Baseball Practice Report #2
2/13/2008 5:26:00 AM | Baseball
STATESBORO,
This year marks the first in which the NCAA mandated the season start date. Entering his ninth year in charge of the Eagles, Hennon has tried to get as many scrimmages in as possible in preparation for the season-opener February 22nd against
“I think we have gotten better day to day in all phases,” said Hennon. “It was a little sloppy our first day out, but I think they were adjusting back to game speed. During day two it was a lot better and from that point on we've progressed each time out.
“Outside of the very first scrimmage I think we've been pretty consistent defensively. The scrimmages have been pretty clean for the most part, and along with that our pitching has shown improvement. We've shown more consistency around the strike zone. Our hitting has been steady. Offensively there is a lot of competition with guys battling it out (for spots), which is a good thing.”
Hennon sees his team's offensive depth as a strong point. So with first pitch nine days away, he continues to work on different scenarios to utilize as many players as possible.
“We want to continue mapping out what our roles will be as the season starts. I think we've got a pretty good grasp for that right now. One thing we've tried to do in practices and the scrimmages is mix up the lineups. We moved around some guys that might potentially see time at different places,” said Hennon. “That's one thing I'd like to do since we have depth position wise, to utilize as many guys as we can and keep guys in the flow. Obviously we can only put nine guys on the field at one time but we've got more than that who are deserving of at-bats and opportunities. We are trying to find as many ways as we can to use as many guys as possible. I think that will make us a better baseball team.”
LITTLE EAGLES
From noon until 1 p.m. kids can pick up posters, schedule cards, get autographs, meet GUS and tour the baseball stadium. At 1 p.m. the team will hold a scrimmage open to the public. That night the baseball team will be introduced during halftime of the men's game against Elon. All children attending the camp will receive a ticket to that night's basketball game.
“One thing about our later start date is that it allows us to put on an event like this. This is a great opportunity for the kids to come out and enjoy our baseball camp. We have only one hour, so it's going to be more of a situation where we want them to come out and have fun, identify with our players since they will be the ones working the clinic and giving them a chance to put a name with a face and a number now before the season even begins. We think this is a great opportunity to promote our baseball program and get people in the community thinking about baseball,” said Hennon.
Since Hennon arrived at
“I think it's very important. We are very fortunate at Georgia Southern University and the Athletics Department that we receive tremendous support from the community. You always want to give something back, this is another opportunity we can do just that. It should be a fun day,” stated Hennon. “From a practice standpoint Saturday is an opportunity where hopefully a lot of the people will hang around J.I. Clements after the clinic and it will be somewhat of a rehearsal for our players having fans in the stands. Brent Jones (Marketing director) and his staff have worked hard promoting this camp. We hope this turns into an annual event.”
WARM TEMPS BENEFITTING THE TEAM: The recent stretch of warm weather has benefitted the team, especially last weekend when the Eagles scrimmaged Friday-Sunday.
“I think the weather has been outstanding, we have been very fortunate. The warm weather is great, but more importantly it has been dry. We've had a couple days of rain but nothing to the point of keeping us from off the field and getting our work done.”
BASEBALL PREVIEW RADIO SHOW SET FOR MONDAY: This Monday (Feb. 18), Ryan Chambers (Georgia Southern Radio Network play-by-play radio voice) and head coach Rodney Hennon will discuss the upcoming 2008 baseball season. The Eagle Baseball preview show will air from 7-8 p.m. live from Locos Grill and Pub on Eagle 102.9 FM and via the internet at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
Once again, every Eagle Baseball game will be broadcast live on the Georgia Southern Radio Network flagship station 102.9 FM and www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
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