DELAND — Rather than simply focus on the day-to-day tedium of college baseball, Steve Trimper isn't afraid to look at the bigger picture and set lofty goals.
Back in February, Stetson's second-year coach said he wanted not only to qualify for the NCAA tournament but to do so without needing to win its conference. With 41 wins and the No. 7 RPI in the country, that's now a probability, if not a certainty.
As the Hatters (41-11) embark for the ASUN tournament in Jacksonville on Wednesday, they now have a new goal, one that might have seemed unfathomable at the start of the season — hosting a regional for the first time in program history.
"I think it would be something special, not only for the program. … We have a responsibility to the Stetson community and the greater DeLand community," Trimper said. "Being able to bring in quality baseball like an NCAA regional to the town, filling up the restaurants and the hotels and having people enjoy it, I think we'd really like to see that and hope we can make it happen."
Trimper is also keenly aware of his team's dominance at Melching Field, winning 29 of 32 home games. The Hatters roll into the ASUN tournament on the longest overall winning streak in the country, closing the campaign with 11 straight victories.
Jeff Altier, Stetson's director of athletics, said the university filed bids in the past three days to host both regionals and super regionals. The bid process, Altier said, included a lighting survey and estimated budget.
Until about three weeks ago, many of the players never imagined the possibility.
"I always had really high thoughts on our team, but I honestly was never thinking of hosting a regional. I didn't even think we were allowed to, based on the stadium size and the school size," Stetson junior outfielder Mike Spooner said. "Given the talent of our pitching and our offense, we're a really tough team to handle, and I think we deserve having that chance."
As expected, Stetson's depth of high-caliber arms has been the primary source of the team's success.
Right-handed ace and potential first-round MLB draft pick Logan Gilbert (9-1, 2.61 ERA) ranks second in the nation with 134 strikeouts, in just 93 innings. Junior Jack Perkins has added 10 wins and 86 strikeouts, and Sunday starter Mitchell Senger (7-2, 2.96) has tossed three complete games, including a 16-strikeout no-hitter against George Washington on Feb. 25.
Joey Gonzalez (7-3, 1.79) has handled the majority of the difficult, non-conference mid-week assignments. Opposing hitters are hitting just .191 in 236 at-bats against the junior.
"We each try to pitch better than the next guy every day. The competition between each other is what's doing it," Perkins said. "If Logan gives up five hits, I try to give up four; if he strikes out 10, I go for 11."
Trimper said his offense has kicked into gear during the winning streak as well, stringing together higher-quality at-bats and producing a higher slugging percentage. The Hatters plated runs in each of their first seven innings during Thursday's season finale against USC Upstate.
Spooner leads the way with a .287 batting average, while Jorge Arenas has knocked in a team-high 32 RBIs. In addition to recording 19 saves, converted starting pitcher Brooks Wilson also paces the offense in extra-base hits (18, tied with Jacob Koos), on-base percentage (.396) and slugging percentage (.444, tied with Nico Torino) among players with at least 100 at-bats.
Stetson begins double-elimination tournament play at 11 a.m. Wednesday against the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). For Trimper and his team, securing the ASUN title is the best way for all of the Hatters' big dreams to come true.
"We've taken a principle all year of being open and honest about what's in front of our face," Trimper said. "We're one of maybe five schools in the country that are in the position we are today.
"We had to prove it last week; we did. We had to prove it against Jacksonville; we did. Now we have to go into our conference tournament and prove to some media and to some NCAA committee people so we have a chance to host. … We're not letting the gas pedal up. We're never going to do that. From here on out, the 2018 Hatters season is in elimination mode."