| 7/18/2006
By Lauren Malone HARWICH, Mass. — The longhorns roam freely across the sprawling hills of the lone star state, while the aroma of Texas barbeque can be detected from miles away during this long hot summer. From locals to tourists, people gather at county fairs, fiestas, and the Alamo in the daze of the late-July heat. However, the summer on Cape Cod is a far cry from county pig races, wake-boarding on Lake Travis, and the music scene on the infamous 6th street in Austin. For Ricky Hargrove (Houston) and Ty Davis (Vanderbilt) they hope to attract a crowd to a different type of festivity at the end of July, the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game. The lush green baseball fields, sprinkled around the villages of Cape Cod, are clearly distinguishable from the dusty-desert like terrain of Texas, and these two pitchers from the Lone Star state, who are prospective CCBL All-Star’s, work on their fastballs and change-ups in the hope of keeping opposing batters from hitting the dreaded long ball; the certain demise of any pitcher, particularly in the eyes of the Major League Scouts. Hargrove, hailing from Katy, Texas is a right-handed pitcher from the University of Houston, and has thrived as a Chatham A so far this summer. During the week of July 2nd, Chatham suffered and lost two out of three games in a row. Their only victory came over the Y-D Red Sox, in which Hargrove, found his rhythm on the mound as a 6’1 starting pitcher, and led the A’s to a victory allowing only two hits over eight straight innings. Hargrove has certainly found his groove, as he is currently one of the top ten pitchers of the CCBL, and is a prospect for the All-Star team. In an interview conducted last spring with the University of Houston Sports Program, Hargrove revealed the strategy of his pitching perfection, and the advice given to him by his Head Coach, Coach Noble. “Coach Noble came out there and we were talking about trying to attack the hitters in the zone and quit nibbling on the corners. I just started throwing my fastball with sink over the strike zone and trying to get ground ball. When I get ground balls that is when I am pitching at my best.” Pitching at his best is exactly what he has been achieving as an “A” this summer. If Hargrove can continue to throw his fastball with sink, it’s likely he’ll be on the mound as an All-Star at the end of the month. As people dance the night away at Momo’s on 6th street in Austin, and the sound of live bands fill the night air, Ty Davis will be taking a break from his usual routine as an Austin native, as he plants his feet firmly on the mound as an Orleans Cardinal. Davis, who is a right handed pitcher and commodore at Vanderbilt University during the school year, looks to keep improving his game for the remainder of the summer playing for the CCBL. A first time player for the Cape League, he sports number 28, and has already started four games for the Cardinals thus far. On Tuesday July 11th, Davis took time away from his stretching routine to answer a few questions regarding the upcoming All-Star Game, and his experiences so far as a Cardinal. Ty’s rhythm on the mound has been solid, but he feels that, “unfortunately I hit a bump in the road last week, but I am definitely going to try and work myself back up to the point where I was before I had my last outing.” However, Ty’s one minor bump in the road did not result in a drop out of the top ten best pitchers in the league where he still stands. Earlier this month, Davis led the Cardinals to a 7-0 victory over the Wareham Gateman, where he was nearly unstoppable during his six innings of pitching, allowing only two hits. And his most recent outing, last week he remained in the game for six innings, allowing only two hits, and striking out 10. Davis feels that his game has improved a great deal since he has been apart of the league this summer, and he has strengthened his change-up which has been working very well for him this season. When asked about the All-Star game at the end of July, and with Davis knowing that he is one of the top prospects for the team, he stated that “it has certainly been a goal of mine since I joined the league this summer to make it to that point. I have also never been to Fenway Park, and to have the chance to be recognized as an All-Star at one of the most historic ball-parks will certainly be an honor.” If Davis does make the cut as an All-Star, the strategies he will put forth to strike out batters and prevent hits come from the wise words of his head coach at Vanderbilt, Coach Corbin. “At Vanderbilt, we have learned to always get ahead of the hitter, and secure two strikes. Our Coach taught us to always be aggressive on the mound; something that I have seen is continued here on the Cape League.” Sue Horton, the General Manager of the Orleans Cardinals believes that Ty has a great chance of making the All-Star team. “You have one rough day of baseball, and the rest are fabulous. Davis certainly has a shot at being an All-Star, and has done exceptionally well as a Cardinal this season. We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful pitching staff yet again.” While Davis anticipates what it may be like to be apart of the All-Star team, he is gearing up for his next start which will come on July 14th against the Brewster Whitecaps. Cody Crowell, a Brewster Whitecap himself, and as well a teammate and close friend of Davis from Vanderbilt, has made the transition of living on the Cape a bit smoother for Davis. “The difference of life between Texas and the Cape is huge, but to be here for the summer with one of my good friends and college teammates, has made it easy for me to adjust. We are here to play baseball, and this is, great baseball.” And great baseball it is. The greatest may be at the end of the month at the All-Star game. Whether Hargrove and or Davis make the team or not, they still stand as two of the top ten pitchers here in the League, and are both blessed to have had the chance to play summer ball on the Cape. So, as the long hot summer rolls on, and the competition to make the cut as an All-Star continues to grow, Hargrove and Davis remain anchored by their Texas roots, while reaching for new heights on Cape Cod. |
