Usually around this time all the talk surrounds sports deals with March Madness and brackets, but occasionally it’s good to take a break from that and talk about other things.Not many people are aware, but our Colonels baseball team has found ways to compete despite dressing out nearly half the team.

It has been just two weeks into the suspensions of several players by coach Durham because of academics, and the Colonels have found a way to survive.

After first hearing the news, I was certainly shocked, but I also believe it was the right decision.

Coach Chip Durham had every right to suspend those individuals because just as he said, it’s important to be students before athletes.

The remaining players have stepped up their play and even pulled off an upset over the No. 14-ranked Tulane Green Wave.

After a relatively slow start, it seems like the team is really piecing itself together, proving that not the quantity-but the quality-of athletes is what wins ball games.

What we all need to understand is that with every new coach, building a winning tradition takes time. However, if the baseball team continues to play like it has over the last week, that success could come faster than expected.

I’m not saying they are going to win the College World Series, but I think coach Durham has the potential to take Nicholls baseball back to the top half of the conference.

It may not be this season, but expect the baseball team to compete sometime in the not-too-distant future.

I am a firm believer in learning from mistakes, which is exactly what these athletes will do.

We’ve all made mistakes, and when the suspension is over, it’ll be their duty to go out and prove to themselves and coaches that they can get the job done and grades up.

Once they do come back, I, for one, am hoping they pick up where the rest of the team left off and continue to be competitive week in and week out.

As a community, we need to join together and support not only baseball, but the rest of the sports going on as well.

The only way to truly understand heart is to come to any Nicholls sporting event and watch the athletes compete.

The baseball team has especially demonstrated that concept so far this season by turning a potentially hazardous situation into one of surprising results.

With only one week to go until the players are allowed to return, questions still loom as to whether the chemistry of the team will be affected.

Personally, I don’t think so. I think the team will be just fine once these athletes get a second chance. Just like I said earlier, it’ll be their duty to show the coaches and fellow team mates that they’ve learned from their mistakes.

I’m sure that by the time this season ends, the Colonels baseball team can look back at these last couple weeks and use them for motivation both on the field and in the classroom.

It’s hard to find any team that can measure up to what this team has done.

And if you use records to measure success, don’t. The record surely doesn’t show the amount of work the athletes have put into this season.

The Colonels 8-18 overall record, 2-7 in the Southland Conference, may not look impressive, but considering this program is going through rebuilding stages, it’s important for all of the fans to stick with the team and support them.

Another thing this team has done was picking up three key wins on the road, including winning a three-game conference series against Stephen F. Austin.

Winning on the road is never easy in any sport, so beating No. 14 Tulane on the road really isn’t too shabby.

Who knows where this team could be if they had picked up a couple more wins here and there? We could be talking about a first place ball club, but for right now they are still holding their own against stiff competition.

It likely won’t be this season, but look for promising things out of our Colonels baseball team in the future. Coach Durham showed that he’ll do whatever it takes to put the best student-athletes out on the field.

No one knows how this season will end, but it’s never too late for the Colonels’ faithful to truly show their support for the obstacles this team has had to overcome.