Josh Haley
Sports Editor
Baseball Cats making progress as season nears
Snow and low temperatures do not exactly put anyone in a baseball mood. But ready or not, Ron Bradley’s Hillcats will throw out the first pitch of the 2010 season in less than three weeks.
Despite the inclement weather, the club feels optimistic about the off season progress made.
“Even though the weather has been bad for us, we’ve still managed to get a lot of important things done and I am pleased with where we are at right now considering the circumstances,” Bradley said.
The Hillcats finished 29-21 overall in 2009 but will look to improve on a 13-16 Sooner Athletic conference mark.
“The SAC is one of the premier NAIA conferences in the country and we know it will be a struggle to climb to the top of the standings,” said pitcher Grant Cosby.
Cosby pitched a team leading 69.2 innings last season and also struck out a team high 52 batters. Cosby, who is one of only five hurlers returning for the Hillcats, has established himself as a starter among a young group of pitchers whom he has confidence in.
“I know the pitching staff is ready thanks to the preparation from our coaches and the leadership that we have on our team,” said Cosby.
Returning to the mound along with Cosby will be fellow seniors and right-handers D.J. Thompson, Jake Taylor and Christian Baez along with sophomore Josh Phillipi.
Some of the acquisitions to the pitching staff include sophomore’s Jacob Wenaas and Tyler Garner along with junior’s Jim Miner, Jeremy Penn, and Jordan Clark, who recently returned to the club after playing for the shorthanded RSU basketball team.
One thing that should ease any nerves that the fresh pitching staff might have is the past success that the RSU bats have had.
Despite losing five players who had at least a .300 batting average a year ago, Bradley is optimistic about his returning players as well as the offseason additions.
“We have the potential to be a very good club offensively because we have put together a good mixture of speed and power,” said Bradley.
Senior Zach Hamby was an all-conference selection a year ago as he turned in a .414 average while leading the Hillcats in hits, home runs, slugging percentage and runs batted in.
“Zach’s been a major contributor the last two years and having him back should pay great dividends,” said Bradley.
Fellow senior and first baseman Rob Rodriguez also put together an impressive 2009 campaign with a .331 average and finished second to Hamby in runs batted in and home runs for Rogers State.
“Zach and I keep each other motivated by what the other one does and the friendly competition is good for the team because it makes us all work harder,” said Rodriguez.
Junior catcher Joe Manbodh is also a valuable returnee for the Cats’ who ranked third on last year’s team with a .367 batting average while establishing a .449 on-base percentage.
Other returning players who should play key roles on this year’s club include outfielder Tyler Harold, who saw action in 42 games a season ago, and infielder Luis Caraballo. Caraballo started 43 games for the Hillcats in 2009 and enjoyed a strong season defensively as he had a team leading 88 assists while committing just six errors. He was also involved in 19 double-plays.
New faces on this year’s squad expected to make an impact are infielders Pau Sancho, Colton West, Billy Balak and Lance Rymel as well as outfielders Brandt Barnes, Keith Poverud and Kevin Radford.
Some of the returning players as well as the coaches can already tell a difference in this year’s team that they see as an advantage.
“With all of the incoming players, I think everyone has a fresh attitude and they are all ready to make a positive mark on this program,” said pitching coach Rob Brown.
The Hillcats will run out of the dugout for the first time in 2010 on February 6th as they host Kansas Wesleyan in a double-header.