Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Baseball
* Will miss the trailer a little bit. The team was a close knit group over there, but the guys are just happy to have a place to shower after games and after practices. No one went in the trailer without everyone else knowing that they were in there and that’s one thing that’s different, but at the same time, the team will get to spend a lot of time with each other in the new place.
* Was really proud of the players this weekend. Even with all of the distractions of moving into the new facility, opening day in general and the weather, the players were focused on going out and playing the game. He is really proud with the way they played all 27 innings.
* One fear he had with Tyler Naquin was him trying too hard follow up his amazing sophomore year with an even better junior season. He was afraid that by trying too hard, Naquin would start to become a player that he’s not, but looking at the weekend, Naquin is doing just fine so far. He was proud of himself staying true to who he really is, and that is a guy who can just flat out hit.
* Was really proud of the way the team played defense this weekend. Scott Arthur played great defense and as far as pitching goes, the team threw five guys who had never thrown a pitch in an A&M uniform and they all went out and pitched with confidence and did a nice job. Obviously, the veterans went out and pitched how they were supposed to, but for putting five new guys out on the mound this weekend, he was proud of what they were able to accomplish.
* Michael Wacha did a good job of pitching Friday night. He felt like he started struggling in the middle innings and had a little trouble of finding his rhythm. UIC did a good job of taking him deep into some counts and that’s why he wasn’t able to quite make it through six innings. He knew deep down that even with all of the distractions, they had a big gun ready to get the team off on the right foot.
* Rafael Pineda stole the show this weekend. When you are following Wacha and Stripling, you feel like you have a point to prove and then there is the added anxiety of making your first start on top of that. Sometimes when you have a shoulder injury like Pineda had, you aren’t sure that you are going to be able to come back and even be somewhat of the pitcher you once were. Pineda was able to get healthy late in the spring, then had an amazing summer and came back as the guy they originally recruited and saw before he ever got to A&M. He was really proud of his performance and he was hoping to get him five or so innings, but Pineda wouldn’t let him take him out. He kept throwing strikes and had outstanding stuff and set the bar high for the rest of the year.
* The team has not had much time to work on getting familiar with the new foul territory. When they scrimmaged in the fall and spring, they did so with the roll up cage, so pop-ups were not something that was a part of that. For Brandon Wood to go over the bullpen wall to catch a pop-up and then Matt Juengel to go over the dugout railing for another one, it really lifted the team from an emotional standpoint and gave the team a lot of energy.
* Mike Reynolds is the epitome of a lead-off hitter. He may not always get on base, but he will at least take seven or eight pitches every at-bat. There is no anxiety going deep in the count, and he is going to take something from the pitcher every time he is up at the plate. The freshmen hitting in the six and seven hole in Cole Langford and Daniel Mengden are as talented as any in the country. The more at-bats they get under their belt, the more comfortable they are going to be. They were racing between the ears Friday night, just because they were ready to play in an A&M uniform and play in the new stadium. You could see their comfort level increasing as the weekend went along and those two guys are going to be very important parts of this year’s team.
* Jacob House has put a lot of sweat and blood into this program both on and off the field and he is one of the leaders of this team. He has worked extremely hard and a lot of people don’t know much about him. He had to take a year off and go to Blinn Junior College to get his grades right and didn’t know if he was ever going to get the chance to play baseball again. He is as good of a defender as he has ever coached at first base and from an offensive standpoint, he has worked really hard in the weight room and he has gotten a lot bigger and stronger. You can see the results of that from some of the balls he is hitting in the gaps and out of the yard.
* SFA plays with a chip on their shoulder. They are not off to a great start so far, coming in at 0-2 after last weekend, but that will make them even hungrier for a win. They will be facing a junior college transfer with high 80’s and low 90’s stuff. They are going to play hard and A&M will have their hands full. A&M will pitch Derrick Hadley and should have everyone available in the bullpen. A&M needs to continue to play with a chip on their shoulder and out-hustle the other team. Holy Cross will be opening their season this weekend in College Station so not much is known yet about them.
Rob Childress on opening of Blue Bell Park & 3-0 start to '12
Notes from "Around the Horn" - Week 2
* Got moved into the new facility yesterday. Had his kids up at the park with him yesterday and put them to work at about 6 A.M. Friday was also his son’s birthday so they had a birthday party for him yesterday afternoon and had to get their work done at the park before going home for a mad game of wiffle ball. It’s special to be able to make the transition from the trailer into the facility. His view of looking out into Olsen Field from him office window is something very special. The players also had the opportunity to move in and start lifting and working out in the park today and have gotten settled in their locker room.* Will miss the trailer a little bit. The team was a close knit group over there, but the guys are just happy to have a place to shower after games and after practices. No one went in the trailer without everyone else knowing that they were in there and that’s one thing that’s different, but at the same time, the team will get to spend a lot of time with each other in the new place.
* Was really proud of the players this weekend. Even with all of the distractions of moving into the new facility, opening day in general and the weather, the players were focused on going out and playing the game. He is really proud with the way they played all 27 innings.
* One fear he had with Tyler Naquin was him trying too hard follow up his amazing sophomore year with an even better junior season. He was afraid that by trying too hard, Naquin would start to become a player that he’s not, but looking at the weekend, Naquin is doing just fine so far. He was proud of himself staying true to who he really is, and that is a guy who can just flat out hit.
* Was really proud of the way the team played defense this weekend. Scott Arthur played great defense and as far as pitching goes, the team threw five guys who had never thrown a pitch in an A&M uniform and they all went out and pitched with confidence and did a nice job. Obviously, the veterans went out and pitched how they were supposed to, but for putting five new guys out on the mound this weekend, he was proud of what they were able to accomplish.
* Michael Wacha did a good job of pitching Friday night. He felt like he started struggling in the middle innings and had a little trouble of finding his rhythm. UIC did a good job of taking him deep into some counts and that’s why he wasn’t able to quite make it through six innings. He knew deep down that even with all of the distractions, they had a big gun ready to get the team off on the right foot.
* Rafael Pineda stole the show this weekend. When you are following Wacha and Stripling, you feel like you have a point to prove and then there is the added anxiety of making your first start on top of that. Sometimes when you have a shoulder injury like Pineda had, you aren’t sure that you are going to be able to come back and even be somewhat of the pitcher you once were. Pineda was able to get healthy late in the spring, then had an amazing summer and came back as the guy they originally recruited and saw before he ever got to A&M. He was really proud of his performance and he was hoping to get him five or so innings, but Pineda wouldn’t let him take him out. He kept throwing strikes and had outstanding stuff and set the bar high for the rest of the year.
* The team has not had much time to work on getting familiar with the new foul territory. When they scrimmaged in the fall and spring, they did so with the roll up cage, so pop-ups were not something that was a part of that. For Brandon Wood to go over the bullpen wall to catch a pop-up and then Matt Juengel to go over the dugout railing for another one, it really lifted the team from an emotional standpoint and gave the team a lot of energy.
* Mike Reynolds is the epitome of a lead-off hitter. He may not always get on base, but he will at least take seven or eight pitches every at-bat. There is no anxiety going deep in the count, and he is going to take something from the pitcher every time he is up at the plate. The freshmen hitting in the six and seven hole in Cole Langford and Daniel Mengden are as talented as any in the country. The more at-bats they get under their belt, the more comfortable they are going to be. They were racing between the ears Friday night, just because they were ready to play in an A&M uniform and play in the new stadium. You could see their comfort level increasing as the weekend went along and those two guys are going to be very important parts of this year’s team.
* Jacob House has put a lot of sweat and blood into this program both on and off the field and he is one of the leaders of this team. He has worked extremely hard and a lot of people don’t know much about him. He had to take a year off and go to Blinn Junior College to get his grades right and didn’t know if he was ever going to get the chance to play baseball again. He is as good of a defender as he has ever coached at first base and from an offensive standpoint, he has worked really hard in the weight room and he has gotten a lot bigger and stronger. You can see the results of that from some of the balls he is hitting in the gaps and out of the yard.
* SFA plays with a chip on their shoulder. They are not off to a great start so far, coming in at 0-2 after last weekend, but that will make them even hungrier for a win. They will be facing a junior college transfer with high 80’s and low 90’s stuff. They are going to play hard and A&M will have their hands full. A&M will pitch Derrick Hadley and should have everyone available in the bullpen. A&M needs to continue to play with a chip on their shoulder and out-hustle the other team. Holy Cross will be opening their season this weekend in College Station so not much is known yet about them.
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