Stanky Field: Does that name hurt recruiting?
At 1 o'clock on Friday at Stanky Field, the journey to Omaha will begin once again. Can the Rebels make it to Omaha this year? Will it be a disappointment? Here are some players that must contribute...
Key Pitching Returnees:
Scott Bittle-lights out closer
Drew Pomeranz-incredibly hard to hit when he is throwing his curve for strikes
Jake Morgan-amazingly reliable in the middle innings or to close the game
Key Offensive Returnees:
Jordan Henry-speed on the base-paths
Logan Power-plate discipline with occasional power
Matt Smith-the HR threat
Key Defensive Returnee:
Brett Basham- even though he was drafted, he elected to come back for another year. I truly believe he is the best defensive catcher in the country. Since Kyle Henson and Taylor Hightower are on the team, there is finally someone to come in and relieve Basham. Just a year ago, he had to start every single game, and five games a week take a toll on a catcher. I can forsee Basham starting on the weekends and Hightower and Henson splitting time during the Tuesday and Wednesday games.
Game versus Liberty:
The Friday starter will be Aaron Barrett. He is a guy the coaches have a lot of confidence in, and the pitching coach, Carl Lafferty, says that he is "no doubt our Friday night guy."
The defensive lineup will be as follows:
C Brett Basham
1B Matt Smith
2B Zach Miller
SS Kevin Mort
3B Evan Button
DH Cullan Kight
LF Logan Power
CF Jordan Henry
RF Jeremy Travis
The coaches have said there could be a lot of shifting, and I think we will see a lot of shifts and different line-ups this weekend.
Random Notes:
Scott Bittle has been named to several watch lists including Stopper of the Year and Golden Spikes Player of the Year. Bittle has also been named to preseason All-American team.
Three players are serving suspensions this weekend: Drew Pomeranz, Tim Ferguson and Kyle Henson.
12 comments:
"the pitching coach, Carl Lafferty"
Despite his title, pitching coach and carl lafferty do not belong in the same sentence
wasn't he paired with Happy Gilmore in the Waterbury Open?
Nice, Hunter.
And Staneli, I think that joke is better suited for the use of hitting coach and Reinstettle, or knows how to win the big one and Bianco.
@ Hunter
Lafferty Daniel
Elbow, something tells me you don't know very much about the catchers across the country. You probably don't know much about SEC catchers beyone cody freeman and micah gibbs. perhaps a better wording would have been "one of the best defensive catchers in the SEC." blanket statements like that just make you look silly.
@anon
I disagree with your assessment. I have watched plenty of baseball from little league to pro and if you can find me a better defensive catcher I will listen. Until then, I agree with the cuppers that he is the best in the nation. His pitchers love him, his coaches love him, he makes teams scared to run, etc... What else can you want from the defensive side?
Brett Basham has as much to do with "the thing" as Scott Bittle does.
does that mean that dexter is the best running back in the nation? he can run up the middle, run outside, and catch out of the backfield. what else could you ask for? and he has as much to do with the wild rebel as anyone else.
done. set in stone. dexter = best running back in the nation.
while we're on the subject though, if basham is the best, could you provide me with who would be your picks for the second through fifth best cather is? or even better, could you name 5 other starting catchers in the nation, regardless of their talent level?
@anon,
As of today, no I cant. Because last years "best catcher" and "best defensive catcher" was Buster Posey and he is not a San Fran Giant (BOO!!!). Give me a month. From a defensive outlook, he is a beast. As far as RunDMC goes, dont be an ass. No one would even try to argue that. There is a reason that a catcher who cant hit gets national recognition and drafted pretty high. It is because he is a stud behind the plate. Also, not catching 5 games a week is going to show both in the batters box and behind it.
alex,
props. you know your stuff. yes buster was probably the best last year. the guy from stanford was just as good. bash is a beast behind the plate. the pitchers do love him. and he might have the strongest arm i've ever seen. his accuracy isn't perfect, but the strength makes up for that. i will agree that he is high on the list of best defensive catchers, but making or defending a statement like "best defensive catcher in the country" is wrong. it's just like the guy who wrote the article this week that said "ole miss did less with more." he gave no evidence to support it. in a few months, we'll see if bash is in the top 5, or top 20 catchers.
alex,
props. you know your stuff. yes buster was probably the best last year. the guy from stanford was just as good. bash is a beast behind the plate. the pitchers do love him. and he might have the strongest arm i've ever seen. his accuracy isn't perfect, but the strength makes up for that. i will agree that he is high on the list of best defensive catchers, but making or defending a statement like "best defensive catcher in the country" is wrong. it's just like the guy who wrote the article this week that said "ole miss did less with more." he gave no evidence to support it. in a few months, we'll see if bash is in the top 5, or top 20 catchers.
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