All the hard work and preparation that has been put into the season will be put on display February 23, 2012, when Jesuit Baseball premieres in their first tournament of the season in Austin, Texas. All look forward to another magical season out of the Jesuit Baseball Program with immense talent and even greater expectations to fulfill.
As the baseball season descends upon us in the Spring of 2012, we are reminded of the fresh cut, lush, and bright green grass manipulated into the diamond patterns that so many people associate with outfields. The newly raked bright red infield and the giant pile of misted dirt that is the pitching mound contribute to the field.
While most think of these as aforementioned images, Jesuit’s field directly contrasts these images. Armed with an all turf field, with the exception of the mound, Jesuit baseball prepares for the sequel to the most successful season in Jesuit’s history in the UIL. With the loss of an incredibly talented player in Josh Bell to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Jesuit has high hopes for even greater aspirations this season.
Jesuit Baseball 2011 Stats http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/dallas-jesuit-rangers-(dallas,tx)/baseball-spring-11/schedule.htm
Josh Bell was a key player during the thirty-four win 2011 season and the playoff run with a .552 batting average, fifty-five runs batted in, and fourteen homeruns; however, baseball is a game played as a team not as an individual. Varsity Assistant coach Sean Gavin “[knows] last year was a special year in that we had a lot of power in the lineup,” which is something that cannot be counted on year in and year out. Although most would not expect huge power numbers with the departure of Josh Bell, a decrease in power numbers will be the fault of the BBCOR bats that must be used. BBCOR stands for Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution and these bats will severely limit the power that a batter can generate. These BBCOR bats have less pop and are changing the game as we know it. As a result, Jesuit will resort to styles of small ball, including bunting and speed on the base paths.
For more information on the new BBCOR bats http://www.stevetheump.com/BBCOR.htm
Young guns like varsity players Max Ready ’14 and Stuart Deary ’14 hope to contribute in any way possible this year. Ready commented on his aspirations this season, hoping to “Take advantage of the opportunity and leave it all on the field,” with the goal of another successful playoff run in sight. These young guns need guidance as they blossom into even greater players, and Joe Powell ’12, by being a “captain in the field,” can help guide these young players through previously uncharted territory, that of varsity level baseball.
With high expectations from the Jesuit community come even higher expectations from within the team. “As the coaches do, I myself have high expectations,” Ready explains. Ready works as hard as anyone on the team and that along with his attitude are two reasons he has earned a spot on the varsity team. He believes, “A lot of determination, preparation, and hard work” contribute to the high expectations within the Jesuit baseball program. The Jesuit Rangers are a very talented team as many members of the program believe. Joe Powell ’12 knows that these immense expectations are only bestowed upon the team because everyone knows that “[Jesuit Varsity Baseball] can hang with any team.” If the team were average, no one would expect anything from them. Since this is not the case, these expectations are set very high.
Joe Powell ’12 also knows that the Jesuit varsity baseball team “has put a lot of work in” to be ready for this season, and they are ready for another deep run into the June playoffs. Max Ready ’14 further elaborated on the preparation, saying, “From fall ball to Ranger boot camp with Coach Jones, Coach Gavin, Coach Pointer, and Coach Martinez, and to training with Coach Weeks, we are mentally and physically prepared for the 2012 season.” Both believe that all of these factors contribute to their readiness for what the season has in store for these Jesuit Rangers.
