It's Aug. 10, and the State College Spikes are in a playoff race.
I'll give you a minute to re-read that.
The Spikes, the same organization that had an 18-56 record in 2008, entered their off day Monday in a much different scenario than this time last season. The Spikes have a winning record. They are 26-25. At this time last year, they were 11-40. In fact, they have eight more wins now than they did all of last season.
But the biggest change? State College is only four games out of a wildcard spot.
It's about a week before the All-Star Break and for the first time since the organization came to State College and was still affiliated with the Cardinals, the Spikes have aspirations of a playoff trip.
But the way the Spikes have gotten to within four games of the wildcard lead isn't because of the statistics on a page. Instead, it's been the never-say-quit mentality this team has taken on.
It's the way State College grinded out a series win last weekend against Hudson Valley on the road this past weekend thanks to two one-run wins. The same way the Spikes gutted out a doubleheader sweep against Mahoning Valley last month or a 1-0 win against Auburn on July 31. It's the way this team hustles most nights to the final out.
If there's anything that perfectly symbolizes this year's Spikes, it's the sign that hangs near the entrance of their clubhouse. It reads:
No excuses, keep grinding, succeed.
Now they have a chance to do so.
Spikes manager Gary Robinson said all year the goal was more about developing the talent than the record on the field, but he always prefaced that by saying winning would make things a lot easier and that he always wants to win.
Now he has a chance to do both.
Perhaps the only thing more remarkable than the Spikes being in the playoff race is how they've done it to this point. It hasn't been the offense for the most part, which ranks at or near the bottom of the 14-team New York-Penn League in hits, batting average, on-base percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
Pat Irvine leads the team in RBIs (22), but also has a .207 batting average. The team's leadoff hitter -- Brock Holt -- also leads the team in homers (5). Carlos Silva was the team leader in batting average and was swinging a hot bat before he broke his hand. Jose Hernandez was also swinging a hot bat when he suffered a foot injury last month that he hasn't returned from.
The pitching -- especially the starting pitching -- has been solid most of the year for the Spikes, although the team's ERA ranking can be deceiving. The Spikes have a 3.33 team ERA, seventh best in the league. The Spikes could have the league leader in ERA, but Philip Irwin and his 0.45 ERA hasn't pitched enough innings to qualify.
But it's becoming pretty clear starters Kyle McPherson and Maurice Bankston set the tone for the rest of the staff. They are among the team leaders in ERA, wins and the top two pitchers in terms of innings pitched.
McPherson can be up and down, but his 39 strikeouts and six walks in 50 innings make him a pretty solid option. Meanwhile, Robinson might've found his staff ace in Bankston, who had another fantastic outing Sunday -- one run and seven hits allowed over six innings.
Bankston once again didn't get a win for his efforts, but the team did.
And with just 25 games left, this August could be really special for State College.
