Elliot Frey has spent the last two seasons as a player on the ISU baseball club team, but this year he takes on another role, president.

Frey has lofty goals for the spring season and to reach them, he has developed a culture within the team that past years have not experienced.

Frey, a senior in his first year as the club president, has hung up the spikes and looks to be more of a coach and manager this year. He will be charged with everything ranging from arranging travel accommodations to managing the upkeep of Cap Timm Field, where the club hosts its games.

After a successful fall season, one that saw the club win the inaugural Cap Timm Classic with an impressive 4-0 record, the club is hoping to carry over that success into the spring season.

“This year, we have much bigger desire to win and our guys have showed that so far, whether it be at practice or in the fall league,” Frey said. “We have come in with a different mindset compared to previous years.”

As part of the culture turnaround, the club has been putting in more work during the off-season. That includes practicing two nights a week at Lied Recreation Center. The players are able to work on fielding with the help of the turf field and they can also take cuts in the two batting cages that are equipped in the gym.

The team returns eight of its nine starters from last year, which makes it a much more experienced unit and even more poised to achieve its goals. Frey said that compared to previous years, this year’s team is much more competitive and eager to get on the field.

“We have gone from guys seeing this as a recreational team, to the team viewing this as more than a club sport, with an opportunity to accomplish big things,” Frey said.

Part of the motivation for the culture change comes from a desire to knock off eight-time defending conference champion Iowa.

The team competes in the Mid-America North Conference, which is a faction of the National Club Baseball Association. The Mid-America North is comprised of the Iowa State, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota State and Northern Iowa. Over the past several seasons, the conference has been dominated by Iowa.

“We are tired of Iowa winning it year after year and with one of the most talented teams in recent history, we feel like this is our year,” Frey said.

In order to accomplish that feat, the team will first embark on a season that includes a Spring Break trip to Florida and a 16-game conference schedule.

Within the 16-game conference schedule, only 12 contests count towards the team’s record, as the the other four are merely exhibition games. If the club wins the conference tournament, it will earn a shot at the regional tournament, which then sets the team on the path toward the World Series, which are being held in Paducah, Kentucky.

“Everyone on the team had high goals and expectations this preseason, but when not everyone commits themselves, we as a team set ourselves up for failure,” said Kellon Ausdemore, senior infielder. “I feel like it’s a whole different atmosphere this season because we as a team are becoming one and preparing ourselves for some unfinished business. And that [business] is success.”

Ausdemore is making the transition from third base and pitcher to shortstop this season. He said he is looking forward to proving himself as the team’s shortstop as well as one of the its leaders.  

Along with Ausdemore and Frey, graduate student, infielder, Erik Rasmussen continued to reiterate the culture change within the club that has made the squad more goal oriented, rather than serving as merely a vessel for weekend fun and entertainment.

One unique attribute that Rasmussen brings to the table is that he comes from a NCAA baseball background. Rasmussen started his career at Wartburg, an NCAA Division III program, before transferring to Iowa State before his junior year.

“At Wartburg, I had great coaching and they taught us how to run a structured practice, and also how to run high level drills,” Rasmussen said. “I have been able to translate those drills to the club and I think it has helped us out so far.”