Fall workouts are in full swing
10/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 11, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas - With his TCU baseball team having a week of fall practices under its belt, Horned Frog coach, Jim Schlossnagle, took sometime to answer some questions about the 2006 baseball squad. Fall practices are scheduled to run through Oct. 30 with the Purple and White World Series slated to begin on Oct. 26.
Q:What are your impressions of the team from an offensive standpoint and who has emerged in that area?
A:"After one week, I would say that the pitchers are a little ahead of the hitters. This is to be expected since most of our hitters haven't seen live pitching for a month or two.
"Bryan Kervin, Keith Conlon, Andrew Walker and Hunt Woodruff have all stood out early in the fall. Steven Trout has been a great surprise on both sides of the ball. He will really press someone for playing time. Overall, I believe this club, especially when Chad Huffman joins us, will be pretty strong offensively and that we will have better overall team speed."
Q:What are your impressions of the team's pitching and who has impressed you most?
A:"Sam Demel and Brad Furnish will certainly pitch at or near the top of our rotation and their performances have backed that up. Neither has surrendered a run or walk to this point.
Jake Arrieta and Shawn Ferguson have shown power arms with quality breaking balls in two outings. Both will contend for a spot in the rotation or short relief.
Two freshmen have really jumped up the pitching ladder. Eric Marshall and Taylor Cragin have shown an innate ability to throw strikes with all of their pitches. I also expect Zach Ashwood, Omar Arif and Donald Furrow to make a push. Chase Perry's arm strength is almost back to full strength. We could really use his arm and experience in our bullpen.
Q:What are your impressions of the defense?
A:"Defense is the area that we really spend the most time on in practice. We must be better than we were last year to achieve our team goals. Our outfield play has been impressive, which is to be expected when you return everyone out there.
"In the infield, Byran Kervin and Steven Trout have each played well at shortstop. Right now, I would have to say that both of them would be in the lineup with one playing shortstop and the other playing second or third base.
"Matt Carpenter is the incumbent at third base and has played adequately but is really being pushed by the other guys.
"Ben Carruthers is coming on. He is an exceptional athlete and will be a tremendous player in this program for years to come.
"At first base, Derek VerHagen has shown great defensive ability especially around the bag in competition with Matt Vern.
"Competition is high in the infield, considering that one of the four spots will certainly be taken up by Chad Huffman after football season."
Q:With a week behind you, what is your assessment of the team's chemistry?
A:"Our guys are really working hard. I think every one of our guys have completely bought in to what we want them to do. Keith Conlon, Austin Adams and Shawn Ferguson have emerged early on as potential leader-type guys. However, you never really know about your team's chemistry until you face adversity and someone has to sit the bench for a while."
Q:How have the new guys looked?
A:"Our new players are a special group in terms of their maturity and work ethic across the board. Some have adjusted quicker than others, however, as a whole, they have held their own in every area.
"After one week, I would say that Hunt Woodruff, Eric Marshall, Taylor Cragin, Derek VerHagen and Ben Carruthers have stood out most significantly among the freshman. Bryan Kervin, Jake Arrieta and Steven Trout will be impact players among the transfers."
