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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1991)
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D fc KEVIN IVY.The Battalion Trey Witte, who played second base last year, looks to come out of the bullpen in 1991. by Cam Lockley Of The Battalion Staff L ast season Trey Witte was a fixture at second base. But this season, he may be called on to fix the Aggie bullpen crisis. Witte, a junior agricultural econom ics major, played in 55 of the 60 Texas A&M baseball games last year. Witte will be making a lot of changes this season. A&M Head Coach Mark Johnson said Witte will leave second base and split time between pitcher and designated hitter. “Trey might be our answer out of the bullpen this year,” Johnson said. “He’ll play a key role on our team and get plenty of at bats.” Witte nit .253 with three home runs last year, following a stellar 1989 cam paign in which he hit .321 as a fresh man. Witte’s hold on second base was put in question when standout second base- man Sittichoke Huckuntod transfered to A&M. Huckuntod left Central Missouri State, where he was a two-time All- American as well as the Division II Academic Player of the Year, because CMS dropped the engineering curric ulum he was pursuing. Johnson was impressed by Huckun- tod’s ability to make things happen both offensively and defensively. “He’s a sparkplug,” Johnson said. “He makes the big plays on defense and has great speed on the bases.” While Huckuntod’s physical ability- impressed Johnson, so did Witte’s abil ity to adapt. “Good things are going to happen to a player with his unselfishness and pos itive outlook,” Johnson said of Witte. Witte said that being on the field has its advantages over designated hitting. “The only thing I like about playing the field is you have something to do right away,” Witte said. “You don’t sit and sulk about your last at bat. You can pretty much get it off your mind. “Pitching is the same way — you have to be in the game the whole time. I think it’s better for you.” Although Witte hasn’t pitched in his college career, Johnson said in a season preview that Witte throws the ball hard and has a good slider, but that it is just a case of Witte getting comfortable on the mound. Witte agreed with Johnson, and said it was going to take some time. “I’m working as hard as I can, but I don’t know what to expect,” Witte said. “I still have a little ways to go. I’ll get a couple of appearances under my belt and each time I’ll get a little more com fortable.” Witte said that pitching is going to be his toughest challenge for the year, which he described as 75 percent men tal and 25 percent physical. “Every pitch is ooviously you,” Witte said. “It’s going to take a matter of ad justment.” The toughest challenge Witte sees for the team is just picking themselves up after the end of last year, when the Aggies dropped five of their last six games and failed to make the SWC Tournament. “We didn’t play good and that’s pre tty much what everybody is remem bering, especially ourselves,” Witte said. “We’ve got the people to do it. It is just a matter of executing what we all know we can do.” The season is just beginning and Witte is ready to play. Witte said it is going to be fast and furious in the Southwest Conference and sees Arkansas and Texas as A&M’s toughest competitors, with Houston not far behind. “Last year kind of turned out ugly toward the end,” W'itte said. “I think everybody has been waiting all summer to get back out there and prove how good a team we are.” Third baseman Travis Williams returns to the hot corner this year to anchor the Texas A&M infield. Last year, Williams .273 average was fourth-best on the Aggie squad. His eight homers tied for the team lead and he led the team with 40 RBI’s. S. WEAVER/The Battalion Colby to muscle up for Aggies By Anthony Andro Of The Battalion Staff C onrad Colby lives for pres sure. “They say pressure’s just a lack of confidence in your ability,” Colby said. “If you can’t take pressure at this level, you’d better get out of the game.” Heanng these words from the big six-foot first baseman has to make a Texas A&M baseball fan smile. “A lot of guys don’t want to be at the plate with two outs in the ninth in ning,” he said. “You’ve got to thrive for that.” Colby will have his chance. He will probably be batting fourth in coach Mark Johnson’s batting order this sea son.. “I like the four spot, I’ve been there all summer,” Colby said. “I’m comfort able there.” Colby is a junior sports manage ment major who transfered from A&M last fall after playing two years at Rancho Santiago junior College in Santa Ana, Cal. For Colby, the decision to come to Texas A&M was an easy one to make. “I wanted to get out of California and see another part of the country,” he said. "I think I made the best choice and I don’t regret it.” The other choices Colby had were to stay home and go to Cal-State Ful lerton or give professional baseball a try. “What it came down to was the Roy als or college,” said Colby, who was drafted in the 42nd round by the Kan sas City Royals following the 1989 sea son. “My mom left it up to me and I didn’t feel the Royals were my best choice.” Leaving California was a new expe rience for Colby, who said that he has lived in California all his life and that the longest he had been away was a litde over two months during the sum mer. Colby said he has noticed a big dif ference between California and Texas. “The people are a lot different,” he said. “Everyone (in Texas) was kind of too friendly. It shocked me at first. Now I understand where they are coming from.” There also were some difficulties with school after Colby’s transfer from junior college. “Big change. Big, big change from junior college,” Colby said. “It hasn’t been an easy adjustment. I’ve got to work hard and just battle through it. It kind of hits you like a ton of bricks.” Even though classes are more diffi cult, Colby likes the school. “I love it,” he said. “All I heard was that it was really different. It’s differ ent. I enjoy it. I think I fit in pretty KEVIN IVY/The Battalion Junior transfer Conrad Colby is pegged to play first base. well.” One area Colby had no problems with was the adjustment to his new tea mmates. “I can’t say enough good things about them,” he said. “It’s perfect, I guess you could say.” New teammates mean Colby is sur rounded by better players. “The competition level is a lot higher. I think there is a lot expected of you,” he said. “They say California is the baseball world. But once you get to Division I, the players are better everywhere. Ev eryone has been all-state, all-county, whatever.” Colby made all the necessary adjust ments and was the Aggies’ MVP in the A&M’s Fall World Series. Colby said he hopes he can provide some power to a team whose top home run hitter last year had eight homers. After hitting just 10 homers his first two years of junior college ball, Colby hit 15 home runs this summer while playing ball in Canada. “Hopefully there are a few guys vho will' here who will be able to provide some power,” he said. “We’ve got some hit ters on this club. It will be interesting to see what will happen this year.” Aggie baseball coach Mark Johnson said Colby reminds him of another former Aggie —former All-American John Byington. “Conrad’s mentally into each at bat such as a John Byington,” Johnson said. “Byington and Colby both have their game plans and study pitchers.” Although Colby has played in front of big crowds at the Connie Mack World Series in Arizona, he is looking forward to playing in front of the fans at Olsen Field. “I experienced (big crowds) a little bit in high school after my senior year,” he said. “I’ve heard the games here are pretty wild.” If Colby can perform under pres sure like Byington, he will get to see how wild the fans can get. Page 6 Aggie Baseball Monday, February 11,1991 Monday, February 11,1991 Aggie Baseball page 7