Troy University Athletics
Rounding Third With Coach Mark Smartt
6/4/2010 8:00:00 PM | Baseball
Rounding Third with Coach Mark Smartt
June 5, 2010
The NCAA Tournament field of 64 has been set and, unfortunately for the Trojans, our name was not called. We were not “expecting” a bid by any means, but held out hope that our late season finish might have swayed some opinions.
In the end, we did not have enough wins to secure one of the 33 at-large bids handed out this year. With that comes the close of what has been, in many ways, a truly remarkable 2010 season.
From 10th place after three weeks in the season to the Sun Belt Championship game is a turnaround that everyone who follows the Trojans will remember for years to come.
There were so many positives that developed throughout the season, especially during the stretch run. The group of seniors that had such high expectations truly carried this team to the finals. The five conference series wins in a row to finish sixth in the most balanced league in the country was a great way to finish.
Three of those five series wins came after not winning the Friday night game, which means, with their backs against the wall, this Trojan team rallied and responded like champions should to win the next two games. The 7-2 road record in the last three conference series was another great accomplishment for this group. But they saved their best for the end as their run through the Sun Belt Tournament topped them all.
After winning game one in convincing fashion against the host team, Middle Tennessee, on Wednesday night (actually Thursday morning, with the last out recorded at 2:03 a.m.) our team was soundly outplayed by a very good Arkansas State team. Their starting pitcher, Jacob Lee, was truly outstanding in his efforts and he shut down a dangerous offense over his eight innings of work.
That is when the fun really got going.
Friday afternoon saw the Trojans win their first elimination game of the tournament in dramatic fashion as senior Steven Felix hit a two-out bottom of the ninth walk-off homer to eliminate the host Blue Raiders.
The celebration is one that Steven and his teammates will remember for quite some time. That win gave our team one more game, which was to come later that night against the undefeated Arkansas State team that whipped us the day before.
A heavy rain, a sloppy extra-inning game and father time pushed the Friday night game into early Saturday morning when the conference office determined that a midnight start time would be too late. Even though both teams were ready and willing, the conference made the right decision and sent both teams home that night to get ready for a 9 a.m. game the next morning.
Saturday morning provided the Trojans with their second elimination game of the tournament and they made quick work of the Red Wolves with a seven-run fifth inning that included a three-run homer from Adam Bryant and a three-run homer from Ryan Ditthardt. Miles Hoyle followed them the next inning with a three-run homer as well in a solid 12-5 win.
That triggered a rematch later in the day, with the winner moving on to the finals. The nightcap with Arkansas State was probably the most dramatic game the Sun Belt Tournament has seen in years.
The Trojans were cruising along with a 6-2 lead thanks, in large part, to a heroic relief effort from Andrew Dickinson. The starter in Wednesday's game, he threw in relief on Friday as well. With virtually no rest in the tournament, he pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed one unearned run. When he was removed from the game starting the eighth inning, the fireworks began.
Arkansas State loaded the bases and our closer, Chase Whitley, was trying to nurse the four-run lead. Two hitters later, the lead was gone after Arkansas State's 6-foot-7 Murray Watts unloaded on a grand slam to give them a 7-6 lead.
The ninth inning for the Trojans was truly do or die as three outs stood between the season ending. About that time, senior J.R. Myers hit a line drive bullet that just cleared the right center field wall to tie the game at 7-7. It was not a walk-off homer, but the Trojans celebration was certainly fitting of such a dramatic home run.
J.R. Myers is a great story for our program. He did not have much playing opportunity throughout his senior season but he kept the right attitude and the proper work ethic, and he played terrific the last three weeks of the season. No player deserved to hit the home run more than he did!
Whitley went out in the bottom of the ninth and retired the side in order. The Trojans pushed one run across in the 10th inning to grab an 8-7 lead but Arkansas State's Todd Baumgartner hit his own two-out game tying homer in the bottom of the 10th for their second dramatic homer of the game.
Finally, the Trojans scored four runs in the 11th inning and sealed the win 12-8 that advanced them to the championship game Sunday morning. The Troy-Arkansas State game was one that will be remembered for years to come. Players on both teams made some amazing plays and came up with huge hits with tremendous pressure.
The Sun Belt Championship winner receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament so the game is always intense and pressure-packed for both teams. We drew a dynamic offensive team in Florida International, who was swinging the bats very well throughout the tournament.
Tyler Ray took the ball on just two days rest and pitched six quality innings. However, FIU's offense proved to be too much as they scored nine runs in the last three innings to build a 14-6 lead. The Trojans kept showing their championship heart as they quickly scored two runs on a Whitley homer and loaded the bases with no outs to bring the tying run closer to home plate.
The FIU bench was visibly anxious as they needed just three outs to secure the win. The pressure kept mounting and the score got to 14-10 with Adam Bryant striding to home plate with runners at first and third base. Adam had homered four times in the tournament but his injured left shoulder was getting weaker with each swing and he grounded out to third base to end the game and the season.
Bryant played the last six games of his season with a shoulder separation that forced him to wear a restrictive harness so that the shoulder would stay in place. His play, along with so many others, was amazing. The entire group of players displayed great character and determination to turn a season around and make it a quality year that produced 36 wins and a tournament final.
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I could go on and on about our players, the fact the Chad Watson played the last two months with a broken foot and a stress fracture in the other foot, or that Daniel Peterson could barely walk after each game with a bad ankle and knee; the fact remains that even though the 2010 team did not win the championship, their efforts and the way they competed will mark them as champions from this day forward.
2010 was a great year to watch the Trojans and we all hope that everyone is getting ready for Opening Day on February 18, 2011.
GO TROJANS!
May 23, 2010
The 2010 baseball season came to a close in Mobile this past Saturday. As every regular season ends, the coaches and players quickly begin their preparations for the post-season opportunity.
Several weeks ago, our team was struggling along at or below .500 baseball and in ninth place in the Sun Belt Conference. At the halfway mark of conference play, our record stood at 5-10 and we faced the chance of not qualifying for the conference tournament.
Our players accepted each challenge in true championship form and we finished the second half of league play with an 11-4 record and claimed the sixth seed in the conference tournament.
Each team has its own ups and downs throughout any season, and our team certainly had its share. But to finish the season winning 14 of our last 18 and nearly winning our last game in Mobile after being down six runs is a great testament to the determination of this year's group of players.
All our sights are set on playing well in Murfreesboro this week at the Sun Belt Tournament. Every team in this conference is capable of winning this tournament as the balance in the league is truly remarkable.
There is no question that our players have the full confidence and belief they will win the tournament and continue their season into the NCAA Tournament the following weekend. With our seeding, we will be forced to win the league title to continue the 2010 season.
The coaches believe our players will accept that challenge and play at a high level throughout the tournament.
We hope that Trojans everywhere will find a way to support our efforts while in Murfreesboro. We will strive to bring home our second Sun Belt Tournament Championship. We are excited about this challenge and look forward to representing our program in true championship fashion.
GO TROJANS!�
April 26, 2010
800 wins!
Actually it is now 802 wins after the three game sweep in New Orleans this weekend. Coach Pierce has had an amazing career and for anyone to collect more than 800 wins as a head coach is a tremendous accomplishment.
I have known Coach Pierce since I played here at Troy back in the mid-80's. He was a very young head coach at Chipola in Marianna, Florida. Back then, our Troy teams would play scrimmage games each fall against area junior college teams. I first met Coach Pierce then as a player and we have had a relationship ever since.
I remember as a player how talented and well-coached his teams at Chipola were back then and as I became a coach, I wanted very much to continue the relationship with Coach Pierce. Some 25 years later, I am proud to say that I have been at his side for 267 of his wins during our time together at Troy.
I also contributed to some of his win totals on the other side of the field. As a head coach for six seasons at West Alabama, I had the opportunity to play Coach Pierce's Alabama-Huntsville teams each year as we were both in the Gulf South Conference. I am not ashamed to say that his teams got the best of our teams several times.
I have always admired his coaching ability, well before we began working together here in Troy back in the summer of 2002. After working side by side with him the last eight years, I have grown to appreciate his coaching ability even more. More importantly, I have grown to understand how he has been able to win so many games throughout his career.
He fully commits himself to each player and is relentless in helping each player reach his full potential, both on the field and off the field. As is so often the case, his reward is not winning the games but in the full development of each player. He quickly deflects the credit to those around him but he is always the centerpiece of the success.
There is no question in my mind that I am fortunate to work each day with such a highly successful and motivated person like Coach Pierce. Shortly after the team congratulated him on his 800th career win in New Orleans Friday night, his thank you speech included how may great players he's coached and how many quality people he has been associated with.
I am here to say that it starts with No. 1 and he has established himself as one of the best coaches in college baseball!
Congratulations, Coach Pierce, and everyone knows that success will continue to follow you for many years to come!
April 5, 2010
With a 5-1 record thus far on Sunday's, everyone involved with our team believed we would play inspired baseball to keep our winning streak alive and our great resume on Sunday. However, UALR had something to prove and was able to have one big, five-run, inning in the sixth to help them secure the win.
The series win, which was our first in the league this season, was an important step in the right direction for the Trojans.
The seven-game winning streak included four solid wins against Brown University, a team that will compete well in their conference, a solid win over Auburn at home in front of a school record crowd, and two close wins against UALR.
Our pitching staff was outstanding throughout the seven-game stretch, which always leads to success for any team.
This past week, Steven Felix had a tremendous stretch of games which led to him being selected the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. Steven produced 14 hits in our five games and homered in four straight games to boost his season average over .370.
We are always excited when one of our players receives recognition for his contributions to our team and program. In fact, Steven was also named one of the Louisville Slugger's National Players of the Week. With a week like he had, there is no question he should have been rewarded in that fashion.
Chase Whitley, our dual threat third baseman and closer, also had a great week earning two wins (Auburn and UALR) and a save (UALR) out of the bullpen. For the second time this season, Chase pitched in three consecutive games, this time over four days.
His willingness to take the ball with the game on the line is a special quality that he has shown throughout the first half of our season. We all hope that both Steven and Chase continue their stellar play the second half of the season.
We have officially reached the midway point of our season, with 27 games in the books. At this point, we have 28 games left to play and 21 conference games remaining. Although our overall record and conference record are not what we have come to expect here in Troy, our players and coaches are poised and ready for the second half of the long and grinding season.
There are still plenty of opportunities available for this team to achieve great things.
We have a difficult week ahead of us with four games away from home. We travel to Samford in Birmingham on Tuesday (April 6) and University of Louisiana-Lafayette (April 9-11).
Samford has been playing well and is coming off a conference sweep on the road this past weekend to improve their record to 17-10. Then we leave Thursday afternoon for the drive to Lafayette and open the series Friday night at 6 p.m.
The Ragin' Cajuns always offer a tough environment for any road team with a great atmosphere and loud fans. They lead the Sun Belt in attendance every year and they are always tough to beat on their home turf.
Speaking of turf, ULL installed the same turf we have at Riddle-Pace Field this winter so our players will have a surface they are accustomed to on the road. We hope that will play in our favor while there!!
Be sure and tune in to the broadcasts this week to support the Trojans.
GO TROJANS!
March 30, 2010
Typically during the season it is difficult to have lengthy, detailed, practices but our schedule for the weekend was unique. A four-game series beginning on Saturday allowed our team to practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday prior to the series beginning. Those three days of practice were important for our team to improve the areas we have struggled with throughout our season.
As coaches, we strive to help our players learn to focus and concentrate on one pitch at a time, which is the only manner to play the game of baseball. Unfortunately, all baseball players have trouble maintaining the type of concentration required to perform at their highest level.
The practices we conducted were structured to promote a higher level of focus for the entire practice. During the three days of work, there is no question our players improved their level of performance. The next challenge for our team was to take those improvements to the field on game day.
The four-game series with Brown, which started on Saturday with a day-night doubleheader, was the first chance the players had their opportunity. Although we did not always execute at the highest level, our focus and concentration did improve.
As the series moved along, we continued to make strides in the appropriate areas of concentration. We enter every game with an expectation of winning and playing well; however, in those four games, we asked our players to not worry about the score and commit themselves to the proper focus � ONE PITCH AT A TIME!
We believe they accomplished that task and did in fact improve their level of focus.
As we prepare for this week's games with Auburn and Arkansas-Little Rock, we will continue to strive to improve in these same areas. As the concentration improves, so does the level of determination, which in turn helps with the performance of every player.
Everyone involved with our program is looking forward to hosting Auburn and then returning to Sun Belt Conference action this weekend at home. We hope that everyone is making their plans to get out to Riddle-Pace Field this week to support the Trojans.
GO TROJANS!
March 22, 2010
With five weeks of the season now in the books, our team has not played up to the level of expectations that all of us have. The Troy program has sustained a consistent level of success the last few years and everyone involved with our program understands those expectations.
Our players and coaches work every day to achieve great things and, to this point, we have not met our own expectations.
However, the Sunday game in Miami ranks as one of the best comeback wins our program has produced over the years. We lost two very tough games on Friday and Saturday to a very talented and well-coached Florida International team. They jumped out early on Sunday to take a quick 6-0 lead after the first four innings. Blake Martz hit a towering solo homer in the fifth and we scored four more in the 6th to cut it to 6-5 and get back in the game.
FIU answered our big inning with a five-run 6th and added one more in the 7th to stretch their lead to 12-5. Down seven runs on Sunday on the road in the 8th inning with two losses already in the books, it seemed as if our season was hanging in the balance. Not many times can any team recover from a seven run deficit with six outs left in the game on the road.
Every team needs a turning point, a rallying point, a monumental moment to build upon toward their own expectations. The last two innings in Miami may have been that moment for the Trojans!
It started in the top of the 8th when Steven Rosado, who came in the game in the 4th inning, singled in a run and Chad Watson hit a three-run homer to right field against a 20 mile an hour wind. That made the score 12-10 heading into the bottom of the eighth.
FIU loaded the bases with two outs and Drew Hull, who has pitched with tough luck the entire season, struck out their 5th hitter with a terrific 3-2 fastball to end their threat and, more importantly, keep them from scoring. That big pitch led to the dramatic finish in the 9th.
Ryan Ditthardt led off the top of the 9th with a two-strike single to right field. Bart Pettus � who has done a little bit of everything this season, including moving to the mound after five years in the program � pinch hit and drew a walk. T. J. Rivera stepped in and delivered his third double of the game, which scored Ditthardt and allowed Jordan Mathers, a pitcher who pinch ran for Pettus, to move to third base with no outs.
With runners on second and third and the score now 12-11, Shohei Fujita made his way to the plate. He entered the game in the 3rd inning to replace Adam Bryant at shortstop. Shohei hit a 1-1 fastball deep over the left centerfield fence for a three-run home run to give the Trojans their first lead of the day, 14-12.
It was a great moment for Fujita, who is the hardest working player that has ever put on a Trojan uniform.
With nine runs over the last two innings and a two-run lead, Chase Whitley took the mound for Troy in the 9th, for the third day in a row. Whitley had worked in both games prior to Sunday and as soon as Fujita's ball left the park, he quickly let Coach Pierce know he was ready to pitch. He worked a scoreless ninth, giving up one hit and a walk but struck out their leadoff hitter on a great change up to end the game and finish the important win for the Trojans.
Although Fujita delivered the big blow, there were so many other players that contributed to the dramatic come from behind win.
Every game is important during a season but this win was special for everyone involved with the program. Our program uses the term "Championship Sunday" for a reason. Each Sunday game is the game where the team that wants it more usually wins. There is so much at stake on Sunday, either a sweep, a series win, or the even more important can't get swept game.
For the second Sunday in a row, the Trojans have come through on Championship Sunday to secure a can't get swept win.
However, the win in Miami should teach this team lessons that will last the rest of the season. It should help them understand how good they can be and what they can achieve. We will soon see if this win helps our team turn the corner and become the championship caliber team they aspire to be.
GO TROJANS!
March 11, 2010
For the second week in a row we have had our midweek game lost to weather. This week's game at Southern Mississippi was cancelled on Tuesday due to a terrible weather forecast. Our players are on spring break this week so we took advantage of the cancellation to work hard in practice.
Both our Tuesday and Wednesday practice days were quality days on the field and the coaches believe our team got better. Thinking back to last year when the schedule was one week shorter, we had very little practice time available since we played four or five games every week of the season.
All baseball teams need quality practice time to work on their weaknesses and either maintain or build confidence preparing for their next set of games.
We begin our 30-game Sun Belt conference schedule this weekend at home with Florida Atlantic coming to Troy. In our four years in the Sun Belt, we have been able to compete at the highest level each year as we are the only team over those four years to finish in the top three each year.
We will have to play well this year to maintain that streak but our players understand the importance of playing well on the weekends. The coaching staff believes this team can and will accomplish some great things in the future and we expect our team to play well this weekend.
FAU is typically a very good team that will be a difficult matchup. To this point, they have pitched exceptionally well on the weekends and have been a difficult team to strike out. That combination is a good formula for success for any team.
Our team has not been a consistent team to this point and we have focused on a few things this week to improve in that area. Our defense has been outstanding to this point and we expect that to continue. Both our pitching staff and our offense have been the inconsistent areas that need to improve.
We've had some big innings swinging the bat but have lacked an overall consistent run scoring mentality. We have also given up some big innings on defense, which is always tough to overcome. We will continue to strive to get better in both areas.
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With the weather slowly improving and the conference season upon us, everyone involved with our program is excited about what is ahead. We have a five game home stretch the next few days at Riddle-Pace Field and we hope everyone will come support the Trojans!
March 1, 2010
This past week was disappointing for the Trojans, to say the least. With our program's expectations and goals, we always expect to win and prepare to win each game we play.
With our 0-4 week now in the books, we have a great deal of work ahead of us to improve. However, our players showed some things we, as coaches, are encouraged about as we continue to progress through our schedule.
The Samford game was a well-played college baseball game by two good teams. There were no errors made during the contest and both teams played well offensively. One fluke inside the park grand slam proved to be the difference in a tightly contested game.
Many times in a loss, coaches tend to look at their own team as to the cause and we are never quick to give credit to the opponent. However, in this game, our staff did give the Samford team their due credit for playing well and competing hard throughout the game. In fact, we also credited our players with the same effort.
Playing a good game with quality effort does not always mean you get the win. With that said, we have to find ways to win our "shutdown" innings, which means we keep our opponents from scoring after an inning in which we score. That was our downfall on Tuesday and we will get better in that area since we focus on that part of the game each day.
As for the trip to Arkansas, we were certainly disappointed with the outcome and we are never satisfied when any team sweeps the Trojans. In fact, in our eight years in Troy, there have been very few three game sweeps we have suffered.
After Friday's big loss, our players were faced with a more difficult challenge of playing better in a tough environment over the next two days. One of the most encouraging things we saw was a very determined and competitive effort both Saturday and Sunday. Even in the two losses, our players competed the right way which bodes well in the future.
Coach Pierce reminds our players often that all a coach can ask of his team is to compete the right way regardless of the outcome. Although we were unable to capitalize on a great opportunity to win at Arkansas, we are confident this team will continue to improve and show that high level of determination required to win at the level we expect here at Troy.
The beauty of baseball is we have a chance to get things going again very soon. We have another four game week with one road game Tuesday at in-state rival Jacksonville State and a three-game home series with a talented Bethune-Cookman.
Jacksonville State always fields a quality team and, as most of you know, there have been so many great games through the years of this once bitter rivalry.
Bethune will bring a team to Troy that plays a highly competitive schedule each year and has been in the NCAA Tournament several times over the recent past. We expect them to pitch well and compete at a high level and we will need to play well to get things going back in the right direction.
There is no doubt that our players will be excited and prepared for these opportunities this week.
Come out to Riddle-Pace Field this weekend to welcome your Trojans back home. As always, GO TROJANS!
February 23, 2010
The Trojans enjoyed a great weekend to start the 2010 season. Winning three games at home to begin the year was not only our goal but an outcome our players expected and prepared for over the last few months.
The amount of time and effort our players commit to our program is significant and for them to play well and have success this past weekend is a great reward for them.
Now the season begins in earnest. Everyone is excited the first weekend and the energy is always high. The challenge for any team is to continue that energy level and excitement throughout the season.
We have two separate opportunities this week. We complete our first home stand of the year with our Tuesday game against Samford, which is a great midweek opponent for our team to play. They will bring a talented and seasoned team to Troy and we will have to play very well to win the game.
Once that game is complete, we will focus our attention on our first road trip of the season to the University of Arkansas. Every coach in America is always concerned about his team's first road games. Going away from home is difficult in so many respects.
First, the players are missing class while traveling. We encourage each of them to take advantage of bus time and hotel time to stay up to date in school. We are never certain that all players take full advantage of those opportunities!
Second, the travel schedules are always tough, especially this long trip to Northwest Arkansas.
And then finally, we play an outstanding opponent that was in the 2009 College World Series.
The most exciting part of this trip will be the chance for our team to play in front of 8,000 Razorback fans each game.
Their attendance is in the top three in the country each year and their stadium is one of the best in America. All that leads to a fantastic opportunity for our players, coaches and fans to have a great first road weekend.
Make sure to be at Riddle-Pace Field Tuesday and, if you can't make the trek to Fayetteville this weekend, tune in to Barry McKnight for the broadcast. Follow and support the Trojans any way you can!
Go Trojans!
February 14, 2010
That snow was predicted, so we were able to schedule around the forecast and take an off day Friday and scheduled a very important meeting on Saturday. Our Saturday meeting covered the team goals that are established before every season. These goals set up the exact path required to reach the NCAA Tournament in June. We were able to hold an intra-squad scrimmage on Sunday afternoon and had a great day to get that final tune-up complete before opening the season on February 19 against Hofstra. Each pitcher who needed to throw this weekend was able to get on the mound.
We played a seven-inning game on Thursday to beat the snow. Both days our team accomplished things that helped prepare them for the 2010 season. The pitching staff has begun to finalize their roles for the beginning of the season, identifying the four starters and the bullpen breakdown. Those roles will continue to take shape throughout the early part of the season.
Starting pitchers begin the early season with a strict pitch count, which always forces the bullpen to be more active early. That opportunity allows those pitchers to establish themselves in their proper roles, which is important to do prior to the conference season beginning on March 12.We now shift our focus to the final few practices before the first game. We anticipate a good week of weather, with a couple of cold days early in the week. The end of the week forecast is good right now, but the weather in Alabama can always change on a moments' notice!
We will work on a few things this week on the practice field to improve but, most importantly, we will continue to work hard on the basic fundamentals our players need to compete.
Everyone associated with our program is excited about the 2010 season getting underway. The home opener will be a traditional opening ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance that goes along with a first game of the season.
We will announce both teams to their respective foul lines and include a ceremonial first pitch of the season. Sam Kitchens, the head coach of the 13-year-old Troy team that won the Dixie Youth World Series last July, will open the 2010 season with the first pitch.
Our tradition here calls for the head coach of any team that wins a state tournament or higher gets to open the next season at Riddle-Pace Field. This will be the fourth time in our eight years that a local coach of a championship team throws out the opening pitch. That speaks well of the baseball being played in the Troy community!!
I hope everyone is making their plans now to attend as many games as possible throughout the 2010 season. If you cannot attend, always remember to tune in to Barry McKnight either on the radio or the internet and follow the Trojans every game.
Our players need the support from Trojans fans everywhere! We all look forward to seeing you at the ballpark soon.
Go Trojans!
February 7, 2010
The first order of business is congratulations to our head coach, Bobby Pierce.
As many already know, he was recently inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. This honor is particularly special since his peers, fellow coaches, are the people involved in both the nomination and the selection process.
He was quite humbled by the whole experience and delivered an outstanding acceptance speech at the banquet. He is without a doubt one of the best baseball coaches around and a great person to work with on a daily basis.
I had the privilege of playing for Chase Riddle, the legendary Hall of Fame Troy coach, and his legacy will remain forever. Coach Pierce displays many of the same characteristics Coach Riddle had during his career and his success through the years proves that as well. Troy University is fortunate to have such an outstanding person and coach leading its baseball program.
The first week of practice, which started on January 30, is now complete. Fortunately, we were able to practice each day we were scheduled to practice, even though the weather was not ideal for a few workouts. The advantages of the ProGrass turf field are significant during this time of year.
With the amount of rain our area has received the last few weeks, it would have made a natural surface field difficult to practice on each day we had scheduled. Our players would also have had several days of "tarp duty", which means early morning meetings (prior to 8 a.m. classes) to remove the tarp or put the tarp on the field.
We only have a handful of players left in our program that can remember the tarp days, which ended with the 2007 season.
The players are excited about opening the season on February 19 as they continue to work hard with their preparation.
This team began their journey on August 13 with our first team meeting. They have gone through off-season conditioning programs, weight room workouts five days a week, six weeks of team practice in the fall, one exhibition game and countless intra-squad innings.
To say they are ready to play would be a huge understatement. However, the excitement that is generated with the beginning of a new season is always a wonderful experience for players and coaches.
The coaching staff, with many opening days in their past, still get excited and energized with the start of a new season. With all the excitement around the program, the players have done a fine job of coming to work on their game every day and not getting ahead of themselves.
We have just completed our first intra-squad games this pre-season. Both the pitchers and the hitters need these opportunities to become "game ready" when the season begins. It is very important for hitters to see a pitcher in a game situation to develop the timing and rhythm necessary during the season.
Typically, pitchers are ahead of the hitters early in every season; therefore we, as coaches, attempt to provide as much opportunity before the season begins to give the hitter chances to become game ready.
The pitchers need the innings to build their arm strength, improve their endurance, and to put to use what they have worked on over the last five months. We will have one more intra squad weekend scheduled this coming weekend (Feb. 12-14) to continue that work for both the pitchers and hitters.
Start making your plans for the 2010 season at Riddle-Pace Field. We have a great home schedule with 32 home games, which is the highest total since Coach Pierce began in 2003. We hope the Trojan fans will fill the seats and enjoy the 2010 season. Go Trojans!
January 29, 2010
This is the first of several blogs to come throughout the 2010 season. You can also follow me on Twitter at @coachmarksmartt. Please check back often for updates.
Today will be our last day of our pre-season training schedule which includes two hours per week of skill instruction and six hours per week of strength and conditioning. Our players have worked hard in this three week phase of training and are ready to begin our team practice phase tomorrow (January 30). Although we have had some weather issues with rain, the temperatures have been manageable for this time of year.
Our first few practices will be important to establish the right type of work ethic to start the 2010 season. We plan to swing the bat as much as possible to give our players the number of repetitions necessary to compete early in the schedule. The pitching staff will shift their focus from their bullpen activity to executing their pitches to a hitter, which is important for both the pitcher and hitter prior to the season beginning. This work will continue right up until opening day.
The coaching staff has been both pleased and impressed with the off-season work ethic the 2010 team has shown. We are all excited about getting started with our team practice sessions and are confident the group will work hard to prepare for the upcoming season. We have a terrific home schedule which features 32 home games over 31 dates, which is the most home games we have had in our eight years at Troy. If you haven't purchased your season tickets yet, please make plans now to secure those and make every effort to follow the Trojans all year long.
Go Trojans!
Countdown to Opening Day:� 21 days
