TicketsNov. 16, 2005
As the University of Cincinnati baseball team wraps up its 2005 fall practice season, Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary shared his impressions on the fall season.
Q: Talk first about your overall impressions of fall practice.
BC: "I thought practice went very well, especially with the younger faces. We got quite a bit of work done and quite a bit of improvement from the beginning to the end. We've still got work to do. I think we've got a chance to be athletic. I think we've got a chance to be offensive. I think we've got a chance to be capable on the mound, but we've got work to do on the mound. I thought we had some guys a little behind there, but overall, I think we leave the fall for the most part healthy and improved from when we started."
Q:What players really stood out and had good falls?
BC: "I think the guys that stand out in the fall are typically the new guys because we're least familiar with them. Steve Blevins was very, very good on the mound. Josh Harrison really had, I think, one of the better falls by a freshman in quite some time. He's got very good instincts, great aptitude, and made significant improvement in his game throughout the course of the fall. I thought Adam Yeager did a very good job too, and got better as the fall went. So those three I think stood out.
"But I look at returning guys. A.J. Upton had a very good fall. I was excited about that. The fall is always a time where, I think, guys are never as good as they're capable because you're always working on things. Trying to improve your swing or trying to change a swing and perform with it, those two things don't always go hand in hand. I really feel like we're on track and we've got some work to do between now and exams, and of course when we get started in January we'll have some work to do. I think we're in position. I feel better about where we are now than at this point in previous years, so I think we're in position to start well."
Q: What players surprised you this fall with the way they performed?
BC: "I thought Kevin Schrader had a few really solid last two outings and made a mechanical adjustment that's going to allow him some success and hopefully some more command. I thought that Adam Calez on the mound for a guy that hasn't done that very much was good. Kyle Rapp was a pleasant surprise. His swing really came around in a short time. Dustin Alvey is much improved."
Q: What are your expectations heading into the start of practice and 2006?
BC: "I think the big thing for us is that we have a very short time between when we return to school and when we play; only five weeks. Only a couple of those weeks are when we have the whole team together for practice. I think the big thing that's going to be important for us is physically the guys don't go backward from where they are now. They've got to do a great job of keeping their arms in shape, their legs in shape, maintaining their physical fitness. If they can do that, I think we'll be in position to hit the ground running in January. We're not going to have two weeks to spend getting in shape before the season starts."