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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1991)
ka invikMikja iivcLadVci araov SYXai 1661 mm. feade&cUl JP/ Johnson must build young pitching staff Bv Alan Lehmann "he Battalion Staff If Mark. Johnson ever retires from coaching, he has a future in construction — or rather reconstruction. Last year the A&M head baseball coach rebuilt a team from the rubble of a successful year and the following draft. This season, he must patch together a pitching staff. Following the 58-7 year in 1989, the Aggie lineup was wrecked by graduation and the pro draft, and Johnson had to replace all eight position players — three of them All- Americans. Johnson’s young Aggies responded well, and the team finished 43-17 last season. This season, he faces the same quandry with his pitching staff. Gone are the six pitchers who combined for 32 of A&M’s wins last season. Now Johnson must clear the rubble and start over. “We’ve got a long way to go,” Johnson said. “We lost a lot of pitching, but we have several guys who are ready to step up and cross the line.” The cornerstone of Johnson’s staff will be junior Ronnie Allen. Allen, who has starred for the Aggies since he was a true freshman in 1989, was 6-4 last season with a 2.35 earned run average. Allen played on Team USA, the United States national team, and was 0- 1 with a 2.64 ERA before leaving the KEVIN IVYmie Battalion Coach Mark Johnson team with an injury. He is a quiet leader who should lead by example. The other two returning pitchers are Steve Hughes and Jason Bullard, both of whom were relievers last season. Hughes, a senior co-captain this season, may see action this year as a starter although he has never started a game for A&M. Bullard, who was 4-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 16 appearances last year, will be heavily counted on this season, Johnson said. “Jason has made great strides since the fall,” Johnson said. “He will be a pitcher who will get the ball on weekends.” A&M plays its Southwest Conference games on weekends. The Aggies’ pitching prosects may not be as barren as they seem. But that’s just because Johnson had a banner recruiting year last summer. He hauled in a load of talented freshmen and junior college transfers and will count on them in 1991. Among the six true freshman pitchers on the A&M roster, lefthander Jay Hogue has impressed Johnson the most. “Jay made great strides this fall,” he said. “He really stepped forward and gained confidence.” Kelly Wunsch, a lefty from Bellaire (Houston) also caught Johnson’s eye and Brian Parker could contribute. Transfers Jason Hutchins, Jeff Johnson and Alan Fiveash could all make significant contributions. Hutchins comes from Golden West Junior College in California with outstanding credentials. He passed up a chance to play in the Baltimore Orioles system this summer when they drafted him. Hutchins also pitched a no-hitter this summer in the Cape Cod League against Hyannis. The Cape has a reputation as being one of the better leagues in the nation and is regularly filled with all-star players. The mystery of this year’s pitching staff will be the bullpen stopper. The Aggies did without one last year, because of their bullpen depth and the 21 complete games that the staff threw. This season, Trey Witte may be called on to fill the stopper role. Although he was the starting second baseman last season, Witte has shown promise on the mound and a will to do the job. Johnson said that he would be happy if Witte could fill the role. “I would love it if Trey could get the job done,” he said. “He wants to do whatever he can to help the team, and I would rather have him out there in the ninth inning than throw a freshman into that situation.” While the pitching will be important this season, the veteran Aggie offense will be the foundation of A&M’s playoff hopes. Although the Aggies managed only a .253 team batting average and 32 home runs in 1990, the addition of two solid transfers should bolster both stats. Sittichoke Huckuntod, a senior trans- See Preview/Page 11 J. JANNER/The Battalion Tim Holt’s reaction to a called strike out exemplifies the Ags’ season. Surprising Ags fall apart, miss All’s well that ends well, but the 1990 Aggie season did not. After starting the season with a suprising nine-game win ning streak, the Texas A&M baseball team lost five of its final six games, finishing the season 43-17. The five losses were crucial Southwest Conference games against Houston and Arkansas, and as a result of the slide, A&M failed to make the four-team SWC tournament. But an even more crushing blow came May 21 when Coach Mark Johnson and his team found out that they had been ex cluded from the 48-team NCAA tournament field. “I felt that was hard to put behind us,” Johnson said. “It’s something that stays in the back of your mind.” It indeed seemed a travesty of justice that A&M was left from the field. The Aggies had one of the best records in the nation of any team not to make the tournament. But Johnson said he realizes the Aggies dug their own hole. “We knew what we had to do, and just didn’t get it done in those last three series,” Johnson said. “We had our fate in our own hands.” Although the season ended on a sour note, 1990 should be remembered as a successful one. The team that Johnson led onto Olsen Field in the Feb. 9 opener against the University of Texas-Arlington was virtually devoid of experienced position players, having been deci mated by graduation and the pro draft in the summer of 1989. playoffs Only two position players, Travis Williams and Trey Witte, survived the purging, and they had played sparingly as fresh men. At the time, Johnson admitted that he’d never lost so much talent in one summer. So Johnson knew he’d have to count on junior college trans fers and a strong pitching staff to get the Aggies off to a solid start. And they certainly did. A&M won its first nine games of the season before dropping four of six on a hectic Louisiana road trip. But the Aggies bounced back behind a suprisingly strong pitching staff and took two of three games from Louisiana State in a rematch of the 1989 NCAA regional. Shortly thereafter, A&M won the Aggie Continental Classic, finishing the double-round-robin tourney with a 5-1 record. From that point, the Aggies caught fire, winning 12 in a row for a 30-7 record. During the string, A&M swept Missouri, Southwestern, Texas Tech and Hardin Simmons. The streak stopped in Waco as the Bears edged the Aggies 7-6 in the series opener. A&M and Baylor swapped shutouts in the doubleheader finale. The Aggies followed by pounding out six consecutive victo ries, including three over Rice to take a 37-9 record into the crucial three-game set against the Longhorns in Austin. Texas won the opener, behind Kirk Dressenjiorfer’s pitch ing and sloppy Aggie defense. Junior Rich Robertson, a trans- See Wrap-up/Page 11 Page 2 Aggie Baseball 'i\V»\ViYvYSVv 1 Monday, February 11,1991 SJ3A039J uosinqoyj Dempsey, Davis provide new voices at Olsen Field this year By Steve O'Brien Of The Battalion Staff Texas A&M journalism lecturer John Mark Dempsey and radio station sales executive Randy Davis will have a big mouth to fill this season. The pair will replace Derrick “D.D." Grubbs — the only person who has seen every Aggie home game at Olsen Field —as public address announcers for Ag gie baseball. Grubbs, who was the voice of A&M baseball from 1976 undl this season, played signature songs for Aggie play ers as they came up to bat and blared the Olympic Theme after great de fensive plays. For 15 years, his assortment of music and game antics provided color to games at Olsen Field like no other col lege ball park m the country. Dave South, A&M assistant athletic director for marketing and promotion sales, said Grubbs will be missed. “We won’t be able to replace D.D. Grubbs, nor are we going to try,” South said. “It would be like trying to take over for the David Letterman show. “The bottom line is what’s going on out there on the field. The main show is the nine players on the field.” Without the personality of Grubbs, other things will be used to get the crowd involved in the games, South said. “We’re going to incorporate the scoreboard in the games this year,” South said. “We’re going to give away more prizes. “Every game there will be a chance for two people to win a Toyota.” Dempsey is a longtime fan of Aggie baseball and said he is looking forward to the challenge of replacing a legend at Olsen Field. “I think it’s going to be fun,” Demp sey said. Tm a baseball fan and an A&M baseball fan. “I’ve spent a lot of nights out there watching (the Aggies). It’s a fun place to go and have a good time, and I know a lot of people would like to do this.” Dempsey said he also has been a fan of Grubbs for many years. “He did a sensational job and I’m sorry he’s not going to be here,” Demp sey said. “I enjoyed what he did as much as anyone.” Davis, a former morning talk show host for radio station KTSR, acknowl edges the big job in front of himself and Dempsey. Huck from page 9 will see his parents on their vacation and they will make weekend trips to College Station for the Texas and Ar kansas series. On the field, Huckuntod does not find any one part of the game more difficult than another. The arrival of Huckuntod caused baseball coach Mark Johnson to make a position change on the team. Last year’s second baseman, Trey Witte, will play many different posi- dons this year, including pitcher. Huckuntod respects the way that Witte has accepted his new role with the team. “Trey is a great athlete,” Huckun tod said. “He can play just about any where.” Coach Johnson has high expecta tions for Huckuntod this year. “He hit the ball as well as anybody this fall,” Johnson said. “He could be someone we circle the wagons around.” Huckuntod already has proven himself on the field as well as in the classroom. He is a two-time Division II All- American as well as the 1990 Division II Academic Player of the Year. Coach Johnson has Huckuntod penciled in as his lead-off hitter to uti lize his speed. Huckuntod stole over 100 bases during his three years at CMS. Huckuntod’s base stealing prowess should help a team whose leader last year was Tim Holt (12 steals). “(Huckuntod) has got good speed,” Johnson said. “He can go full speed af ter two steps.” There are some more subtle qualites about Huckuntod that Johnson has noticed. “He is very sharp and popular and has a twinkle in his eye,” Johnson said. Even though Huckuntod lived most of his life in Missouri, he never had a chance to make it to Omaha, Neb. for the College World Series. “I’ll go sometime,” Huckuntod said. “Hopefully I’ll make it this year so I won’t have to go and watch it.” Wrap-up fer from San Jacinto Junior College, upped his season record to 9-0 with a 5-3 win in the second game. But the Aggies fell 2- 1 in the heart-breaking finale. The Aggies then beat Texas Southern in a twi-night double- header, blanking the Tigers both games 6-0, 9-0. The nightcap marked the 12th shutout the Aggies had thrown, breaking the record for most in a season formerly held by the 1979 squad. But A&M could not maintain their momentum, and dropped the middle game of the TCU series, dropping their SWC mark to 10-5. Still, with series remaining against Hous ton and Arkansas, the Aggies needed only to win two games to clinch a spot in the SWC Postseason Tournament. They did not make it. A&M lost all three games of the Hous ton series and two against Arkansas and missed the tourna ment for the first time since 1985, Johnson’s first season at the helm. The Aggies’ bats failed them in the Houston series as they lost by scores of 1-0,4-3 and 4-2. As a result, Rice went to the tournament instead of A&M. The Owls finished SWC play 11-9 (by virtue of a rainout against Texas), one-half game ahead of the Aggies. Under SWC rules, if a game cannot be played on the weekend it is scheduled, the game is canceled and will not be made up. The NCAA selection committee chose not to invite A&M to the NCAA tournament, apparently because the Aggies failed Continued from page 2 to make the SWC tourney. The NCAA generally does .rot in vite teams that do not make it to their own tournaments. A&M managed only a .252 team batting average with 32 homers for the season, but held opposing batters to .219 and 25 homers. Designated hitter David Rollen led the Aggies with a .297 average and eight home runs. Freshman Brian Thomas batted .290, despite hitting no homers. The lack of home run power was typical of the Aggie sea son. The team total was anemic compared to the 88 that the 1989 squad bashed. A glaring hole in the Aggie attack was the lack of an effec tive lead-off hitter. Centerfielder Tim Holt, who led off most of the season, managed only a .220 average. Third baseman Travis Williams had a .273 average and his eight homers were good for a share f the team lead. But the pitching was phenonemai in 1990. Aside from Robinson’s strikeout clinic, the Aggie staff fea tured junior Ronnie Allen, who went 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA. Al len’s record does not tell the true tale because Allen constantly faced the opposing staffs ace. Kerry Freudenburg, Sean Lawrence, Bo Siberz and Steve Hughes anchored the Aggie bullpen, combining for a 13-4 re cord and seven saves. Junior Jason Bullard was 4-0 with two saves. Preview fer from Central Missouri State, pushed Trey Witte from the second base spot. Huckuntod, a two-time Division II All- American, brings speed as well as good bat control. “He’s at full speed after two steps,” Johnson said of Huckuntod, who hit .475, .418 and .314, while stealing 110 bases over three seasons. Johnson also said that Huckuntod was a probable leadoff hitter for the Aggies. Conrad Colby, a junior transfer from Rancho Santiago Junior College (Calif.), is a prototype cleanup hitter. The 6-foot, 197-pound first baseman brings a .412 ca reer average with 10 homers. Colby bashed 15 home runs while play ing summer ball in Alaska last year. Junior Travis Williams will hold down the third base spot again this season. The two-year letterman finished fourth on the team in 1990 with a .273 average. Shortstop Jason Marshall gained over 10 pounds in an off-season workout pro gram and hopes to add punch to the Ag gie attack this year. The senior hit .259 and stole five bases in 1990. Marshall is backed up by sophomore Mike Hickey, a higly touted transfer from the University of Oklahoma. The most unstable spot in the infield this year is at catcher, where Blake Pyle, David Rollen and Ben Blake contend for the job. Pyle, a senior co-captain, holds the in side track with a solid lefthanded bat. Rollen put in more time last year at desig nated hitter and has not shown the de fensive skills Johnson would like. Blake, a junior transfer from Westark Community College (Ark.) has shown immense im provement since the fall, Johnson said. The outfield positions have been hotly contested, but some positions appear to be solidified. Sophomore Brian Thomas, who filled in for the injured Dan Robinson last sea son, will start in left field. Thomas hit .290 as a true freshman, and showed a good eye for the strike zone. Robinson missed the bulk of the season after he suffed a broken jaw and a con cussion in a March 17 collision with Witte. At the time of the accident, he was lead ing the team in homers, RBI, runs scored and stolen bases. Although he lost 15 pounds as a result of the injury, Robinson has gained it back and has regained his timing at the plate. Centerfield is the most uncertain out field spot. Tim Holt played the position well last season, but managed only a .220 batting average. Holt is still the best defesive out fielder on the squad and should play as long as he hits well. Thomas has the speed to play center, should Johnson decide to put Chad Broussard into left field, where he played most of last season. Broussard’s low home run production — he hit only six last season — seems to have cost him the starting role this season. Cornelius Patterson, who also plays football for the Aggies, played in cen terfield last season, but was used primar ily in a pinch running role. Brett Weinberger and senior Steve Me dina could challenge for a spot. Rollen held down the designated hitter role last season, and should do so again this year. Pyle, if not playing catcher or first base, would be available as a left- handed designated hitter. Continued from page 2 When Witte is not pitching, he will be available as a utility man. He showed Johnson in the fall that he could play most positions and still swings a good bat, possibly too good to keep out of the lineup. The nonconference schedule facing A&M is not as gentle as last season’s, but the SWC slate will favor the Aggies. A stretch of 15 games in 19 days — highlighted by a three-game road trip to Louisiana State Feb. 22-23 — should test the young Aggie pitching staff. Tough nonconference teams will visit Olsen Field this year. Arizona comes in March 15-17 for three games and the Ag gie-Continental Classic will again show case some fierce competition. Illinios, Kansas State and the University of Wash ington will square off against the Aggies March 9-12. Although A&M will play four of seven SWC series on the road this season, the Aggies get Arkansas, Baylor and Texas at home. If Johnson can retool his wrecked pitching staff, he could build a bigger suc cess story than last year’s. Tiijjaati Monday, February 11,1991 Aggie Baseball Page 11