From my understanding, there were two major holdups on the stadium:
1. The weather. Lots of snow and sleet likely pushed the construction timetable back several weeks.
2. When they started digging, they hit solid rock. Obviously it has to be blasted out, and the process to go through to have that done in the middle of an urban area like Johnson City could take a while.
I'm not complaining, though. Despite its age, Cardinal Park has some real charm to it. I love going out there, especially at night, so I don't really mind the delays on the new park all that much.
As for the team itself, Hoilman's return makes us a contender in itself, but I don't know if he'll be able to top (or even match) the monstrous season he had last year. Losing Byrne after he finally found his niche in the bullpen will hurt, but Skole seems to a have a pretty keen eye for talent, so this batch of recruits will hopefully be just as productive as the last one, although that'll be tough considering the freshman seasons Doane and Green had, to say nothing of McNally and Bushey out of the bullpen. Skole does have confidence in the freshmen, though. He said in an interview that he plans to put a pair of froshies in the weekend rotation right from the outset. My main concern is with Reeder at closer, but like Byrne, the ability to come in late in a game and bring a lot of velocity could prove very useful.
Mercer is going to be extremely tough to beat again. Love gave us fits at the tournament and Tanis is one of the best third basemen in the country. Gulf Coast will also be tough; even without Sale, their pitching staff will still give us fits, especially Erath. If we cut down on the errors (which shouldn't be hard after the disastrous infield defense we played for good stretches of last year), I don't see a team that can keep up with our bats. UNF and Jacksonville might take a game from us, but JU lost quite a few of its better offensive players last year.
This is the year of new bat changes. Don't expect the kind of offensive firepower we have seen in the past. Teams built around the long ball may falter more than those built on pitching and run manufacturing.[/align]
The bats will be a factor, however players like Hoilman who hit 25 homeruns will hit 19 and the rest of the the teams that have players hitting 15 a year will hit 9 and so on. ETSU has recruited tremendous young pitching that nobody even knows about. They are flying under the radar. This year is going to be a magical year. Everybody is talking about the ETSU @ Mercer game being the series of the year in the A-Sun and with good reason, however Mercer still has alot to prove. They have to travel to Belmont in a three-game set on March 4-6. Mercer will also travel to Stetson (March 18-20), Campbell (April 1-2), North Florida (April 15-27) and USC-Upstate (May 13-14). They will have to win alot on the road. Everybody will be going after Mercer. I look for FGCU to beat Mercer again 2 of 3 in that series. It is going to be a dog fight thats for sure. I can't wait for the baseball season to start. Go Bucs! Wear.Live.Think.Dream.Blue
(01-26-2011 11:14 PM)32Degrees Wrote: The bats will be a factor, however players like Hoilman who hit 25 homeruns will hit 19 and the rest of the the teams that have players hitting 15 a year will hit 9 and so on. ETSU has recruited tremendous young pitching that nobody even knows about. They are flying under the radar. This year is going to be a magical year. Everybody is talking about the ETSU @ Mercer game being the series of the year in the A-Sun and with good reason, however Mercer still has alot to prove. They have to travel to Belmont in a three-game set on March 4-6. Mercer will also travel to Stetson (March 18-20), Campbell (April 1-2), North Florida (April 15-27) and USC-Upstate (May 13-14). They will have to win alot on the road. Everybody will be going after Mercer. I look for FGCU to beat Mercer again 2 of 3 in that series. It is going to be a dog fight thats for sure. I can't wait for the baseball season to start. Go Bucs! Wear.Live.Think.Dream.Blue
I'm looking forward to the out of conference games where hopefully a few ASUN teams run up some nice records.
After that the conference slate will be a real grind and test of team unity.
Baseball team ready for practice despite weather, lack of field
By Kelly Hodge
Press Managing Sports Editor
khodge@johnsoncitypress.com
It’s late January, snow on the ground, a biting wind most days. Must mean baseball season is about to start at East Tennessee State.
“Can’t you tell by the blustery conditions?” coach Tony Skole said Thursday with a chuckle. “Baseball is in the air.”
The Bucs can begin their first official workouts outdoors today, and, weather permitting, that’s where they’ll be. The winter seems to be following the pattern of last year, when the team managed just four practices outdoors before starting its season.
Where you’ll find the Bucs in the coming weeks remains to be seen. They’re scheduled to open the season at home against Marist on Feb. 17, but that series likely won’t be played at Cardinal Park.
Workers have removed the infamous bank in right field and are in the process of putting up a wall in its place. There will have to be some resodding done, and it may be early March before the park is ready for game action.
Skole said some of the practices will be conducted in Kingsport. No word yet on the early games.
“We’re very fortunate that Ryan Wagner at Dobyns-Bennett is letting us practice some over there on their artificial turf,” said Skole. “We have 21 days until we open, so we’re trying to get outside as much as possible. I’m trying to be optimistic. I’ll feel like we’re ahead of the game if we can get six days on the field before we start.
“Forty degrees and sunshine will seem like Miami Beach.”
• Skole and his players now know that ETSU’s new ballpark, under construction on the corner of Tennessee Street and State of Franklin, will not be ready this season. The bad weather and discovery of more rock than expected on the site have delayed the project.
“I’m disappointed for the players, mostly for the seniors,” said Skole. “We got our hopes up a little high, which is probably my fault. I’ve been sitting in on some meetings with the architects and some of our people who handle facilities, and it’s just so in-depth, it’s really over my head. A project of this size, it’s not just a turn-key operation.”
So the Bucs will be back in a sharing arrangement at Cardinal Park with Science Hill. Things could be worse.
“We’re trying to embrace Cardinal Park for one more year,” said Skole. “We were over there on Tuesday, and they’ve taken the hill out and are building a wall. It looks wonderful and gives the field a completely different look; it’s gonna be sharp. It looks like a real baseball field and will play so much more fair.”
When is USC-Upstate eligible to compete in the A-Sun tournament in baseball? Is it this year or next year? Re-classification period. Do you think they will add another team to the conference?
(01-29-2011 12:54 PM)32Degrees Wrote: When is USC-Upstate eligible to compete in the A-Sun tournament in baseball? Is it this year or next year? Re-classification period. Do you think they will add another team to the conference?
Upstate is eligible next year but I wouldn't count on them qualifying any time soon - they tied for 10th with Campbell last year and were dead last in 2009 I think.
The recent break in the weather also gave the baseball team a chance to get outside.
Coach Tony Skole said the Bucs scrimmaged last weekend at Dobyns-Bennett, and pitching dominated the action.
“That’s to be expected because hitters haven’t seen live pitching since the middle of October,” said Skole. “But I was really impressed with our pitchers; they threw a ton of strikes. It was by far in my 11 years here the most dominant pitching I’ve seen in a preseason scrimmage.”
Skole was particularly impressed with John Long, a transfer from Spartanburg Methodist, and junior Bo Burton; both are right-handers. He also mentioned Clinton Freeman, the left-handed freshman from David Crockett, and sophomores Derek Bushey and Scott McNally.
The Bucs have been able to practice some at Cardinal Park, though they can’t hit because of ongoing construction of a wall where the bank used to be in right field.
“It’s almost completely finished,” said Skole. “They have to paint it and lay some sod, but it looks magnificent. As unique as the hill was, it was sort of an eyesore. You couldn’t grow green grass on it.”
ETSU hopes to open its season at the park against Marist on Feb. 18.
Baseball season is upon us. Cardinal Park's Wall Renovations are almost complete. I attended the Buccaneers baseball scrimmage on Monday and the team looked amazing. The infield play was as crisp as an infield could be. Double plays were smooth without an errant throw anywhere. The guys really looked to be in mid-season form. MLB scouts were in attendance and they were really impressed with the Bucs. I overheard the scouts talking to each other and they were comparing the Bucs to the Vols and they were both in agreement that this Bucs team look to be light years ahead of Tennessee. It doesnt mean too much, but when scouts are talking and comparing our team to an SEC team thats a good thing. Even if it is Tennessee! The new BBCOR bats are making headlines across the country. The new bats are suppose to have an exit speed not exceeding a wooden bats exit speed off the barrel of the bat. I have to say... the Bucs have adjusted well to the new bats. They are still crushing the ball out of Cardinal Park. On Monday a guy had his car parked at the post office which is located behind the left center field wall at Cardinal Park. Needless to say... the man's car windshield had a ball driven through it. He wasnt too happy when he came over and asked to see who was in charge This year will be a magical one. Go Bucs!
(01-29-2011 04:02 PM)HatterFan Wrote: Upstate is eligible next year but I wouldn't count on them qualifying any time soon - they tied for 10th with Campbell last year and were dead last in 2009 I think.
Yeah, but you're crazy if you think those games are gimmes.
There are definitely NO Gimmies on the baseball field. Baseball is unique. It is a sport based on individual stats and individual production with a team concept. Pitching and defense is KING. A pitcher can dominate a team on any given day, so as far as Gimmies... there are none. At the Division I college baseball level, all of the players are tremendous. They are all good or they wouldn't be playing Division I baseball. The Bucs will be going to Omaha this year. This team is special. Go Bucs!
(02-12-2011 01:12 PM)HatterFan Wrote: I know, shoot, they nearly swept Stetson.
I was being sarcastic, that's one of Bartow's defenses when his team loses to someone they clearly should have beaten.
I went out to CP yesterday for the opener. I was really impressed with Long, and Pratt found his feet in the last couple of innings. Reeder and Scruggs both had two-baggers that would have been homers with the old bats.
It's kind of disappointing that they didn't have the lights working yet, since I can't make it out there today, but a great start to the year for this team, certainly.
"The ETSU baseball team moved up to No. 15 on Wednesday in the RPI index produced by WarrenNolan.com. The Atlantic Sun is the fifth-ranked conference in the early going.
“It’s a very competitive baseball league, and I think this is the best it’s been since we’ve been in it,” said coach Tony Skole. “I think we’ve got a chance to get three or four teams in the NCAA tournament. Hopefully we’re right in the mix.”
The Bucs are the highest-rated A-Sun team in the RPI. Four others are in the top 75 — Stetson (30), Jacksonville (32), Kennesaw State (34) and Campbell (72).
ETSU improved to 7-2 with its 4-2 home victory over Furman on Tuesday night. The contest at Cardinal Park underscored a major theme developing in college baseball this season: there are fewer slugfests with the less lively bats being used.
“The bats have made it more difficult to have the big innings,” said Skole. “If teams play good defense and don’t give extra outs, you have to earn every baserunner and every RBI. It makes the game more true.
“You look at last night’s game. It was 4-2 but could easily have been 16-8 in the past. The wind was blowing out of Cardinal Park at about 20 miles an hour, and there was not one home run hit.”
And lower-scoring games usually means shorter games.
“I don’t know if we’ve played any games yet over two hours and 30 minutes,” said Skole.
Rain forced cancellation of the last two games of the Bucs’ first conference series at South Carolina Upstate last weekend. They won the opener 6-4.
If the Bucs were going to lose two games out of their A-Sun schedule, they certainly wouldn’t have picked Upstate. Those are two games that likely would have been wins on the record at the end of the season.
“The A-Sun says you have three days to get three games in,” said Skole. “Once that’s over, you can’t make them up. You’d hate to look back at the end of May and say, ‘if we’d won those games at Upstate, it would change our situation.’ We’re not going to do that. It’s bad luck, but we have to move on and play the hand we’re dealt. We have a lot of games to play.”
The Bucs head to Jacksonville this weekend for three at North Florida.
“We run a gauntlet here the next few weeks,” said Skole, “with the four Florida schools right in a row.”
The Bucs came from behind to win in each of the last two games of the UNF series on homers from Scruggs and Pratt. Scruggs also drove in the winning run on a 2-RBI triple on Friday.
BUCS BASEBALL 2011 
This year will be a magical one. Go Bucs!
