The Battalion
Wednesday
Page 7
March 19, 1997
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By Chris Ferrell
The Battaijon
It may have been quarter hot dog night, but
concession stands could have been serving
ppy Joe’s Tuesday night at Olsen Field as the
mar University Cardinals (16-5-1) defeated
Texas A&M Baseball Team (16-11), 5-4 in
innings, before 2,989 fans at Olsen Field.
Lamar sophomore Bryan Spell, who came
o the game 0-for-7 on the year, drove in the
[me-winning run in the top of the eleventh in-
g for the Cardinals.
The Aggies could have prevented the extra-
ing play in the bottom of the ninth. After
mar pitcher Eric Cammack, the team’s No. 1
iter, who came in for relief, struck out A&M ju-
r left fielder Scott Sandusky and freshman
frdbaseman Sean Heaney, sophomore center-
Ider Jason Tyner blooped a single into center
Id to start an Aggie rally.
Freshman Steven Truitt followed with a single
his own to set the stage for senior first base-
|an Jason Stephens. Stephens battled to a full
unt, fouling off two 2-2 pitches and a 3-2 pitch
fore Cammack recorded his third strikeout of
|e inning. The Aggies had been held hitless in
jeprevious three innings.
"They end up bringing their ace in,” Head
ach Mark Johnson said. “He’s got great num-
rs and I thought he pitched well. He really shut
door on us from an offensive standpoint.”
But it was not the Aggies’ only chance to put
legame away. Tied at four in the eighth inning
th senior shortstop Rich Petru at the plate with
0-2 count and junior second baseman Brian
nefield on third base and one out, Johnson
lied for a squeeze.
The pitch was high and Benefield was caught
tween home and third base.
“The guy’s (Cammack) got 43 strikeouts in 22
nings," Johnson said. “He got two quick strikes
n Rich and I was thinking squeeze earlier and
fc threw his worst pitch. He threw a hanging slid
er over his head and we had a squeeze on, and of
.course got caught on it.
"It was a gamble, 1 thought he had a good
ance to do some strikeout damage, his stats in-
fcated it. He put us in a strikeout spot and I want-
to give ourselves a chance.”
After recent lapses by the offense, Johnson
ifted the lineup prior to the game in an attempt
to create more opportunities to score runs. The
Experiment failed as the Aggie’s three-four-five
“itfers went three-for-1-3 from the plate.
"I tried to shake up the lineup a bit and I
oughtTruitt did fine in the two hole,” Johnson
. “We don’t have a hot hitter to put in the
He hole right now and we’re trying to find that
icrson, so I’m trying to shake the lineup a little
see if we can get something going.”
Dave House, The Battalion
Senior shortstop Rich Petru bobbles a ground ball and has to chase it down against Lamar last night.
It was not the A&M batters, but the Lamar
fielders who gave the Aggies opportunities
early. In a game marred by nine errors, six by
the Cardinals and three by the Aggies, A&M
built a lead only to watch it evaporate for the
third straight game.
“We’re having trouble late in the ball game
holding on to something,” Johnson said. “Again,
we took a lead and couldn’t hold on to it.”
The loss leaves A&M once again searching for a
reason why a season which started with such high
expectations has suddenly turned into a nightmare.
“There’s nothing to point to,” Petru said. “We
need to step it up. I do too. Everybody does.
We’re not going to quit or back down or any
thing, but we definitely need to step it up.”
A&M to face old SWC
foe Houston tonight
When the Texas A&M Baseball Team travels
to Houston today to take on the University of
Houston, it will mark senior co-captain Rich
Petru’s final appearance in his hometown.
However, the Texas A&M shortstop and
Houston Westbury High School graduate has
bigger things on his mind, namely ending the
Aggies three-game losing streak.
“I always like to go back home,” Petru said.
“But really, the main focus isn’t on getting to go
back home. We haven’t been playing like we
should be playing. We’ve got to step it up as a
team. There’s no personal joy in tomorrow we’ve
got to step it up and play like Aggies, and we
haven’t been doing that.”
Weather will be a major factor in the game,
which was originally scheduled to be played
March 12 but was rained out. A heavy down pour
postponed a Tuesday night meeting between
Houston and Rice.
A&M and UH coaches discussed moving
the game to College Station however, Hous
ton declined.
“It’ll be shaky,” Head Coach Mark Johnson
said. “We talked to them before the game (against
Lamar University) to see if they wanted us to cov
er up here, because we didn’t get the rain here
that they got today, and they didn’t want to do
that, so we’ll see if they can get it ready.”
The Aggies will send freshman Chance Caple
to the mound. It will mark the first career start
for the 6-foot-6 righthander out of Southlake
Carrol High School. Caple gave up three un
earned runs in his only appearance this season.
“Obviously tomorrow will be some of the guys
we’re not going to use very much on the weekend,”
Johnson said. “So it will give some young guys
chances to throw.”
The Cougars come into the game with a 12-7
record. Houston’s offense is paced by two .400
hitting outfielders in junior Geofrey Tomlinson
and senior Dustin Carr. Tomlinson leads the
team with a .432 average and has hit four home
runs and knocked in 24 RBI’s for the Cougars this
season. Carr, second on the team with a .420 av
erage, has a team-high 10 doubles.
T wenty-five cents
should have
been the price of
admission, not the
price of an Oscar Mey
er hot dog, for the er
ror extravaganza Tues
day night between
Texas A&M (16-11)
and Lamar University
(16-5-1) at Olsen Field.
A&M served the
game to Lamar on a
golden platter. Facing
a team that committed
six errors in the game, including
three in the sixth inning, the Ag
gies were unable to close out,
losing 5-4 in 10 innings.
Head Coach Mark Johnson
said it is difficult to watch the
Aggies lose a game when their
opponent illustrates a need to
work on its fundamentals.
“You look up at the scoreboard,
they have six errors and we have
three,” Johnson said. “We outhit
them and still lose the ball game. It
was a tough one.”
It has been not only a tough
homestand but a
tough season for
the Aggies. After
winning 11 of
their first 15, A&M
has lost all three of
its series with Big
12 foes. With a 3-6
conference record,
and postseason
hopes fading fast,
A&M is searching
for any way to
keep the sinking ship afloat.
Johnson and company con
test the solution lies with finding
a way to get it done. They claim
the team is just failing to do the
little things. But over the past
four games, the Aggies have
failed to do anything.
Walks, hit batters and errors
have all become a way of life.
The Aggies have spent much of
Sportswriter
Jamie Burch
Senior speech
communications major
The Aggies have
spent much of
the season cre
ating new ways
to dish out a
free pass.
the season creating
new ways to dish out a
free pass.
In the last four
games, the Aggie pitch
ing staff issued 21 base-
on-balls and nailed sev
en batters. The porous
Aggie infield committed
nine errors.
And once the bleed
ing starts, neither John
son nor Pitching Coach
Jim Lawler can seem to
apply a tourniquet to end the
misery. The result is big innings
for opponents.
After having loaded the bases
in the sixth inning against OSU
on Sunday, freshman southpaw
Casey Possum was relieved by
freshman pitcher Chris Fulbright.
The skipper’s attempt to avoid a
multi-run inning failed. Fulbright
allowed a sac-fly and then issued
another base-jamming walk. The
next goat, freshman Colby Martin,
gave up a two-run double to cap
off the five-run inning.
This was just one of many pu
trid instances.
Over the weekend,
the Cowboys
chalked up three
innings of four-
plus runs. Tuesday
night, the meek
and generous Car
dinals squeaked
out just enough
runs to outlast the
mindboggling Ag
gie offense.
Just some food for thought.
Instead of worrying about ways
to produce more runs, maybe
the Aggie offense should take a
page from the defensive play-
book. To ‘get it done,’ the Aggie
bats should observe and take
notes. As of late, A&M defense
has been brilliant when it comes
to creating runs. The problem is
they’re doing for the opponent.
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Offbeat Hunter keeps locker room relaxed, offense lit up
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
t is no surprise Texas A&M senior outfield
er Johnny Hunter has taken a liking to al
ternative music. From his distinctive swing
an uncanny persona in the clubhouse,
iunter marches to the beat of his own drum.
Junior pitcher and high school team-
te Matt Blank said Hunter’s unconven-
nal disposition helps the team stay fo-
ised on and off the field.
“He’s always been a loose guy in the
lubhouse,” Blank said. “He’s always re-
fted. He helps to keep the team loose.”
Another teammate, freshman pitcher
asey Possum, said Hunter will tiy anything
make people laugh.
"He’s definitely one of the funniest
on the team,” Possum said. “He’ll
ell out somebody’s name at random
to get attention. That person will
up and everyone laughs because
know it’s Johnny.
"I guess he’s kind of a clown in the lock-
rroom and off the field.”
Although he has offbeat tendencies,
Iunter comes from a conventional base-
all background. Both his grandfather
nd uncle played at the minor league lev-
for the St. Louis Cardinals, while his
Ider brother spent time in the San Diego
'adres farm system.
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Hunter said playing baseball was second
nature because of his family’s history.
“It kind of runs in the family,” Hunter said.
“Since I’ve grown up with it, I never really
considered playing any other sport.”
Spending most of his time as an Aggie in
right field, Hunter is tied for the team lead
in RBIs (20), while hitting .322 with five
home runs, five doubles and one triple. In
just two seasons at A&M, Hunter has pelt
ed 44 home runs, averaging one home run
every 4.4 at-bats.
As one of three seniors in the starting line
up on a day-to-day basis, Hunter said he does
not feel pressure to cany the team even though
he has posted large offensive numbers.
“I try to lead by example for the younger
players,” Hunter said. “But I don’t feel any pres
sure. I just try to go out, have fun and play hard.
I just want to play to the best of my ability.”
Head Coach Mark Johnson said while he
does not look for Hunter to lead the team in
every category, he does expect him to pro
duce offensively.
“As a senior, he needs to be an everyday
player,” Johnson said. “Someone who hits
with consistency and does not fall into a
lot of slumps. He’s a key offensive player.
He does have the chance to break open
games and has before.
“His history says that he’ll hit around .350.
Now whether he’ll do that or not, I don’t
know, because he’s off to a slow start. But I do
expect him to get hot. He’s starting to show
signs of getting back on top of his game.”
One of Hunter’s game-breaking hits
came against the University of Nevada-
Reno Feb. 17. Hunter’s grand slam in the
bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Ag
gies over the Wolfpack, 9-5.
Hunter said the game-winning shot
boosted his confidence.
“It was a big lift,” Hunter said. “I was strug
gling at that point and it got me going.”
Struggling to hit with consistency has
been a problem for Hunter all season long.
Plagued by slumps in his senior year,
Hunter has been an all-or-nothing hitter.
Johnson said Hunter’s droughts have
come from his distinctive style of hitting.
“He’s an instant hitter because he’s
unique,” Johnson said. “He has his own lit
tle swing. It’s not one that you would take
to a clinic and say this is what everybody
should do, but it works for him.
“He has strong, quick hands that he gets
through the zone pretty well when he is
hitting. But he has a little loop in his swing
that causes him some problems.”
Hunter played at Navarro Junior Col
lege before transferring to A&M. In his
two seasons at the junior college level,
the two-time All-America selection hit
.439, leading the team to two conference
championships.
Hunter said the biggest difference be
tween junior college and Division I baseball
is pitching.
“In junior college the pitchers threw hard
er,” Hunter said. “In Division I they have
more control. It’s been an adjustment going
from pitchers who just throw 93- to 94-miles
per hour fastballs to seeing off-speed pitch
es.”
Prior to his two-year stint with JUCO
baseball, Hunter was drafted by the Col
orado Rockies in 1994. Though it has been
his life dream to play pro ball, Hunter said he
opted to play at the collegiate level after he
was advised by a scout for the Rockies.
“It wasn’t my decision,” Hunter said. “I
was told to go back to school.”
Now that the senior has all but com
pleted his four years of eligibility, Hunter
said he once again has aspirations to play
professional ball.
Johnson said Hunter has an outside
shot at making the cut.
“He’s got to show them (the pro scouts)
that he can hit,” Johnson said. “If you’re go
ing to play on the corners of the outfield,
you have to flat bring a bat. I hope he gets
a chance to play.”
Whether his lifelong dream comes to
fruition, one thing is for certain — wherever
the power hitter ends up, you can bet it will
not be your conventional white-collar, nine-
to-five desk job.
Dave House, The Battalion
Senior outfielder Johnny Hunter high-fives
his teammates after a home run against Baylor.
Jnior pitcher Matt Blank watches the
P a ge: ggies against Lamar Tuesday night.
in.com
Junior pitcher 'Blanks' teams with potent arsenal
By Matt Mitchell
The Battalion
M att Blank has seen it before. Amid
all the hubbub surrounding the
Texas A&M Baseball Team’s exciting
crop of freshman pitchers, Blank may be one
hurler who appears to fall through the cracks.
The 6-foot-2 lefthander was a highly tout
ed reemit this time last year, and once again
finds himself an important part of a talented
pitching rotation.
The junior has posted a 3-2 record and 5.12
ERA this season, but has been victimized in
several starts by poor run support.
His 41 innings pitched ranks second on the
team, which indicates that Blank is a work
horse for the Aggies, and he is pitching well
enough to stay in games to the later innings.
“This year, I’ve been fortunate to be able
to throw eight or nine innings every time
out,” Blank said. “When you can give eight
good innings every time out, you’re going to
win most of your games. We’ve got a good
bullpen, too, so if your starting pitcher can
go eight innings, we should be in position to
win the game.”
One person not surprised with Blank’s
presence as a starter is assistant head coach
and pitching guru Jim Lawler.
“You’ve got to remember he came in here
13-0 out of (Galveston) junior college,”
Lawler said. “Last year, I thought he struggled
a little bit with his first year against Division
I (competition), but I expected him to be one
of the guys in the hunt, either as a starter or
a first reliever.”
Blank has not disappointed the team; he
has become the Aggies’ third starter. Consid
ering the Aggies’ caliber of pitching this sea
son, that is no small feat. Blank said good
pitching is a luxury he and the Aggies are
happy to have.
“We’ve got a lot of good pitchers, and
every time you go out there you’ve got to
do a good job if you want to keep your spot
in the rotation,” Blank said. “It puts a little
added pressure on you, knowing our
whole pitching staff consists of good
pitchers. You go out there and you try to
work hard, knowing that if you aren’t suc
cessful every time, someone else can
come out and take your place.”
Blank has matured since last season,
which he started with a bang, including a
no-hitter and 12 strikeouts in just his sec
ond start against the University of Texas-
Pan America. But Blank has lost four of his
past five decisions.
“I think after starting so well last year
(5-1), I may have gotten a little compla
cent with what I was doing,” Blank said.
“When you can go out and get into a
rhythm, get your pitches established,
and get things working, it helps you
maintain consistency.”
Blank has indeed been more consistent
with his pitches, which has helped him
avoid jams that lead to big innings.
“Matt’s done a better job of throwing
four pitches this year,” Lawler said. “Two
of the first three conference weekends
he has thrown really well and been a
plus for us, and I just feel like he’s throw
ing more pitches with better command
and given us a chance to win, which is
what it’s all about.”
Coaches and players alike expect Blank to
be a big part not only of the Aggies’ starting
rotation, but of their chances for postseason
play as well.
“Blank’s one of those guys who’s got a
great head on his shoulders,” said second
basemen Brian Benefield, his teammate
since junior college. “He’s a high- confi
dence guy who trusts his stuff. Once he
gets going, there’s no stopping him.”