2008 Woodie Awards
Panthers seeking new heights on the baseball diamond
After the success of last season, Coach Michael Robertson wants a SWAC title
Panther News Service
Issue date: 2/1/06 Section: Sports
Also returning on the mound is junior Josh Terrell. The Houston native showed his versatility last season with 10 starts and 20 appearances.
"Josh is locating his curveball better now, whereas a year ago he mostly threw fastballs and change-ups," added Robertson. "You'll probably see him throw his breaking pitch a little more now."
In the bullpen, Fernando Almaguer, Brian Lloyd and Michael Vega all return for their second season. They'll be joined by several newcomers who should give the bullpen additional depth.
"Our goal this year with the pitching staff is to heighten their awareness and challenge them every day at practice," Robertson said. "We'll carry 10 pitchers this season and all are pretty competitive and can throw strikes consistently."
Despite the success on the diamond last season, one area of concern Robertson sought to address during the off-season was to reduce the amount of errors made in 2005. As a team, the Panthers committed 167 errors with 86 coming from the starting infield. As a result, Robertson signed several infielders who should help minimize those mistakes.
"We've added several players in the infield from the junior college ranks that are tremendous baseball players," said Robertson. "They have a lot of ability, but it will be up to the coaching staff to get the most out of them.
"However, as a team I think we should be a lot more fundamental than we were last year," added Robertson. "I was not pleased with our defense due to the amount of errors, so we're focusing more on defense in practice now. I don't anticipate a repeat of what we saw last season."
Another area of concern going into the 2006 season is the lack of an experienced catcher due to the loss of the team's top three catchers. Robertson believes he has found several candidates after fall drills to fill the void.
"We have several athletic guys we can plug in at catcher that should be productive for us because they are exceptional athletes and most athletes will pick up things faster than your average kid," he said. "Garland Jamison, who came here as a shortstop, was converted to catcher because he had some catching experience. He'll split time with Brandon Whitby, who's a freshman that's coming off the football field. Brandon is a true catcher but Garland understands the game well. Those will be the two guys we'll depend on throughout the season."
"Josh is locating his curveball better now, whereas a year ago he mostly threw fastballs and change-ups," added Robertson. "You'll probably see him throw his breaking pitch a little more now."
In the bullpen, Fernando Almaguer, Brian Lloyd and Michael Vega all return for their second season. They'll be joined by several newcomers who should give the bullpen additional depth.
"Our goal this year with the pitching staff is to heighten their awareness and challenge them every day at practice," Robertson said. "We'll carry 10 pitchers this season and all are pretty competitive and can throw strikes consistently."
Despite the success on the diamond last season, one area of concern Robertson sought to address during the off-season was to reduce the amount of errors made in 2005. As a team, the Panthers committed 167 errors with 86 coming from the starting infield. As a result, Robertson signed several infielders who should help minimize those mistakes.
"We've added several players in the infield from the junior college ranks that are tremendous baseball players," said Robertson. "They have a lot of ability, but it will be up to the coaching staff to get the most out of them.
"However, as a team I think we should be a lot more fundamental than we were last year," added Robertson. "I was not pleased with our defense due to the amount of errors, so we're focusing more on defense in practice now. I don't anticipate a repeat of what we saw last season."
Another area of concern going into the 2006 season is the lack of an experienced catcher due to the loss of the team's top three catchers. Robertson believes he has found several candidates after fall drills to fill the void.
"We have several athletic guys we can plug in at catcher that should be productive for us because they are exceptional athletes and most athletes will pick up things faster than your average kid," he said. "Garland Jamison, who came here as a shortstop, was converted to catcher because he had some catching experience. He'll split time with Brandon Whitby, who's a freshman that's coming off the football field. Brandon is a true catcher but Garland understands the game well. Those will be the two guys we'll depend on throughout the season."
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