Sibala a big part of team improvement

To hear Steve Bever talk about it, the thing that makes Taylor Sibala so good is that he doesn’t do anything poorly.
When the Pittsburg State baseball coach waxes philosophical about his second baseman, he talks first about how much fun Sibala is to coach. He talks about his work ethic. His athleticism. His base stealing ability. His strength. His speed. His grace.
“He can do a lot of things skill wise that not a lot of players can do,” Bever said. “And did I mention that he’s a 4.0 student in the honors college? He’s from a very nice family, and he’s just a great kid.
“It’s just something that Taylor has grown into,” Bever said. “He didn’t come from nowhere. He’s been getting better every year at Pitt State.”
The 5-foot-10 junior from Blue Valley Northwest has taken his game to a new level this year, hitting .404, and slugging .519. He’s doubled twice, hit a triple. And he’s stolen six bases in his eight attempts.
Along the way, he’s teamed with shortstop Jeremy Graves to form what Bever has called “possibly the best double-play combination in Pittsburg State history.”
“He’s just so quick,” Bever said. “He and Jeremy Graves have really come together. It won’t be very many games before we already top last year’s double-play numbers. At second base, Taylor is the cornerstone of a lot of those.
“With that double-play situation, it’s amazing how it has changed our defensive situation,” Bever said. “It gives us a dimension that defensively, we haven’t had lately.”
Sibala credited Graves with a large portion of the defensive turnaround.
“Jeremy is great. I have been so pleased with him as a short stop,” Sibala said. “He’s as smooth as butter.
“We’ve just really started bonding and gelling as a middle infield,” Sibala said. “We get along really well off the field as well, and that compatibility has allowed us to produce.”
Sibala said that much of his improved production could be attributed to increased maturity.
“I would say that maturity not only physically, but mentally has really helped,” Sibala said. “When you come in from high school, the pitching is a lot better, and you need to hone in on technique.”
Sibala admitted he needed technique work coming out of BVNW, where he was a three-sport athlete.
“I was able to get away with some bad technique because I was just relying on my athleticism,” Sibala said.
That changed when he came to Pittsburg State, a school that he said he chose because it was the best all-around fit.
“I wanted to play baseball, but this was also a place I felt like I could find the schooling I was looking for,” Sibala said. “It was close enough to home, but at the same time far enough away that I wasn’t at home.”
Sibala settled on Pittsburg State’s mechanical engineering technology major after focusing largely on drafting and math in high school.
He took that same dedicated approach to the field.
“Now that I have had some good coaching, with people shoving fundamentals down my throat, it has allowed me to adjust,” Sibala said. “The play is a lot faster than it is in high school, and I’ve finally settled on how I want my swing to look and what my approach is at the plate. I’ve become a lot more relaxed.”
But Sibala is anything but relaxed about winning. He said that players were disappointed with this weekend’s showing, when the Gorillas took three-of-four from the visiting Southwest Baptist Bearcats.
“I think it’s really good this year,” Sibala said. “In years past, we’ve been happy with three-of-four. Now, we’re mad we didn’t get four-of-four. Everybody’s pretty bitter about it. Everybody wants to win and do what they can to help us win. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at.”
Sibala said the Gorillas hoped to go to the MIAA conference tournament at the end of the season, while Sibala wanted their final record to be above .500.
“Really, I just want to feel like we competed at the level we are capable of,” Sibala said. “In the past, we have had the talent and not competed at our potential. If we play to the best of our ability and come up short, I won’t be happy, but I can accept that.
“I’m excited for this season, and I’m hoping we can have a good one,” Sibala said. “We’ve fallen short the last couple of years.”