Four years into rebuilding plan, Behrens has Lindenwood vying for national title
By Matt Breach
When Brian Behrens took over Lindenwood nearly four years ago, he might have been the only person in Missouri who believed the misfortunes of the dormant program could be reversed.
Perhaps that’s because he realized the problems were more than cosmetic. Before change could occur between the lines, Behrens knew he had to implement it outside of them.
“The biggest thing we changed was the expectation level,” he said. “It was getting them to believe they could do it.”
Now Behrens has his crew believing it is one of the best teams in the nation. And perhaps Lindenwood is, otherwise it wouldn’t be in the World Series.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Behrens said. “It’s been something we have talked about since we have been here.”
That seems a lofty expectation for a program that tallied just 14 wins in 2003. But Behrens enacted change quickly, more than doubling that total in his first year by recording 35 victories.
The Lions have racked up 163 total triumphs during Behrens’ four-year tenure, including a 45-18 mark this season.
Despite the rapid rise, Behrens admits there was still a point this season when even he questioned the ability of this club.
It was a six-game slide early in the season that partially contributed to the doubt. But there were also the losses to Bellevue and St. Thomas - teams competing in the World Series. Then there was the setback to Oklahoma City, another squad that, while not participating in this Series, has accumulated a bundle of postseason success.
“At one point we were 15-12 and wondering if we were any good,” Behrens said. “But now we’re here.”
The Lions responded by winning 30 of their last 36 games, including two of their final three in the in the Mid-South Super Regional against Houston Baptist. That secured Lindenwood’s first Series berth in school history.
Curiously, Lindenwood and Houston Baptist will meet in the opening round of the tournament.
“We are very evenly matched,” said Behrens, whose squad outscored the Huskies 13-11 during the Super Regional. “We are going to have to strap them up and play.”
The Lions will rely heavily on starting pitching throughout the tournament, especially ace Eric Hullinger. The senior right-hander is 13-4 with eight complete games and a 2.84 ERA.
“He has been our workhorse,” Behrens said. “Every time he pitches he gives us a great opportunity to win.”
That is a drastic change from just a few years ago, before Behrens changed the outlook of a once-floundering program.
“We walked in Day 1 and we had a plan in mind,” Behrens said. “We talked about going to the World Series and winning. We knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight, but it kind of fell into place this year.”
