After fading out near the season’s end, the SIU men’s baseball team has turned it is attention toward the next season.

The SIU men’s baseball team finished the 2013 season with a three-game series loss to Illinois State University May 16-18 and an elimination in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, ending the season with a 25-33 record.

The Salukis beat Wichita State University 5-1 in the first MVC tournament game May 21, but lost 5-0 to Indiana State University in the second game May 22. The team faced Wichita State again May 23 and was eliminated after a 15-0 loss.

Head coach Ken Henderson said the Salukis started out strong against Wichita State at the start of the tournament, but lost their steam after the Indiana State shutout game.

Indiana State pitcher Devin Moore led a complete shutout against the Salukis at the MVC, allowing only seven hits throughout the game.

“We got beat, the pitcher from Indiana State has done well against us all year, we didn’t score on him at their place this year and we didn’t score on him during the tournament,” he said. “Unfortunately, we got off to a bad start and it snowballed from there.”

Henderson said his players trained hard this season, but the team had trouble putting their best effort together as a team.

“It was a disappointing year for us and that is why we need to get better in all areas,” he said. “At times we did everything well. Our pitching was exceptional and we swung the bat just right, but we struggled with bringing all of that together for most of our games.”

Senior pitcher Cody Forsythe said his team showed plenty of promise throughout the year, but ultimately the team’s performance at the end of the season was just average.

“We left the season on a sour note,” Forsythe said. “Overall, I think it was a disappointing season for everyone. It seemed like we could never get enough wins to boost our confidence and play our best this year.“

Forsythe, who dominated the Shockers in the first MVC game, allowing only one run during the second inning and one runner to pass first during the ninth inning.

Henderson said he has seen an improvement with the team’s defense since last season, but the main problem the team faced this year was situational hitting.

The team did well and was positioned to bat in runs the whole year, but struggled with getting just the right hit or pitch near the end of the game, Henderson said.

“We lost a lot of close games,” he said. “Something like thirty games were decided by two or less runs, but we just could not close the game.”

Henderson said the team gave everything they had, but the pressure of closing the game may have affected their performance.

Henderson said his focus for next season is to help his players work together and improve team performance.

Senior out fielder Donny Duschinsky said the Salukis have plenty of talented players on the team, but the team itself needs to try and work together more if they want to win.

He said after such a disappointing season, it is important to not dwell on past seasons, but look forward to how the team can improve next year.

“I hope the team can be there for each other. I want to be there for the team on and off the field, in the fall, in the spring and in the summer,” Duschinsky said. “I know we are all excited to get back out there, improve ourselves as a team and get ready for next year.”