The University of Texas got verbal commits, recently, from three of the top players in the state. Dex Kjerstad, Jacob Felts and Alex Silver all said yes to the Longhorns, who finished second to LSU in last year's NCAA College World Series.
Scott Kurtz/ESPN RISE
Jacob Felts is one of three Texas preps off to Texas
"As a little kid I had always dreamed of going to Texas. I watched every Longhorn game I possibly could whether it be baseball, football or basketball,” remarked Bellaire (Houston, Texas) High School infielder Alex Sliver.
Last year, Silver's Bellaire team was ranked No.1 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 National Baseball Rankings. That came to an end when they lost to Brazoswood (Clute, Texas) in the Class 5A state playoffs. Bellaire would end up No. 19 in the final rankings.
When Silver heads to Austin, he is following in the footsteps of his family. Silver's parents and sister all went to Texas, plus he added that it will only be a two and a half hour drive for his family to watch him play.
Jacob Felts, a catcher out of Orangefield (Orange, Texas) High School, shared the same dream of playing at Texas as Silver did. And like Silver, Felts has always been a fan of the Longhorns. Felts, Silver and Kjerstad all played on the Texas Rangers Area Code Team this past summer, so they will be a little more relaxed when they head off to Austin next fall.
"I have gotten to know both Alex and Dex over the last couple of months and have become good friends so it's good to have some familiar faces to look at when I arrive at Texas,” said Felts.
Silver was too thrilled that Kjerstad and Felts said yes to Texas. "After playing with Dex on the Rangers Area Code Team, I am very excited for him to be a part of our class as well.”
Both players said they felt the pressure of making this choice and why not?
This is a big decision to make, for anyone, not just these two.
"There has honestly never been a bigger pressure and I was so happy to have that pressure lifted,” Felts said.
Silver agreed that some of the pressure was removed, but noted that the pressure to perform is still there. "In some ways I feel more relaxed but in others I don't. I feel better now because the whole recruiting process is over, but I know I have to work hard everyday to get better.”
Both players are looking to improve and get better for 2010.
"The outlook is looking very good because with the end of last year we only lost one senior so we have the entire team basically coming back and looking to make another run at the playoffs,” said Felts of his outlook for 2010. Orangefield finished last year with a 23-11 record. Felts had a great year at the plate hitting a reported .471 with six home runs and 38 RBIs.
Silver is looking for big things this year from Bellaire. They finished with a 33-4-1 record they have 15 guys returning with varsity experience. "I hope this year we will have a stronger team since we are returning seven starters.”
The Longhorns should be excited about these three players who said yes to Texas.
ESPNRISE.com caught up with Kerry Kelley at the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, Calif. We sat down with the Palmdale High School athlete to talk about the MLB Youth Academy, recruiting and the opportunity to play a team from Japan.
Jake McCasland out of Piedra Vista (Farmington, N.M.) High School took some time to answer some questions. Last year, as a junior, he hit .483 with six homers. The first baseman also saw time on the mound and posted a 9-1 record with a 1.41 ERA.
ESPNRISE.com: If you could pick another sport to play, which would it be and why?
Jake McCasland: Football because I like to play the game.
ESPNRISE.com: What do your pre-game rituals consist of?
Jake McCasland: Drinking a Red Bull and thinking about the game.
ESPNRISE.com: If you could face one hitter/pitcher of any era, who would it be and why?
Jake McCasland: Babe Ruth because he was the best player.
ESPNRISE.com: Why do you play the game of baseball?
Jake McCasland: It is the greatest game ever.
ESPNRISE.com: Who are the key influences to your success in the game of baseball?
Jake McCasland: My first coach and some of my other coaches through the years.
ESPNRISE.com: Where do you see yourself in baseball in the future and what are you doing now to get there?
Jake McCasland: Hopefully playing college ball - by working hard and playing more baseball.
ESPNRISE.com: If you could hang out with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Jake McCasland: Babe Ruth.
ESPNRISE.com: What do you do when you are not playing baseball?
Jake McCasland: Go fishing or hang out with friends and family.
ESPNRISE.com: Who is your favorite music artist?
Jake McCasland: Metallica.
ESPNRISE.com: If you had a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Jake McCasland: Alaska.
ESPNRISE.com: Write something interesting about yourself that most people don't know.
Zach Lee is a 6-foot-4, 190 pound righty out of McKinney (Texas) High School. He was on the 2009 Texas Rangers Area Code Baseball Team, along with his teammate Matt Lipka. Lee also plays quarterback on the McKinney football team, where Lipka is a wide-receiver. Lee verbaled to LSU where he looks to further his athletic career.
The big news of the day, it will come down to one game tomorrow, winner take all. The Reds and the Athletics both look to lay claim to a mythical Area Code Championship.
Washington Nationals 11, New York Yankees 1
Day five of the 2009 Area Code Games saw four games and it kicked off with the Yankees and the Nationals. For the Nationals it was their last game of the week and it was a good week for the kids from the Northwest.
It was easy to see that two players garnered most of the attention, in Josh Sale and Drew Vettleson, but there were other players who stood out through the week. But let's saw this about those two players. Vettleson's home may be in the outfield and Sale, it will stir debate, may be the top hitter in the country. He has power and a good swing. Everything the pair hit this week was hard, including the outs.
With that said, there are some other players from the Nationals who had a good week. Ryan Brett has been in the leadoff batter for Northwest team this week and because of his production th Nationals were able to put a lot of runs on the board. Their biggest offensive game against the Brewers Gray on day four, when they exploded for 13 runs.
The Nationals also had a kid out of the 2011 class, Spencer O'Neil, who had a nice week and shortstop Trace Tam Sing had a great week. Maybe not as flashy as some of the other shortstops in Long Beach this week, Tam Sing is still a solid player.
In their game against the Yankees, they Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Devin Perry came in to a bases loaded jam in the second. With the Yankees trailing by three, he tried to minimize the damage. It would be a difficult task, as the first batter he faced, Vettleson, lined a single to right, scoring a run.(Read full post)
Four games on the schedule on the fourth day of the Area Code Baseball Games. Three of the four ended up being decided by just a single run and the Nationals poured it on the Brewers Gray. But the kids on the Gray team should be proud for the way they fought back in their second game of the day. They could have rolled over, but showed tremendous character in their 2-1 win.
Cincinnati Reds 2, Milwaukee Brewers Blue 1
It was Day 4 in Long Beach and the Brewers, because of schedule, will play three times (the Gray plays a twin bill). The Brewers Blue kicked it off against the Reds in the morning. The Reds came into the game with a record of 1-0-1 and the Brewers Blue with a record of 1-0-1.
The Reds had a scoring threat in their half of the third with runners in scoring position. Henry Owens wiggled out of a jam and kept the score knotted at 0-0.
In the top of the fourth the Reds got on the board with a pair of runs. Marco Gonzales walked with one out and scored on an RBI double by Trevor Allen, who moved over to third on an errant throw to the plate. Then Trevor Allen came across on a botched run down attempt.
Through the first four innings the Brewers Blue committed three errors, and two had proved costly. The defense of the Brewers have had moments of brilliance and then moments one would rather forget about.(Read full post)
It was another great day of action at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif., as for the third day in a row, one of the games ended in a tie, and did so with late inning heroics. The Athletics and the Rangers had the greatest offensive production, with each team winning and each team scoring at least seven runs.
Oakland Athletics 7, Milwaukee Brewers Gray 4
The Brewers Gray got things going in the first, with four straight hits leading to a quick 2-0 lead against Athletics' pitcher Christian Pfaff (R-S Central HS, N.C.). It looked like the Brewers would add more runs, but Cory Hahn (Mater Dei HS, Calif.) grounded into a double play and Joel McKeithan (TC Roberson HS, N.C.) made a highlight reel catch at short to end the inning.
Zach Weiss (Northwood HS, Calif.) got the nod for the Brewers Gray. Drew Doty (Gaither HS, Fla.) led off with a walk and moved to second on a botched pickoff play by Weiss. Ty Linton came up with an RBI single to give the A's their first run of the game.
In the top of the second the Brewers scored on a wild pitch, the second wild pitch of the game for Pfaff. That was the only run of the inning for the Brewers and they took a 3-1 lead.
Third inning Doty drove in McKeithan makes it 3-2. The A's tied it up when Weiss threw one to the backstop and Josh Lee (Independence HS, Tenn.) scored to tie the game.
Standout double by Healy drove in Turner, but was called out when he missed third. Healy scored on a Cory Hahn single to right and give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.
With the score tied 4-4, Colton Keough (Tesoro HS, Calif.) came up with a big knock to center to give the A's a 5-4 lead at the end of three. Sal Giardina (Bloomingdale HS, Fla.) was gunned down at the plate by Eric Jaffe to end the inning without further damage.
Tim Massengale drove in Ty Linton on an RBI single, giving the A's a 6-4 lead. Brewers' pitcher, David Armendariz, struggled in his two innings, giving up three runs. The Athletics' offense has been productive scoring at least one run in each of their four innings.(Read full post)
Long Beach, Calif. -- He is recognized at the 2009 Area Code Games as the guy who hit for the cycle at last year's games. In his second year of duty, Joshua Sale (Bishop Blanchette, Seattle, Wash.) is proving to be the real deal. He made the Area Code Games as an underclassman, and looks like he's put on ten pounds of muscle and gained an infinite amount of experience.
"This year I have a bigger comfort level, I know what to expect, last year I was the young guy, wide-eyed and not as focused,” Sale said.
Scott Kurtz / ESPN RISE
Sale is off to strong start this week
On the first day of the '09 Area Code Games, Sale added to his Area Code success by hitting a home run and recording an outfield assist by throwing out a Red's player at home plate on a frozen rope from left field.
Sale credits his experience last year in allowing him to be more relaxed and focused this year.
When asked about last year, coming up to the plate needing a homerun for the cycle, Sale responded by saying, "Honestly, yeah I was thinking about it. I wasn't trying to [hit a homerun] but it was in the back of my mind.”
In his second game of the week (he still has three more to go), Sale proved to be a legitimate threat in what has turned out to be a scrappy Nationals' lineup. One player who has benefited thus far hitting in front of Sale is Drew Vettleson (Central Kitsap, Bremerton, Wash.), who in the 9-7 loss to the Rangers on Thursday night, had four hits.
It seems that every time Sale makes contact with the ball it is hit hard. And another, more visible notation on Sale. He has matured over the past year and looks like a different person. He seems to be more of a physical specimen.
At the Washinton Nationals' tryout in Bellevue, Wash., Sale was able to pass along information to the players about to make their first trip to Long Beach. On this team, he was the veteran and in his first two games he played like it.
Sale, who has a verbal commitment to Gonzaga, is striving for the pros and believes the Area Code Games can bring him the exposure he needs to play at the next level.
Being a second-year player, Sale is helping the new guys out this year by giving them advice on how to handle the exposure with scouts.
As for next spring at his high school, Sale is focused on having a good season, but is taking it in stride.
Long Beach, Calif. -- SPARQ testing went into full swing on day one at the Area Code games at Joe Rodgers Stadium adjacent to Blair Field.
After a successful day of testing seven of the eight teams, two players posted scores of 80 plus: Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) of the Milwaukee Brewers Blue and the New York Yankees' Sean Coyle (Germantown Academy, Chalfont, Penn.).
Sabol, a hard-hitting catcher, posted a 80.87 SPARQ Rating while Coyle recorded a 80.09. Unofficially, there were ten athletes with SPARQ Ratings higher than 75.00.
A first time SPARQ tester, Sabol commented after his score was posted, "the SPARQ testing was a little tough, but it was fun.”
He posted a 6.28 60 time, the fastest recorded time of the day, a 36.2 inch vertical jump, also th top mark, a 52-foot Power Ball toss and a 4.83 shuttle time. Sabol recorded the top SPARQ Rating even with a couple of slips during the shuttle.
Coyle commented on his SPARQ experience and believed that the SPARQ Rating is a valuable tool in evaluating baseball players.
"Baseball is a game of speed and explosiveness, and that's what SPARQ tests you on,” Coyle said.
Of the eight teams in the games, only the Texas Rangers were unable to field a complete team during the testing session. It was with good reason, as a majority of their players arrived in Long Beach on Wednesday due to their participation in the Texas Scout Association showcase on August 4th.
The rest of the athletes were upbeat and excited to test and some scouts took a break from evaluating batting practice and made their way over to time players in the 60 and evaluate the other three testing elements.
Of the 159 players tested, seven posted sub 6.7 60-yard times. Five players had a 35 inch vertical jump or higher. Six players had sub 4.4 shuttle times and eight players recorded 58-foot plus Power Ball tosses.
Read below for the top five SPARQ Ratings at the 2009 Area Code games and the top individual marks in each testing element:
TOP SPARQ RATINGS 80.87 -- Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) C 80.09 -- Sean Coyle (Germantown Academy, Chalfont, Penn.) INF 78.16 -- Paul Kronenfeld (Woodberry Forest, Greensboro, N.C.) OF 77.67 -- Kyle Olson (Henry Jackson, Mill Creek, Wash.) C 77.38 -- Kevin Jordan (Northside Columbus, Columbus, Ga.) OF
60-YARD DASH 6.28 -- Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) C 6.45 -- D'Monte Grissom (Whitewater, Fayettville, Ga.) 2B 6.53 -- Sean Coyle (Germantown Academy, Chalfront, Penn.) INF 6.56 -- Colton Keough (Tesoro, Cota de Caza, Calif.) OF 6.62 -- Kevin Jordan (Northside Columbus, Columbus, Ga.) OF
POWER BALL TOSS 60.5 – Keenan Kish (Germantown Academy, Worcester, Penn.) P 60.5 – Paul Kronenfeld (Woodberry Forest, Greensboro, N.C.) OF 59.5 – Taylor Lindsey (Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz.) SS 59.5 – Sam Lindquist (Eastside Catholic, Mercer Island, Wash.) P Three tied with 59.0
VERTICAL JUMP 36.2 -- Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) C 36.1 -- Sean Coyle (Germantown Academy, Chalfront, Penn.) INF 35.8 -- Cory Hahn (Mater Dei, Corona, Calif.) OF 35.4 -- Austin Wilson (Harvard-Westlake, Los Angeles, Calif.) OF 35.1 -- Kevin Jordan (Northside Columbus, Columbus, Ga.) OF
20-YARD SHUTTLE 4.27 – Michael Lorenzen (Fullerton, Anaheim, Calif.) OF 4.37 – Josh Sale (Bishop Blanchette, Seattle, Wash.) OF 4.37 – Trace Tam Sing (Newport, Bellevue, Wash.) SS 4.38 – Colton Keough (Tesoro, Cota de Caza, Calif.) OF 4.38 -- Cory Hahn (Mater Dei, Corona, Calif.) OF 30 YARD DASH 3.40 – Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) C 3.45 – D'Monte Grissom (Whitewater, Fayettville, Ga.) 2B 3.56 – Sean Coyle (Germantown Academy, Chalfront, Penn.) INF 3.58 – Kyle Olson (Henry Jackson, Mill Creek, Wash.) C 3.63 – Colton Keough (Tesoro, Cota de Caza, Calif.) OF
Note: Players listed by high school followed by hometown; Follow Area Code Baseball on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ACBaseballGames
Kurt Jahnke is a pitcher/infielder out of Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) High School. In 2009 he hit .308 at the plate and on the mound posted a 6-2 record with a 2.51 ERA. His Sabercats' team went 19-13 on the year and made it to the first round of the playoffs, where they fell to Cienega.
Courtesy of Jahnke Family
If Jahnke could go anywhere it would be to Australia.
ESPNRISE.com: If you could pick another sport to play, which would it be and why?
Kurt Jahnke: Hockey, because it's really run to play and the action never stops.
ESPNRISE.com: What do your pre-game rituals consist of?
Kurt Jahnke: I don't have any.
ESPNRISE.com: If you could face one hitter/pitcher of any era, who would it be and why?
Kurt Jahnke: Bob Gibson, because he was one of the most intimidating pitchers ever.
ESPNRISE.com: Why do you play the game of baseball?
Kurt Jahnke: I love going out to the field and not worrying about anything except baseball.
ESPNRISE.com: Who are the key influences to your success in the game of baseball?
Kurt Jahnke: The great players I've observed in the past as well as my teammates.
ESPNRISE.com: Where do you see yourself in baseball in the future and what are you doing to get there?
Kurt Jahnke: Play college and professional baseball. By working hard everyday on hitting, running, pitching, and on being a teammate.
ESPNRISE.com: What are your plans for the summer?
Kurt Jahnke: Play summer club ball, take a summer class and get ahead in school.
ESPNRISE.com: If you could hang out with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Kurt Jahnke: Chris Farley. He was hilarious.
ESPNRISE.com: What do you do when you are not playing baseball?
Kurt Jahnke: Relax and hang out with friends.
ESPNRISE.com: Who is your favorite music artist?
Kurt Jahnke: Chronic Future.
ESPNRISE.com: If you had a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Kurt Jahnke: Australia, seems like a cool place to go.
ESPNRISE.com: What is something interesting about yourself that most people woudn't know?
Kurt Jahnke: I really like history, particularly Word War II.
ARIZONA -- The Cincinnati Reds Area Code Tryouts continued on Saturday at Chandler-Gilbert community college in Arizona and with the temperatures steaming at a hundred degrees, the hotbed for the four corners was ready to work. Last year the Reds team consisted of Arizona draft picks Tommy Joseph, Jake Barrett, Trent Stevenson, Matt Helm, and Thomas Lemke and today we are in search for next year's crop.
With the usual professional workout, the 60 yard dash kicked off the tryout and it consists of all eighty scouts at the end with their stop watches and all position players running their tails off to get that sub-seven number. The player who ran their way to the under the "Line” speed number were:
Drew McKeever – Sahuaro High School, Arizona (6.90) Michael Benjamin – Basha High School, Arizona (6.94) Jake MacWilliam – Arcadia High School, Arizona (6.97) DW Warner – Desert Ridge High School, Arizona (6.98) Chaz Contreras – McClintock High School, Arizona (6.87) Christian Muscarello – Catalina Foothills High School, Arizona(6.97) Hunter Zwart – Mingus High School, Arizona (6.84) Michael Howard – Prescott High School, Arizona (6.74) Joey Rocha – Mountain Point High School, Arizona (6.81) Sam Wilson – El Dorado High School, New Mexico (6.82) Trever Allen (6.84) CJ Rodriguez (6.77)
Next it was the outfielders chance to display their prized arms: below are the top arms at the tryout.
Michael Howard – Prescott High School, Arizona Sam Wilson – El Dorado High School, New Mexico Jacob Doyle – Deer Valley High School, Arizona
The infielders were next: Below are the top fielders in this crop:
James Farris – 1B, Highland High School, Arizona Jake MacWilliams – 2B/SS, Arcadia High School, Arizona Darian Ramage – SS, Deer Valley High School, Arizona (2011 Graduate) Alex Real – SS, Pinnacle High School, Arizona, (2011 Graduate) Jackie Samora – SS, Apollo High School, Arizona
The next drill was the Catchers Pop Times (the duration from when the pitch hits the catcher's glove to when the middle infielder catches it at the second base bag). Below are the recorded best pop times of the day:
Jason Parks (2.00) Tanner Murphy (2.06) Nathaniel Causey (2.00) Kevin Cron (2.12) TC Mack (2.02) Shaun Chase (2.00)
The Cincinnati Reds Area Code Baseball Team tryouts start next week and like last year there will be three tryouts. The first one will be in Las Vegas at Cashman Field on June 12, followed by one at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on June 13 and the final one at Regis College in Denver on June 15. The team will be built consist of players from Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.
Courtesy of Kaczmarek Family
Taylor Kaczmarek is one of this year's hopefuls for the Cincinnati Reds Area Code Team.
Last year's team showed great talent, with pitchers like Casey Upperman (Notre Dame Prep, Scottsdale, Ariz.), Jake Barrett (Desert Ridge, Mesa, Ariz.) and 2011 phenom, Bryce Harper (Las Vegas, Nevada).
Taylor Kaczmarek, a 6-foot-2, 210 pound first baseman / outfielder is one of over 100 players heading to a tryout next weekend. He is a teammate of Jake Barrett, and his Desert Ridge High School baseball team just won the Arizona Class 5A II state title. They did it topping another of Arizona's top programs, Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.) High School.
"It was a once in a life time opportunity,” he said of winning a state title. "Not a lot of teams win it and knowing that our team was talented and will be next year, too. It was a crazy game and Horizon is a good team.”
This past year, Desert Ridge topped Horizon twice and with its success earned a spot in the ESPNRISE.com FAB 50 National Rankings at No. 16, and with baseball in other parts of the nation still in season, they could move even higher.
"Trying to do well and make it to the next level,” he said of his goals for the workout on June 13. "I just want to play anywhere D1.”
Schools that are talking to him now include Oregon, Virginia Tech and Arizona.
Kaczmarek is one of three players from Desert Ridge invited to the Reds' tryouts. And his teammate Barrett had the opportunity to play in Long Beach, Calif., last year.
"Two of my friends, who are seniors, got invited last year and tried out. I think it is a big deal,” he remarked.
Coming off a remarkable season, even if they did fall one game short of winning another state title, right-handed pitcher Josh McAllister is headed to the tryout in Denver. This year his La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.) team finished as the runner ups in the New Mexico Class 5A finals and is currently No. 49 in the FAB 50 National Rankings.
"I kind of relate it to playing at ASU in a way,” McAllister remarked. "Everyone is out to try and get you and you are going to have a god team every year. Every year you can compete for a state title.”
There is a reason why he chose to compare La Cueva to Arizona State. He recently gave a verbal to the Sun Devils and he looks forward to the Pac-10 Conference.
"My dream is to play in the college world series and obviously they have a good chance year in and year out,” he said of Arizona State. "I love the coaches there and I love the town. It was a no brainer after I visited there.”
He was open to play anywhere but he noted that the Pac-10 is one of the premiere conferences.
McAllister will be one of the players at the Area Code Baseball Tryout in Denver on June 15.
"I am expecting to see a lot of good players and everything good competition and pitch real well,” he said of his expectations going into Denver.
From the three tryouts, the Cincinnati Reds will build a roster to represent the four corners, Nevada and Hawaii this August.
The South Dakota High School Baseball Association is implementing a new rule on pitchers and the amount of pitches and not innings they are able to throw. It simply says that a pitcher cannot throw more than 106 pitches in one day and a pitcher may not be able to start a new inning if he reached 89 pitches in the previous inning. There are other subsections to the rules, but the idea here is to help protect the players' arms and try and reduce the injuries that young arms suffer.
To throw one no hitter in a season is rare. But what about two? Or even three? Is that possible?
Three arms from Clovis West High School, located in the heart of California, did just that. Golden Eagles, JD Salles, Sean Silva and Aaron Garabedian all threw no-hitters in this early season. For Garabedian it was particularly special, as it was his first start on the varsity level, after playing on the junior varsity last year.
Clovis West High School
JD Salles is one of three Golden Eagles to toss a no-hitter this year.
"It was pretty impressive. You're lucky to get one in a season and to get three this early shocked everybody,” said righty JD Salles, who was one of three Clovis West Golden Eagles to accomplish the feat. Salles last year was named to the CalHiSports.com First Team Underclass.
The hurler committed to Fresno State and his teammate Sean Silva is considering the Bulldogs, but has a scholarship offer to UCSB on the table.
"My dad went there and that had a lot to do with it and they were the national champions last year,” Salles said on his commitment to the defending national champions.
Coach Kevin Patrick's Golden Eagles are off to a hot 8-0 start. Not only is the pitching strong, but also the offense is doing its part, scoring 10 plus runs in three of those games.
"Offensively we have a .381 team average,” coach Patrick stated, "and our staff has a 1.17 ERA. You combine those you have a chance to win.”
Going into the season, coach Patrick said that pitching and defense was their strength entering the season. But even with those expectations no one could imagine the dominance early on.
"Well we knew going into the season that pitching and defense would be our strength,” coach Patrick added. "I don't think anybody expected three no hitters and a one hitter.”
When Salles was asked about the team thus far he commented, "I just think we got a lot of good players this year.”
Plus, Salles added that they were prepared going into the season. Off-season workouts, summer ball and fall ball it seemed that everything fell into place.
"It was pretty impressive. You're lucky to get one in a season and to get three this early shocked everybody,” Salles remarked.
The Golden Eagles take on Clovis High School this week and Salles will get the start. It has been a tremendous start to the season and Clovis West looks to build off their fast start.
Coach Patrick summed it up perfectly, "It's been pretty special up to this point.”
For those of you who tried to hit you then know the difficulty of squaring up a round bat on a ball. ESPNRISE.com through Area Code and Area Code Camps has compiled some of the reasons why amateur players struggle and what they need to do in order to become more successful at the plate. Inside you will read what the common problems are and how to correct them. You will also see pictures of what a swing should look like. Look at the hands, the head and the feet to give you an idea of what is being discussed.
AP Photo/Kent C. Horner
Tony Gwynn was one of the best hitters the game ever saw.
Top 5 Most Common Hitting Mistakes:
1.Not Staying Inside The Ball: This seems to be the most common mistake that hitters tend to make. When a hitter swings around the ball and does not keep the barrel of the bat inside; the hitter loses torque, which is essential in maximizing bat speed and power. Also in many instances when a hitter does stay inside the more difficult it becomes for the hitter to center the ball consistently because the top hand has a strong tendency to roll over the ball.
2.Long Swing: A long swing is another consistent mistake hitters make. This also closely coincides with not staying inside the ball. Hitters that have a long swing often do not stay in side the ball and swing around the ball creating length in the swing. The ideal swing is to have a short efficient path to the ball. A short or compact swing will allow for maximum bat speed and a more consistent repeatable swing path.
3.Improper Weight Transfer: Weight transfer in hitting is a key component for success and this is where many hitters struggle. The most common problem that hitters face in the area of weight transfer is shifting their weight to their front foot too early. This seems to occur more often at the higher levels of baseball due to the pitchers ability to throw more breaking pitches. One key in developing a proper weight shift is for the hitter to keep his hands back and not letting them drift forward prior to the swing.
4.Getting Hands Started Too Late: Another highlighted area where hitter's make mistakes is by not getting their hands back in a proper hitting position in time prior to the swing. This can be attributed lack of timing. Most commonly the hitter will start the loading of the hands after the pitcher has released the ball and in most cases the hitter needs to load the hands while the pitcher is still in his delivery.
5.Tracking The Ball: Pitch recognition is an area in which many hitters have a difficult time. The ability to track the ball is a vital part to a hitter's success because many hitters will commonly swing at pitches out of the strike zone or not see the ball over the plate with consistency. One key differentiating factor, is hitters that have success tracking the ball more consistently have better plate discipline or knowledge of the strike zone.
Every year, in February, players from Utah and Nevada pour into Mesquite, Nevada for a baseball event that prepares them for their upcoming year. Players have the ability to improve baseball skills and athletic skills, during the SPARQ Training portion of the day. Keith Chatelain is the SPARQ Trainer involved with the athleticism development for those players each February. Here are some ideas he has to help develop and improve the 30 yard time.
There are only two ways to increase overall speed and that is by increasing stride length or stride frequency. Stride length is how long each step is while you are running, while stride frequency is how fast or frequent each step is. A major coaching point is do not try to increase stride length so much that frequency has slowed or increase frequency so much that length has shortened. You must remember that each player is different and while there is an optimum balance between the two it is not the same for everyone.
While watching an athlete run you may notice little things like he is always the first out of the box but at the end of the 30/60 it looks like he is pulling an anchor. Or the other is true that he is slow off the start but always crosses the line first. In both of these cases stride length and frequency may not be the only factors that are causing these totally different outcomes. It may be his start or his mechanics that are causing him to not be at his peak which can be helped with explosive workouts and plyometrics while the other can be helped with going back to basics by going over simple sprinting mechanics. Both of these have already been written about in previous articles. Here we are talking about increase overall speed with resistance and assistance training.
Resistance Training. Resistance training is anything that resists you while you are running.
Old School
Hills: Running up a hill 20-30yds. in repetitions of 8-10 will make you drive on every step up the hill to increase speed. This also helps you stay in the drive phase that was discussed in the mechanics article. Driving harder and faster on every step will help increase both length and frequency. Coaching point: The hill should not be that steep that you need to get on hands and knees to finish just enough slope that it makes you raise your heel over your opposite knee and drive your flexed foot into the ground.
Sled Work: Running 30-40yds. with a weighted sled attached to your body (from behind) will also help increase speed. Similar to the hills it makes you drive on very step helping to increase stride length because the harder you drive the longer each step will be. Coaching Point: Too much resistance can actually hinder an athlete more than it can help. No more than 15% to 20% resistance.
New Technology
Bullet Belt: Running 30-40yds. with resistance from the bullet belt 3 resisted then 3 releases. Resisting 15%to 20% 3 times the entire distance and then the next three resisting the same amount for 10-15yds and then pull the release cord. Coaching point: do not yank the release cord instead let go of the resistance cord and hold the release so he can easily sprint into the final stretch of the entire distance. This teaches the athlete to continue to drive as even after release and that helps the athlete continue to drive.
Resistance cords: Running 30-40yds. with resistance cords is similar to the sled but because another person is running with the player manually resisting the resistance can be changed instantly as the player needs. Again no more resistance than 15% to 20 %.
After any of these training techniques the player must then sprint free which means sprint with no resistance immediately after he is done with the resistance. Trying to focus on the same things as if the resistance was still on. Teaching himself to continue to drive and increase stride length.
Assistance Training Assistance training is anything that assists you to run faster than you ever had.
Old School
Hills: Running down a hill 20-30yds. in repetitions of 8-10 will make you increase frequency because you will have to pump your legs/elbows faster to run down the hill successfully. You are teaching your body to increase the frequency while you are sprinting. Coaching Point: Do not let your form go bad because you are going so fast. Stay forward and drive on every step. Also the slope of the hill should not be too much because you still want to be under control.
New Technology
Over speed: Running 40yds. in repetitions of 5-6 with a band in front of you attached to another athlete again making you run faster than you ever have. Again stay forward and keep good form and do not let your technique go bad because of the speed.
Again you want to do a couple of free sprints without the assistance on a straight track to teach your body the same things without the assistance. Also you do not want to do over speed too many times during the month because it puts a lot of strain on the body.
There are many other types of resistance and assistance training that will help increase speed but here are just a few to get you started on your way to improving you 30 time.
Keith Chatelain tained with and for Coach Tom Shaw for 8 years during entire high school, collegiate, and professional career. At Tom Shaw Performance trained some of the best athletes in all of professional sports. Played and started for 4 years at the University of Kentucky and then played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Currently working with Tom Shaw, Bob Keyes, BIO-Kinetics and SPARQ in developing new techniques in testing and training Baseball players.
A new record has been set of 7.4 million high school athletes participating in high school sports, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The number of athletes playing baseball sits at just over 475,000 players. Football was No. 1 with almost 1.2 million players. Baseball ranked No. 4 behind football, basketball and track. Check the article out here.
As Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones flirted with .400 for the first half of the season, it seemed as if he was attacking the game like everyone else was still in high school. Well, hitting the rewind button on his career, he was once a terror in prep ball, too. But success didn't come without a challenge.
After growing up in rural Pierson, Fla., Chipper transferred to the prestigious Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.) prior to his sophomore year. Three years later, the Atlanta Braves made him the No. 1 pick in the 1990 MLB Draft after he hit .488 with five homers and 25 RBIs as a senior shortstop. With six All-Star appearances and more than 400 homers in the bigs, the move to Bolles seems to have worked out OK for one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history.
ESPN RISE: YOU'VE CALLED GOING TO BOLLES THE BIGGEST DECISION OF YOUR LIFE. WHY'S THAT? Chipper: I went through, at ages 15, 16, 17 and 18, what most guys go through at 19, 20, 21 in college. I was going to public school and making A's and B's and not bringing a book home. I went up there and had three hours of homework a night. I had to budget my time, my money. I had a car. I had to eat. All these things caused me to grow up real fast.
ESPN RISE: WAS THERE CULTURE SHOCK GOING FROM A RURAL, BLUE-COLLAR FLORIDA TOWN TO AN ELITE PRIVATE SCHOOL? Chipper: (Laughs) It was bad. I was a small, country kid coming to a rich private school. I was driving a white Ford Escort, 1983. Everybody there was driving BMWs and Trans Ams and stuff like that. I had a little trouble fitting in. Once they saw me run and catch passes on the football field and swing a baseball bat, I found that I got liked.
ESPN RISE: HOW DID YOU ADJUST ACADEMICALLY? Chipper: I had a lot of trouble. My dad said, "You're not coming home. It's not an option. You've got to do whatever it takes to get by. Get tutors, go in after school and before school to get help. Do what you've got to do." I found a comfort zone. I showed the teachers I was trying hard, that I was really interested in making good grades.
ESPN RISE: DID YOU SETTLE IN FOR YOUR JUNIOR YEAR? Chipper: It's like being a rookie in the big leagues. You never truly get your sea legs under you until that second year. The first year's kind of a whirlwind.
ESPN RISE: WHAT WAS YOUR LAST YEAR LIKE WITH ALL THE DRAFT TALK? Chipper: (Pitcher Todd) Van Poppel was in the draft, and he was the jewel of the draft. But he told the Braves he wasn't going to sign with them. The Braves called and asked if they drafted me No. 1, would I sign. I laughed at them. All I wanted to do was go play ball. I wanted to get in the big leagues as quickly as possible. I knew the day before the draft I was going to go No. 1. I was at my prom.
Jordan Jankowski (Peters Township, McMurray, Pa.) Sr.
Jarret Martin (Centennial, Bakersfield, Calif.) Sr.
Nick Ramirez (Katella, Anaheim Calif.) Sr.
Nick Struck (Clackamas, Ore.) Sr.
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