Welcome back Catamount faithful to this week of the Potomac State Baseball player diary. As always, this is Josh Hoffman, and I have been entrusted with sharing the behind-the-scenes- look at all that is Potomac State Baseball. This week at practice we changed things up a bit adding another wrinkle into our hitting groups. Being 31 days away from our first game we will talk about the upcoming season. I will also give you a little insight into some of the things the guys do for fun, which will be a major billiards tournament this week!
The atmosphere changed last week at our weekly hitters meeting on Thursday night. Coach Schafer holds a hitter’s only meeting on Thursday nights to cover the information that we do not get to cover at practices. During our first meeting of the spring, we all got on the same page knowing that the team comes first. At the last meeting, we had taken a deep dive into our approach and preparation at the plate, and we were determined to get better. These meetings are intense, they cover in-depth topics- it feels like master’s degree level class on hitting.
Starting this past weekend, practice changed to three groups for an hour each. In these practices our pitchers got to simulate pitching in a game to the live hitters. On these days we had certain guys going above and beyond to get all their work in. Dalton Short, a two-way player who is a catcher and a pitcher, was in all three groups so he could pitch, hit, and catch. Speaking of our catchers, they are always doing double time between catching bullpens and hitting in their groups. Catchers get beat up more consistently than any other position, so I commend them all on how hard they all work, day in and day out. All of the other two-way guys do double time as well and they are taking care of business for the season. Having our pitchers throw a bullpen during our practices not only helped the pitchers, but it helped the hitters as well. It was the first time that we saw a pitcher throwing from the mound this spring, and nothing gets you ready quite like the real thing! Getting ready for live at bats, this helped everyone get more comfortable and more prepared to face each other. The pitchers have been getting their arms in shape all break and spring to get ready for the year. Between plyo balls, bands, and a throwing program decided by Coach Little. This program contains cardio days, workout days, and throwing days. Just like the hitters, the pitchers have three groups and rotate practice times and days. The pitchers have been doing all that they can to be in game shape even though they have not been able to get outside. We may not be fortunate enough to have warm weather right now, but we have great facilities that allow us to continue to improve inside. The pitchers and the hitters are looking forward to competing against one another live at bats this upcoming weekend!
31 days. 31 days is right around the corner, and it is crazy to think about. It seems like just the other day we were starting up our fall practices and getting to know each other., and now we are only 31 days away! Coach Schafer always says that “You cannot win the season today, but you can lose it.” That has been said since August and since then the guys have been working hard and busting it to not only get better but to be more prepared for our season opener each week. Speaking of our season opener, this year we open our season in Sumter, South Carolina. For our first game we will play Walters State Community College on February 26 followed by USC Sumter. Each of these teams are well respected organizations that we are looking forward to facing. For those of you interested in viewing our schedule you can google “Potomac State Baseball schedule” or visit www.PotomacStateSports.com. We cannot wait to see you at the ballpark this March! And for those of you who are not local to the area, we play in South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland.
Wrapping up the week we had a little pool tournament in the student union with a couple of guys on the team. The student union got new pool sticks so we had to play! We had 5 guys playing so after shooting around and playing a couple of games for fun, our competitive nature took over and we started a tournament! In the tournament, we played the winner stays on and we went down the line to see who plays next. After one round through we would go back through the list backwards. Starting off the night Bryce Turner beat Dylan Perry easily, and then was quickly dethroned by Dalton Benson. I beat Dalton in a quick game, and then beat Avery Heiple on a lucky break. On the way back through the list Avery did not lose a game. He quickly warmed up and dominated the rest of the night. After a long night of 9 games the final winner was Avery Heiple with 4 wins. I walked away from its 2 wins. Dalton Benson had 1 win. Bryce Turner had 1 win, and Dylan Perry got skunked and had none. Avery claims to be the best on the team and until someone proves otherwise, he has the crown. When asked how Avery was so good, he responded with, “I’ve played pool for a lot of years. You have to have confidence in your shots because if you have doubt it won’t fall in.” A lot easier said than done, but wise words from the champion. He also gave a shout out to his friend Carl from back home who taught him everything he knows about pool. On a different note, Dylan Perry said “It was a rough day, but this isn’t the end of me. You’ll see a whole new Dylan next time.” After a not so promising outing, Perry is insistent that he is a better player than he showed.
As always, thank you guys for tuning into this week's player diary! Make sure to check out the attached video in which we show you guys a look inside the locker room along with sweet Rawlings glove reviews by Dalton Benson!