Baseball from a land Down Under
Titans compete against an all-star Australian in their first game of the season
Jacquelyn Cayot
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Sports
According to LCC Head Baseball Coach Rob Strickland, the Titans should expect to see similar talent to that of the Australian Team for the rest of the season. He even explores the possibility of future opponents playing better defense and being more competitive at bat than Monday's competition.
"Hitting and pitching [are] definitely two areas of our game that we are going to have to focus on," Strickland said.
Titan fans can expect to see a different style of baseball this year compared to the last 3-4 years in Titan history says Strickland. Due to their physically undersized state, the team can't rely on overpowering pitching or deep offensive threats. Instead, they plan on being extremely scrappy this year. The team may be young, but many of the same expectations remain. Making it to the NWAC tournament and being one of the top two teams in the league is important to players and coaches alike.
"We have a young group of guys that are pretty well founded in baseball, so I'm excited to see what they can do and hopefully bring some new life into the baseball program that should be successful for the year," Andrew Schumacher, sophomore right fielder, said.
With a freshman-dominated squad, Strickland has a different approach for the players along with a newly directed focus. He understands that many of the players come from a program with far less expectations than his at LCC. Strickland's goal is to make it apparent to his new group of guys that his program is very intensive.
"If they can't make a commitment both academically and on the field, they are going to be left out eventually," Strickland said.
With high expectations, the pressure is on for the Titan players this year.
"We are really deep this year, we have a lot of guys that play a lot of different positions so I think that will really help us out," sophomore, pitcher, Reed Nicholson said.
Several players agreed that Monday was a great start, helping the team see where they were in regards to preparation level for the season.
Monday's game was recognized by both teams as a unique experience for all of the players. The Titan's opponent was an all-star high school team selected from the best players in Australia. The Australian Team is currently on a tour of the U.S. in an effort to expose its players to colleges such as Lane.
"Many [of our players] are hopeful of gaining placement and scholarship offers," Australian Team head coach, Stuart Hanrahan said.
The team is headed to Portland and will then travel to LA shortly after. Following a trip to Phoenix to play in the Arizona Fall Classic High School Invitational tournament, the team will return to Australia on Oct. 15.
"Hitting and pitching [are] definitely two areas of our game that we are going to have to focus on," Strickland said.
Titan fans can expect to see a different style of baseball this year compared to the last 3-4 years in Titan history says Strickland. Due to their physically undersized state, the team can't rely on overpowering pitching or deep offensive threats. Instead, they plan on being extremely scrappy this year. The team may be young, but many of the same expectations remain. Making it to the NWAC tournament and being one of the top two teams in the league is important to players and coaches alike.
"We have a young group of guys that are pretty well founded in baseball, so I'm excited to see what they can do and hopefully bring some new life into the baseball program that should be successful for the year," Andrew Schumacher, sophomore right fielder, said.
With a freshman-dominated squad, Strickland has a different approach for the players along with a newly directed focus. He understands that many of the players come from a program with far less expectations than his at LCC. Strickland's goal is to make it apparent to his new group of guys that his program is very intensive.
"If they can't make a commitment both academically and on the field, they are going to be left out eventually," Strickland said.
With high expectations, the pressure is on for the Titan players this year.
"We are really deep this year, we have a lot of guys that play a lot of different positions so I think that will really help us out," sophomore, pitcher, Reed Nicholson said.
Several players agreed that Monday was a great start, helping the team see where they were in regards to preparation level for the season.
Monday's game was recognized by both teams as a unique experience for all of the players. The Titan's opponent was an all-star high school team selected from the best players in Australia. The Australian Team is currently on a tour of the U.S. in an effort to expose its players to colleges such as Lane.
"Many [of our players] are hopeful of gaining placement and scholarship offers," Australian Team head coach, Stuart Hanrahan said.
The team is headed to Portland and will then travel to LA shortly after. Following a trip to Phoenix to play in the Arizona Fall Classic High School Invitational tournament, the team will return to Australia on Oct. 15.
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