On the ball. Greg Thom pson , a senior from Decatur, Illinois , alertl y plays his position at second base. - photo by P.R. Office . - . ,.._ Baseball ....... Hitting their mark c1 ontinuing in the 1984 tradition, the Bisons enjoyed a successful '-season in 1985, despite a disappointing start when Harding lost ~ 3-2 to Georgia College in the area opener. The Bisons came back to win against Birmingham Southern and Union University, and entered the NAIA Area V Final Playoffs May 15. Scott Finley, the team's catcher, regretted that the spring semester had ended before the playoffs took place. He believed the Harding fans would have enjoyed watching the games. That's when everything started working for us," Finley said. "Our pitchers and hitters started getting together - there was a different attitude altogether. When you win, it's fun. When you don't win, it's not so fun." Unfortunately, however, the Bisons were unable to defeat the unbeaten Georgia College the two times necessary for Harding to win the playoffs and move on to the NAIA World Series. Coach Dick Johnson attributed this loss to a lack of pitching depth. The Bison pitchers were excellent, Johnson believed, but the team needed more of them. In the area finals this problem became crucial. Randy Allman had to pitch with only two days' rest, "which is not enough, especially when you go nine innings," stated Johnson. Finley added that pitch~ng two games in four days is "unheard of in college baseball." But despite the need for supplementary pitchers, the team placed second in the area playoffs, and Coach Johnson gained pride in the team. "We set some goals and the kids had a lot of desire," he said. 'They wanted to win, and they paid the price to win." . Several individual team members distinguished themselves as well. Greg Thompson, Randy Hindman, and Steve Pilkington all set single season records, with Thompson and Hindman also making All-AIC. Thompson, Hindman and Randy Allman made All NAIA District 17, and Thompson was named Co-Player of the Year. Though not completely satisfied with the season, Johnson was pleased. "We had a good, solid ball club," he said. 'They picked one another up when they had to." 1985 AIC MEN'S BASEBALL RESULTS Arkansas Tech University.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-4 Henderson State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-5 Harding University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-8 Southern Arkansas University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9 University of Arkansas at Monticello ........... 8-10 Ouachita Baptist University.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13 College of the Ozarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13 University of Central Arkansas .............. . . 2-16 It's a hit. Steve Pilkington , a senior from Heber Springs, executes a base hit in the district tournament against SAU. - photo by P.R. Office . Baseball 105
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