As the Boston Red Sox made short work of the Rockies in the World Series last week (sorry Panozzo!), one glaring capability stood out to me.  The ability of the Boston pitching staff, most notably Josh Beckett, to get ahead and stay ahead of hitters throughout the playoffs was amazing!  You hear it religiously at baseball games of every level..."Get ahead!"  Beckett and the Sox staff put into work exactly what coaches have been preaching forever.  With the ability to attack the strike zone and go up 0-1 in the count, Beckett kept his pitch counts low, forced hitters to stay on his game plan, and forced hitters to hit his pitches.  Throwing strike #1 is the most important pitch in baseball!  Who says that pro athletes can't teach the young players of today good lessons?  Beckett's statistics speak for themselves.

(10/3/07-10/28/07)

First Pitch Strike % - 64%

1 of First 2 Pitches for Strike % - 87%

2 of First 3 Pitches for Strike % - 74%

% of 1-1 Counts that become 1-2 Counts - 81%

Posted by Cory Stevens at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2007 Wabash fall baseball season ended on a beautiful October Saturday.  The Little Giants suited up for one final intrasquad game on October 6th.  With temperatures creeping over 90, the coaches were able to see the team in action for the last time until late January (which will undoubtedly be indoors).  Following the game, the Little Giant World Series champions were awarded their winning t-shirts...which were sported around campus immediately.  With 4 months of weights, cages, conditioning, plyometrics, etc. ahead, spirits are high as we look forward to the 2008 season.  Thank you to all of the parents who came out to support the team for each and every fall game.

Posted by Cory Stevens at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The White Team (Schmaltzenhators) ended the Little Giant World Series in six games on Thursday afternoon under the direction of senior Chris Schmaltz.  Despite the Red Team taking an early 3-1 lead, the White Team stormed back with a big five run inning in the 4th.  The highlight of the afternoon was an unlikely homerun from Mike Korfhagen of the White Team.  The final score was 6-4.  The Little Giants will finish the fall season on Saturday, October 6th with a final intrasquad game at Mud Hollow.  The championship team members are listed below.

Chris Schmaltz '08, Joel Bustamante '11, Matt Dodaro '09, Tanner Coggins '11, David Seibel '11, Alan Griggs '11, Nic Schrader '11, Willie Matis '10, Mike Korfhagen '09, Brian Van Duyn '11, Travis Stirling '10

Posted by Cory Stevens at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In front of a Homecoming crowd on Saturday, Keegan Leckrone '10, Joey Niezer '09, and TJ Siple '09 pieced together a no-hitter for the Red Squad (Da Siples).  The 5-0 victory tied the series at two games apiece going into the last week of the fall season.  The White Team (Schmaltzenhators) took an early 2-0 lead in the series, before play resumed this past week. World Series games will take place Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week.

Posted by Cory Stevens at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)