This article was supplied by the Baseball Factory E-Newsletter in the May edition.
IN THE NEWS
Baseball Factory's Top 100 Prospects,
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Each year we work with over 30,000 players at our events. In addition, our staff scouts thousands of other high school players across the nation through our travels and network of coaches. Pulling from this extensive scouting effort, we have developed a list of the Top 100 High School Prospects, powered by Under Armour.
This video was supplied by the Baseball Factory E-Newsletter in the May edition.
As coaches we love to have our offense clicking on all cylinders, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case. While mechanical changes can fix a slumping hitter's struggle, there are other places to look for answers. One area is your hitter’s rhythm and timing.
The weather for most of the country this spring has made it difficult for players to get into a consistent routine. This can hurt timing more than swing mechanics, slowing a hitter's arrival and making it very difficult to find the barrel consistently. Adjusting the load/trigger and arrival to the launch position can fix problems quickly, without interrupting a player's head with a mechanical change. We often use the drill in this video to help players regain some rhythm and timing.
Members of the team from Osaka, Japan, came together for a photo with their exhibition opponents from Hingham High after the teams played.
By: Stan Grossfied, Boston Globe
In the darkness of the JFK Library’s auditorium, the Hingham Harbormen, the reigning Division 2 baseball state champions, shifted uneasily in their seats. Nearby, jet-lagged students from Osaka, Japan, here on a weeklong exchange program with their baseball hosts, sat separately, erect and motionless.
On the screen was a biography about John F. Kennedy that included World War II and the Japanese attacks.
It was an awkward moment, but thankfully the past does not dictate the future. The following day was Baseball Camelot. The students held a joint practice at Hingham High School. Something magical happened on the diamond between the 33 visiting ballplayers from Tennoji High School and their American counterparts. In the course of two hours, the two teams became one, cheering for one another and laughing out loud.
“I was scared at first how big they were,” he said. “But once we started talking and playing baseball, they were very friendly and I wasn’t scared at all.”Naoki Fujiwara, the Tennoji third baseman, said his fears quickly evaporated.
Kei Saito, the shortstop and captain of the Tennoji team, agreed.
“We were just having a lot of fun, there was no language needed,” he said. “There was a great energy from them and the energy from us was like a synergy.”
Rick Swanson, the Hingham assistant principal and junior varsity baseball coach, said he had goose bumps at the practice.
“That was a watershed moment,” he said. “I had the image of Ray Kinsella looking out over that field and saying, ‘It’s perfect.’ ”
The exchange was conceived by Swanson in February 2013 after he screened the documentary “Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball” and held a webinar with the filmmakers.
The visitors stayed with host families and shadowed their counterparts in school for a week last month. The sightseeing itinerary included a tour of Fenway Park, where the young Japanese players bowed to the Green Monster and received a ball autographed by Osaka native Koji Uehara from the Red Sox. They also attended a Celtics game, toured Harvard University, and hiked the Freedom Trail.
The Osaka kids spoke some English, the Hingham kids spoke no Japanese, and there was only one interpreter.
But it hardly mattered, because everyone spoke baseball.
Seeds of cooperation
Hideshi Masa, the Tennoji manager, was thrilled with the experience.
“I think both teams felt the happiness,” he said. “If you missed the ball, you felt sorry and wanted to encourage them to do better. We could all feel what they were feeling.’’
At the end of the joint practice, Masa impulsively ran over and bear-hugged Hingham’s Matt Nash after he made a good hustle play.
The Hingham players were surprised. They thought the visitors would be more reserved.
“It’s very natural for me when the kids make a good play, I hug them,” said Masa.
The charismatic manager said the film at the library did not offend him; it was a teaching moment.
“This must never be repeated,” he said. “It is a tragedy. What I’m trying to teach kids is to make a peaceful, harmonious society.”
Baseball in America is more free-wheeling than in Japan, where it is more disciplined, said Masa.
“I feel like American kids are more dynamic,” he said. “In Japan, nobody wants to make a mistake.”
The Japanese practice all year long, sometimes both before and after school. They play nine-inning games instead of seven.
There are also some cultural differences.
“They didn’t know what sunflower seeds were,” said Hingham sophomore Geoffrey Bearden. “So then we introduced them to sunflower seeds.”
At school, the Hingham students and their guests planted seeds of kale and peas together during “Green Week” and were also taught how to carve baseball bats in shop class.
“It was great,” said shop teacher Paul Pawlowski. “They were respectful and intent on learning, so it was a great experience.”
Some of the host families in Hingham had nothing to do with the school’s baseball team. Alex Clark, 17, persuaded her parents to host Tennoji center fielder Kaito Nakamura, 17, for a week.
“I always wanted a sibling,” she said. “I’m sleeping in the basement, he’s sleeping in my room. It’s amazing, better than I ever thought. The Japanese are so polite, so kind, so excited with everything we want to show them.”
Host mother Jean Beane, whose son Bobby Beane Jr., is an 11th-grader, said it was an amazing experience having Riku Yokote, the Tennoji catcher, stay with her family.
“My biggest surprise was his room was equally as messy as my son’s room,” she said, laughing.
The Japanese guests steered clear of sushi but loved the gourmet cheeseburgers at one of their sponsors, Wahlburgers.
But Fenway was clearly the biggest hit.
“I felt like I was in front of the baseball god,” said Masa. “I was very serene.”
Game day
On the last full day, an exhibition game was played between the teams. It was highly anticipated by the Tennoji players but downplayed by the Hingham coaches.
“It’s definitely first scrimmage mood for us, despite how everyone else might want to take it,” said Hingham head coach Frank Niles. “But it’s a good thing, we need the at-bats.”
Most of the approximately 250 fans in attendance were rooting for the visitors. The smell of onions and sausages, grilled by The Sausage Guy, wafted over the third base line.
Tennoji won, 3-1, on two long home runs by right fielder Jyunpei Miyata.
After the last out, there was a cultural love-a-thon on the field. It was like David Ortiz hugging Koji Uehara 33 times simultaneously.
Tennoji players bowed to their opponents, the fans, and the field, and sang their school song. In an impromptu moment, the Japanese kids swapped hats with their American friends. One Tennoji player hugged a group of girls who had written — incorrectly, it turns out — a sign of support in Japanese. The hosts also delivered hot dogs to the victors, who quickly wolfed them down. If only peace with North Korea could be so easy.
Members of the Tennoji team bowed to their opponents before the teams’ scrimmage.
Outfielder Masato Yamaguchi was asked where he’d rather play baseball, in the United States or Japan. There was silence as he thought.
“It’s a very difficult question,” he said. “To have fun, America would be the place.”
Bearden said he felt sad that the guests were going back to Osaka.
“Next week’s going to be weird without them,” he said. “We’ve become friends, and it’s fun to see them around the school. It’s going to kind of stink when they leave.”
A mural depicting Japanese baseball was painted by Hingham students Ali Weaver and Emma McKeon-White inside the school — a constant reminder of their new friends, still connected by social media.
But Hingham second baseman Kyle Lussier, who has a mini-Fenway in his backyard, said he missed the after-school Wiffleball games with his Osaka buddies.
Lussier, who last year witnessed the Boston Marathon bombings, told Swanson, “This was and forever will be the best week of my life.”
There was even praise from the Japanese guests for things most high school kids diss.
“I was surprised,” said Swanson, grinning broadly. “They even seemed to like the school lunch.”
Riku Yokote led Tennoji players as they high-fived their Hingham counterparts after the scrimmage.
San Diego State baseball coach Tony Gwynn has been on a medical leave of absence from the team since March 24, according to a team statement issued Tuesday.
Gwynn, 53, left the team after the effects of cancer treatments caught up with him, an athletic department official told Fox5 San Diego.
According to the team statement, there is no timetable set for Gwynn's return. Mark Martinez is the interim coach in Gwynn's absence.
"I'm on the mend and looking forward to getting back to the team," Gwynn said.
Gwynn was previously away from the team in 2012 when he had surgery to remove a tumor in his cheek. He also battled cancer of a salivary gland and had both lymph nodes removed in 2010.
The Hall of Famer retired as a player in 2001 after 20 seasons with the San Diego Padres. He's coached the Aztecs for 12 seasons.
On Monday afternoon, Coach Steve Irvine walked into a ransacked high school locker room. Players' black bags unzipped and strewn out across the locker room floor. Locker doors open. Clothes everywhere.
As Irvine's blood pressure rose, he blamed his players.
Irvine wrote "facility clean-up day" on the dry erase board, with full intention he would teach his high-schoolers a lesson about taking care of your stuff.
When the bell rang for baseball practice, one by one, players told the coach they couldn't find their stuff.
It started with shortstop Michael Smith.
The junior asked his teammates, "Who touched my glove?"
Twenty baseball players later, the coach figured out his assumption was wrong.
A thief stole around $4,000 to $5,000 worth of baseball gear. Irvine counted nine bats, four pairs of cleats and six gloves.
"It's life, it's going to kick you in the worst times. Just like we were telling our kids, our motto here is 'find a way. Find a way to move on. Make the next play" said Irvine.
Irvine contacted Tulsa Public Schools campus police to see if there's any surveillance video in the area. He believes this happened between Saturday night and Monday morning.
Their locker room is right next to the baseball field.
Players said they will figure out a way to play, even if that means wearing their coaches old gear.
Catcher Trevor Boone said "with a curve ball you might get another chance. This might be our second chance. This might be what we needed to move on, get better, maybe come out winning."
Walsh Jesuit is the highest-ranking new team in the rankings at No. 11. Barbe stays on top.
By: Kevin Askelund of MaxPreps.com @askkevin65
The Barbe Buccaneers held off a hard-charging Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.) team for the top spot in this week's Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings.
Barbe is ranked No. 1 for the second-straight week and it held on to that ranking with three solid wins. The Buccaneers head into the final week of the regular season and will likely head into the Louisiana Class 5A playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the second-straight season.
Lambert, however, has been perfect on the season with a 23-0 record. A powerful offense, led by sophomore Seth Beer, has been the key for Lambert, although it did need a two-run rally in the seventh inning last week against Johns Creek to pull out a win.
A total of 12 new teams enter the Xcellent 50 this week, topped by Ohio's top team Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls), which enters the rankings at No. 11 with a 9-0 record. See the Rest of MaxPreps Rankings.
One of our most important philosophies at MacArthur High School is playing pitch by pitch. We want our players completely focused, both offensively and defensively, every time the ball crosses the plate. Executing "winning pitches" more often than our opponent will consistently put us in a position to win a game, and more specifically, we believe the outcome is determined by just a handful of these pitches. Our goal is to "win" these crucial pitches and to expect success when the ball leaves the pitcher's hands.
Often these game-changing pitches come with two outs in the inning. How many times has a team executed an important two-out hit and gone on to win the game? Or not as obvious, how many times would the outcome have changed if that two-out ground ball to the shortstop with runners on second and third was thrown into right field? To accomplish winning these the two-out situations, we developed a game emphasizing "winning the pitch" while creating a competitive environment for our players, and working on our approach to success. A number of games are played during our practices awarding points for putouts and runs scored, or taking or giving up extra bases, but in order to work on the two-out situation, the game is modified.
We named the modified game simply, "Two Outs." In this game "Defense 1" is on the field for seven minutes while "Defense 2" is hitting. After the time allotted, teams switch for another seven minutes. Hitters get three pitches or opportunities to "get the job done" simulating a condensed "at-bat." A point is awarded after every hitter throughout the game. For every third out recorded, the defense gets a point, and for every successful trip to the plate the offense earns one. After each third out, the situation is reset, and at the end of 14 minutes, the team with the highest point total earns the victory.
During the first minute no one is on base. The offense works on "the two-out rally" while the defense attempts to record the elusive third out. Offensively, we stress, "not trying to do too much," "put the ball in play with authority," and "get on base," - another one of our huge philosophies. For both the offense and the defense getting the job done when called upon on is vital to success throughout the game.
During minute two there is a runner at first. The offense is two hits away from scoring a run. Runners must take good secondary leads making sure they make every effort to get to third base. The defense must take care of the ball on a base hit and keep the leading runner at second.
Minutes three and four are dedicated to working with a runner at second where more times than not, a base hit scores a run. Defensively, infielders have to keep the ball in the infield. Simultaneously, outfielders must consider if there is going to be a play at the plate. It is imperative to throw the ball through the cutoff man keeping the runner at first, or getting the ball to second base. Offensively, hitters must have a "good approach," driving hittable pitches and laying off enticing ones. They must understand the need to drive in the crucial two-out run, but more importantly, their goal is to get to the next hitter any way they can. In order to achieve this goal, hitters get three pitches. If no strikes are thrown and the hitter successfully lays off, he takes his base, earning a point for the offense for successfully getting to the next hitter.
In the fifth through sixth minute runners are at second and third. A walk is not necessarily a negative for the defense, creating a force at any base, but it is considered a "win" for the offense, sending another hitter to the plate. A hit should score two runs, and once the ball reaches the outfield the main priority for the defense is keeping the runner off second base. Taking care of the ball is vital for the defense to avoid the "big inning," and as always, hitters must have a good approach and get a good pitch to hit.
Finally, in minute seven we place a runner at third. The pressure to make a play on defense and make effective throws across the field is now at its peak in the infield. The offense knows a base hit scores a run, but as always, the goal is to get to the next hitter.
For a baseball coach, it is a constant battle to find ways of putting players in various practice situations in order to create success on game day. Putting players in stressful two-out situations will pay dividends throughout the season. Focusing on "winning pitches" in two-out situations has and will continue to help us throughout the season. Our "Two-Outs" game, although important, allows us to integrate competitive game situations into our daily routine.
Tom Alfieri enters his fifth year as head coach in San Antonio, Texas for the MacArthur Brahmas. His responsibilities include working with all aspects of the baseball team including the day-to-day operation of running a program. For the 2011 season, the Brahmas were Area-Finalists posting a 20-12 record. And during the summer of 2011, he presented at the Texas High School Coaches Association on developing an offseason program in baseball.
Coach Alfieri played for two seasons at Tarleton State University under Coach Jack Allen and is also an alumnus of MacArthur High School playing under Coach Paul Lindy. He resides in San Antonio with his wife, Krystle, and their two daughters, Mallie and Madelynn.
Quote of the
Day
"I
never threw the spitter, well maybe once or twice when I really needed to get a
guy out real bad."
Jackson College pitcher Caleb Baragar has been unhittable in his last two starts –literally.
Jackson College pitcher Caleb Baragar has thrown back-to-back no-hitters for the Jets.Courtesy Rick Smith| Jackson College
The Jets' sophomore starter threw his second no-hitter in a week's time. The first came in a five-inning 10-0 win over St. Clair Community College before throwing another no-no Sunday at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
Baragar tossed all seven innings, recording 10 strikeouts, with just two walks, as the Jets took a 1-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader.
The game's only run came on a Pat Guadard base hit, scoring Josh Knorr who led off the inning with a double.
The Jets then went on to win the nightcap 10-7. Josh Moddy got the win pitching 2.3 innings in relief. A pair of Brooklyn Columbia Central graduates aided the Jets' offense. Cole Knaup had a pair of hits, including a double, and three RBIs while Tyler Reed had two RBIs and two doubles.
The games were Jackson College's first in league play while the Jets hold an 11-7 overall record.
The debate over Babe Ruth's "Called Shot" in Chicago's Wrigley Field -- did he or didn't he? -- never will be definitively resolved.
But Henry Aaron, according to an eyewitness kneeling about 40 feet from the batter's box in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, did indeed call a home run that was even more historic than the Bambino's in the 1932 World Series.
Today is the 40th anniversary of Aaron's epic 715th career home run, the one that eclipsed Ruth's hallowed record of 714. It was a rainy night in Georgia, bitter cold, and Dusty Baker was right there, watching his mentor reach the mountaintop on April 8, 1974.
Baker, the Braves' 24-year-old center fielder, raised a fist from the on-deck circle as Aaron's drive arced toward left-center field. Clearing the fence, the home run sent a sellout crowd into a collective delirium normally reserved for another sport in football-mad Georgia.
Baker still clearly recalls Aaron's words as he headed toward the plate to face Dodgers veteran Al Downing in the fourth inning.
"Hank told me he was going to do it," Baker said of their brief exchange in the on-deck circle. "Hank was a student of hitting; he always studied pitchers, their tendencies. As he went up to hit, he said, 'I'm going to get this thing over with right now.'
"After he hit it, I didn't want to go to the plate. I was closer to the catcher and pitcher than anybody, but that was Hank's moment -- a great moment. He earned it."
Baker was among a select few close enough to Aaron to grasp what the great slugger had endured emotionally in the days, weeks and months leading up to April 8, 1974. Venomous mail, racist and threatening, found its way into Aaron's hands.
"I was aware of most of it," Baker said by phone from Texas, where he was enjoying his first NCAA basketball Final Four after all the years otherwise occupied as a player, coach or manager. "I lockered right next to him. I could see him stare at a letter. Sometimes he'd drop it on the floor. I'd pick it up and read what these people had written. It was terrible, man.
"The other side was people who'd send him things to let him know they were behind him. When they'd send him some hip records, he'd hand them over to me and say, 'Here, you take this.' That wasn't Hank's style."
One hate letter in particular stands out in Baker's mind all these years later.
"It was a death threat from somebody who said he'd be in the ballpark in Atlanta, in a red coat," Baker said. "Me and Ralph [Garr] said, 'We're down with you, Hank.' We were looking all night for some dude in a red coat. Hank was Hank -- cool as always. He got threats all the time."
Aaron, who turned 40 two months before breaking Ruth's record and had hit No. 714 in Cincinnati in the season-opening series, took Baker and Garr, his young partners in the Atlanta outfield, under his wing. They had dinner at the home of Rev. Jesse Jackson and also met prominent figures in the civil rights movement such as Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young.
"We went to visit Jimmy Carter and his mother when he was the governor," Baker recalled. "All these important people wanted to connect with Hank. One of his heroes was Jackie Robinson, for everything he'd gone through [in integrating baseball]. Hank wanted to carry it on in his quiet way -- and he did. He had a tremendous social impact."
When he was drafted by the Braves in 1967 as a multi-sport star out of Del Campo High School in the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Carmichael, Baker had to convince his parents that baseball, not college, was the way to go.
"I had signed a letter of intent to Santa Clara [University]," Baker said. "Hank promised my mom he would take good care of me -- and he did. Me and Ralph went over to his house almost every night.
"After they had the ceremony on the field for him that night, I was the next hitter. I heard the clicking of seats, people leaving, when I went up to hit. It was the coldest night I can remember in Atlanta -- and one of the greatest nights of my life."
* * * * *
Downing was 22, not yet known as "Gentleman Al," when he met Aaron for the first time. Downing was embarking on his rookie season as a flame-throwing lefty for the New York Yankees, having appeared in six games the previous two seasons.
"I was first introduced to him by [Yankees catcher] Elston Howard in Spring Training in 1963, in Florida," Downing recalled. "The Braves were in West Palm Beach. I remember Elston introducing us and thinking, 'This is the nicest, most gracious guy for a superstar.' Hank never really changed."
Eleven years later, Downing answered to "Ace" in the Los Angeles clubhouse. At 33, a 20-game winner in 1971, he was entering his fourth season with the Dodgers.
"I walked him first time up, and everybody booed me. It was the second pitch [in a 1-0 count], and I was trying to get the double play. I wanted to get a fastball down in the strike zone, hoping he'd roll over. It was elevated -- and 'The Hammer' put the hammer on it."
-- Al Downing
It was his destiny to be known in baseball lore for a fastball launched into history, one No. 44 throwing it to another. Downing was the right guy in the right place.
"It couldn't have worked out any better, really," said Davey Lopes, playing second base behind Downing that night. "Al is such a secure person, he understood the big picture. It was like when Rickey Henderson was Nolan Ryan's 5,000th strikeout victim. Rickey embraced it. Al was never bothered at all by being part of Hank's big moment."
Downing recalls every detail: three rain delays, the game situation, his characteristic nap before his start, what he was trying to do with the pitch. And he also remembers Aaron's poetic swing: so relaxed, so pure and powerful.
An error on Darrell Evans' grounder leading off the inning had Downing -- protecting a 3-1 lead he'd helped create with an RBI single -- thinking about a double play as he prepared to face Aaron.
"I walked him first time up, and everybody booed me," Downing said, Aaron scoring on Baker's double after the free pass. "It was the second pitch [in a 1-0 count], and I was trying to get the double play. I wanted to get a fastball down in the strike zone, hoping he'd roll over. It was elevated -- and 'The Hammer' put the hammer on it."
Downing had been informed that if Aaron went deep, there would be a ceremony.
"I went to the dugout," Downing said. "It rained all night. They wanted to make it official, so they were going to wait out the rain."
When play finally resumed, he walked Baker and Davey Johnson, then was replaced by Mike Marshall.
As the crowd numbering 53,775 gradually dispersed into the cold night, Downing headed to the clubhouse. Holding court with legendary author George Plimpton and a young, wide-eyed Dodgers beat writer during a rain delay, Downing was as cool and analytical as ever. He praised Aaron, talking about the respect Hank commanded, and eventually left the park in a cab with Plimpton, who had a plane to catch.
"This was a very impressive moment, a magnanimous moment for sports," Downing said. "Baseball was not big in Atlanta; football was reigning supreme. The Braves had made it to the playoffs in '69 when the Mets beat them, and that was the only time the city really got into it. This was a crowning moment for baseball in the South."
The following afternoon, Downing was sitting in the dugout with the young beat reporter when Aaron motioned him toward the batting cage. The pitcher came over, writer in tow, and the two men talked.
"He was telling me, 'I'm glad it's over,'" Downing said. "He asked me how I was doing, and I told him I was fine. He said, 'You're still a good pitcher; don't worry about it.' I have a photo of that [scene]. I'm shaking his hand behind the batting cage."
Downing and Aaron sat together at the annual Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards Dinner in January in New York. They shared some memories along with the Willie, Mickey and The Duke Award presented by the New York chapter.
"We had fun at the dinner," Downing said. "We've always had a good relationship."
* * * * *
Lopes was on the money. It could not have been scripted any better.
When Dodgers left fielder Bill Buckner was unsuccessful in his attempt to climb the left-field fence and claim the prized No. 715 home run ball, it was caught by Braves reliever Tom House, who raced to home plate to present it to Aaron.
As he toured the bases in his inimitable style -- and as a pair of exuberant fans were running from the stands onto the infield -- Aaron shook the hand of Lopes as he approached second base. It was the rarest of baseball scenes, especially in those times when fraternization among opposing players was heavily frowned upon.
"That was a special moment," said Lopes, who impulsively had extended his hand to Aaron. "That wasn't anything I prepared to do. It was spontaneous. I have tremendous respect for Hank, for what he accomplished and the man he is.
"Just like Jackie was the one to handle all the racial overtones of breaking the barrier, Hank was the guy to break the home run record. He's very quiet, very humble. There are a chosen few, and Hank was one of them.
"Hank and Al, their personalities are very similar. I don't think it's been a burden at all on Al. It wasn't like Bobby Thomson's home run off Ralph Branca. It was almost an honor for Al to be associated with Hank [in a historical context]. People who know themselves well see things clearly, for what they are."
That young writer, so fortunate to have been in Atlanta 40 years ago, is still knocking out copy, knowing he'll never experience anything quite like April 8, 1974, on a rainy, magical night in Georgia.
Lyle Spencer is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
New stadium, new attitude find Washington as the hottest college baseball team in country
From Associated Press Reports
SEATTLE – When the trip to sunny Arizona in February was finished and Washington was humbled by a pair of Big Ten powers and lost to a conference neighbor, Lindsay Meggs decided bluntness was the way to go.
The Huskies were about to debut a new $15 million baseball stadium in the coming weeks. And Washington's coach demanded that the product on the field match the gem of a facility the Huskies were about to christen.
"We had some guys with that mindset who in my opinion weren't on board," Meggs said. "We had some guys who didn't want to be challenged and didn't want to be pushed to the degree we needed to make them better and compete at that level. We kind of challenged them that day."
The response since that meeting? In the past 18 games, Washington has won 17, including 10 in a row.
The Huskies (20-5-1, 8-1 Pac-12) are the hottest team in the country, lead the Pac-12 by two games, have vaulted into the national rankings and are making the case that college baseball in the Pacific Northwest is more than just what's happening at Oregon and Oregon State.
Whether it's great pitching, a surge of power, or defensive gems, the Huskies are not playing like a team that was picked to finish 10th out of 11 schools in the preseason Pac-12 poll.
"This team, like I've told my family, friends, guys on our own team, this team is the team that I always hated to play against. We know how to play hard and play together," Washington center fielder Braden Bishop said. "When it comes down to it, we have that ability where we don't know how to lose. I don't know if it's because we've won however many games in a row but it just kind of seems when we hit that adverse situation in the game, we all come together and we don't turn away from each other."
Washington, ranked No. 14 this week by Baseball America, will see its win streak get a major test this weekend with a visit from No. 19 Oregon, the team picked to finish second in the league this season. It's a marquee matchup for the Huskies and another chance to show off their new facility.
The Huskies' old stadium was essentially an erector set. It was so shabby that when Washington teams of the past were good enough to qualify for the NCAA tournament, they could not host regionals because the stadium did not meet standards.
The new park has seating for more than 2,200 with a grass berm down the left-field line that can handle a couple hundred more. There's a full press box and club area behind home plate, all looking out toward Lake Washington and the turf playing field. The stadium was the second piece of a three-pronged update to Washington's baseball facility that included a new team building attached to the stadium and an indoor performance center.
For a program that has produced its share of major leaguers and had the Golden Spikes Award winner in 2006 in Tim Lincecum, the facility upgrade was needed.
"The challenge for us since we've been here is it's the worst facility in the conference and that people would interpret that to mean there is not a commitment to the program across the board," Meggs said. "This answers all those questions and puts all of that to bed and gives us a chance to recruit not only the best kids in the Northwest but nationally as well."
Washington seems to understand that what the Huskies have accomplished so far is just a base. The more difficult part of the schedule begins this weekend with a series against the Ducks, with Oregon State and UCLA still to come. Meanwhile, leading hitter Brian Wolfe could be limited the next couple of weeks after getting hit on the hand.
But this blazing start has put Washington in the position that with a strong push the rest of the way and its new stadium, the Huskies could be in line to host an NCAA regional later this spring.
"The ultimate goal at the end is to win the College World Series," Wolfe said. "But it's by short term goals we're going to get there."
Baseball season is around the corner, and there's no better time than now to refine your fundamental skills.
For first basemen, catching a routine throw from the infield may seem like one of the most basic skills of the game. However, there's nothing routine about snagging a one-hop throw or sweeping up a ball in the dirt.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com wrote about New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira and his first-base tutorials with the club's off-season acquisition, super-utility player Kelly Johnson. (The article is for ESPN Insiders only.)
Teixeira is a five-time Gold Glove Award-winner and one of Major League Baseball's elite defenders at first base.
Olney writes that "Teixeira is extremely knowledgeable about the position and [is] precise" with his footwork and fielding fundamentals.
The fielding work consisted of a Yankees coach "using a fungo bat to smash hard grounders at Teixeira, simulating bad throws to first, with the ball skipping and bouncing and short-hopping," Olney explains in the article.
Here are four of the coaching points Tex relayed to Johnson:
1. Start with both heels touching the bag as you wait for the throw, "so [you] know where the base is."
2. Stride toward the ball as it's thrown, which will enable you to adjust your reach to the ball and catch the hop in an optimal position.
3. Lower your head as the ball travels toward the base, so it's almost on the same plane as your glove. This will put you in the best position to see the ball into the glove.
4. Field the ball on the fair side of the foul line, to keep out of the way of the baserunner running down the line.