williamknox
Alright, Tech has three of five games down so far, and the Black team is up two games to one.
I have been able to make it to two of the three games, and put together some boxscores and stats thanks to my experiences this summer.
I wasn’t there for game 2, but Robert Giovannetti, the voice of Texas Tech Baseball, gave us this…
BlackJamodrick McGruder (2nd base) 2-4, drove in a run and scored a run
Bonham Hough (left) 1-4, drove in a run, scored a run
Joey Kenworthy (short) 1-3, drove in a run, scored a run
Barrett Barnes (center)2-4, drove in a run, scored three runs, two doubles
Nick Popepscu (third) 4-5, drove in four runs, scored twice, two doubles and a triple
Duke VonSchmann (first) 2-5, drove in a run and scored a run
Kevin Whitehead (catcher) 2-4, drove in a run, scored a run, double
Ryan Morgan (right) 1-4, scored a runPitchers
Jordan Stern, five innings, seven hits, two runs, no walks, four strikeouts
Brett Breuning, one inning, no hits, one run, one walk, two strikeouts
Jay Johnson, one inning, no hits, no runs, one walk, one strikeoutRed Team
Garrett Totten (second) 2-4, scored a run, double
Taylor Ashby (center) 1-4, drove in a run
Scott LeJeune (right) 0-3, two k’s, walk
Jeremy Mayo (catcher) 0-4
Justin Berry (short) 1-4
Steven Hagan (first) 0-2, walk
Bo Altobelli (third) 1-3, scored a run
Alex Mielnicki (left) 2-2, drove in a run, doubleLouis Head 3+ innings (faced two in the fourth) eight hits, six run, two walks, two strikeouts
Kellen Monreal, two innings, four hits, three runs, one walk, two strikeouts
Brandon Foster, two innings, three hits, two runs, one strikeout
Personally, I’ve been very impressed with some of the pitchers. Jay Johnson, a lefty transfer from Canada, could lock down the closer role, putting Chad Bettis into the starter’s role. I, personally, prefer to see Bettis used like last season because he does a very good job in short relief, and provides the much needed experience out of the bullpen. Of course, that all depends on who can step up as a starter. Brennan Stewart has been excellent in his pair of appearances on the mound. Freshman Brandon Petite struck out three of the first four batters he faced, constantly playing with the inside corner on the righties.
Hitting has been a key point thus far. Former Coppell Copperhead (holla!) Nick Popescu has continued the strong glovework from this summer, and is hitting .500 on the series. Freshman Barrett Barnes has done a great job putting balls done the left field line in route to a .455 average with three doubles. Fellow freshman Bo Altobelli has also shown flashes with his bat. Duke Von Schamann, another freshman, has great power potential, but needs to work on his defense at 1B if he wants to maximize his playing time.
The regular names, Ashby, Kenworthy, LeJeune, and Berry haven’t disappointed too much. LeJeune’s bat is still his strength, while Kenworthy and Berry are black holes at SS. Ashby has struggled to get hits, but has yet to strike out.
The infield is going to be the question for this season. Its not a point of a lack of talent, but rather too much talent. 1B will probably go to Stephen Hagen or Von Schamann. Hagen has played better D while Von Schamann is leading at the plate. 2B looks to be Garrett Totten’s spot to lose. Fr Jamodrick McGruder has been his counterpart, but has made some mistakes on defense. SS and 3B are the problems. Kenworthy and Berry have Big 12 talent at both positions, but Popescu will cause a problem. All three players give Texas Tech the best chance to win, but there are only two spots. This battle could push out Totten at 2B in order to get all three players on the field. Jeremy Mayo, Kevin Whitehead and Bo Altobelli are all more than capable to catch, and probably will split time doing so. Mayo has the experience and the bat, Whitehead has the size, and Altobelli is the wildcard.
Outfield is the question mark. Michael Reed and Ashby are obvious choices in left field and center field, but right field is an unknown. Barrett Barnes could play his way into the spot, or Scott LeJeune may take over, if he can solidify his defense. Senior transfer Bonham Hough brings experience to the mix, and will probably be a much needed talent on the bench. Freshmen Alec Mielnicki and Ryan Morgan have played well enough to possibly see action in the spring. If Jamodrick McGruder isn’t able to crack the infield, he could possibly be used as a centerfielder, thanks to his speed.
If I were to make a prediction on the lineup, it would look something like this…
C- Jeremy Mayo
1B- Stephen Hagen
2B- Joey Kenworthy/Garrett Totten
3B- Nick Popescu/Justin Berry
SS- Justin Berry/Joey Kenworthy
LF- Michael Reed
CF- Taylor Ashby
RF- Barrett Barnes
DH- Scott LeJeune
The main players off the bench- Whitehead, Altobelli, Von Schamann
I have no idea what the pitching staff will look like. Louis Head, Chad Bettis, Bobby Doran and Robert Kilcrease are likely starters. There are a lot of new players in the bullpen, so it’ll be a situation of “wait and see.”
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