Published: May 23, 2007 11:38 pm      

COLLEGE BASEBALL: Niagara Catholic's Bax leads Canisius' turnaround

Mike Bax didn't pitch that day in April when the Canisius baseball team righted its season. He saved his best stuff for after the game.

During an impromptu meeting on the field following a pair of losses to St. Bonaventure that dropped the Golden Griffins 17 games under .500, Bax, one of the team's two seniors, vented toward his younger teammates. What exactly was said remains a mystery to those that didn't linger around Demske Sports Complex that day.

"I'll say it was something that teammates need to hear from teammates some times," said head coach Mike McRae, a Niagara Falls resident.

Since then the Griffs have gone 13-6, winning 12 of 16 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games down the stretch to qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time since 1994. Canisius (20-33, 13-12) will meet top-seeded Le Moyne (31-17, 22-3) at 3 p.m. today in the first game of the double-elimination tournament.

Bax, a Lewiston native, was a three-time All-Monsignor Martin infielder at Niagara Catholic who chose Canisius so he could study biology and prepare for medical school, which he's attending next fall. Having pitched sparingly in high school, he accepted an offer to walk on to the Griffs' pitching staff.

Admittedly, Bax was "just a thrower" at that point. He said he didn't really know anything about pitching until McRae arrived before Bax's sophomore year. Skipper at Niagara from 2002 to 2004, McRae is now the first coach to lead two different teams to the MAAC Championships.

"Coach Mac turned me into a pitcher," Bax said. "He taught me all the mechanics and got rid of my flaws."

Bax also praises McRae's overall impact on a program that won just four games his freshman season.

"He knows what it takes to turn around a program," Bax said. "He's a stern guy, no nonsense. That's what this program needed."

After working just five innings as a freshman, Bax started 11 games as a sophomore and tied for the team lead in innings pitched. As a junior, Bax allowed just four earned runs over his last four starts before being sidelined by a strained muscle in his back.

Back injuries are not common for pitchers, McRae said. Thinking he might have overextended Bax, McRae decided to bring the senior out of the bullpen this season.

"I know it ate away at him early in the year when there weren't many opportunities for him," McRae said. "I wanted to take advantage of him without losing him for long periods of time."

Both coach and player said Bax has come to accept his role as a reliever, and more importantly, a senior.

"My ability to pitch is less than half my role on this team," Bax said. "Coming from four wins as a freshman, I never dreamed that it would be possible to play for a MAAC Championship. ... I'm happy to have helped this young team grow."

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258 or bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com