Young baseball team ready to open season in Kentucky
By Bryant Foreman
Despite the snow still left on the ground in most of the Midwestern states, college baseball teams are still gearing up for the 2010 season. The Earlham College Quakers have been doing just that.
The Quakers look for their first victory tomorrow in Danville, Ky. as they face the Centre College Colonels, who finished 12-24 last season. The 2009 game resulted in a 19-11 victory in favor of the Quakers, who hope to do the same to start off their 2010 season.
Last year the Quakers finished with an overall record of 14-22, while finishing 3-13 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. That record corresponded to a ninth place finish alongside the Hiram Terriers.
This year, the Quakers have approached the season with an aggressive recruiting strategy by adding eight new faces to the roster:
Freshmen Shawn Kinnett (P), Chris Tillery (OF/P), Ross Yoho (SS/P), Nate Reynolds (OF), Gilbert Ambler (OF), Chris Baumann (2B/P), Justin Broach (P/UTL) and Nate Chandler (C/UTL) take up a large spot on Earlham’s 15-player roster.
“We are not looking at these young players as freshmen,” said Associate Head Coach Steve Sakosits. “Since we have had nearly a year to train and prepare, we have gotten them very acclimated to our system, and they just have to go out and play like they know how to play now.”
Junior Conner Gable, a first baseman from Connersville, Ind., and sophomore transfer Colton Bragg, a pitcher from Hanover College, are both new faces to look for on the Quaker roster this season.
Yoga, weight-training, experienced players crucial
The baseball staff has established a rigorous off-season workout schedule to prepare the team for the upcoming season.
For the past several months on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the team has gotten up at seven in the morning to participate in a weight-training program. In these early morning workouts, the team focuses on strength training in the weight room and actively participates in a yoga program to help with stretching, coordination, balance and focus.
These strategies are not the only factors boosting the Quakers in a positive direction during the 2010 season. The return of key players and upperclassmen will also play a pivotal role throughout the season.
Senior catcher/infielder Jake Carr leads the Quakers as the only senior on the roster. Last year, Carr led the team with a batting average of .417 while adding 55 hits and 17 doubles to his statistics. Junior Adam Painter, a pitcher who also plays first base and outfielder, led the Quakers to several victories last year as he was 4-3 at the mound with an ERA of 4.55.
Other returning players are juniors Andrew Morrical and Corey Murray. Morrical, a third baseman and outfielder was second in hitting in 2009 with a .369 average that included 48 hits. Murray, a pitcher and first baseman, also helped the team with his .333 average as well as capping two wins for the Quakers last season.
Sophomore Tyler Schroeder, had a .245 average last year and returns to provide solid defensive play in the outfield for the Quakers.
Two veteran players participate in off-season league
This summer Carr and Painter also participated in Richmond’s prospect league team, the “RiverRats,” in which they played with, and competed against, some of the best college players in the nation.
Carr said, “Playing with the ‘Rats’ was awesome and it gave me an idea of what it would be like to be a professional player. It also taught me a lot about the game from playing and being around other really good players.”
This experience did not only reflect a “fun summer” for the Quakers duo, but also prepared them for this season.
Painter added, “Just the experience of playing against such good talent all summer helped out a lot. I think I really learned how to pitch at a consistent basis every appearance and I developed my pitches further, which will help me this spring.”
After receiving league recognition for the past two years, Carr, the lone senior on the roster, has moved into a position as co-captain.
“I’m excited to lead this group of young guys. It should be great because they are a great group of guys that work hard,” Carr said. “At the end of the day I consider myself just another member of the team and I can’t wait to play my role and be successful as a team.”
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