Baseball rebuilds with standout freshmen
Published April 6, 2007
With all the players the MU baseball team lost from last season, it looked as if it would be a re-building year for the young team.
But coach Tim Jamieson has been lucky enough to get several freshmen to fill the voids left from last season and is more than pleased with the way his young players have turned out.
"(There's) apprehension at the beginning (of the season) because you really don't know what those freshmen are going to do, but as the season goes on, they really aren't freshmen anymore," Jamieson said.
Four freshmen have settled into their role as starters. Greg Folgia and Kyle Gibson round out the pitching staff, Trevor Coleman is the catcher and Aaron Senne starts in left field.
Gibson has become the closer, taking the mound in pressure-packed, single-inning outings. He said it isn't easy, but he enjoys the pressure of being the guy the team counts on in the ninth inning.
"I've always thought as myself as a guy who thrives on pressure," Gibson said. "I like to throw in pressure situations."
In future seasons, Gibson will likely move to the starting rotation, but right now the results are clear. Gibson has a 41-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 37 innings.
"I don't anticipate him being a closer in our program next year," Jamieson said. "He's a guy who has just been phenomenal. His poise under fire as a freshman, not to mention his stuff, but his poise has been the reason he is the closer."
Jamieson said he is also impressed with Folgia's versatility.
"Greg Folgia is a very talented player in the future," he said. "I don't know if he'll be a pitcher or an infielder or a combination of both. He's filled a void that we've needed this year on the mound, and he's done a great job with it."
Senne has been one of the starters in left field and will likely start there the rest of the season over junior Jacob Priday, who will be the designated hitter. Senne has played solid defense for the Tigers.
"It's a big change, but you just stay focused," Senne said. "Keep doing what you've been doing, go up there and just stay confident, and it's not as big a change as it would be."
Coleman will continue to split time behind the plate with Dan Pietroburgo and Dan Quinn, but he has taken the starting position from Pietroburgo and started 20 games to Pietroburgo's 14.
"As freshmen, we've all played enough games in our lives that it's just another game," he said. "Maybe the pitcher's throwing a little harder or it's a different jersey than we were used to in high school, the crowd's a little bigger, but it's still 90 feet to first base, so it's the same game really."
Despite the success he and the rest of the freshmen have seen in their college career so far, Coleman said he and the freshmen can't take all the credit.
"The freshmen have played pretty big roles so far, but that's nothing to take away from the older guys on the team, because without them, we wouldn't know what to do," Coleman said. "Their leadership is essential to this team. I think we've just gone out there and played our hardest, and things are going our way as a team."
The No. 29 Tigers will play a three-game series against Kansas State this weekend in Manhattan, Kan.
