arsday • March 12, 1998
The Battalion'
SPORTS
ightin’ Texas Aggie
aseball Class of ’97
i*' sstions being answered about Texas A&M’s
ive lar recruiting class in its second season
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oing into the
1997 base
ball season
there was a lot of
excitement over the
crop of incoming
players. The class
of ’97 had been
ranked as the na
tion’s best by Colle
giate Baseball. It
boasted High
__ School and JUCO
All-Americans. In
Sine of the 11 members were
:d by major league teams but
h ewT to attend Texas A&M instead.
str owing what a crap shoot re-
ng can often be, coaches were
wfito glorify the latest crop of Ag-
i^necause there was no need to
(~^ny added pressure on the group.
, s the Class of‘97 approaches
j alf-way point of it’s second sea-
'■n College Station, it is clear that
llective members are beginning
L^e up to the lofty expectations.
k ill starts with the middle of the in-
, v Sophomores Sean Heaney at sec-
sTj>ase and Steve Scarborough at
^"stop are the Aggies double play
;m.The pair had the unenviable
J of fill ing the shoes of Brian Benfield
vvas drafted in the sixth round by
ileveiand Indians and Rich Petru, a
year starter who is now in the
is City Royals system. Heaney
; the move from third base, where
irted as a true freshman, to his
■ - natural second base spot. The pair
'id be a mainstay for the Aggies in
A ext few years.
he sophomore tandem has been
lly impressive from the plate. Scar-
t ugh is batting .358 and has provid-
;park in the bottom half of the or-
Heaney is batting .302 with four
s runs and 20 RBIs.
jphomore left fielder Steven Truitt
has been solid in the field and in the No.
2 hole. Truitt started for most of the sea
son as a freshman and has continued to
improve since arriving at A&M. He is
batting .279 on the year with three
homeruns, 18 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.
Truitt provides both speed and power at
the top of the batting order.
The Aggie defense has also been
helped by the catching of senior co-cap-
tain Scott Sandusky. Sandusky, who
transferred from Seward County Com
munity College in Kansas, has been a
key ingredient for one of the nation’s
top pitching staffs. His .309 average has
also been big for A&M.
The staff which Sandusky handles is
well represented by the Class of‘97 as
well. Sophomore left-hander Casey
Possum turned in the fourth highest
strikeout total in school history as a
freshman and teamed with junior cen
ter fielder Jason Tyner on the USA Base
ball Team this past summer. Possum,
who goes into the weekend series with
Oklahoma State with a 3-1 record, leads
the Aggies in strikeouts (39) and is tied
with junior Matt Ward for the team lead
in innings pitched (38).
One of the most pleasant surprises
for A&M this season has been the emer
gence of sophomore Chance Caple,an
other member from last year’s class,
into a very solid Tuesday starter. Caple
is 4-0 on the season with a staff-low 1.86
ERA. Opponents are only batting .198
against the 6-foot-6-inch right-hander.
The Class of‘97 still has a lot to prove
before their time at A&M is done. Along
with the hype comes expectations of
championships and All-American hon
ors. For all the big numbers and physi
cal attributes of the talented bunch, in
the end that is what they will or will not
be remembered for.
Chris Ferrell is a sophomore
journalism major
Freshman Fire
First-year pitcher Ashley Lewis has exploded onto
the Division I college softball scene for Texas A&M
By Philip W. Peter
Staff writer
Generally speaking, coaches of Divi-
sio^i 1 athletic teams do not count on
freshmen to lead their teams into battle.
If not because of physical immaturity,
they do not count on freshmen because
they are not always ready to be put under
the pressure of Division 1 competition.
But, generally speaking, not all coaches
have a freshman athlete the caliber of
Texas A&M softball pitcher Ashley Lewis.
Lewis, one of the most highly recruit
ed players in the country last year, has a
1.51 ERA and leads A&M in strikeouts
with 68. In 65 innings, she has only sur
rendered 14 runs on 39 hits.
Coach Jo Evans said that because
Lewis is a fierce competitor, she has han
dled the pressure well.
“She comes into a tough situation be
cause she is so highly touted,” Evans said.
“She struck out a lot of people but she has
struggled a little bit with walks. She’s used
to pitching against kids
who weren’t all great hit
ters like they are in col
lege. She’s had to learn
to attack and challenge
hitters instead of going
for the strikeout every time. It’s been a
challenge but I think she’s doing her best
to stay positive.”
Lewis knows she can throw strikeouts
but said she does not think that she will
get a lot of them.
“That’s not really the college game,”
Lewis said. “But if I can cut down on my
walks and get people to ground out here
and pop up there and if I can just help my
team that would be great. I’m just here for
the team right now.”
Catcher Marianne McGuire said she
represents the team well and although
she is not necessarily the team leader,
she knows who is the boss on
the field.
“She comes out on the |
field and takes charge,”
McGuire said. “Even
though she is a fresh
man, she doesn’t let
that stop her. Ashley is
one of those people who
has everything, a com
plete game.”
McGuire said she
does not have to tell
Lewis what pitch
es to throw, so it
makes her
job easier.
“She
knows
what
she can
throw
cer
tain people,”
McGuire
said. “I just
have to sit
back and
catch the
ball. She
knows what
her strengths
are and she
works really
well with it.
When you com
bine a smart
pitcher with
speed and
good
move
ment, and when she’s on, nobody is go
ing to hit her.”
But it is not just her pitching that
pleases A&M; she is also third on the
team in slugging percentage and
I' has a batting average of .252.
“She is a big, strong kid,” Evans
said. “She’s got amazing power at
the plate and even though she’s
only hit one home run this year.
She’s a tough out when she’s
making good contact because
she x'eally hits the ball hard.”
Lewis insists that she
feels no pressure from her
coach though.
“Coach Evans is real good
about that,” Lewis said.
“You’re either good enough
to be here, or you’re not. And
if you’re not then you would
n’t be here. I don’t feel the
pressure from my team
mates or my coaches. I feel
it from myself.”
Lewis has handled all the
pressure and all the recruiting
hype and insists that she is only
a role player.
“At the beginning of the sea
son we talked about our roles,”
Lewis said, “and how each per
son was going to fit in. Coach
(Evans) told me what she
expected. It feels good
to know that I’m a
go-to person in a
tight situation
or to start a game.
But right now, I’m just trying
to meet those expectations.”
RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
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