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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1996)
The Battalion Friday February 16, 1996 xas A&M ARMED AND GER ■f?7 ft' With plenty of pitching and a productive off< the Aggies are ready to make another run at Omaha. By Tom Day The Battalion Over a period of 26 years as a coach, Mark Johnson has experi enced and witnessed many changes in the game of baseball. Picking up a wealth of knowledge along the way, the Aggie Baseball Team’s head coach realized a long time ago that baseball can be a funny sport. “One of the unique aspects of our sport is that you can play poorly and win, or you can play good and lose,” Johnson said. “You’re going to have a lot of frustration out at the ball park.” Entering the 1996 season, John son says his Aggie baseball squad has the experience and tools to cope with any problems or adversity thrown its way this year. “One of the qualities this group has is maturity and leadership,” Johnson said. “We have guys on our team who have been to Omaha and who have won regional finals. They’ve experienced many peaks and valleys, and when you play around 60 ballgames, there are go ing to be a lot of plus and minuses. “If you aren’t mentally strong, you’re going to have problems. We spend a lot of time on our mental ap proach and hopefully, we can get through the tough times.” Already four games into the sea son, A&M is looking to build on the success it experienced in 1995. After a disappointing 31-22 campaign two years ago, the Aggies rebounded strongly last season, posting a 44- 22-1 record. A&M was even stronger in the postseason, qualifying for the NCAA Atlantic II Regional and taking the University of Miami to the final game before bowing out. Despite that success, however, the Aggies had to overcome a slow 17-13 start. “We were playing with a lot of pressure because we felt like we were better than what our record was,” Johnson said. “We loosened up, got on a roll and had a great stretch run. As discouraged and em barrassed as our players were, they wouldn’t give in, and at the end, we were only three runs away from go ing to Omaha.” Johnson and the team will look to avoid another slow start out of the blocks this time around. “You always want to get off to a good start so you won’t have to challenge yourself mentally,” John son said. “You want to have some positive experiences to look back on. When you start off slow, things become a little bit of a grind, and you have to put pressure on to get it going.” The 1996 Aggies return 16 letter- men from last year’s squad, includ ing six starters and 12 pitchers. Headlining that list are first base- man Jeff Bailey (.347, 9 home runs, 47 runs batted in), third baseman Jason Stephens (.291, 7, 41) and out fielder Chad Allen (.373, 10, 59). Johnson said outfielder Jason Tyner, a freshman out of Beaumont, will be among of the new faces dot ting the Aggie lineup. “Tyner really stands out right now,” Johnson said. “He’s an excit ing guy, with speed, that can make things happen. He’s the prototype leadoff hitter.” Despite the loss of starting pitch er Ryan Rupe to elbow surgery, A&M has plenty of returning talent on the mound in the able arms of Dean Mitchell (8-1, 4.33 ERA), John Sneed (6-3, 5.08 ERA) and Tim Clarkson (4-1, 3.86 ERA). Assistant Head Coach and Pitch ing Instructor Jim Lawler said to watch for the emergence of Galve ston Junior College transfer Matt Blank among the Aggies’ sea of re turning pitchers. “Being a lefthanded pitcher, we’d like to see Blank be one of our poten tial starters,” Lawler said. “After Matt, you’re going to see most of our pitchers will be returning players.” Employing a five-man rotation until the start of conference play, Lawler said Sneed, Mitchell and Blank are the team’s top three starters, while Clarkson will see time as a reliever. “Tim Clarkson threw a shutout against Miami last year in the re gional finals,” Lawler said. “He’s a real reliable senior who we’ll use as either a long or short reliever.” Although A&M is looking to spring out to a quick start, Lawler’s top priority in the early going is to distribute as many innings as possi ble to his pitching prospects. “Our goal in February is to decide on the final starting rotation, deter mine who our long relievers and closers are, and to get them all in the right order,” Lawler said. “We’re trying to win right now, but also ex periment and figure out which pitch ers will be our top eight.” Johnson believes this season’s team is not short on talent and stacks up with other Aggie teams of the past. But more importantly, Johnson said the 1996 Aggies have experience and leadership, and that can go a long way in the “funny” game of baseball. The Dean of Texas A&M Pitching □ Coming off an 8-1 season, Dean Mitchell is prepared to lead the Aggies' pitching corps. By Kristina Buffin The Battalion Battalion File Photo Most normal human beings crack under pressure. But there are some who thrive on it. A&M senior pitcher Dean Mitchell is one of those who crave pressure because it only makes him better. “There is a lot of pressure with the pitcher,” Mitchell said. “The play starts with the pitcher, it is like be ing a quarterback. At times being a pitcher is a lot of pressure, but that is what makes it fun.” Mitchell did play quarter- , back at Midway High School in Waco, but he de cided to become a one- sport athlete in college. Mitchell joined the A&M squad last year af ter playing for two years at Navarro Junior College. He helped lead the team to the conference championship and was named All-Conference in 1995. A&M Pitching Coach Jim Lawler said Mitchell made a smooth transition to Division I last season. “He made the adjustment to the next level,” Lawler said. “In the second half of last season, he was our most reliable pitcher. He is the hardest worker on the team, and he is always working to stay in the best shape. Most guys just get ready right before the game, but Dean is working throughout the week.” Mitchell posted an 8-1 record with a 4.33 earned run average last season. He only allowed 23 walks and struck out 46 batters. It is a bit ironic that Mitchell is playing collegiate ball. When he was younger, Mitchell played a variety of sports and did not really think about playing baseball. “There was no immediate attraction to baseball,” Mitchell said. “When I was young, I really didn’t have a favorite sport. When I got older, I decided that baseball was more fun than the other sports.” The transition for Mitchell from junior college to A&M was a bit easier than he anticipated. Mitchell said his only goal was to start a few games. “It was not as hard as I expected,” Mitchell said. “No one made me feel like I did not belong here. In fact, I felt quite welcomed.” Most of the negative publicity surrounding student- athletes is the inability of most to make the grades. Mitchell does not have that problem. He earned a GTE Academic Achievement Award last year for having bet ter than a 3.0 GPR. Mitchell said balancing school with athletics is tough, but one just needs to keep priorities straight. “It is pretty tough,” Mitchell said. “But it is just like any other job; it is a matter of time management. I just have to cut back on my ‘goof-off time.” Mitchell was not bound and determined to come to A&M. In fact, Mitchell was the complete opposite — he wanted to be a Longhorn. “It was the recruiting trip that attracted me,” Mitchell said. “I liked the coaches and the atmosphere. When I was here, I went to a couple of games, and I could really feel the intensity of the fans. In general, A&M is more my style than Austin.” Mitchell does not have an unusually strong arm or an arsenal of weapons like a 90-mile per hour fastball, but A&M Head Coach Mark Johnson said Mitchell’s work ethic makes up for those intangibles. “We had high expectations for Dean, and he met them and exceeded them,” Johnson said. “He is consistent and a stable pitcher who gives everything 110 percent effort. He is focused and a hard worker. He is one of the few guys who will come to reach his full potential.” . Mitchell has only pitched once this season and had a rough outing. In the second game against the University of Arizona last weekend, Mitchell was rocked in one in ning for three hits, four runs, four walks and no strike outs. Despite his performance, Johnson said he has total faith in his senior pitcher. “I’m not worried about him as I might someone else,” Johnson said. “I was surprised, but it is still early in the season and the game was on the road. Of anyone else, his performance will least likely affect him. I told him not to worry about it and that it was just a unique situa tion.” This season, Mitchell will work on his rhythm, timing and the delivery of his pitches. Lawler said Mitchell will be nothing but successful “He should not be as hard on himself,” Lawler said. “He expects so much out of himself, but that was part of our expectations of him. He works on it every day. He is the type of guy who only will get better. He is someone we can count on.” AI Feb. 8-10 Feb. 13 Feb. 16-17 Feb. 18 Feb. 20 Feb. 23-24 Feb. 27 March 1-3 March 5 March 8-11 March 14-17 March 22-24 March 29-31 April 2 April 5-6 April 9 April 12-13 April 16 April 19-20 April 23 April 26 April 27-28 May 10 May 11 May 16-19 at Arizom Mary Ha UT-Panli McNeest at UT-Afl Nicholii at Sam Hi Maine at Lamat Continent Classic SWCFintl (Houston Houston at Texas 1 Sam Hons Dallas B;: Southwest TCI) Sam Hois at Rice UTSA at Texas Texas Baylor at Baylor SWC Tour k) m mm if. 1996 Sb Sc"' Feb. 16-18 Feb. 20 Feb. 23-28 March 1-3 March 8-10 UTA/fJj ; (Gra^” atT -5 Agg ie (Colleg' msca^ (Coin" 1 ; mf Mient March 20 March 26 March 30-31 April 3 April 6-7 April 10 April 13-14 April 17 April 20-21 April 27-28 Mar 1 May 4-5 May 10-12 May 17-19 May 23-27 at - Lj at Stef atH at OF Soutt’* Nebraf Texas 11 a* |0 i Okla^ SoutK Mi ss0ll J BiS l2( nO a S NCAA C Series
