Entry #7 - 10/10/03

It's official. The Blue Team captained by Tim Turner swept the Gold Team in our annual Fall World Series. It was a great weekend as most of the player's parents and families were in town to see them play and spend some time with their sons. I want to thank Roger and Sue Hall and Charles and Betsy Byrne for their hard work and generosity in putting on a wonderful BBQ before Saturday's ball games. It was nice to get everyone together for the first time and I really appreciate those who took the time to make the trip to Johnson City. I know our ball players enjoyed competing in front of all their family and friends. We have a very supportive group of parents and I look forward to their attendance at our games, especially on the road. It was a wonderful way to wrap up our fall season.

I was very pleased with our work on the field this fall. It seems that most of our returning players have improved from last season and have become bigger, stronger and faster. Our new players have done a great job of making the adjustment into a new environment and some should contribute right away. There is definitely going to be much competition for a spot in our lineup this spring. This is a fun team to watch play because this group really likes to compete. We still have a long way to go and we need to make many improvements, but I like the way this team is shaping up.

We had Co-Most Valuable Players for our Fall World Series. Steven Calicutt and Josiah Glafenhein were instrumental in leading the Blue Team to victory. Steven pitched a complete game victory with eleven strikeouts, and also went 6 for 11 at the plate with a homerun. Josiah went seven for ten, with 5 rbi's, including the game winning hit in the series clincher. He also played flawless at shortstop the entire weekend. The Gold Team will have the great honor of running in the "Jingle Bell 5K Road Race" in early December.

Some players had some impressive fall numbers and are worth mentioning. Out of our twenty hitters, eleven hit .300 or better. Most of the hitters had at least fifty at-bats. Andy Howdeshell hit .477 with 5 homeruns. Josiah Glafenhein hit .472. Calicutt hit .424. Greg Roberts (So. 3B) hit .395 with 4 homeruns. Stephen Douglas (Fr. OF) hit .356. Shane Byrne hit .346. Blake Church hit .341. Ryan Spriggs (Jr. 1B/OF) hit .319. Tim Turner hit .311. Caleb Moore hit .303. Matt Traylor hit .300.

Now that our fall season is officially over it is time to get to work. This is my favorite time of the year because during this time our kids really improve. Along with a very intense lifting, conditioning and speed program, we also conduct individual skill sessions with our players. Through Christmas break our players will be lifting and conditioning three times a week, hitting three times a week, the pitchers will throw three times a week and we will have defensive work twice a week. The NCAA only allows us to spend eight hours a week with our players during the off-season, so we have to accomplish a lot in a short period. Our workouts during the winter are very brief but have great intensity and concentration. We are blessed to have one of the largest and best indoor facilities in the country, so it makes getting our work in a little easier.

This is also the best time for our players to excel in the classroom. I'm anticipating a team grade point average of over 3.1 this semester. Lets see...168 hours in a week, only 8 hours can be used for baseball, 8 hours of sleep each night (I'm sure that is happening.) for a total of 56 hours of sleep. That leaves 104 hours left in the week to do something productive. I remember a conversation I had with my father when I was growing up. I was complaining to my father that I didn't have enough time to get my chores done. I said, "Pops, I just don't have enough time to mow the yard, clean my room and take the trash out." He responded, "Tony, How long do you think it will take you to do those three things?" I said, "About 2 hours." He said, "Okay, tonight you will go to bed one hour later and tomorrow morning you will get out of bed one hour earlier than normal. Now you have time to get your work completed."

It's funny but when we procrastinate on the things we don't enjoy doing, it is easy to say that we didn't have enough time. I never accept the excuse "I couldn't get it done because I just did not have enough time" from my players. Because when it comes to doing the necessary things in life that we don't enjoy, we all must realize that it is never a lack of time which defeats us, but a lack of direction. This weekend while I'm laying on the couch watching football, I wonder if I'll have enough time to rake the leaves and fold some laundry. Until next time...

Coach Skole