waltgreenberg
Legend
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I Root For: Rice Owls
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RE: Samford game broadcast?
Very complimentary write-up of the game by D1's Aaron Fitt, focusing on the Chase Sarchet, Ricky Salinas and Garrett Gayle stories, with quotes from Chase and The OG...
https://d1baseball.com/at-the-ballpark/f...-big-wins/
Quote:ORLANDO — Wayne Graham always knew Chace Sarchet could hit. There’s a reason Sarchet — who batted just .215 in 79 at-bats last season — was starting at first base and hitting in Rice’s 5-hole on Opening Day against Samford.
Sarchet made it clear that last year’s struggles are behind him on Friday, opening Rice’s season with an exclamation point. In a sloppy back-and-forth game, Samford took a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, but Sarchet propelled the Owls to a thrilling 8-7 victory with a two-run, walk-off homer to right in the bottom of the ninth.
That at-bat was a good example of Sarchet’s growth as a hitter. Samford’s sidewinding closer, Wyatt Burns, started Sarchet off with a back-foot slider, then went to a fastball away, before going right back to that back-foot slider. Sarchet was ready for it, and turned on it for a homer that just cleared the glove of leaping right fielder Bradley Gneitling.
“I would have been really mad if he would have caught that — it was a lot closer than I thought,” Sarchet said. “But it was fun, we had a lot of fun today.”
The Owls expected Sarchet to be a key addition to their 2017 club after signing him out of Weatherford (Texas) JC, where he hit .371 as a freshman and .324 with 12 homers as a sophomore. he started 27 games but struggled with his approach and his mindset, and in April he suffered a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, keeping him out of action all summer. He used the down time to better himself in other ways.
“(Graham) definitely challenged me to better myself. He’s been hard on me, and I’m grateful for it,” Sarchet said. “I guess I kind of got in a complacent setting with myself, and he broke that down real quick, as he’s known to do. So I’m really trying to look at things differently, stay positive, condition the mind just as much as the body. Really, that’s the main thing. I didn’t get to play summer ball, so he gave me a laundry list of mental conditioning books to read. He’s a wizard, there’s a reason he’s still here, so it definitely worked.”
Sarchet also worked hard to improve his approach at the plate. He referred to himself as “a strike snob” last year, saying that he was too timid in the box. Now he’s trying to be more aggressive, looking for a pitch in the zone that he can drive, rather than waiting for the perfect pitch. He showed a good disciplined approach and seemed in command of the zone Friday, when he also drew a walk and delivered an RBI fielder’s choice. His power potential is obvious – he’s a 6-foot-3, 210-pound specimen with a strong lower half and a nice lefthanded swing, which he showed off on the home run.
“He was a real good junior college hitter, he struggled some last year, but we feel like he’s come around, we feel like he’s really going to help us, and we have a spot for him at first base — I think he does a good job over there,” Graham said. “He’s strong; he’s a big, strong guy. If he can give us 10 or 11 home runs, that would help.”
On top of all that, Sarchet is a good athlete with sneaky speed for his size — Graham said he’s close to a 6.8 runner. After walking in the sixth, he stole second on a hit-and-run that yielded no contact, then took third on a dirtball read and scored on a wild pitch, causing one Rice fan to dub him “Wheels.”
“I’m not the fastest guy around, so I’ve got to find ways to move myself up,” Sarchet said. “Dirtball reads are something I’ve worked really hard to see. I’m fast enough to get there on that, but not just a blazer. I’ve worked really hard on little aspects of my game like that so I can better myself and put our team in a better chance to win.”
In sum, Sarchet looks primed for a breakout year, and figures to be a key cog in a retooled Rice lineup.
Quick Takes From Orlando
• Another major development for Rice on Friday was the return of righthander Ricardo Salinas, who had Tommy John surgery after just four starts a year ago. Salinas has made a remarkably quick recovery and looked very strong over his three innings of work against Samford, allowing just one hit (a solo home run in the first inning) and no walks while striking out four. Salinas located his 90-91 fastball well and bumped 92 at least once, and he really settled into a groove as he found his feel for a big-breaking 77-79 curveball, to go along with his trademark changeup.
Rice righthander Ricardo Salinas (Aaron Fitt)
“Salinas is good. He’s just good,” Graham said. “You see that changeup? He’s got a heck of a changeup, and he’s got enough fastball and enough breaking ball. That combination is rough. They weren’t doing much with him after the home run … We have to protect him. He was three pitches away from having to come out when he finished three (innings), was at 42 pitches I think, and he seemed to be throwing fine for those three innings. And boy do we need him. And he’s in better shape than he’s ever looked, he’s a big guy. He’s 220, his shoulders are a ride. He’s a good athlete, even for a big guy like that. If we can get him going, and we’ve got a few other kids, we’ve got a chance to do some things.”
• Sophomore righty Garrett Gayle came out of the Rice bullpen and inherited a first-and-second, two-outs jam in the eighth inning. He escaped that spot by striking out 2-hole hitter Branden Fryman on a high fastball at 97 mph, but his fastball command faltered a bit when he came out for the ninth and walked two of the first three batters he faced. Still, his stuff was electric: he sat 93-96 and flashed a plus breaking ball at 79-81 with sharp bite. He actually commanded his breaking ball better than his fastball, but the two offerings should make him a real weapon in the Rice bullpen as he continues to refine his pitchability. Gayle made just three appearances as a freshman but made progress over the summer with the Santa Barbara Foresters, and now he appears ready to take on a much more prominent role for the Owls.
“He’s got a good curveball. He just got a little wild, but he got his feet wet, and that’s the main thing,” Graham said. “(Foresters coach Bill) Pintard’s a really good coach and he’s got people helping him that are good, and (Gayle) made steps. And that’s the reason he’s out there today. I knew he had the stuff to get us out of that other jam, and then he got a little wild, but growing pains. Just growing pains.”
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