Head Baseball Coach Steve Smith Chat Wrap
11/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 14, 2002
Head baseball coach Steve Smith sat down Thursday afternoon and chatted with fans online. The following is a transcript of the chat session.
For archived transcripts of earlier chats, click here.
Brett(Euless): Will Jason Thompson become a big time player in ur eyes
Steve Smith: Like all freshmen, Jason is making the adjustments to division I baseball. I have no doubt that he will be successful.
Doug, Bedford: Will there be an alumni game this year? If so is there any news on who will be coming back to play in that game?
Steve Smith: We do the alumni games every other year, so no game this year. The next one is scheduled for fall 2003.
Walter-McGregor,TX. : I thought Durbin would be drafted reasonably high by the pros.Was he overlooked?He seems like an excellent ballplayer to me.I really like going to the games.Good luck this year!
Steve Smith: I think the primary thing that hurt Chris last year was the number of home runs he hit. To be a big league outfielder, you've either got to be a power guy or a speed guy. I really expect big things out of Chris this year, and I'm sure he will get his opportunity at pro baseball.
Jim (Waco): Coach coming out of fall practice where do you see Sean Walker fitting in? Does he have a chance at being a weekend starter?
Steve Smith: Sean finished the fall ranked No. 6 on our staff. His command was not as good as it will be. His stuff was excellent; I really think he was tired after the summer. He is certainly capable of being a weekend starter, along with four or five other guys.
Michael (Waco): Can you comment on the recent sanctions at The University of Texas?
Steve Smith: I really don't want to go into a discussion on this. You can read all about it at NCAA,org.
Jonathan (Waco): Coach, first of all, let me tell you how great a job I think you have done at Baylor, and how much we are all looking forward to this season. Could you please comment on Blake Womble? I was very impressed with him this fall - I expected the speed, but he also hit pretty well for a freshman. Will he play this year or redshirt? And in the future, does he project more as a 2b or an OF? Thanks.
Steve Smith: Blake was our most outstanding freshman position player after the fall. Like you mentioned, he has outstanding speed and great instincts on the bases. He has also shown good aptitude at both 2B and in the OF, and was very competitive at the plate. Because of his versatility and speed, I think Blake could help us win some games this spring.
Johnny (Hewitt): Hey coach, Are you considering using Carlson as a starter this year? Thanks and keep up the good work!
Steve Smith: I would never rule that out totally, as I think Zane would perform very well in that role. I think it will all boil down to how some of the other guys perform as starters.
Houston: Would like to know what has happened to Chris Durbin. I noticed he didn't play this fall.
Steve Smith: Chris spent the summer in Wareham, Mass. in the Cape, and particpated in our fall. I expect him to have a great spring.
Neil, Clinton, MS: Hey coach, congrats on the success you have had at Baylor. Could you comment on what you learned during your time as an assistant under Ron Polk at Mississippi State?
Steve Smith: Good to hear from a fellow Mississippian. Not enough time to share everything I learned from Coach Polk, but hardly a day goes by that I don't think about working with him. He raised the bar for me on what being a head baseball coach is all about, and that has been a high standard for me to reach. I am very proud to have worked for him.
John (Houston): I see you signed one JUCO player. Do you look at a JUCO player differently than a HS player when recruiting? JUCO players usually have 2 years of eligibility left so do you see them as immediate impact players when you recruit them?
Steve Smith: Yes. I think most everyone would agree that you should expect a JUCO player to be able to transition into your starting lineup quicker than most freshmen. In the case of Mike Pankratz, we expect Mike to be able to replace some of the offense that we will lose this next year. Interestingly enough, he will only be a sophomore eligibility-wise because of his redshirt year at Texas A&M.
Ken (West): I know you like to send your players to the Cape Cod League. Can't that be a double edged sword and do you worry about that? How many did you send last summer and how did they do?
Steve Smith: I'm not sure that I understand your question, but let me say that we have had nothing but good experiences in having our players play in the Cape. It is very competitive, which forces the guys to work hard every day. Not much downside in that. Last summer, we had 10, and should have about that many this next summer.
Bryan from Waco: Coach, it appears as though this year's team has a lot of potential. What are the chances of playing in Omaha this summer? How would you compare this team to your team in 1999 with Jennings, Topolski, Cogdill, Nelson, etc? We all appreciate the tremendous job you continue to do with class and integrity. Thank you.
Steve Smith: Thank you for your comment. I like this team a lot. It has a lot of the same attributes as the teams that you mentioned. This is a very cohesive group right now, and they appear to be highly, highly motivated. There are a number of very talented teams battling for the opportunity to go to Omaha. We will be one of them.
Austin (Waco): Coach, it appears that most of this new class has the talent to be competetive college baseball players, but not the kind of talent to be high draft risks. Was that part of the plan in recruiting this year?
Steve Smith: Your observation is correct. We rolled the dice pretty big last year, and in spite of losing Everts and Loney, we really did very well with regards to the draft. This year's class was going to be small, due to the limited amount of aid that we had available. Because of that, we tried to be more cautious in terms of signing guys that we felt we could actually keep. After all the dust settles next summer, I think our class will look even better than it does now.
Austin (Waco): What newcomers are likely to see time on the mound this season? Can you give us a run down on how our bullpen will likely look?
Steve Smith: The three freshmen that were most impressive in the fall were Ryan LaMotta, Andy Pape and Russell Reichenbach. Mark McCormick did not throw during intrasquad games, but has been throwing in the bullpen for the last three weeks and has looked good there. If we assume that White, Theodorakos and Trey Taylor are the rotation, then the bullpen will likely consist of Abe Woody, Carlson, Walker, and the four freshmen mentioned above. Cody Hall and another freshman, Zach Golden, are in the mix as well.
Nick (Katy): How did the HS pitchers do this fall, especially Ryan LaMotta? I think you signed a pretty good stick in Pankratz. Do you project him as first baseman?
Steve Smith: LaMotta was outstanding, has an excellent assortment of pitchers and great makeup. Pankratz could either be at first base or one of the corner outfield spots.
Rebel (Waco): Who are you looking filling the void left by Mike Huggins at first base? Also, who are the top 5 starting pitchers right now? Go Bears!!!
Steve Smith: See previous post regarding pitching. As for first base, right now it looks like Mark Saccomanno and Zach Dillon, but Josh Ford and possibly Jared Clements could see some time there, too. It will be hard to replace the defense of Huggins.
Hit-Man (Tulsa): Coach where do you see Trey Webb fitting in the line-up and do you still have great run on your fastball?
Steve Smith: Hello Hit-Man. Got any eligibility left? First of all, no run left on my fastball. I'm just a thumber now. I expect Trey to lead off.
Austin (waco): What's the third and second base situation looking like at the moment? Griffin has taken over the left field job, correct?
Steve Smith: It looks like Paul Witt and Kyle Reynolds. While Griffin played very well in left field, he could still see time at third base, particularly against left-handed pitching.
Michael Savage, Roanoke,Va: Looks like you really did a heck of a job in recruiting. Pitching should be the best overall that you have had since you have coached at Baylor. Are you excited?
Steve Smith: Thanks for your comment. I am very excited about this team. As I mentioned earlier, they are highly motivated. We did not have any really dead days in the fall, and as you mentioned, our pitching depth is as good as it's ever been. We've got a very challenging schedule; that also should be exciting for the players and the fans.
Pat O'Connell (Easton, Pa.): Coach Smith, How important is it to have your players placed in quality summer wood-bat collegiate baseball leagues? Do you already have your players placed for the summer of 2003? What factors are most important when helping to select the right summer team for each player?
Steve Smith: Yes, it is very important for players to continue playing the game throughout the summer. We have had great success placing players in quality leagues. Over time, you learn the individual teams that have quality organizations that will provide a good experience for the players. The actual coach of the team and the housing arrangements for the players are probably the most important factors.
Derek, NY, NY: It looks like your team will be very competitive again. Who else in the Big 12 will give you problems? Does Oklahoma State look to be one of those teams along with Texas? The Big 12 looks tough. Thank you, Derek
Steve Smith: I think our league will be outstanding once again. There is one thing we know for sure about every team in our league this year that is not true of any other league in the country: we will all have to play the defending national champion. Like last year, it will probably go down to the final weekend and be very close amongst 7-8 teams.
Steve Smith: Thanks for the questions. Happy Thanksgiving, and a Merry Christmas to all -- with that, good night.
