Baseball preseason outlook

Jshoemaker — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:16:16 GMT

The ’08 fall ball season has come to a close for the
Salem Tigers Baseball Team. Coach Tanner Hill is very excited with the
potential that has been shown throughout the fall season. Returning
starting outfielder, Hector Sanchez from Venezuela, will lead the
tigers offensively this year. He will build on last year stats that
have propelled his name into the best hitters in the conference. He
finished with second team all-conference honors and grabbed All-Region
Rawlings baseball honors as well. He claimed 5 th on batting average
leaders with a .432 average along with 5 homers and 12 doubles. Showing
his patience at the plate, in 132 at bats, Hector only struck out 15
times. Not the fastest base runner, Sanchez increased his base stealing
abilities to capture 10 stolen bases.

Along
with Sanchez to pad the offense is INF/C Ryan Hannon. In only 28 games
last year, he amassed a .372 batting average with 4 homers and 25
RBI’s. Michel Velasquez will try to continue improving off his finest
college season so far. As a hitter, Velasquez pounded a .290 average
along with 7 doubles, 2 home runs and 21 RBI’s. As a pitcher, Velasquez
led the staff with 55.1 innings pitched. He continued to battle, 3
complete games, 27 strikeouts, and to a 3-5 record on a team that won
only 11 games last year. Kevin Demattos will look to help provide that
punch out of the rotation as well. Kevin had a 4-5 record with 2
complete games, logged 45.2 innings and 25 K’s last year. Also
returning are Josh Demattos, Trevor Hall, Zach Cuozzo, Paul Dilulio,
and Trevars Thompson. Bringing in 19 players, 2 nd year Head Baseball
Coach Tanner Hill says “We have a lot of talent here, but more
importantly, the layers are committing themselves to practicing and
playing hard. They are paying attention to detail and I believe that is
what wins baseball games. I am very excited about the recruiting class
we have brought in and the returners are working really hard to get us
were we need to be.”

Catchers

Ryan Hannon (SR)

“Ryan
is coming off shoulder surgery and missed all of Fall Ball. He will be
counted on to get himself ready to catch come season and display the
leadership and skills that landed him First Team All-Conference honors.
Ryan will also be counted on to anchor the middle of the Tigers batting
lineup.”

Charles Rymers (FR)

“Charlie
is a talented and hard working freshman. He will need to continue to
get stronger and work on his receiving/blocking skills, as well as his
foot work to go along with his strong and accurate arm.”

Craig Coupland (FR)

“Craig
is another talented freshman. He will need to really work on his hands
and footwork. He is a hard nosed player that will continue to get
better as he grows into his big frame.”

Larry Plum (FR)

“Larry
will red shirt this season. He is a quality local talent and has
progressed well through the fall. He will need to continue to learn the
position as well as get his grades up in order to help the Tigers next
year.”

Infielders

AJ Burlington (FR)

“AJ
has the potential to be an All-Conference player. He is very polished
for a freshman. He possesses a great glove and strong arm defensively
and will look to solidify the left side of the infield as a 3 rd
baseman or SS. AJ will also be looked at as a middle of the order type
of hitter, who can hit for both average and power.”

Irving De la Concha (So.)

“Irving
will be looked to supply a power bat to the Tiger offense. A middle of
the lineup hitter. Irving will compete on the infield for time at 1 st
and 3 rd base. He needs to continue to develop defensively to go along
with his plus bat.”

Kevin Demattos (Jr.)

“Kevin
has great range at second base and can turn the double play. He also
displays great leadership as an upper classman. Kevin will also need to
work on his batting and cut down on the number of strike outs from last
season.”

Michael Holbert (Fr.)

“Mickie
is an intense and quality freshman. He displays above average defense
at 2 nd base and is a quality stick that can hit backside and handle
the bat. Mickie needs to really hit the weights hard in the off season
and add muscle to his lanky frame.”

Sean Redmond (Fr.)

“Sean
is a hard nosed player that can flat out play the SS position. He
displays great range and a strong arm. Sean will need to work hard in
the off season to get his bat up to the caliber of his defense.”

Dave Guido (Jr.)

“Dave
is a transfer from Mohawk Valley CC. He brings with him some experience
at the 2 nd base position. He will need to continue to work on his bat
and add some range defensively, but can be a solid player.”

Dave Genua (Fr.)

“Dave
is a very solid freshman, who will be looked at to handle a utility
type role. He can play ss, 3 rd, 2 nd as well as outfield. He is a good
contact bat that can also run. He needs to gain confidence in order to
take his game to the next level.”

Kenneth Minor (Fr.)

“Kenny
is a big guy with soft hands. He will look for time at both 3 rd and 1
st base. He needs to continue to learn the little things on defense.
Offensively he has big power and we will look to get him ready for
season.”

Michel Velasquez (Jr.)

“Michael
will look for some innings at the 1 st base position. He can really
pick it and has a good sense of the game. He needs to continue to grow
as a hitter, which has seen him get constantly better.”

Paul DiIulio (Jr.)

“Paul
will give us some depth in the infield and can back up any where on the
infield. He will continue to get better with more reps.”

Pat Buckley (Fr.)

“Pat
is a hard working player who will compete for time at 1 st base. He
needs to continue to grow defensively. Offensively Pat gives us a
left-handed bat that has some power. He will only continue to get
better with more practice.”

Outfield

Hector Sanchez (Sr.)

“Hector
will solidify the right field position with his quality glove and
strong arm. He will be counted on to anchor the Tigers batting line up
from the left side and build on his 2 nd team All-Conference honors
from a year ago. In my opinion he is the best pure hitter in the
league.”

Josh Demattos (Jr.)

“Josh
continues to improve his already solid defense in center field as he
adds more range while getting more comfortable with the position.
Offensively he is improving and looks to add another quality bat in the
line up. He needs to cut down on his strike outs from a season ago.”

Trevor Hall (Sr.)

“Trevor
continues to improve his game both defensively and offensively. He is a
hard worker, which hopefully will get him where he needs to be. Trevor
needs to make the routine plays in the field, while cutting his
strikeouts down and putting the ball in play more often then he did
last year.”

Joseph Perotta (Fr.)

“Joe
has the talent to play multiple positions on the field and will fill
that role accordingly. He must work on his offense in order to be an
everyday player. If he continues to work hard and keep his head on
straight he will be a big contributor.”

Robert Dudley (Fr.)

“Robert
continues to learn the game. A very hard worker. He will push for time
in the outfield. He needs to continue improving his all around game.”

Marcus Slauer (Jr.)

“Marcus
has developed his game considerably from last season. He needs to
continue to work hard at everything and compete for time in the
outfield.”

Jayson Barnes(Fr.)

“Jayson
is an extremely talented player that can run like the wind. He needs to
work hard this year, staying focused both with baseball and his studies
in order to help the Tigers next year. He will red shirt this season.”

Pitching

Michel Velasquez (Jr.)

“Michel
will be expected to continue his growth as a pitcher. He has great
movement from his 3\4 delivery and has added a curve ball to his
repertoire. He will be counted on to be a weekend starter for the
Tigers.”

Clayton Townsend(Fr.)

“Clayton
when healthy has the potential to be as dominate as anyone in the
league. Great mound presence and consistently lives in the mid 80’s
with good off speed stuff. He needs to keep his head on straight in
order to help the Tigers out this season.”

Kevin Demattos (Jr.)

“Kevin
will try and build on his quality season of a year ago. He gives us
great pace and knows how to pitch. I expect him to be a weekend
starter.”

Joseph Perotta (Fr.)

“Joe
has all of the tools to be a great pitcher for us. He has a mid 80’s
fastball and tight slider to go along with a bulldog attitude. If he
continues to work hard, the sky is the limit.”

Robert Smith (Jr.)

“Robert
is a transfer that has logged some quality innings in the past. He
throws from a low ¾ and gets lots of ground ball outs. He is in the
process of mastering a split finger to go along with his sinking
fastball. He has the potential to be the Tigers closer.”

Travers Thompson (So.)

“Travers
is a guy who will take the ball when ever asked. He is a finesse guy
who knows how to pitch. He will be used in many different ways this
year.”

Zac Cuozzo (Sr.)

“Zac
is a senior and great competitor. He will be looked at as a long
man/spot starter. He will also be looked to in providing knowledge to
his younger staff members.”

Josh Demattos (Jr.)

“Josh
will look to improve on a so-so season last year. He looked real good
in the fall and will look to carry that into the season with him. He
will be used both as a starter and relief guy.”

Sean Redmond (Fr.)

“Sean
is a very versatile pitcher. He spots both his fastball and curveball
real well and can throw either in any count. He will be looked at as
both a reliever and starter.”

Paul DiIulio (Jr.)

“Paul
is looking to rebound after a disappointing season in which he battled
injuries. He looks to prove himself this year and have a quality
season.”

AJ Burlington (Fr.)

“AJ
will be used in both a starting and relief role. A sound pitcher, who
hits his spots and knows how to pitch. He brings with him great mound
presence and pace.”

Michael Holbert

“Mickie
is a submarine side arm pitcher. He will be used out of the pen. He
will be looked at to come in throw strikes and get the key ground
ball.”

Jake Bagwell

“Jake
will red shirt this season. He has a quality arm that will only get
better with him getting bigger and stronger. He needs to concentrate on
the weight room and his studies, in order to help us out the next
season.”

Pat Buckley

“Pat
will be a nice arm from the left side and give us our only lefthander
on the staff. He will be looked at to throw strikes and get the tough
left handed batters out in key situations.”

Coach Hill – Season Outlook

“I
believe this season will be very positive. We have a good bunch of guys
that are willing to put the time in to be successful. There is a new up
beat feeling within the clubhouse. I will not put a number on wins and
loses. However, I believe we may be one of the most improved teams in
the nation. We have everything that you look for in a quality team. It
is an exciting time for Salem Baseball.”

Coach
Hill has put a lot of time into the program this off-season and
dramatically improved the baseball team. The Tigers will look to
rebound from an 11-win season and compete in the WVIAC this year. His
hard work and recruiting methods have paid off over the course of the
year. Coach Hill hopes to establish a foundation of intense game play
and a winning tradition at Salem International University. I look
forward to watching this team evolve into a top WVIAC team.

From the desk of the SID....

Jshoemaker — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:33:35 GMT

2008 Mid Season Volleyball Report

The
Tiger's volleyball team has experienced a rebuilding year that will
enable the Tigers to make great strides to improve the program for next
year. SIU Softball Coach Steve Potts took on the reigns as Interim Head
Coach this year while the university searched for a new full-time Head
Coach. Potts was the assistant coach for volleyball for several years.

The volleyball team hit a dramatic low spot when they were forced to
start the season with just 11 players. The late departure of a coach
that resulted in some last minute recruit losses and eligibility issues
created a challenge. In spite of these, the volleyball team continues
to put out their best efforts. Key returning player Kassidy Nutter
suffered a season-ending fractured thumb. At the time of the injury
Nutter lead the WVIAC in blocks and attacks per match. "She had a great
start to a season that was cut short. Would have been nice to have
throughout the year and really look forward to her coming back next
year," said interim coach Steve Potts.

What is not indicative in the
record thus far is that they have done great with what they have
performed beyond expectation. Surprising basketball player, Melissa
Anger has excelled in her role as a middle hitter. First year in
college volleyball, she has 55 kills; and second on the team with 11
serve aces. "She came on real fast as a first year player and does a
great job in the middle," said Potts.

Senior four-year starter Ellie
Bliss has lead the team in numerous ways. She has played the part as a
vocal captain and most important a role model to the younger athletes
and red shirt players. Ellie currently leads the team with an
astonishing 154 assist with 95 digs and 24 total blocks. Said Steve
"Ellie is one of the best setters in the conference, a great leader,
and a real pleasure to coach."

Kayla Lewis, another senior
starter, has taken the season in great strides. She currently is 7th in
the conference in service aces with 17 and also boasts 79 digs on the
year. Alicia Potts, another senior starter, has excelled up front all
year. Her 49 kills ranked tied for second on the team with her sister,
Amy Potts. Alicia has also led the team up front with 28 total blocks.
Tori Lease, along with the previous senior starters, is a defensive
specialist. Started the season late due to an infection, she has caught
up quickly and amassed 82 digs in 33 games. "All three of them have had
solid senior years. They have been playing out of position all year.
Also, they have improved and learned every aspect of the game by
playing different positions" said Potts.

Sophomore Amy Potts has evolved as
a leader in her second full season. Like her sister, she has 49 kills
and an impressive 98 digs. "Amy has done a great job playing out of
position this year. She's a good base for the new coach to build on
next year."

Hannah Hoover, after sitting out
last season as a red shirt freshman, entered the season late and has
became aware of her role and made great strides on defense. She adds to
the enforcement in the backfield. "Hannah has improved and learned a
great deal throughout the season," Potts said.

Ashley Garcia returned late to
the team after a difficult family situation. She is a returning
sophomore, who like Hannah, boosts the defensive shield. Says Steve
"Ashley has battled through family difficulties early in the season and
has made a smooth transition into game play."

The Tigers have a few games left in this long season as they start to
prepare for next year. As a fan and Sports Information Director, I
enjoyed watching them evolve as a team and mature as adults throughout
the season. The future certainly looks bright for this bunch.

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Jamie Shoemaker

Jshoemaker's Blog

Baseball preseason outlook

From the desk of the SID....