2006 Baseball Outlook: A New Brand of Magic
Jan 10, 2006 | Baseball
January 10, 2006
The Texas A&M baseball program enters a new era in 2006 under first-year head coach Rob Childress.
After spending eight years at Nebraska and establishing himself as one of the top pitching coaches and recruiters in the country, Childress was named the 19th head baseball coach at Texas A&M on June 21, 2005.
A long-time and well-respected baseball coach with ties to the state of Texas, Childress--a native of Gilmer--recently completed his third year as Nebraska's Associate Head Coach with a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Now, he brings his Brand of Magic to Olsen Field.
With the season a month away, and practices starting in under two weeks, Childress and the rest of the Aggie coaching staff give fans an in-depth look at the '06 edition of the Texas A&M baseball team...
PITCHERS
According to head coach and pitching coach Rob Childress:
"I want our guys to work fast, attack the zone and pull their hat down and compete. My goal going into any season is to lead the league in fewest walks allowed per nine innings. If we can do that and make the other team earn everything they get, all the other numbers will take care of themselves.
"If we can focus on one thing as a staff - not walking anybody and making the other team earn what they get - then the bottom line is going to result in wins.
"I feel like we have a lot of experience back. We have guys that have been through the wars in the Big 12, which is at the highest end of the Division I level. I think the key is for us to stay healthy and establish some consistency. By the time conference play opens against Missouri, hopefully all the pieces of the puzzle are in place, and everybody knows what their role is.
"There will obviously be some experimenting early in the season, but we have guys with great experience and that will help. When I think of our experienced guys, I think of Jason Meyer, Chance Corgan, Kyle Nicholson, Austin Creps and Jordan Chambless. You can never underestimate the value of experience, especially in a quality league like the Big 12.
"There are some guys that are going to come in who are going to be a year older and a year smarter. Chambless is a guy who has some of the best stuff in the country and really likes to compete on the mound.
"An exciting newcomer to our program is freshman Kyle Thebeau. He had a great fall and even though he is a freshman he was very consistent this fall. You do not see that very often from a new player at this level.
"Nicholson is a guy that I think has a chance to start for us or be our No. 1 guy out of the bullpen. He throws a lot of strikes and competes.
IN-DEPTH: AGGIE BASEBALL '06PRACTICE BEGINS: Sunday, Jan. 22 SEASON OPENER: Friday, Feb. 10 vs. Northwestern State - 3 p.m., Olsen Field HOME SCHEDULE: 32 games. SEASON TICKETS: $256 reserved (adults), $150 (youth HS & under); $192 general admission. Call 1-888-99-AGGIE for details. HEAD COACH: Rob Childress (first season) GONE: Andrew Baldwin, Travis Bartek, Will Carpenter, Jon Michael Cline, Lee Harughty, Kyle Marlatt, Coby Mavroulis, Cliff Pennington, Justin Pouk, Robert Ray, Clayton Turner, Kevin Whelan. BACK: 6 starters, 7 pitchers; 14 letterwinners, 2 redshirts, 2 squadsmen
NEWCOMERS (14): Luke Anders, Ben Brockman, Kyle Colligan, Adam Hale, Scooter Hicks, Spencer Jackson, David Newmann, Jose Salazar, Travis Starling, Josh Stinson, Kyle Thebeau, Matt Ueckert, Anthony Vasquez, Jake Vasquez. |
"Blake Rampy has been in the mix and he had great freshman year. Hopefully, he will find that form back from two years ago.
"Ben Brockman, a transfer from Abilene Christian, is going to be good when he is 100% healthy. He throws strikes and has a good idea of what he is trying to do on the mound.
"Matt Ueckert and Adam Hale are guys that are also transfers (Rice) that will help us out of the bullpen.
"Scooter Hicks, a left-handed freshman from Houston Christian, had a very good fall and should be able to step in and contribute.
"Anthony Vasquez is another good left-handed freshman that throws a lot of strikes. He has a chance to pitch for us out of the pen and bridge the gap between our starters and closer.
"Another guy that had a very good fall is Hart Hering. He throws from a low, side-arm slot and has good stuff. He did not walk a guy the entire fall, which is keeping with our philosophy.
"David Newmann is a guy that was probably as good a junior college pitcher as there was in the state last year. He had Tommy John surgery late last spring, and I do not know if we will get him back this year. We will have to see how he responds to his throwing program and to his rehab. If he is 100% and he chooses to pitch, then great. If not, we will redshirt him, and he will come back and be a junior next year.
"I think all the pieces of the puzzle are there we just have to place them. We have to figure out who is going to start, who is going to set up, and who is going to close. Hopefully by the time we get to the Missouri series we will have those pieces in place, and the pitchers will know what their role is when they come to the park everyday."
CATCHERS
According to assistant coach and catchers coach Jeremy Talbot:
"Josh Stinson brings with him Big 12 experience, a solid overall game, and an enthusiasm for the position. He is an efficient and accurate thrower and had an outstanding fall stopping the running game. His energy and leadership make him a tremendous asset to our pitching staff. He is left-handed hitter with gap-to-gap power and has the ability to be very productive in our offense in that he consistently has quality at-bats and can execute the short game very well.
"Craig Stinson is coming off surgery and we expect him to be fully recovered by the start of the season. He is a very athletic catcher who possesses several plus tools. Along with being an exceptional receiver, Craig has above-average professional arm strength. His biggest strength offensively is his plate coverage. He naturally likes to get extended on the outer half but has enough power and bat speed to turn around a good fastball on the inside part of the plate. When he gets it going, he could factor into the middle of our order.
"Jake Vasquez is a junior college transfer from California who put up tremendous numbers in junior college. He's a left-handed hitting catcher who made big strides behind the plate this fall. Jake is a rhythm-and-flow hitter who makes consistent hard contact and has occasional power. He will provide valuable depth for us at the catching position."
INFIEDLERS
According to volunteer assistant coach and infield coach Will Bolt:
Third Base
"Obviously the guy at third is Austin Boggs. He is a two-year starter and has great talent. He is one of the best defensive third basemen I have been around. I really think this year he is going to turn the corner and get back to being the hitter he was as a freshman. He had a great fall and made some strides offensively. We expect him to have a big year for us hitting in the middle of the lineup.
"Ryan Hill can also play third. He mostly played third in the fall because we know what he can do at first. He is a good defender, and I was impressed with what he can do at third base. Offensively, he is a proven hitter that hit over .300 in the Big 12. That is quite an accomplishment and we expect him to be one of our main offensive contributors as well."
Shortstop
"Parker Dalton had great summer in the Texas Collegiate League, and I think he is on the verge of becoming a real solid player here. He is a great defender who has very good range. He probably will still see some time at second, depending on match-ups, but will play short mostly. He is right there with the best shortstops in the Big 12 defensively and I think this year he is going to come around with the bat.
"Jose Salazar is another proven Division I hitter after having a really good year at Sam Houston State last year. He handles the bat real well and is a good bunter and hit-and-run guy. He is probably one of the smartest baseball guys we have on our team."
Second Base
"Jess Buenger had a really good fall and showed a really good understanding of the strike zone. He plays the game really hard and has a blue-collar mentality. He comes to play every single day and never takes a day off. He is going to be a good contributor for us as a switch-hitter.
"The guy who probably had the best fall of anyone is Blake Stouffer. He could see some time at second base and is another switch-hitter who can really run. We expect some great things from him.
"Dalton and Salazar could also see time at second base.
"We like for our infielders to be able to interchange. Boggs could even see some time at second, depending on match-ups. These guys take ground balls at all the positions so they can be ready in case of injuries or because of match-ups."
First Base
"Hill is one of the leading candidates at first base, and we know he is good offensively and defensively.
"Spencer Jackson is another guy that can play first. He really improved defensively at first as the fall went along and we expect him to give us some good production this year."
OUTFIELDERS
According to assistant coach and outfield coach Matt Deggs:
"Our outfielders have worked extremely hard this year and we have a good group. I think it is going to be a solid outfield.
"We are not overly talented as far as pure speed and arm strength, but it is an outfield that takes good routes to balls and if you hit it in the air they are going to catch it. They are going to play hard-nosed and with a sell-out approach.
"Todd Sebek is a definite candidate in left and brings a hard-nosed attitude to the game. He is a quality outfielder that has a chance to solidify the leadoff spot in our lineup.
"Kyle Colligan is a true freshman with tremendous tools and tremendous up side. He is still figuring the game out a little bit. He has a solid arm and has above-average speed potential. He is a possible center and right field candidate.
"Brandon Glover is just steady. He is a solid runner, a solid thrower and takes good angles. He is always in the right place and has the ability to play all three outfield positions.
"John Infante is probably the best pure outfielder we have. He is a solid runner with a solid arm, has great instincts and takes great angles to the ball. He is just a natural outfielder.
"For his size, Adam Hale can move pretty well. He has an above-average arm and has a chance to be a solid outfielder.
"Blake Stouffer is a guy that can also play outfield. He has great natural instinct in the outfield and is a hard-nosed player. He is a candidate to play all three spots in the outfield."
