Rome wasn’t built in a day. That’s the philosophy Concordia College head baseball coach Steven Washington has stressed to his team all season.

Despite a tough start, he said his players are buying in. The wins have been tough to find for the young program, but, Washington said it has not hurt their spirit.

“We are going to continue to tweak it until we get it right,” he said. ‘We are going to become a more mature, older team that doesn’t beat themselves. We’re going to work to put together a solid baseball program.”

The team, Washington said, has shown a lot of patience. He said they realize this season is just part of the big picture in relation to the program.

“We have to get better year to year,” he said. “We have to start slow and build up. Next season we’ll be in an even better position to move forward. The players believe in themselves and the program and we all feel good about the direction of the program.”

Concordia has started the season 12-18 after dropping a Monday doubleheader to Edward Waters by 7-3 and 8-2 scores. However, Washington said his team is keeping a steady temperament following wins and losses.

“This is a great, great group of kids and that is the most important thing,” he said. “They are very respectful and you can build on that. That’s been a big part of our strategy.”

At times, Washington said the adjustment to the college game has been tough for some of the younger players. Adjusting to the speed of the game, he said, will take time.

“We have some teachable moments, you never have a perfect game,” he said. “We just have to take those moments and improve on them. In college baseball, you have to go out and win because you can’t wait for the other team to do something to beat themselves.”

The Hornets have had a few teams forfeit games along the way, which has hurt the on-field experience of the squad. But, Washington said they are taking full advantage of every chance they get to take the field.

The most important piece of the team isn’t wins and losses, Washington said. First and foremost, he wants to build good students and good citizens. So far, he said, this has been the case.

“The future looks bright,” he said. “We are doing it the right way.”