Feb. 13, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head Coach Robbie Wine
Q: How do you feel coming out of practice, going into the season?
A: Pretty good. In yesterday's scrimmage there was some anxiety there because I think in the last couple of years, we've had a guy hurt or something freaky happen. Nothing happened yesterday. It was kind of in the back of my mind, "just kind of make it through this scrimmage and then two more practices." But, health-wise we're good, experience-wise we're way ahead of the game. I think we had a great fall, played a great individual-section after the fall. They did they're work conditioning, staying in shape in the off-season. It's just been nice with the experience and the leadership we've got on this club; it's been pretty easy so far. On paper, I think we look pretty good and nobody else knows about us. We have some additions that nobody knows about. We're excited to get out on the field and prove it on the field.
Q: You've mentioned some additions. Your additions to pitching, Joe Kurrasch and Cody Lewis, what role do you think they will play this season this season?
A: Cody [Lewis] right now is slated to be our Friday-night starter. Johnny Walter is Saturday. Steve Hill is Sunday, who is an All-Conference guy for us. Sunday we should do well. You look across the country at some of the starters, and we go in with a pretty good starting rotation, and that's not to take away from the other guys in the bullpen. Joe Kurrasch had a good fall as a starter, but he's got the swing and miss stuff that at the end of the game is not going to be fun scoring a run off of. He's going to be in our closing role to start and that's just to start the season. The most important part of the pitching staff is the unsung heroes. They're not starters, they're not closers, they're the middle guys that need to cover in the seventh and hold a one-run lead. I think we have a pretty good stack of guys right there; some are inexperienced, some are proven. We'll just have to wait and see on that. I'm pretty excited about the starting rotation. Then on offense, not an addition, we have Steve Snyder back. He does a lot for this line up, for this team, for the defense. You just move on from injuries and he was hurt a couple of years ago, we didn't have him last year. That forced [Sean Deegan] to be in the center. I'm not saying the guys behind him, but it's not the caliber that we're going to have out there this year. That also slides him into a potential RBI slot in the lineup rather than our leadoff guy. So we have a legitimate guy in Steve Snyder. Things came around pretty good. We were looking good this year when we get all these guys like Sean [Deegan], Jordan [Steranka], D-Bo [Joey DeBernardis] and the guys with potential draft stock, getting those guys back really helps a college ball club.
Q: What do you like about [Cody] Lewis? What are some of his strengths?
A: He's a competitor. He's got above-average stuff. He throws strikes. He knows how to pitch. He's going to be a low-pitch kind of guy, get us deep in the games. We're going to begin every game with him. He'll find a way. If his fastball is not there, he's got a slider, curveball and change up. He throws them all for strikes - some late life. Sean's hit off him a few times and he has a hang. I know from my standpoint, when he's out there, when we're out there in Holuba and we're on pitch counts, we're playing 12 innings because the inning are so fast with him and Steve Hill out there. We're going into our 12th inning and we're not even two and a half hours in because they're quick outs. We're pumping strikes in there and all the sudden as a hitter you have to put the ball in play.
Q: If you can get Lewis, Walter and Hill starting every weekend, how much pressure will that take off the rotation?
A: A lot. That middle relief is key in college baseball and people overlook it. You saw it in the World Series this year, the middle relief that was the key trying to get to that closer, and what's going to happen in six, seven, eight. We have guys that are experienced, we have some young guys that have stepped up too - some freshmen. Casey Kulina just keeps doing it. You don't know until you're on field against a different opponent and a different uniform. All we've been playing is blue vs. white or gray vs. blue, whatever it is, but we anticipate the makeup with this pitching staff being a tough one that can compete.
Q: How important is the experience going into the season?
A: These guys have been there and done it. Making the Big Ten Tournament last year was huge for us just getting in there. We had a couple of injuries and we just squeaked in. We had high expectations last year and losing [Ryan] Ignas and [Dave] Walkling definitely hurt us depth-wise on the mound because you have to stay in games. Offensively, we wanted to work on the strikeouts. I think we've gotten a lot better in that area just putting balls in play especially at the bottom of the order or top of the order, guys that need to be contact guys.
Q: How important is the experience of Big Ten-Big East challenge?
Wine: How many times (has the senior class) been in the Big Ten-Big East Challenge? Three? I mean it's the third time in the same hotel. We know the restaurants. We know the routine. We know the challenges of a four o'clock game, having two games ahead of us, running late. Just been there, done it. The younger guys have really taken to these guys in paying attention. There are a lot of things that people out there listening on the radio or watching don't understand what you go through on the road - you travel. A four o'clock game does not mean a four o'clock game. We have to be ready for that. We have to adjust to the time changes and everything.
Q: How are you coming back injury-wise with pitchers from last year?
A: [Dave] Walkling we're going to take an easy with him for a couple more weekends, but he's close. Last year he got the year back, a medical red shirt, so that's how early it was. It was crazy. Six and zero, and he got his year back. He was big for us. There's another addition we didn't have down the stretch last year. Ryan Ignas has had chronic shoulder-elbow, shoulder-elbow and he just had Tommy-John surgery and he's been fighting for a year. I think he finished last year before Michigan State actually. He's decided he's just going to help us out in a student-coach type role. Just be around the team. He's going to graduate and forego his eligibility. It's good to have him just be around and be a part of the team.
Q: When you first came in you recruited guys from all over the country, but in this class six out of the 10 guys are from Pennsylvania. Are you making more of an effort to get the best guys in state before you go elsewhere?
A: I heard Coach Paterno say this one time at some meeting somewhere, that for some reason it's thought that a kid from California is better than a kid from Pennsylvania, being in Pennsylvania just because he's farther away. That sticks in my head all the time. When we came in here, we had contacts elsewhere. So we're going to California, Texas, Florida, the JuCo route - it takes time to develop the relationships in recruiting. It takes years and trust from those coaches understanding that those kids are going to come in here and get better, improve, get an education, be looked out for and be taken care of. I think that's growing and growing. It helps with Sean and Jordan and Joey. The families know, they all play in these tournaments all summer and they get to know who's going where. The parents come to know and communicate. It took a little time and a little extra effort in that process, getting out in the spring and stuff. Coach Folmar has done a great job with keeping up with contacts and the recruiting in the area and obviously trying to keep the local guys here - keep guys in state. For one, it's great for families to be able to see their son grow up and play. And for two, if they're good enough to play here, we want them. It hasn't been any shift or anything. We're always looking for players. If we get a guy from Pennsylvania, we like him and it fits him, we'll take him.
Q: When the team is so close what is it like for you coaching the group?
A: It's great. We put practice plans together and they know my little plan and they can run their own practice. Obviously the coaches are there to help but with the older guys, they've done it for three years now, it's the same thing, other than a couple of changes here and there. You just try to improve every year and you can get into more detail this year with the older guys, you can get into more details about playing the game and picking up little tips here and there. If you throw that at freshmen they're overwhelmed. They're thinking too much and they're not just competing. With these older guys, we're getting into some detail that we haven't really been able to do since I've been here with the guys. They haven't been capable of handling it and just keep pushing them and pushing them with some things that's going to help the game within the game within the game that no one notices.
Q: Who is going to take the lead behind the plate this season?
A: Good question! That's a big question mark for us right now and it's not lack of talent or lack of confidence, it's who the guy is going to be. Alex Farkes was the backup behind Bobby Jacobs last year and he struggled. He had an okay fall, and we were hoping the maturity and responsibility would help him a little bit. Well he stepped back a little bit, but his past weekend he played well again. Then the freshman, J.C. Coban, comes in and there are expectations and we're not there. He's a young, talented, pup that needs a lot of experience. So he's not ready yet. I wouldn't hesitate putting him into the game if I had to if we had a couple-runs lead and everything, but he's not ready yet. Then Ryan Clark who hurt his ACL a couple years ago. He was an outfielder, slides in pops up and tears his ACL, misses a year. He played outfield for us last year some, well he came in as a catcher so we put him behind the plate and he looked like he didn't skip a beat. Farkes and Clark are number one, somewhere number two, but Clark is also going to stay in touch with the outfield. And then JJ White is a freshman who can hit; so DH, third catcher, it's a good question. We sit up here every day in the office. I think it's pretty close here right now.
Q: Is that another advantage of having good pitchers, having the pitch counts low, when you're not sure who is going to be behind the plate?
A: To me, if I were a catcher I would love catching Lewis and Hill. It's like a video game back there, you just push a button and they're going to throw an outside curveball. It's fun, you can mess with some hitters. They're throwing every pitch and every count, it doesn't matter three out and don't expect a fastball down the middle. They're going to throw a change up if they think the hitter is going to swing away. Those two guys would be fun to catch, I think a little easier to catch. Johnny Walters is the guy that probably has the most upside on this staff. He continues to get better and better and better. I'm afraid we might have a chance of losing him this year in the draft if he pitches like he can, which is good because that means we had the year we should have. But he can be tough to catch and Kurrasch can be tough to catch. I think the biggest thing back there behind the plate is just leadership and taking control of the pitching staff and handling it. Know their personalities and just take a charge. And that's where [Ryan Clark] has like a calming effect back there. He might no throw everyone out, he might not be that big-time catcher that stands out, but he's going to be that guy you don't even notice during a game and that's kind of like a good umpire, you don't even notice him.
Q: Do you have any scouting report on teams coming up such as Seton Hall, Cincinnati or West Virginia?
A: Yes, we've been working on it. We looked at the end of last year, the teams that play them. We're getting some reports in. Seton Hall is going to pitch. Overall they're going to have some arms and offensively they're not going to be a threat. I mean we played some close games with the over the years down there. The sun, wind, grass, dirt - then you throw that factor in there and you play outside for the first time. Actually, this spring has been good. Being on grass and dirt is a big difference. Having the sun in your face, dealing with that. West Virginia, same thing. It's just kind of the same thing. Nothing special. Just don't make mistakes and we'll have a chance to win early in the year. That's what's great about the Big Ten- Big East challenge.
#32 Sean Deegan
Senior, Outfielder
Q: What are some of the keys to success for this season as a team?
A: I think that this team is a lot different from some other teams in the past with just how close-knit we are and just the friendships we have altogether, not just the talent we have. Obviously this team on paper is really good, but there's a different atmosphere in the locker room this year. Just everyone is a lot tighter. Everyone's got the camaraderie and I think that will be what comes into play later on in the year when we're fighting and traveling and trying to get to the tournament. Just having that camaraderie and that teamwork and all those friendships just coming together, I think that will help us down the road.
Q: What are you looking for in these first few games, that the team has working on during the off-season?
A: I think that obviously our pitching is done really well. I think our starters, Cody, Steve and Johnny; they've been pitching deep into our scrimmages - going seven-eight innings. Like Coach Wine said, we're just looking to put the ball into play more. We're working on working the pitchers, trying to get deeper in the counts. We've been playing good defense. Everything's been looking pretty good.
Q: How important is the team chemistry?
A: I think something that is really good about our team. Especially, even myself when I came in as a freshman, there's never been that separation of seniors and freshmen and sophomores. Freshmen come in, we know that they're good enough to play and they can contribute to us, so we're not going to treat them any differently than we would somebody else. I think that definitely helps, it's helped me, it helped me growing up here and I think that there are a few guys that came in as freshmen this year that are definitely going to he us out and are definitely going to be guys who we need to step up even in a young role. I think that our friendship and the way we all come together and the camaraderie we have is going to help us out and help those guys be more comfortable when they step up to the plate or have to go in there and pitch in a tough situation.
Q: How would you describe the team's personality this season?
A: I definitely think we're a loud outgoing team. We definitely have some guys that are quiet but we have a couple of new guys from California who are out there and pretty funny so I think that's always been the way we are. We are always loose and always having a good time, always cracking jokes with each other, and that's how we do well. We're not trying to be uptight because we play better when we're loose and having a good time with each other and that's where the friendship and camaraderie comes into play. I think we're definitely a team you'll hear from the dugout.