year due to the weather in the fall being generally better than in the spring. We are also considering a trip south over fall break to play a series.  

The Spring is the ‘official’ season for the team as we compete primarily against our district which consists of University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University, and Wright State University (Usually 20-25 games between March, April, and early May).  The winner of the district gets an automatic trip to the NCBA DII World Series to compete with teams from around the country to crown the NCBA DII Champion.  All the games in the Spring count towards the teams NCBA record.  For more information on the NCBA go to www.clubbaseball.org.  

We also participate in the annual Spring Training that the NCBA puts on down in Tampa, FL over spring break.  The trip consists of a couple practices, four games against NCBA teams from and a trip to the beach.  The team receives several discounts for food and entertainment and stays at the Mainsail Suites in Tampa, FL for the week.  Non-conference opponents over the past years have included teams such as Rutgers, Ball State, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, UNC-Charlotte, Ohio State, Ohio University, and Sinclair Community College (JUCO Team).    

How often do we practice?  Practice varies for the team depending on if we are in season. We practice at varying locations including Xavier University’s soccer field (which serves a fielding practice), baseball fields around campus, local batting cages and indoor facilities for pitchers to throw to get ready for the season (we have a mound).  During the season we usually have three or four practices a week. During the off-season we keep the pitching session and also have one practice per week when the weather permits.  The team does optional conditioning throughout the off-season as well and has several organized optional practices throughout the regular season for those who want to get in extra reps.

 How do we pay for all this?  The XUCB team receives an annual budget from the club sports council, this covers over half of the team’s operating costs. We also participate in various fundraising activities such as working concession stands at Xavier University basketball games and letter campaigns. We do charge annual dues for players but these have never been over $90. Going on the spring break trip costs extra but it has never been more than $225 for a week in Florida. Most of the funds go towards umpires, field acquisition, equipment, etc.  

Team Outlook for 2009-2010 Season  The 2008-2009 team was one of the best in the history of the club and we look to improve on many key elements going into the 2009-2010 season. We are potentially losing only one player from the 2008-2009 squad and we return the entire infield and pitching staff.   The outlook looks strong for the 2009-2010 season with several returning players coming back with the majority being in ether the senior or the sophomore class. We also want to bring in a strong recruiting class with a baseball background that can contribute immediately. The teams goal this year is to compete for the division championship which is extremely realistic considering the talent returning.

 Recruiting  The team is looking for incoming freshman and current Xavier students who are looking to play for the team. Specifically we are interested in players with recent baseball experience, generally that means varsity level high school.    We welcome all positions especially pitchers to come out for the team. While the team makes efforts to reach out to potential players at organized events word of mouth recruiting is essential. If you know someone who is interested in baseball let them know about our club. Contact via e-mail for potential recruits before the season is appreciated.   

Additional Information Additional information and questions may be asked at any time by emailing the clubs email account This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .Also meetings/casual throwing sessions with an officer can be arranged if student is planning on visiting the area of Cincinnati over the summer.   -Xavier Club Baseball Officers and Team Members