Entry #40 - 2/18/05 - 2/20/05

February 18, 2005

“First Game Jitters”

As I looked into the eyes of my players as I gave my final pre-game instructions before our first game I could see and feel their excitement. They were anxious and ready to go. On Thursday evening when we went over our scouting report, I felt like our staff had done a very thorough job of trying to prepare them for what they were going to face this weekend versus Niagara. We knew they were going to be a big, strong, physical team and we knew they were going to have some pretty good arms. We were fairly accurate with the exception that their arms weren’t pretty good, they were phenomenal.

So when all the major league scouts crowded around their bullpen as their Friday starter began to warm-up, I knew we were going to be in for a huge challenge. So here we go…..

Jeremy Hall started on the mound and he did a great job of getting us out of the first inning. Jeremy actually gave us six scoreless innings on a day when he wasn’t as sharp as he can be, but Jeremy is just tough to score runs against. He really buckles down with runners on base.

Then in the bottom of the first, it didn’t take long for Nick Crowe to make an impact. In his first at-bat as a Buccaneer he smashed a deep homerun to right center to get our year started on the right foot. Earlier in the week I had asked Coach Goulet what he thought Nick was going to do in his first at bat. Coach Goulet was unsure and mentioned that there must be so much pressure on Nick, and that he didn’t want to think about it. I told Coach Goulet that I had thought about it and I bet him a “Snickers” that something electric was going to happen. And sure enough it did. After Nick crossed home plate after his homerun, I looked over at Coach Goulet at first base and he had a grin from ear to ear. After Nick’s homerun we weren’t able to do very much against their starter as he began to settle in. Finally Shane Byrne, Blake Church and Stephen Douglas connected on back to back to back doubles (all of which were great hustle plays) to give us a 3-0 lead.

With a 4-0 lead going into the 7th I was still worried because I knew Niagara would not quit. They put together a rally as our bullpen was not very sharp and they tied the score at 4 – 4 with one out in the eighth. We then went to our closer, Caleb Moore and he came on to secure the tie. In the bottom of the eighth, Mike Giroud led off with a clutch walk. Greg Roberts came on to pinch run for Mike and he was bunted over to second base by Matt Traylor. They intentionally walked Josiah Glafenhein to get to John Weddle who had come into the game to catch for Caleb. This was John’s first at bat of the season and it was a great one, as he coaxed a tough walk which set the stage for Nick. Nick calmly stepped up to the plate and knocked in the winning run. Not too bad a day for Nick as he got our first and last hit for us on this day and both turned out to be very important. Caleb shut them down in the ninth and the first game was in the books, but it sure wasn’t easy.

After the game a few of the scouts told one of my assistant coaches that their pitcher pitched consistently around 91-93mph and touched 94mph on several occasions. He was tough. When we shook hands with the Niagara coaches after the game, they said that he was probably their third best pitcher. It was hard for me to imagine that they had two other kids who were better than this kid. As I spoke with our team after the game, I congratulated our kids on their first win, but I decided not to mention what their coaches had told me about their other two starting pitchers. I figured there is no use in ruining a good night’s sleep for them.

Feb. 19, 2005 (Game Two)

Due to inclement weather coming in on Sunday, we decided to play a double header today and not take the chance of a rainout occurring on Sunday. Double headers are tough on everyone involved. It makes for a long day.

We sent junior, left handed pitcher, Brian Lovett to the mound in today’s first game and Brian gave us a great outing. He allowed only one run through six innings, but their pitcher was equally up to the task as this young, six foot seven right-hander was throwing extremely hard. Our scouting report on this young man was that he had trouble throwing strikes and that if we could be patient and have some good at bats against him early, then maybe we could get to him. Well, today this young man had total control of the zone and was mowing our guys down. When he wasn’t in the zone then our guys were chasing pitches out of the zone. I thought we had some very poor at bats as our hitters were not showing a lot of strike zone discipline.

Then finally in the bottom of the seventh trailing 4-1, we finally showed some discipline as Richie Billings and Nick Crowe each coaxed two out walks. Shane Byrne then stepped up to the plate and delivered a clutch double which scored both Richie and Nick. That brought Caleb Moore up to the plate and he came through with a shot to left which scored Shane from second. I was happy for Caleb as he went hitless in game one. It was easy to see that Caleb was pressing this weekend, just trying to do too much. We talked about it before today’s games and he looked like he is settling back in his groove.

We got a great inning of work from freshman, Joey McCown as he saw his first action as a Buccaneer. It was great to see Joey on the mound, as he was coming off Tommy John surgery. All fall and winter, this young man has been relentless in his rehab. His will to be healthy again has simply been amazing. Since he has been on campus he has been in our training room at least twice a day, everyday. He never missed one day. As Joey came off the mound after getting the third out of the inning, I looked over at our trainer, Brian Johnston and his face was glowing with pride. I know I have mentioned it before in my digest, but we are so fortunate to have Brian and his staff taking care of our athletes. They always go the extra mile to make sure our players are getting the care they need.

We then gave the ball to senior, right hander Michael Bauer and he gave us two solid innings. I was very happy for Mike because, he has struggled at times in the past, but he has never given up. Early in Michael’s career, I could see Michael’s attitude going south. He wasn’t getting the results he wanted and he was frustrated. I called him into my office and we had a discussion about the direction he was heading. From that point on Michael has been unbelievable. He has been great to coach and seeing him mature over the last three years has really made me proud. Michael has a lot of talent and I am hoping that he will have a big year for us. His two innings of scoreless work, earned him our player of the game.

So now with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, we sent Nick up to the plate to lead off. He responded with a double down the right field line to set the table. After intentional walks to Shane and Caleb, Steven Douglas stepped up to the plate and delivered a clutch line drive to center, which scored Nick for the winning run.

Wow! What a game? It wasn’t looking good for us in the later innings, but our guys surprised me as they hung in there and came through when we needed it most. They never panicked and stayed with the game plan. We have lost so many close games in recent years because of missed opportunities. I was glad to see us capitalize this time.

(Game Three)

It is so tough to win back to back games on the same day. You know your opponent is going to be fired up to get a win and you also worry about your players being over confident or not being ready to go. In our final game of the series, we sent Steven Calicutt to the mound. After giving up a homerun in the first inning, Steven took command of the game and pitched six strong innings, allowing only four hits. I have a feeling Cutt is going to be very tough to beat this year. Today was certainly a good way for him to start the year. Stephen Douglas, Caleb Moore and Chuck Hargis all had huge RBI for us and Caleb came on in ninth to pitch a perfect ninth and earn his first save of the year.

I should also mention Chuck Hargis as someone who I was glad to see on the field today. Chuck was in the same boat as Joey, except Chuck had major knee surgery this summer. He missed our entire fall and it was a huge question whether or not he was going to be able to play this season. Chuck was so diligent with his rehab and he also never missed one day. Chuck’s dedication to getting healthy is a direct relation of how much baseball means to him.

Feb. 20, 2005

So all in all I can’t complain too much about the start of our season. There is no doubt that we have to get better in many areas, but it is nice to start the year with three wins. The baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint. We have no time to waste as Xavier will bring an experienced club into Johnson City this weekend. We will have to be at our best to have any success against them.

Before I sign off I want to say thanks to a few people. First I want to thank our athletic administration for their support and help this weekend. It was a busy weekend at ETSU with basketball playing in their ESPN Bracket Busters game on Saturday. Although short handed they picked up the torch and made sure everything went smoothly for us. I can’t tell you how much their efforts are appreciated by my staff and our players.

I also want to thank all of my friends and former players who have called or emailed this past week to wish us luck as we begin the season. It is nice to hear from everyone. I also want all the former players to know that they play a big part in any success we are fortunate enough to have. As our program grows, every win is a “Program Win”. That means it is not just about our current ball club, but about everyone that has come before them and has worn the jersey or been influential in helping us turn the corner.

So as my parents were preparing to leave on Sunday morning I finally asked my Dad what he thought about our club. Of course on Friday and Saturday evenings we discussed the games and all the intricacies and details of every pitch, every at-bat and every inning, but I wanted him to see us for a whole series before he gave me his opinion. So as he and Mom were walking out of the house I said, “Well Pops, what do you think?” He gave me a hug, said he loved me and got in his car without saying a word. As I closed his door, he then started to back out of the driveway. He then stopped and rolled down his window and said, “Son, I really like your club.” That’s what I wanted to hear. Until Next Time...

Coach Skole