Baseball Blog
Thursday, June 10, 2010: Captains lead the way
For the first time in school history, our team posted back-to-back 20+ win seasons. A large part of our success has been leadership from our players. We achieved the best team GPA in the eight years I have been here this past fall, our strength test have improved dramatically (see the first entry, Feb. 15 ), and our players have been great representatives around campus and in the community.
This year's captains are no different. Tommy Dee, Andy Dlugosz and Taylor Gahagen were voted team captains for next year following this season. Their leadership does not take a break in the summer.
Andy and Tommy both attended Bishop Timon High School together. They recently participated in a community project in Lackawanna:
Press Release from the Front Page (Lackawanna):
On Friday, May 21st, 22 students played in the “1st Annual Martin Road Elementary School Wiffle Ball Classic.” The event was sponsored by Mr. Taft (principal) and Mr. Regan (counselor) as part of the “Green Rewards” program. Much to the students surprise and enjoyment, Fredonia State College baseball players Tommy Dee (Lackawanna) and Andy Dlugosz (Lackawanna) joined in the fun by playing in the game. Tommy and Andy were just named captains for the 2010-2011 season by the Fredonia State College baseball coach. They offered the students tips and helpful hints to improve baseball skills and knowledge. After the game, everyone enjoyed a pizza lunch courtesy of Mr. Taft and Mr. Regan. The students, Mr. Taft, and Mr. Regan would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to Andy and Tommy for taking time out of their busy schedules to spend time with our students and for giving back to their community. Mr. Taft’s team outdueled Mr. Regan’s squad to earn an 11-5 victory!
I related this message to Blue Devil Hall of Famer and Bishop Timon assistant coach Mark Clifford, who had recommended Tommy and Andy to me back when they were in high school. Mark replied: "Glad to hear about Andy and Tommy. I've always said that my most enjoyable year of coaching was the year that Andy, Tommy and Matt Sullivan [another current Blue Devil] played for me."
Having good people at the top filters down through our younger players.
Our other captain, Taylor Gahagen, while also a super guy, has an incredible work ethic. He is currently playing in the Carolina Virginia Collegiate League for the Carolina Hurricanes. He can also be found on the Proformance Sports Training website giving his testimonial. You SUNYAC fans may also recognized a high school teammate of Taylor's in the video -- a slugger from Brockport (no free press for our rivals here). Taylor is also very involved in our athletic department -- he is the official scorer for our ice hockey team and, along with Andy, is the official statistician for the men's and women's basketball teams.
All three will carry on the strong leadership and character that we've had with our captains.
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Tuesday, June 1, 2010: Work fast, change speeds, throw strikes
Now that the season is over, we will turn our attention to the fall season and focusing on fundamentals and what we will have our players concentrate on. I came across an article on ESPN.com about the Minnesota Twins and how they work with pitchers once they come into the Twins system.
I found it similar to what we work on in the fall with our pitchers. Simply put, our pitching philosophy is: Work fast, change speeds, throw strikes.
In 2009, our team ranked 10th nationally in fewest walks per nine innings. This past season, we ranked 20th in fielding percentage. During our fall season, we chart our pitchers and post the results in the locker room and dugout. We chart: First-pitch strike percentage; percent strikes; pitches per batter; and number of walks. In addition, we focus on each pitcher being able to throw three different pitches for strikes, generally that means working on a changeup.
Here is a link to how we chart our pitchers in the fall intersquads, and a link to the article from ESPN.com:
Blue Devil fall pitching chart
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=5195322
I would like to give today's Shout Out to an Alumni. With the High School playoffs in full swing, I ran into the original "Donnie Baseball", Donnie Burch, last week. Donnie informed me that he and his wife, Erin, are expecting their first child. Congratulations Donnie and Erin!
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Wednesday, May. 19, 2010: Senior Day Star
Last week, we played Medaille College in the annual Senior Game. The amount of success we have had on senior day has been remarkable. In my eight years here, the seniors have only lost once. Regardless of their roles during the year, every senior is given a start.
Some of the best memories have been Matt Baudo's mammoth home run (2006), Kyle Adams game-winning double vs. SUNYIT (2005) and Jordan Basile's sixth-inning RBI to lead the Devils in a come-from-behind victory (2007). The 2007 senior game marked the fourth-straight time the Devils won on senior Day in their final at bat.
This year saw the Devils dominate from the start, downing Medaille, 13-5. The big highlight was senior captain Justin Nowak going nine innings to earn the win. Justin got off to a slow start this season, but was our toughest pitcher the final three weeks, so it was very satisfying to see him go the distance.
The win -- the Devils' 21st -- marked the second most in team history, five behind last year's 26. In addition, the Devil JV squad went 4-2, downing Plattsburgh, Jamestown CC, Mercyhurst Northeast and Bethel.
This year's seniors: Nowak, Don Kirsch (3B), Joe Kephart (SS), Josh Greco (2B), Josh Melquist (1B), Bryan Bongiovanni (OF), Vinnie VanAuker (OF) and Matt LaPorte (OF) were an integral part of the winningest two-year period in school history.
As a gesture of thanks, the freshmen gave each of the seniors a signed photo of this year's group of greenhorns. Across the top was printed the phrase "Take Pride in Your Proteges". next year looks to be very successful in no small part due to how much our current players learned from our nine seniors.
I would like to give a Shout Out to Jeremy Engquist, a former player of mine at Hilbert College and an assistant coach at Fredonia for three seasons. He recently added another member to the family, Ryan Payne. Jeremy promised that he will become a Blue Devil 18 years from now. If Ryan does play here, I'll treat you to a pie at Honest John's.
Wednesday, Apr. 7, 2010: Young 'ins
Today we saw the future as our freshmen took on Mercyhurst Northeast Junior College in a nine-inning exhibition. M-NE located just outside of Erie, so it was a short trip for the Saints. We also picked up a pair of pitchers -- Matt Sullivan and Jordan Hibbard -- from them for this year.
Our current squad features 12 freshmen, several of whom will be pressed into action next year when we graduate a number of current starters. We have three exhibitions scheduled up North (the NCAA does not recognize contests against junior colleges), so the group will have a great chance to play together.
The first inning saw Dillon Lowe turn a nice 5-3 double play to snuff out a rally. Overall, the freshmen mimicked their veteran counterparts, committing only one error and playing great defense on the day.
Offensively, Jeremy Roden had three hits and three RBI. Brian Sheehan went two for three with a walk and two RBI.
Brian Sheehan rips a double.
On the mound, Zach Murray threw four solid innings allowing five hits and three runs. Stephen Toole tossed the next two, allowing one run. He gave up hits to the first two batters, then settled in nicely. "Ace" Sciandra (at this point, I don't even remember his real first name) tossed the next two innings, striking out three with nary a hit allowed. His final pitch was lined back off his bicep to third base where Lowe made another fine defensive gem. Sciandra would yield the final inning to Al Schoeneck, who struck out a pair in the ninth.
Overall, the greenhorns played with a great deal of confidence and each has improved signifcantly since the fall. Several of them are ready to step in and play right now. At this point, I no longer consider them freshmen.
On our minds now are focused on this weekend. Four SUNYAC games highlight our trip to Oswego and Cortland. We have a couple of days of practice before getting back into game action. Both teams are off to solid starts. As a team, we have to focus on executing our gameplan. What Oswego and Cortland do is out of our control. Whoever executes the routine plays the best will come out on top.
Today's Shout Out goes to Barb Flood. Barb was the official team photographer for the previous three seasons. Her work has appeared all over our website and publications. Now that her son, Ricky Carlson, has graduated, she still keeps in touch with the program and has made several games this year.
-- CP
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Monday, Mar. 29, 2010: Play ball! (again)
We’re still waiting for our first game up north – it’s been 10 days since we last played. We will finally be able to get back into action against local rival Penn State Behrend. We changed Thursday’s game to a double-header – it was originally scheduled for a nine-inning contest – to make up for last week’s rainout.
With today’s conditions still wet, we practiced on the field turf field (our lacrosse team’s home field). We were able to take a lot of ground balls and fly balls, and did some long-tee hitting on the field.
We followed that by heading into the indoor batting cage. Our last practice was similar, only we also had the pitchers throw in the bullpens on the game field. Basically, our entire team was spread across campus during practice, with coach Basile working in the cage with the hitters, coach Adams on the lacrosse fields with the infielders and me working with the pitchers out at Ludwig Field.
Looking ahead to Thursday, Behrend always fields a strong team, and is routinely at the top of their conference (AMCC), winning it the past two years, and ranking as high as No. 23 last year. We actually play them more than any other program with three regular-season games scheduled every year. They are located just across the state line about 40 minutes away on I90. Our games are always competitive and are great for bragging rights – several players from each team have played in the Glenwood League located in Erie each summer. Last year, Josh Melquist, Jon Messina, Matt LaPorte, Bryan Bongiovanni, Jordan Hibbard and former Blue Devils Ricky Carlson and Jordan Basile competed in that league.
Gametime is slated for a 1:30 start. We will play two seven-inning games.
Today’s Shout Out goes to Bryan Recchia. Bryan always roomed with assistant coach Kyle Adams on the road when they played together, and planned to visit this weekend.
-- CP
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Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010: Waiting
The home opener against Behrend was postponed, and this weekend is in question. To warm us up, we’ll review some more of our Southern Trip where it was nothing but sunny skies and warm breezes. As is our tradition begun last season, following every game, we handed out post-game hammers to the player of the day. Here is a breakdown of the Hammers for our early-season highlights:
Dan Fetes and Matt Sullivan were big winners at Greenwell’s (see previous entry)
Haverford/Olivet – Joe Kephart. Joe Opened the season by going 5 for 7 in a double-header sweep. He also made some stellar defensive plays at short and great base-running decisions. Joe’s innings later in the week were limited by injury, but he ended up going 7 for 14 with a homer and two doubles.
Coast Guard – Jordan Hibbard. Hibbs made his first start as a Blue Devil. He went six strong and kept the game close until the Devils opened up with a three-run sixth to take control. He struck out seven USCGA batters in earning the win, and got stronger as the game went on. Hibbs continued to inspire with his post-hammer speeches, thanking the defense and his teammates.
Scranton (DH ) – Mark Majka. The Garbage Man (he works for Waste Management in the summers) made his first start behind the plate to spell Rob Herrmann. He responded with a great game receiving, assisting freshman Caleb Brown in his first college start. Brown struck out six of the first nine he faced. Majka also hit a 400-foot double and made a great baserunning play, going 2 for 3. He would go on to finish the week 8 for 9 after earning a couple more starts.
Bethel/Bethel JV – Zach Murray. Lurch Needed only 11 pitches to strike out the side in the first inning of a scrimmage against the Bethel JV squad. He would go five strong innings and let up only a single run.
Minnesota-Morris – Jake Nowak. Jake bounced back from some early-game adversity to key a couple of late rallies that led to a couple of big innings in a 13-2 win. He also teamed with second-baseman Josh Greco to make a diving-backhand-flip-to-barehand-bang-bang double play. Filling in for Kephart and playing several positions, Jake provided a spark all week.
Alex Foster, Al Schoeneck, Jim Thome, Jake Nowak and Josh Greco.
Millikin (DH) – The Bench, i.e., everyone that did not get in that day. Tied 5-all in the top of the seventh in Game 2 – our final game in Ft. Myers – the bench picked up Tommy Dee’s slack when he was pressed into service at second base. Coaching third base, it was the most enthusiasm I have EVER seen at game. The bats responded with a pair of two-run homers. Chautauqua county natives Josh Melquist and Bryan Bongiovanni each homered. Junior Al Schoeneck gave the post-game speech and talked about how much he liked ‘bombs’. A lot of players deserve playing time, so it was great to see everyone pull together all week.
Today’s Shout Out goes to Pete Lusk. Pete supported his former teammates by listening in online and offering some karma as the Devils continued to dominate play on George Brett Field.
-- CP
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Monday, Mar. 22, 2010: Back Home
It’s been a while since the last post – our website was down for most of the break. As far as baseball highlights, check out home page for the game recaps.
We had another successful trip, going 7-2. We felt we gave one away in an 11-9 loss to Bethel. There were a number of mental mistakes we could have avoided. It was good to see the team bounce back and take the final three. In our other loss, I have to give Scranton credit. They had a great game from their ace, and played tough D. Both our losses were by two runs, and we had the tying run to the plate in the last inning of both games.
A few other highlights:
- The team posted a .417 batting average during the trip.
- We turned 10 double plays and committed only 9 errors.
- The Devils swiped 35 bases in 40 opportunities.
- Outscored the opponents 80-39.
All this is great, but now we have to execute the same way in the northern part of our schedule. Based on the other SUNYAC teams progress, the conference will be a dogfight this year.
Outside of the games, we had a lot of good times. We were rained out vs. S. Vermont. On that day, we went to former Major Leaguer Julio Zuleta’s batting indoor cages. The practices were great, but our players googled Mr. Zuleta and found a video on youtube that was discussed for a few days. Julio was great to us and a pleasure to meet. His facility was outstanding. We were also able to hit the Edison Mall later in the day.
We were able to visit with another former-MLBer’s property. Mike Greenwell owns a ‘fun zone’ that we were able to spend three hours at on an evening before our off day. For a discount price, each player received a round of putt-putt, 10 game room tokens and a go-cart ride. The go-cart ride may have to be reconsidered for next year. Watching your senior pitcher take a head-on collision isn’t a good feeling!
The Devils burned rubber on the bases and the track.
The team did have a great time at Greenwell’s. Matt Sullivan was the big winner. He scored over 500 tickets on Deal or No Deal. He turned them in for a kite, invisible ink, a giant novelty bat and pixie stix.
Our beach day – St. Patrick’s Day – was perfect weather. The beach was absolutely packed. The team got in some beach volleyball and was able to get away from baseball for a day.
We also went over to check out the softball team. They are lucky to be playing on the same facility as the Minnesota Twins. We saw them win 12-8 over Macalester. We do several fund raisers and community projects with the ladies, and got to know them pretty well. Several of our players walked the Twins facility and watched the minor leaguers work out.
One of our many community projects with softball, Kids' Night Out (Jan. 29th).
A couple of fifth-year seniors also made the trip. Jordan Basile was great to have around. He talked to the hitters a lot about their approach and offered timely advice. “Prime Time” set the all-time hits record last year, so I’m guessing he knows a little about hitting.
Matt Saeva, a.k.a., the Buffalo, also made the trip. He kept on the pitchers for their workouts and running. Matty was one of the best conditioned athletes I’ve coached, and has been a great addition this year. Fourth-year assistant Chad Bongiovanni also made the trip. He fulfilled his dream of coaching third base for an inning in a 12-0 win over Olivet. Congratulations, Chad.
Coach 'Bonge' was able to man third base for an inning.
Overall, we had a very enjoyable trip. In the past two years, we have gone 15-3 in Florida.
Lastly, as they have recently begun on the hit ESPN show, PTI, I will give shout-outs to various individuals at the end of each entry. Today’s Shout Out goes to Dan Mullen, another fabulous blog writer and slick fielder.
-- CP
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Monday, Mar. 8, 2010: Senior Leadership
The past two entries have focused too much on freshmen. They are a great group, but what have they done yet??
They have helped do one thing. The past semester, the team combined for an overall GPA of 2.94. That is the highest in the eight years I have been here!
Having nine seniors this year has been a real blessing. Last year we had eight seniors. Between the two groups, they have really done a great job of shaping the attitudes of our program. It is reflected in our motto this year: This is my team.
You Tribe fans will recall that was the motto of the 1984 Cleveland Indians. It was chosen this year because the seniors, and juniors for that matter, have done a yeoman’s job of taking care of business on and off the field. As a coach, sometimes it seems they coach themselves at practice. They also communicate with each other on everything from showing up on time to mechanical adjustments, and lead by example.
Coach Adams mentioned to me the other day that the clinics we ran this year were by far the best we’ve ever done – and he’s been with the program the past seven years. The great thing is, not only do the guys take things like clinics seriously, but also make it fun and enjoyable. I never realized that Josh Greco could talk in a thick Italian accent for three hours.
With our strong leadership and so many freshmen, we decided in the fall to have our seniors (and one junior) adopt a freshman. No illegal hazing here. Instead, we had the seniors lift with a freshmen partner once per week, as well as have meals together, and other team-building activities.
It was great to see Vinnie VanAuker get Stephen Toole into the weight room, and even change his diet! Vin has influenced Steve in a positive way. Their impact will last for years. In 2013, Vinnie will see Steve tossing zeros up on the scoreboard three years from now and say “That’s my boy!”. (FSU baseball quote #5: “Take pride in your protégés.”)
As a show of thanks, the freshmen have something special in store during the Florida trip when we leave in a couple of days. Check back in a week to find out what’s in store.
-- CP
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Thursday, Mar. 4, 2010: Into the Rink
CP note: On Wednesday evening, freshman Dan Fetes was able to attend the Buffalo Sabres game and meet a couple of his real-life role models. For Dan, a communications major, this was especially significant as he was the tv/radio color commentator for the Fredonia State hockey team this past season. As a high school junior, he was also a member of the Webster Thomas H.S. team that captured the New York State Championship.
Dan Fetes: Last night was something I will not soon forget.
My friend Corey and I were able to attend the Buffalo Sabres game. We got all access press badges to the entire press level. We got to spend the first period RIGHT IN BETWEEN RICK JEANNERET AND HARRY NEALE in their booth. It was pretty unreal. They were so cool and nice and they kept telling us to come closer and everything. After the first period [we were able to get autographed pictures of both of them].
I got to talk to Harry Neale about doing color commentary and mentioned how I did the hockey games [at Fredonia State]. He gave me advice to always be prepared and always have something to say.
We then took our seats at the press level. We were next to NHL reporters from everywhere from the AP, Washington post, NHL.com, Buffalo News, and Democrat and Chronicle. There I was sitting next to people who have the job that I dream about doing for a living!
View from our seats in 'press row'.
I got to talk to some students that were doing internships with the Sabres and asked around about how I could land something like that.
After the game we got to go downstairs near the locker rooms and see all the reporters interviewing the players and got to sit in at Lindy Ruff’s post-game press conference! Unbelievable!
… I still can't believe I got to do it. The baseball teams means more than anything to me and I don't plan on missing anymore practices for the next three-and-a-half years!
CP: In addition to his announcing, Dan also submits articles for a sports website, bylinesports.com. You can check out his work here: bylinesports.com.
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Wednesday, Mar. 3, 2010: A Week Away
The players took the past weekend off – last chance to visit home before heading off to Florida. Friday saw the team combine with the softball team for a community service/fundraiser project – Kids’ Night Out. Due to the severe storm, only about 80 kids showed up.
After the fundraiser, the team completed the skills competition that began on Thursday. Groups of five players combined to compete in seven baseball skill events. Josh Greco faced off against Ian Gallagher and Matt Sullivan in the finals of the ground ball competition. Greco won in a thriller as his team leapfrogged into first place. Greco, an avid follower of Blue Devil hockey, named his team in honor of the icers.
Monday and Tuesday consisted of more of the same – situations, first and third, bunt defense, pickoffs/baserunning and pitchers throwing live – small doses of everything. The pitchers began their second and third times through the rotation. We are setting things up for next Thursday when they will take the mound on Day 1. Our lone senior pitcher, Justin Nowak, will get the opening duties. Junior Matt Sullivan looks to be the game two starter. We have two nine-inning games the first day. Games 3-10 will be determined based on who relieves.
For the most part, the team is prepared for opening day. We just need to drill the fundamentals a few more times before heading off to Florida.
No hammers were handed out on Monday. Coach Basile awarded Taylor Gahagen his second hammer of the season for his stellar glovework during infield drills for Tuesday. For his speech, Taylor said “Keep working hard.” We’ll work with him on his public speaking skills! The team also discussed the relevance of the Double McTwist 1260 and its impact on playing with an air of confidence as a by product of preparation.
The hammer from last Thursday (no entry since then) went to Zach Murray. Zach was the only walk-on to make the team this fall. “Lurch” has steadily improved and has shown a calm demeanor on the mound and has been a great teammate. He has improved in all areas of his pitching since the fall and had a strong pitching session. Since 6’4’’ pitchers don’t show up on campus everyday, we’re hoping he continues to work hard!
You rang? Zach "Lurch" Murray
--CP
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Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010: Game Time
The past three practices have seen the team work on defensive situations, specifically, first and third plays and bunt defense. We also began the pitchers throwing simulated games in the batting cage.
With last season’s infield in tact, we were able to cover situations very accurately and concisely.
The pitchers each simulated four innings (except for two, who will throw on Thursday). We want our staff to get in the frame of mind to throw nine innings every time out and will build towards that. Last year, we had 14 complete games, and several other starts that went into the seventh inning or beyond. As a former pitcher, I hated it when somebody else was asked to finish what I couldn’t. Unfortunately, coach Guilliams didn’t always feel the same, circa 1991-93. In my mind, innings pitched is the most under-rated statistic in baseball.
The arms are bouncing back quickly, which is good, but the staff has some work to do. We lost 12 of our 14 CG’s from last year’s staff (and 20 of our 26 wins), so we will need a few newcomers to step up. Four transfers will help bridge the gap of this year’s loss to graduation. We have added a few more arms than we lost, but I see us using that depth more regularly.
Having one of last season’s top pitchers, Matt Saeva, working with the pitchers on their conditioning has been a big help. He was a “Buffalo” on the mound every time we turned him loose.
We had a pair of hammers handed out each of the past few days. January transfer Ian Gallagher, a freshman, is definitely and energy giver and a very heady player. His hustle earned him a hammer. Fellow freshman Alex Foster, who moved from short to outfield from high school, has made great strides with his defense. In his speech, Alex simply quoted Tommy John: “Run with the wise.”
Wednesday’s hammers went to another pair of freshmen who have both made adjustments. Dillon Lowe and Jeremy Roden were asked to make some hitting adjustments last week. During Wednesday’s hitting stations, they had made the mechanical corrections without having to be reminded. A big part of getting the most out of your ability is to be able to make adjustments on your own (FSU quote #20: “A self-motivated player who makes adjustments on his own is twice as effective as a player who waits for the coach to make the adjustment for him.”) In his speech, Dillon indicated how his teammates have helped motivate and push him so far.
-- CP
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Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010: Kids' Game
Sunday was the second week of our clinic series, our youth pitching and catching clinic. In the two weeks, we had over 100 clinicians combined. Over the past several years, our players and staff have gotten to know the kids that attend our clinics, summer camps and Kids’ Night Out events year after year. We come in contact with hundreds of local youth and have gotten great feedback from the kids and their parents. It is a lot of fun for both our team and the youth to work together.
Having our players teach the youth also benefits the players’ understanding of the game. They have to teach what they are expected to learn at practice everyday, and it can be a great reinforcer.
In the pictures below, senior Joe Kephart shows a future ace evidence of his 41 mph fastball. Also, the Bongiovanni brothers and freshman Erik Pokornowski at work at the catching station.
-- CP
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Friday, Feb. 19, 2010: Three Hammers
The week finished on a high note. We focused on infield defense this morning, which is great because it gets the whole team moving. More work on double plays – including glove flips and bare-handers in case we ever have the chance to make a highlight reel play – we’ll have done it in practice 100 times (FSU Quote of the Day #83: “Players must practice so that in games they can say ‘I have been there before’”). We let the outfielders get involved which gives them a chance to try something different (can’t do flyballs in the Fieldhouse). We did another 20 minutes with the All in One Drill (see Feb. 16 entry), adding a catcher’s throw and one more around the horn. Arms were shot, but footwork and gloves looked stellar!
We finished practice with the Kill’em drill – a combination of situational hitting, baserunning and dodgeball.
Coach Saeva continued his work with the pitchers. Long toss, PFP and working on balance points. He had them finish with conditioning – doing steps and jogging the balcony of the field house.
Three hammers were given out today. Coach Saeva gave one out for the pitchers. Dan Greco finished his conditioning first – he’s been one of the top pitchers in every conditioning competition every day. He does have to measure up to big brother Josh!
Joe Kephart earned the second hammer for his stellar defensive plays during the All in One drill and a great job of situational hitting in the Kill ‘em drill.
Vinnie VanAuker earned the hammer for adding one more component to the Kill ‘em drill. Anytime we can combine several game situations into one drill, we can maximize our time. For his speech, Vinnie said “Let’s lift!”
Saturday is optional hitting. Pitchers will begin throwing live next week.-- CP
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Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010: Dueces Wild
Tuesday was infield fundamentals again with coach Adams, while the outfielders had their throwing mechanics videoed. A less intense, but productive practice. Sometimes being inside helps to force the team to focus on fundamentals more than game situations.
Rob Herrmann edged out Josh Greco for the hammer. Rob won the rapid-fire-round-robin-ground-ball competition.
Wednesday was a long day for the staff, but a lot was covered. Pitchers worked out at noon, and began to up the number of curveballs now that the arms are in shape. The pitchers extended themselves, getting pitch counts to around 100. The rest of the team arrived at 2:00. We did some opposite field work hitting, then the infielders worked on double plays focusing on footwork and throwing.
Thursday was hitting intensive. Another long day saw hitting stations, followed by me throwing curveballs to all the hitters in the batting cage. I must have thrown 1,000 dueces – quite a workout. Each of the hitting groups reported at different intervals, so it was a long day for the old right arm, but all of the hitters got a lot of swings.
The pitchers did their off-day workouts with the balance boards, cords and med balls, followed by PFP (pitchers’ fielding practice). Most were sore from the day before. Ever since the Tigers had that awful World Series fielding from the mound in 2006, we have really focused on PFP as a team. Part of the reason we had 50 pickoffs the past two seasons combined, and allowed only 5 stolen bases in 12 conference games last year.
Jake Nowak picked up Wednesday’s hammer for his energy and focus throughout practice. He awarded Taylor Gahagen the hammer for Thursday. Jake recognized Taylor’s work ethic throughout the winter workouts.
-- CP
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Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010: Picking up the Pace
Today was our first night practice of the year which was a nice change of pace from the few weeks of 6 a.m. practices. After getting our legs under us it was time bear down on the fundamentals and move things closer to game speed.
The pitchers headed to the bullpen to throw off the mound while hitting their spots. When pitchers were not throwing they were working on pick off moves to all bases and worked on their flat ground (curveball and changeup rotations) to iron out the off-speed pitches.
The position players worked on turning double plays focusing on accurate throws and proper footwork and hand-eye coordination drills with coach Adams. Then they got into the Around the Horn drill. Coach Adams timed each group to focus on getting rid of the ball and making accurate throws. The losers paid.
Practice finished up with a popular drill the all the players on the team enjoy doing, the All in One drill.
In the span of about 30 seconds, the defense had the pitcher cover first on a ball to the right side, turn two double plays, field a slow roller to third, have the pitcher back up third as the ball went across the diamond, have the outfielder field and throw the ball the length of the field house, and the infield cut the ball off and whip the ball around the horn. Fifteen minutes of the fast-paced drill gave each player a lot of repetition at game speed.
The Hammer Award Winners were Jordan Hibbard and Don Kirsch. Jordan made a lot of progress in his pitching mechanics and off speed pitches in the past week: “Less effort, more velocity.” His speech indicated how he learned a lot about work ethic from his new teammates and felt privledged to be a part of the team. Donnie really stuck out with his performances in the throwing drills. In his speech, he quoted former Blue Devil Jeremy Borst. Kirsh was the first Devil to get his second hammer.
-- Justin Nowak
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Monday, Feb. 15, 2010: Welcome to FSU Baseball
Welcome to Fredonia State baseball! This is the first-ever edition of the baseball blog. As of today, we are two weeks into practice. We completed a couple weeks of 6 a.m.'s, and have our first evening practice tonight. We accomplished a lot in the first two weeks.
Week 1 focused on conditioning and fundamentals. We play 40 games in 50 days followed by the post-season - we stress physical conditioning to our players. Last year we had two post-season tournaments.
Days 1 and 2 saw us do our mile times and strength testing (two tests: maximum bench reps of 75% of body weight, and dips). I am pleased to say that we destroyed of our strength training records. Our records go all the way back to 2006!
Joe Kephart's year-old bench rep record of 37 was bested or equalled by FIVE players this year: Josh Melquist (43), Kephart (40), Vinnie VanAuker (40), Rob Herrmann (39) and Erik Pokornowski (37). As far as dips, Herrmann (49) and VanAuker (46) bumped Bryan Recchia (44 in 2006) off the top of the list.
Josh Greco turned in the best mile time for the second time in three years, tieing Donnie Kirsch at 5:33. Trey Johnson's 5:05 in 2006 is thought to be unbreakable.
Melquist and was named the Devils' Most Fittest Man. He was tops in bench, sixth in dips (32) and seventh in the mile (6:06). He was also third in the 55m dash and turned in the best 'suicide' time (27.13 seconds). Freshman Erik Pokornowski was a narrow second.
Melly, the Fittest Blue Devil.
Week 2 saw the pitchers begin to throw and the bats get underway. At week's end, every hitter and pitcher was videoed. We also shot some of the defensive work. We bring the camera and laptop to practice everyday. Several of the players have made copies of their videos to do some analysis on their own.
As we start Week 3, we feel we are in pretty good shape. We have 10 seniors and several returning juniors, so our everyday lineup is well acclimated to all the situational situations (bunt D, first and third, rundowns, etc.) that arise and how we plan to handle those. Our 2009 infield is in tact and has a great repore at this point.
In addition to myself, captains Justin Nowak, Rob Herrmann and Don Kirsch will check in from time to time.
-- CP