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re: (44-18, 18-12) SC Baseball Season Thread vs Maryland - L 1-10
Posted on 1/26/14 at 6:00 pm to CayceCock13
Posted on 1/26/14 at 6:00 pm to CayceCock13
Coach Holbrook's Comments from the Weekend
Wonder how Wynkoop got into Holbrook's doghouse, whatever it is I hope it's resolved before the start of the year. Considering he should be the Saturday guy, based on talent alone.
Holbrook was also displeased with Greiner, Pankake, Schrock, & Celek along with Wynkoop. I'm going to go ahead and guess they got wasted over the weekend during a "gameday weekend". Probably didn't look their best either.
quote:
On the opening weekend of scrimmages …
There were some positive things that went on and some negative things that went on. I’m concerned about the work we have to do in a number of areas. I’m not really closer to making any decisions right now. I don’t think that’s fair after two scrimmages when we haven’t had live work in three or four months. You could see our hitters getting their legs under them a little bit, which typically happens about five or six at-bats in.
We did swing the bats a little better today. We weren’t in the right places in a lot of areas - cuts, relays, and throwing the ball to the right base. Some of our pitchers threw well, some of them didn’t. All in all, it was OK. Nothing great. It was about a C-plus for me, or a C-minus.
quote:
On Kyle Martin’s play …
He played very well and made great defensive plays. He picked up right where he left off in the fall. Strong, athletic and very confident in the batters’ box. He’s playing great, pitching great, committed and doing everything we ask him to do.
quote:
On moving guys around in the lineup …
Part of that was we want to see people at different positions. Part of that was because some of the guys didn’t handle responsibilities off the field that we asked them to handle this weekend. That’s part of why Wynkoop threw last. We try to hold our players accountable and do the right thing off the field. Some didn’t handle it the right way. Hopefully we’ll learn from it, get better, and become a little more committed to trying to do what we’re trying to get done here.
quote:
Who do you rely on in the locker room to get the other guys to fall in line?
If they follow Jordan Montgomery and his work ethic, I think he’ll be fine. He looked like a big leaguer last night pitching. Very, very impressive. We follow his lead. We have good kids in there; we’ve got some kids who are very, very talented, but just because we’re South Carolina, we can’t just throw the bats and balls out there and expect everyone to lay down for us or we’re just going to show up and win. Sometimes that attitude permeated a little bit this week, I thought, and we’ll try to correct that this week.
quote:
Is Tanner English OK? He didn’t seem to run full speed on a couple of ground balls.
He’s banged up and I wouldn’t let him run. That’s on me. He has a sore knee. I don’t know what the terminology is - essentially tendinitis. We don’t want him to run full speed.
quote:
The three guys you’ve mentioned for the third starter spot - Joel Seddon, Josh Reagan and Wil Crowe - all pitched well this weekend. Was that good to see?
They made a case. Heck, they made a case to throw Saturday, not just Sunday. It was impressive. The thing I take away from the weekend the most was the way our young guys threw the ball. Crowe was very impressive, (Matt) Vogel was very impressive, Reagan was very impressive today. Wynkoop threw well at the end. I thought Jordan Montgomery looked like a first-team All-American yesterday. We have a number of capable arms, talented kids and we have to try to put them in the right spot.
quote:
Joey Pankake looked impressive defensively …
He did. Joey should be one of the leaders of our team. He has the talent and ability to be first-team All-SEC type of guy if he does the right thing, handles himself correctly and does everything we ask him to do. Certainly as talented as any player we have.
quote:
Is Wynkoop definitely in your opening weekend rotation?
The conversation? Sure. From ability level standpoint, talent level standpoint, yeah. But he’s ticked me off. He might throw Tuesday or the second weekend. We’ll make that determination at a later date.
quote:
When you talk about off the field, are you talking about the way they conduct themselves in their personal lives?
It’s just some things they need to handle in a better way. There’s some accountability with being a baseball player here at South Carolina. We expect them to do certain things. When they don’t, it’s disappointing, but they’re youjng kids, too. They’re good kids and I love them to death, but it’s the first weekend of practices and I shouldn’t have to be talking about that.
It was just little team stuff. No one is in trouble with the law or anything. It’s stuff we ask them to do - showing up on time, being in the right place at the right time, doing what you’re supposed to do - all of those kinds of things are important. When some veteran leaders of your team don’t do what you ask them to do, it’s disappointing. They’ll be fine. We’ll get them going here tomorrow. Sixty-four degrees tomorrow, we’ll have a great workout tomorrow. They’ll sleep tomorrow night, I can assure you of that.
Wonder how Wynkoop got into Holbrook's doghouse, whatever it is I hope it's resolved before the start of the year. Considering he should be the Saturday guy, based on talent alone.
Holbrook was also displeased with Greiner, Pankake, Schrock, & Celek along with Wynkoop. I'm going to go ahead and guess they got wasted over the weekend during a "gameday weekend". Probably didn't look their best either.
This post was edited on 1/26/14 at 6:07 pm
1
Posted on 1/31/14 at 11:41 am to CayceCock13
2 weeks away 
Posted on 1/31/14 at 3:31 pm to CayceCock13
The South Carolina baseball team will continue team practice this weekend at Carolina Stadium with three scrimmages this weekend open to the public. Friday's scrimmage is set for 4 p.m. with Saturday's scrimmage at 1 p.m. and Sunday's scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Posted on 1/31/14 at 7:47 pm to CayceCock13
Scrimmage Impressions from 1/31:
Injury Report:
quote:
Freshman Wil Crowe, for the second weekend in a row, pitched brilliantly in his three innings on the mound. What was most impressive for him today was his offspeed stuff. Most of us know Crowe for his fastball, which is hard and heavy. On Friday, he threw some very nice changeups and breaking balls.
Honestly, his best pitch of the day, in my opinion, was his changeup. He had hitters way out in front and did a good job of commanding the pitch. He also threw a couple of sharp breaking balls getting strikeouts. Crowe struck out five and allowed one hit over his three innings pitched and showed his entire arsenal, not just his fastball. A very impressive day for him.
Junior Kyle Martin also had a great day on the mound as well. He went three innings and I don’t recall him giving up a base runner. He looks effortless in his delivery and continues to pound the strike zone. He has some sink and some run on his fastball, so he’s hard to square up. Martin gets a lot of ground balls when he’s on and today, he was on.
The top hitter of the day was freshman Jae Roberts, who was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. The only time he got out during the scrimmage was probably on his hardest hit ball - a line drive that just happened to go directly at the right fielder. Roberts missed most of the fall after having Tommy John surgery in April. He’s back swinging the bat trying to make the team as a designated hitter. He’s got a shot and days like today help him.
Montgomery, he didn’t have his best day in terms of command. He missed some spots and just didn’t have his typical day. No worries though. He’ll be fine.
I thought senior Hunter Privette pitched pretty well today. That was one of his better outings of the year. He showed the ability to get some left-handed hitters out. Privette has primarily faced righties during his career but his over-the-top deliveries against the lefties were effective today, for the most part.
I thought Marcus Mooney made some nice plays at shortstop. He had a good scrimmage until mishandling a grounder to his right in the bottom of the ninth. I’d like to see a little bit better play at the shortstop position the next couple of days. The first three scrimmages haven’t been great at that spot.
Injury Report:
quote:
There were several players who didn’t see action on Friday. Centerfielder Tanner English (knee) will not scrimmage this weekend. He’ll be reassessed next week but I don’t think he’ll be out too long. Catcher Grayson Greiner (flu) was out today and is day-to-day.
Second baseman Max Schrock strained a muscle in his back in the first inning. He drove a ball off the right field wall off of Montgomery and hurt himself on the swing. He stayed in the game to run but after talking with trainers, he came out of the game and did not return. He, too, is day-to-day.
Posted on 1/31/14 at 11:19 pm to CayceCock13
I read where K-Mart retired all 9 batters he faced today, with 3 K's. Monty pitched great last week in the first spring scrimmage on Sat. According to Coach Holbrook, so I'm sure he'll bounce back. Sounds like with Crowe's great pitching, we may have our weekend rotation firming up, as long as Wynkoop straightens his head out (which I have all confidence he will)....
Posted on 2/1/14 at 9:10 am to ConwayGamecock
Are SC baseball tickets pretty cheap? I'd like to attend a few.
Posted on 2/1/14 at 12:37 pm to ConwayGamecock
quote:
we may have our weekend rotation firming up
Agreed, seems like Crowe's asserted himself into the Sunday role.
quote:
Are SC baseball tickets pretty cheap? I'd like to attend a few.
Not sure.
This post was edited on 2/1/14 at 12:38 pm
Posted on 2/1/14 at 9:23 pm to CayceCock13
Impressions from JW 2/1:
quote:
Lefties Jack Wynkoop and Josh Reagan got the starts on the mound and both pitched really well. Wynkoop missed up with a couple of pitches early in the game but settled in and had no problems. Had all his pitches working. Didn’t throw a lot of breaking balls but did throw a couple of good ones, including a filthy slider to Jordan Gore to get him on strikes. Two straight weeks of good appearances for Wynkoop.
Reagan ended up giving up three runs on five hits but it could have easily been none on three hits. A two-out single in the third inning by Gene Cone started a rally that probably shouldn’t have been. DC Arendas couldn’t make the play on a slow roller to his left that put him on. Later, Kyle Martin’s liner that scored two went off the glove of Taylor Widener at first base. Martin’s ball was hit hard and Widener jumped but it was a play that I’d expect him to make more often than not.
Sophomore Curt Britt pitched and didn’t have his best outing. It seemed like he was missing up and falling behind in the count. His stuff doesn’t seem to be bad but he’s not missing many bats either. His fastball is a little bit flat right now and missing up. I can’t quite put my finger on what he will be this year - and that’s obviously not something that is set in stone on Feb. 1 anyway - but he’s not where he wants to be right now. It’s also worth noting that he has been hurt off and on since mid-season last year. He hasn’t done much. He needs some innings and mound time under his belt.
Freshman Matt Vogel was a little bit erratic today but I think he can be put into the effectively wild category. He was also squeezed some by the umpire at times. He threw a couple of very good sliders he didn’t get a call on and issued a walk on a fastball that missed just inside.
Juniors Elliott Caldwell and Joey Pankake had good days offensively. Caldwell worked a very good walk off of Vogel - but I think he was struck out at least once on pitches Vogel didn’t get. Caldwell did fight off a couple of good pitches and got a call. He also tripled to right center. Pankake made some good contact today after not having a very good scrimmage on Friday.
Freshman Zack Madden has put together some good at-bats the first couple of days. He’s a streaky player though. Has some good at-bats and bad ones. Has misplayed a couple of balls in the outfield too. He’s about what I thought he’d be right now. Lots of upside but streaky.
Max Schrock (back strain), Grayson Greiner (illness) and Tanner English (knee) all did not play. Schrock and Greiner are still day-to-day. English is out for the weekend.
This post was edited on 2/1/14 at 9:23 pm
Posted on 2/2/14 at 10:15 am to ArmyHogs
quote:
Are SC baseball tickets pretty cheap? I'd like to attend a few.
Depends.
The big time weekend series are usually sold out so you have to go with the scalpers - the big series usually go about $20 per game.
Week day games you can get a ticket for ten bucks usually, unless it's Clemson, then you can pretty much forget about that one. I'm not sure they do the Clemson games on weekdays anymore.
When I take my family, kids and grandkids to the park, I usually budget $30 per person, counting the tickets and a drink and pretzel or something. We've got four season tickets but since I had my son late in life and he has friends that like to tag along, four are usually not enough if my wife decides to go.
General admission tickets are usually all that's left for most of our games anyway.
Come on, you'll have fun.
Posted on 2/2/14 at 10:15 am to CayceCock13
quote:
CayceCock13
Excellent job with this thread! Bookmarked, it's outstanding. Thank you.
Posted on 2/2/14 at 4:58 pm to scrooster
Now onto Scrimmage Impressions 2/2:
John Parke Notes:
quote:
The pitching wasn’t stellar, noted by the 9-7 final score. The best performance on the mound today, in my opinion, was by freshman John Parke. He gave up a few hard-hit balls but I don’t remember him allowing an earned run. Parke, who was facing the first-team lineup, pitched out of several jams. The first two hitters got on base and then he had to navigate the middle part of the lineup. He got Elliott Caldwell and Joey Pankake for the first two outs of the inning and then coaxed a ground ball right to Marcus Mooney at shortstop, which should have gotten him out of the inning. Mooney made an error on the play but I liked the way Parke was able to manage the inning and face some adversity. Overall, I thought he threw well.
SS Notes:
quote:
Mooney had an error and so did DC Arendas at shortstop. Mooney also made a couple of really nice plays, including a diving backhand and a dive on a looping fly ball into shallow center. His arm isn’t quite as good as I thought it was going to be but it’s good enough. Both Mooney and Arendas had really good days at the plate today. Mooney seemed to have some better results in terms of production. What I liked about Mooney today was he was able to drop a bunt for a hit, had a hard-hit double down the line and also another single. He was able to do some different things with the bat. He’s going to have to be able to work some walks, drop bunts, hit and run, etc. to be successful at the plate. Arendas had some hard-hit outs and a strike three call on a full count pitch that seemed to be well off the plate. There have been more errors in the fall and preseason at the shortstop position than I expected. Defensively, shortstop will be an upgrade from last year but from what my eyes have seen right now, Ozzie Smith ain’t playing short this year for the Gamecocks.
Back-Up Catcher Notes:
quote:
Probably the brightest spot in my eyes today was the play of catcher Logan Koch. Sunday was really the first time he’s stood out consistently in a positive manner. He’s had good moments at times in the scrimmages but there is usually some negative in there as well. Sunday, it was really all positives. He had hits from the right and left side, threw behind a runner, caught a base stealer and threw accurately. As Chad Holbrook noted after the scrimmage, he also seemed to play with some energy behind the plate. He hasn’t done a lot of that since he’s been here. It was a really good day for him. I also thought Patrick Harrington had a pretty good day as well. He hit a couple of balls hard, which is his strength as a player, but also did a decent job catching nine innings. The catcher position still has a long, long way to go behind Grayson Greiner but today is as encouraged as I’ve been with the play of the backups.
3B Notes:
quote:
Freshman Matt Williams continues to play really well, especially defensively. He made a couple of very nice plays in the field. He is a little bit slow on charge plays - bunts, etc. - but I like his future in the program. He’s got some guys to play past this year to get on the field but he’s got a bright future at USC if he keeps up his level of play. Pankake hasn’t barreled a lot of balls the first two weekends but had one of his better days offensively on Sunday. He roped a ball his first at-bat on Saturday but on Sunday, he had about three hard-hit balls. Greiner was back on the field as the designated hitter and he, too, had some hard-hit balls but didn’t have much to show for them. Some good plays made defensively on Sunday - Mooney and Williams particularly.
Taylor Widener Notes:
quote:
Freshman Taylor Widener stood out to me for about the first time since he’s been on campus. I didn’t see much of him in the fall due to his back injuries early and my football travel late. He finally made some solid contact. He jumps on fastballs pretty well but has struggled with a good changeup. He’s going to be a guy who is going to serve as the DH a lot though. He just needs to keep getting at-bats. I know pitching coach Jerry Meyers likes him a lot on the mound but I’m much higher on him as a hitter. I would love to see him focus on that. Widener did have a miscue again defensively not getting in front of a ground ball that took a high hop on him - that happens occasionally, but there were runners on second and third in that instance, so a ball absolutely can’t get by in that instance.
OF Notes:
quote:
Redshirt freshman Weber Pike barreled some pitches on Sunday. It was one of the first times he’s stuck out to me this preseason after having a really, really good fall. Freshman Zack Madden also had a pretty nice day. Sunday was absolutely the first time that Brock Maxwell has made a positive impression on me since he’s been on campus. He really struggled in the fall and hasn’t done much more in my eyes this preseason. The coaching staff was incredibly high on him entering the fall but he was out-played by Gene Cone and some others. Maxwell finally showed some signs of life on Sunday. Maybe he’s starting to settle in. He attacked pitches for the first time and showed some aggression.
Injury Report:
quote:
As noted above, Greiner (flu) was the designated hitter. Nothing to worry about with him. … Sophomore Max Schrock played defensively and looked OK. He didn’t look 100 percent, but he looked OK. His back is apparently feeling a lot better and he will swing some this week. As Holbrook said after, and I mentioned on the board, his back injury over the summer was bone. This was muscle and the two are not linked. They’re not worried about this lingering. … Junior Tanner English has had some tendinitis in his knee and received a shot for pain last week, which is why he was out for the weekend. He will be back practicing this week.
This post was edited on 2/2/14 at 4:59 pm
Posted on 2/3/14 at 8:14 pm to CayceCock13
Injury Updates, Closer Role, & DH Spot Discussion from VIP Room:
quote:
First, some injury updates in addition to what was posted here on Monday morning. Junior Evan Beal has not pitched the first two weekends of the fall due to a back issue. He had a “stress reaction” in his back, which was set to sideline him for about 10 days. Yesterday was the tenth day and he should be back throwing this week. We would say it’s likely he pitches next weekend.
Freshman Reed Scott also did not pitch again this past weekend and has missed the first two weekends of scrimmages with a pectoral muscle injury. He should be able to start throwing this week and should pitch this weekend. Scott pitched pretty well in the fall and is someone the coaching staff, we’re told, has high hopes for his season.
-- If the season started today, the likely closer is junior Joel Seddon. When he first got to Carolina, he wasn’t as sharp out of the bullpen as he needed to be to earn important innings. He was much better as a starter. Over the summer in the Cape Cod League, he flourished out of the bullpen and has done well in that role in the scrimmages so far. He provides some experience in a bullpen that needs it in a bad way. Seddon has shown good command, which is not something he’s always done out of the bullpen. His changeup has been spot on and he’s thrown some nice sliders, too. He doesn’t necessarily have prototypical closer stuff, but he’s got the ability to get swings and misses. Most importantly though, he’s shown the ability to work efficiently and get outs.
-- We’re told the designated hitter job is fairly wide open right now with one weekend of scrimmages left. We were told that if DC Arendas keeps swinging the bat like he has that he may log some time there as well. We feel like that the opening day job will go to senior Brison Celek but it will be a battle between him and Taylor Widener early in the season. Obviously, that is a position that can change on a day-to-day basis fairly easily. While we’re told that the job is pretty wide open, we believe Celek and Widener are towards the top right now.
-- Second-year head coach Chad Holbrook said publicly on Sunday that they’re not really worried about second baseman Max Schrock’s back injury lingering. Behind the scenes, we get the same feeling. It is something that shouldn’t be a big concern going forward.
Posted on 2/6/14 at 2:18 pm to CayceCock13
List of games that will be on TV, there will probably be more to come.
GamecocksOnline Article
MARCH
22 at Kentucky (FSN) Lexington, Ky. 2 p.m.
APRIL
3 at Arkansas (ESPNU) Fayetteville, Ark. 8 p.m.
19 at Auburn (CBSCSN) Auburn, Ala. 5 p.m.
20 at Auburn (CSS) Auburn, Ala. 2 p.m.
26 Alabama (ESPN) Columbia, S.C. 2 p.m.
27 Alabama (ESPN) Columbia, S.C. 1 p.m.
MAY
3 at Georgia (CSS) Athens, Ga. 1 p.m.
10 Missouri (FSN) Columbia, S.C. 3:15 p.m.
ETA:
4/5/14 Arky - Cox Sports
GamecocksOnline Article
MARCH
22 at Kentucky (FSN) Lexington, Ky. 2 p.m.
APRIL
3 at Arkansas (ESPNU) Fayetteville, Ark. 8 p.m.
19 at Auburn (CBSCSN) Auburn, Ala. 5 p.m.
20 at Auburn (CSS) Auburn, Ala. 2 p.m.
26 Alabama (ESPN) Columbia, S.C. 2 p.m.
27 Alabama (ESPN) Columbia, S.C. 1 p.m.
MAY
3 at Georgia (CSS) Athens, Ga. 1 p.m.
10 Missouri (FSN) Columbia, S.C. 3:15 p.m.
ETA:
4/5/14 Arky - Cox Sports
This post was edited on 2/6/14 at 2:32 pm
Posted on 2/7/14 at 7:26 pm to CayceCock13
Posted on 2/8/14 at 12:24 am to CayceCock13
Scrimmage Impressions 2/7
After reading here's what I got out of it:
• Monty was dealing today went 4 2/3 innings only allowing 1 hit, all 3 pitches working beautifully (FB, Change, Breaking Ball)
• Crowe had another good outing going 4 innings & only giving up 1 run (faced most of the 1st-teamers), according to Whittle he’s done so well he has a real chance of beating out Wynkoop for the Saturday role
• Brock Maxwell at the plate has continued to impress, takes it the other way a lot & battles off 2-strike pitches much better than the fall
• Defensive play overall was really well done, many names made really nice plays today (Arendas, Gore, Williams, & Cone) all came to mind
• Martin probably had his worst outing in the preseason but was still really effective overall, was pretty unhittable in his first 2 outings
• Widener had his best outing today, FB & Slider worked really well, also had some nice swings
• Cody Mincey has regressed it seems in preseason practice, seems to not be nearly as effective & unable to locate most of his pitches with any consistency
• Joel Seddon threw really well again, he’s probably the front-runner for the closing role
Figured this might be easier than reading through all of the article for peeps, can always post it regardless if y'all want.
After reading here's what I got out of it:
• Monty was dealing today went 4 2/3 innings only allowing 1 hit, all 3 pitches working beautifully (FB, Change, Breaking Ball)
• Crowe had another good outing going 4 innings & only giving up 1 run (faced most of the 1st-teamers), according to Whittle he’s done so well he has a real chance of beating out Wynkoop for the Saturday role
• Brock Maxwell at the plate has continued to impress, takes it the other way a lot & battles off 2-strike pitches much better than the fall
• Defensive play overall was really well done, many names made really nice plays today (Arendas, Gore, Williams, & Cone) all came to mind
• Martin probably had his worst outing in the preseason but was still really effective overall, was pretty unhittable in his first 2 outings
• Widener had his best outing today, FB & Slider worked really well, also had some nice swings
• Cody Mincey has regressed it seems in preseason practice, seems to not be nearly as effective & unable to locate most of his pitches with any consistency
• Joel Seddon threw really well again, he’s probably the front-runner for the closing role
Figured this might be easier than reading through all of the article for peeps, can always post it regardless if y'all want.
This post was edited on 2/9/14 at 12:55 pm
Posted on 2/9/14 at 11:52 am to CayceCock13
You, sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. Thanks for all your hard work.
Posted on 2/9/14 at 12:54 pm to Loathor
This reminds me, I need to add impressions from yesterday.
ETA: Scrimmage Impressions 2/8
• Whittle gives high praise to Mooney, says he’s come a long way from the Fall, the pro-typical leadoff hitter and probably will be for the Gamecocks on opening day, says he’s hitting about 350 this preseason scrimmages
• Schrock had a standout day, looks like he’s fully recovered from his back injury & is back to his old self
• English has had a slow start due to injuries in the preseason but had a good day at the plate & on the bases as he had a couple hits including a double & stolen base
• Bright had a nice double & RBI single, playing really well here in the preseason and solidifying his role as the starting RF again
• Wynkoop had a good afternoon only giving up a run in 4 IP, pitched to contact like usually & pitched well
• Raegan & Vogel both had bad afternoons on the mound
• Celek is out for the weekend with a back issue
• DH spot is still wide open with Celek as the leader but Widener & Arendas are both hot on his heels
This post was edited on 2/9/14 at 1:05 pm
Posted on 2/9/14 at 5:47 pm to CayceCock13
Scrimmage Impressions 2/9
• John Parke had an okay outing going against mostly backups, allowed 1 run in 3 innings but gave up 4 hits and worked his way out of jams. So good to see him work under adversity.
• Matt Williams versatility has really shown at 2B/3B, definitely will earn a walk-on spot.
• DC Arendas bad has really shown up, much better with his strikeouts & high fastballs, will have a shot at the DH spot.
• Tanner English has had some momentum as he continued to get on base as he reached three times today, probably will either lead off or hit in the 9 hole. (I think 9 hole b/c he’s more comfortable in that spot).
• Marcus Mooney continues to hit well, probably is going to start off at the leadoff spot & then go from there.
• Max Schrock had another good day at the plate, Whittle predicts a .350 type season for him.
• Evan Beal had his first performance in the preseason coming back from an injury, consistently hit 90-91 mph & topped out at 92.
• Joel Seddon’s pretty much solidified himself into the closer role to begin the year, but if he doesn’t perform early there are more options at the back end to choose from.
• Cody Mincey had his best day of the preseason, was able to locate his fastball & slider effectively.
• Reed Scott pitched an inning today after missing the last 2 weekends with a pectoral muscle injury, looked okay.
• Taylor Widener has really nice power from the left side, definitely would be the opening day DH if Celek still has issues with his back injury.
• John Parke had an okay outing going against mostly backups, allowed 1 run in 3 innings but gave up 4 hits and worked his way out of jams. So good to see him work under adversity.
• Matt Williams versatility has really shown at 2B/3B, definitely will earn a walk-on spot.
• DC Arendas bad has really shown up, much better with his strikeouts & high fastballs, will have a shot at the DH spot.
• Tanner English has had some momentum as he continued to get on base as he reached three times today, probably will either lead off or hit in the 9 hole. (I think 9 hole b/c he’s more comfortable in that spot).
• Marcus Mooney continues to hit well, probably is going to start off at the leadoff spot & then go from there.
• Max Schrock had another good day at the plate, Whittle predicts a .350 type season for him.
• Evan Beal had his first performance in the preseason coming back from an injury, consistently hit 90-91 mph & topped out at 92.
• Joel Seddon’s pretty much solidified himself into the closer role to begin the year, but if he doesn’t perform early there are more options at the back end to choose from.
• Cody Mincey had his best day of the preseason, was able to locate his fastball & slider effectively.
• Reed Scott pitched an inning today after missing the last 2 weekends with a pectoral muscle injury, looked okay.
• Taylor Widener has really nice power from the left side, definitely would be the opening day DH if Celek still has issues with his back injury.
This post was edited on 2/9/14 at 5:48 pm
Posted on 2/9/14 at 6:17 pm to CayceCock13
Holbrooks Comments on Preseason
Opening Comments:
Team's anxious to get started, can feel it in the air that the start of the season begins on Friday. Mentions how Monty, Wynkoop, Crowe, & Seddon have all pitched well. For the most part healthy & just excited to get the season underway.
Is your team about where you thought it would be entering the season?
Didn't really think about it, just wanted the kids to improve. Really likes what they're doing from an offensive standpoint when it comes to their approaches at the plate. Talks about how close the SS battle is & how English/Greiner both have been really good.
Are you any closer to figuring out who will be your shortstop?
Says it's very difficult, most likely will have both Mooney & Arendas play this weekend. Doesn't know who starts on opening day, but wants things to play out on the field.
Do you have an idea of what the lineup will look like?
English definitely in the 9-hole, it's where he's most comfortable. If Mooney starts he will leadoff, if not Schrock may get the nod. Actually more worried about the 35 man roster than the opening day lineup atm.
What does the closer role look like?
Seddon's definitely the guy, will start the season as the closer. Says he's come a long way from the confidence standpoint.
What is Taylor Widener’s role?
Going to be a good one, like's him on the mound & at the plate. Talks about his power saying "He may be the only kid on this team who can mishit a ball and it still goes out." Probably will let him get some cracks against righties first, to get him some confidence.
Is it easier or more difficult on you this year making those final few roster decisions? What goes into that over the course of the week?
Very difficult, talks about possibly redshirting Matt Williams or Zack Madden. Weighing the fact of do we burn a year of eligibility when they play sparingly? Or do I get them a full four years after this year because they have a bright future in our program.
Opening Comments:
Team's anxious to get started, can feel it in the air that the start of the season begins on Friday. Mentions how Monty, Wynkoop, Crowe, & Seddon have all pitched well. For the most part healthy & just excited to get the season underway.
Is your team about where you thought it would be entering the season?
Didn't really think about it, just wanted the kids to improve. Really likes what they're doing from an offensive standpoint when it comes to their approaches at the plate. Talks about how close the SS battle is & how English/Greiner both have been really good.
Are you any closer to figuring out who will be your shortstop?
Says it's very difficult, most likely will have both Mooney & Arendas play this weekend. Doesn't know who starts on opening day, but wants things to play out on the field.
Do you have an idea of what the lineup will look like?
English definitely in the 9-hole, it's where he's most comfortable. If Mooney starts he will leadoff, if not Schrock may get the nod. Actually more worried about the 35 man roster than the opening day lineup atm.
What does the closer role look like?
Seddon's definitely the guy, will start the season as the closer. Says he's come a long way from the confidence standpoint.
What is Taylor Widener’s role?
Going to be a good one, like's him on the mound & at the plate. Talks about his power saying "He may be the only kid on this team who can mishit a ball and it still goes out." Probably will let him get some cracks against righties first, to get him some confidence.
Is it easier or more difficult on you this year making those final few roster decisions? What goes into that over the course of the week?
Very difficult, talks about possibly redshirting Matt Williams or Zack Madden. Weighing the fact of do we burn a year of eligibility when they play sparingly? Or do I get them a full four years after this year because they have a bright future in our program.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:44 am to CayceCock13
I like Seddon as the closer. We have an unbelievable amount of talent on our roster, Chad has his work cut out for him trying to get that roster and starting lineup. Being this deep is a great problem to have though.
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