Baseball Intrasquad Series to Close Solid Fall

Baseball Intrasquad Series to Close Solid Fall

10/6/2003

Baseball Intrasquad Series to Close Solid Fall 10-6-03
By Tony Lane

When the calendar says October, professional baseball dons the mystical garments of Fall Classics and paves the way for the Reggie Jacksons, Bill Mazeroskis and Orel Hershisers to assume mythic status.

Nuts to that, says collegiate baseball. October is the 4 in a 6-4-3 double play, the pivot point between summer league development and the fresh, impending spring season.

Last fall, Vanderbilt broke in a new double-play combo with new head coach Tim Corbin shoveling off 19 years of coaching experience to a young Commodore corps. This time around the horn, culminating in the Black and Gold series Oct. 10-12 at Charles Hawkins Field, fall workouts have been as crisp as, yes, an October evening, since Corbin and company are practically Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance in terms of understanding.

“Last year … I tried to achieve a pace of practice and a mode of how to work,” said Corbin. “I think that was established over the course of the year, and we do return many veteran players, so that helps the process this year. Now it’s just a matter of learning all these new kids that are here.”

Normally, adding 16 first-year players, like Vanderbilt is doing this fall, would involve a lot of backtracking and repetition. In fact, the seven Commodores with two or three letters won have been integral in helping Corbin accelerate the indoctrination.

“I find myself about to say something to a younger player and the older players jump up and say it for me,” said Corbin.

Senior first baseman Cesar Nicolas remembered the first dry runs of Corbin’s caffeinated practices last year. It took time to adjust but, as Nicolas pointed out, “Now, we do the same stuff, but we’ve got so many guys to reinforce what he’s teaching to the younger guys that it flows a lot easier.”

Fall ball is based mostly in unit work — Corbin with the infielders, Derek Johnson with the pitchers, Erik Bakich with the outfielders and Michael Holder with the catchers. Fundamentals like bunt defense and baserunning melt in with intrasquad scrimmages to round out a typical fall session.

“The good thing about coach Corbin is, when we play intrasquads, it’s like a game,” said sophomore outfielder Matt Zeller. “You don’t have to have a couple thousand people in the stands to feel like it’s a game. Everybody’s playing like it’s game mode.”

Beyond working in the new guys, Corbin’s aim in the fall is to build on a fabulous summer during which four Commodores — Jeremy Sowers, Ryan Klosterman, Warner Jones and Nicolas — made the Cape Cod League All-Star team, the most from any one school in the league’s history. Also, senior Worth Scott led Staunton of the Valley League with a .339 batting average and sophomore Ryan Mullins was rated the No. 1 prospect out of the New England Collegiate League after striking out 89 batters in 69 innings of work.

“I wanted them to gain confidence,” said Corbin. “That was the main function of summer ball, just get them out there and play and get as many at-bats and as many innings as they can.

“I don’t think there was one guy who went anywhere and faltered. That was the most impressive thing.”
The first-year Commodores have a lot to live up to on that account, but early reports are very promising. Among the outfielders, Scott has been particularly impressed with Bill Kleinschrodt, a freshman from Mobile, Ala., and Colton Daines, a juco transfer from California. Antoan Richardson, from Palm Beach Junior College in Florida, will add an element of speed.

“They surprised me with their athletic ability and some of the stuff they do in the outfield,” said Scott. “As far as swinging the stick, they can all swing the stick pretty good.”

Among the new pitchers, righthander Ryan Rote, another junior college product from Wisconsin, has been drawing rave reviews from ‘Dore hitters. Freshmen Ty Davis and Greg Moviel are also progressing nicely.
“All of our pitching staff is gonna be really improved,” said Zeller, “and just to add to the good pitching staff we already have, it’s gonna be a lot stronger.”

“Most of them look very impressive,” seconded Nicolas. “There’s a good crop of freshmen and a good crop of junior college players, and I think they’re all going to be able to step in and help us out in a big way.”
The Commodores, 27-28 overall last year, broke new ground with an SEC Tournament bid and a second-place, high-wire finish in the Eastern Division. Still, the pilot light for new expectations and loftier goals is lit in the fall. Scott, whose walk-off home run in the final regular season game against Tennessee made the SEC tourney reality, believes Vandy’s mission is pretty self-evident.

“Everybody knows what we [want] to do,” he said. “We’re gonna win our midweek games, we’re gonna do damage in the SEC and we’re going to go to the SEC Tournament and hopefully go further. It’s kind of said and unsaid.”

If the fall is any indication, the Commodores are ready to turn two — back-to-back SEC Tournament berths and winning records in the league and overall.

“They’re very, very motivated,” said Corbin. “I grade each practice when I go back to the office, and I can only tell you that what we’ve done in the course of the week compared to the 19 years that I’ve been coaching, I’ve never seen a group that practices this hard. I tell them that, and I don’t like throwing out a lot of compliments unless I can stand behind them.”