Clash against Howard fosters TGP

The Rams spent today’s practice a little different than most fall days. The Rams not only started their day an hour later, but this time rather than scrimmaging against themselves, the Rams went toe to toe with the Hawks of Howard College.

The Hawks, 2009 Juco National Champions, traveled from Big Spring to play an informal scrimmage at Foster Field. The Rams and Hawks began play at 3 p.m. under a bright west Texas sun. The lineups resembled more of a hockey team today than a normal dugout card as the lineups were arranged more in a fluid, line change format. Due to NCAA regulations regarding instruction time and many players’ class schedules, the game was played with a skeleton crew throughout the day.

The setup of the scrimmage provided a simulation of what game situations would feel like in the upcoming spring season. This is good for players to get a feel for how the coaching staff likes to run games. This is also a great opportunity for what coach Brooks likes to call "Teachable Moments" to arise. The best way for a player and team to learn is to be thrown into the fire. Today the Rams got that chance.

Overall, the day was a success. All of the position players had their chance to get into the action and make their mark. Nick Cobbler, Phillip Clinard, Brett Kinsel, Scott Crook and Adam Miller pitched today for the Rams. It was a great opportunity to see how the pitching staff would fair against an opponent other than their own teammates. The big hit of the day was a homer by Zak Leonhardt, who lined a ball into the left field bullpen.

On the day, the Rams were able to work on many different situations that cannot be simulated during practice as well as begin what Cade Baxter likes to call the “Team Gelling Process” or TGP. The Rams get back to work on Thursday to continue the TGP after a day off tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who came out to Foster Field to check out the action. We hope to see you out again when we face Midland on October 20.

Stay tuned for this week’s Meet the Rams segment. It should be updated in a few days.

GO RAMS!

Meet The Rams (part 2)

Meet the Rams

This week’s segment of Meet the Rams will highlight the other half of our Australian duo, Jason Morriss as well as newcomer Zak Leonhardt.

Welcome Back to Campus

After a spectacular season last year, Morriss returns this year for his senior season with the Rams. Morriss looks to command the infield again and improve upon his already remarkable season a year ago. Having started all 65 of the Rams games last year, Morriss has proven himself to be a consistent player with the ability to make the spectacular plays. Morriss was also a major contributor to the very potent Ram offense last season, batting .317 and leading the team in runs scored.
Though not as outspoken as his Australian counterpart, Jason leads more by example. Hours before games, before and after practice or on weekends in the fall, Morriss can be found getting extra reps at the field. His hard work paid off last season as he was named to the Lone Star Conference’s second team at second base.

A few things according to Jason Morriss:

Hometown: Brisbane, Australia
Major: Kinesiology
Favorite Place you’ve been in Texas: Dallas
Person Who Most Inspires You: My Father
Favorite Food: Chicken
Favorite Movie: Crocodile Dundee
Favorite Quote: “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Name a major difference between Texas and Australia:
I grew up on a beach and I am now living in the country. The whole country lifestyle here is still a little weird to me. I can’t get my head around the boots, belt buckles and cowboy hats.

Name three places you mot want to visit: Bora Bora, Boston, Miami

Welcome to Angelo

Zak Leonhardt comes to Angelo State from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Originally from Houston, Zak attended Langham Creek High School, the same school as Rams pitcher Corey Morehouse. Leonhardt is a power hitting right hander who has the ability to play both corner infield positions. In the past few weeks at practice Leonhardt has showed off much of his power during batting practice and seems to be enjoying the confines of Foster Field.

A Few Things According to Zak:

Hometown: Houston, Texas
Major: Business Management
Favorite Restaurant in San Angelo: Texas Roadhouse
Favorite Band: Randy Rogers Band
Favorite Baseball Player: Craig Biggio
Favorite Movie: The Sandlot
Favorite Quote: “Don’t date anyone who can’t dance.”
Dream Job: Own my own restaurant
Favorite Baseball Moment: Craig Biggio’s 3000th hit.
Person who most influences you: My Dad

Meet the Rams

The First Intersquad

As mentioned before, today was our first big test as a team. We passed with flying colors. The day began with a quick stretch which quickly transitioned to pre-game batting practice. With limited time, only a select few were allowed to hit on the field today, the rest warmed up in the cages behind the left field fence. Following batting practice, the team went over bunt defenses one last time, while the starting pitchers warmed up in the bullpens.

Game time. Today didn’t seem anything like a regular practice, or even an ordinary inter-squad, but rather a weekend conference series. Regardless of the number of people in the stands, the energy and competitiveness of the game made it feel like late March.

The setup of the intersquad game is fairly simple. We take the number of innings that we intend to play for the day, divide them into three segments; then the two teams face off in three mini games. The winner is declared by winning two of the three segments. If there is a tie, the team with the fewest number of walks and hit by pitches is declared the winner.

Today we played only six full innings. Six pitchers (three on each team) worked two innings. As the fall and regular season progress, the pitchers will throw more innings as they try to build arm strength up. On the day, the pitching staff only allowed four walks and hit only one batter. It was a good sign, though pitchers usually begin the year more prepared than hitters. The hitters struggled a bit adjusting to the backdrop at Foster Field. Two large yellow signs located on the center field fence make Foster Field one of the most unfriendly places to hit.

Jason Morriss, had the big hit on the day, a first-inning triple. He would later score and give the visiting team an early lead. The home team answered in the bottom half of the first to tie the game at 1-1. Each mini game ended in a tie, so the before mentioned formula was applied to determine the winner. The home team, whose pitching staff allowed no free passes, was awarded the win.

Today also begins the first installment of "Meet the Rams". Each time, I’m going to try and do something a little bit different, so each week players have a chance to share a bit of their own personality. This week, I’d like to start off with a true freshman and our senior comedian, this way we hit both ends of the spectrum early.

Going Down – Under

Many of you who follow the Rams will remember Chris Adamson from last year. After coming over from Clarendon College after his sophomore year, Chris went on to lead the team in hitting, batting .409 on the year with 56 RBI and nine home runs during his junior campaign. Chris was also a constant in the field, making only six errors on the year. (Sometimes sacrificing his face to ensure he did not make an error.) Not too shabby for someone who split time at first and behind the plate. His outstanding year earned him awards such as being named to the first team all conference and all region team, as well as being named second team All American in two separate polls. (CoSIDA and NCBWA) While he continues to play exceedingly well, Adamson also has found a way to help the team in another way; being himself.

Chris Adamson is returning this year as a senior and our resident team comedian. His mere presence in the clubhouse lifts the team everyday. (I’m not sure if it’s his hair or the Australian accent.) Each day Chris’ outlook and demeanor allow grueling practices to become a little more relaxed. Chris, though he has only been here for one year has established himself as a true leader in the clubhouse, on the field and in the community. I asked Chris a series of questions, and these are his responses.

Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Major: Kinesiology
Favorite Baseball Player: Joe Mauer
Dream Job: Pro Surfer
Nickname: Tank
Favorite Food: Chicken
Favorite Band: Hilltop Hoods
Favorite Movie: Remember the Titans
Walk Out Song : Land Down Under – Men At Work
Favorite Quote: “Life’s a Garden – Dig It.”
Sport you would play if you didn’t play baseball: Rugby
Favorite Part About Angelo State : The close knit culture.
Favorite Moment during the 2009 Season: Beating Abilene Christian at the regional to knock them out.
We know what his “REAL” favorite moment was though.

Welcome to Angelo

The Rams also welcome Nick Adams to the team this season. Nick is entering his first of many great college years from Georgetown, Texas, at the age of 19. During practice in the past few weeks Nick has showed good speed on the base paths and a steady glove at shortstop.

Being that this is only his fourth week at school, Nick is coming to find that college classes mean “a lot more reading and homework with a lot less class time.” I’m sure he’ll adjust sooner rather than later. In the mean time, here are a few trivia questions about Nick Adams.

Hometown: Georgetown, Texas (Though he also claims Lake Tahoe, California)
Major: Business
Nickname: AdamBomb
Favorite Player: Jose Reyes
Dream Job: Owning a Surf Shop on the Beach
Favorite Movie: Green Street Hooligans
Favorite Band: Rise Against
Walk-Out Song: Rockstar – Ludacris Ft. R. Kelly

Its here

It’s Finally Here.

Baseball in the fall has finally begun. After rain had threatened all morning, the skies cleared and made way for baseball in the afternoon. The Rams dusted off their cleats and met for the first time at Foster Field this year. Having removed the field tarp twice in one day, it was time to begin the first official practice. Today marks the first of 24 official practices the Rams will have with the coaching staff during the fall semester and it was a good one. It was a day full of jitters for some, and for others it seemed like business as usual. Most of the new guys fell right into place and most of them looked like returners as we worked today. As expected we worked through several simple drills; Ground balls for the infielders, fly balls for the outfielders, batting practice for the hitters and, of course, lots of running for the pitching staff. We worked through first and third defenses, run downs and a few other refresher courses. In all, it was an excellent first day for everyone none the less and will be a great starting point for the rest of the year.

Today we also talked about growing together as a team and trusting others to do their jobs, support each other and understand that each member on the team should be willing to do whatever it takes to make the team a success. Coach Brooks pointed out that it will take time for this to occur. Sometimes it takes the entire length of a season. He also brought up a valid point that we cannot be expected to be a cohesive team this early in the game because let's face it -“Many of us don’t even know each other’s names yet.”

I will confess. I am definitely in the category of people who do not know everyone’s name yet. So, I will make a conscious effort in the coming days to make sure I can put a face with a name and learn more about my teammates. At the same time, because talking about a day of batting practice and ground balls is not the most exciting blog in the world, I would like to introduce the guys to you as I meet them. I will post interviews periodically with one returning player and one new player so that you Ram fans will have a bit more info about us than just our height, weight and profile picture.

With one day under our belts, we head into day two which is sure to be just as good or better than today. The plan as we know it, pending weather, is to practice tomorrow and take Saturday off to work the Kid’s Carnival at the football tailgate starting at 4 p.m. Sunday we will have one more tune up practice before we begin inter-squads on Monday. There is a lot of talk filling the clubhouse about Monday. Everyone is very excited for the first real test. But really, what’s not to be excited about?

Its baseball in the fall and it’s here.

GO RAMS!

Stepping in to Fall 2009

Hello Ram Fans!

Welcome to the first installment of my newest project, this blog – “Going Down – Towne.”

For those of you who do not yet know me, I’d like to give a little background about myself. My name is Keith Towne and I am a baseball player here at ASU. This will be my second and final year of school here in the Concho Valley, as I will be out of NCAA eligibility and course hours to take. I will graduate at the conclusion of the spring semester with a Business Management degree.

Prior to ASU, I attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. I really enjoyed my time there, but found that it was not the perfect fit for me personally. At Lamar, I redshirted for my freshmen campaign and worked hard to get many of my academics out of the way. Over the next two years I was able to contribute on the baseball field, make some great friends and some special memories, but decided it was time for a change.

Shortly thereafter, I was getting off of a plane in a strange city I had never been to before, meeting three guys at the airport that I had never met before. I remember thinking as I was getting off of the plane, “How will I know how to find Coach Brooks?” Needless to say, I was able to sort through the bustling crowd and find Coaches Brooks, Smith and Lambert sitting at the end of the hall. Actually, aside from the lonely clerk at the rental car desk, I was only able to count four people, including myself. From there, I guess they say the rest is history. I signed to come to Angelo State a week later and have loved every moment since.

So this begins the first week of my final year in school. I took on this project thinking it would be fun to write a blog about the day to day activities of a student-athlete. I also thought it would be a lot of fun to include insight about school, sports and other things related to college life from a fifth year senior’s prospective. I’m going to dedicate this blog to updating all of our Ram fans about the happenings around campus, on the field, at practice and who knows what else throughout the year.

That brings me to today. The Rams have begun their fall semester and we’re already at full steam. Following a week of boring meetings and a lot of housekeeping issues that must be taken care of, it was finally time to hit the ground running, literally. Aside from our busy class schedules, the Rams have started working out on a daily basis. Often times on their own. Pitchers have begun long tossing, hitters taking swings in the cage. It’s has been a bit quieter at the SAY complex this week without Coaches Marty Smith and Blaze Lambert. I want to say thank you to both of these guys for an amazing year and for the knowledge they were able to share with me about the game. I hope they both have a great future at their respective new schools, on their way to outstanding careers. Angelo State will surely miss you.

The first week was a great time for all of the returning guys to catch up on things. It was also a week of getting to know all of the new players. We do have quite a few. We also added a new assistant coach this week, Coach Goodale. I haven’t had much of a chance to get to meet him, but look forward to getting to know him in the coming weeks.

Aside from going to class and meeting all of our new professors, collecting syllabi and trying to get oriented on campus, the players took full advantage of a light study schedule and attended several of the other sporting events on campus.

A group of us were there to cheer and witness volleyball win its own tournament at home and start the season at a perfect 4-0. Congratulations girls. Keep up the good work. We made it over to the soccer field and caught some of the action. It looked as though the girls had a productive scrimmage before they headed to Colorado for the weekend. The football team had a rough first half but pulled it together in the second half to secure a 21-7 victory over Texas A&M Commerce. I’ve bumped into a few football players this week on campus and they are very excited about the upcoming Texas State game. I know a few of our new friends and teammates are making the trek to San Marcos to watch the game first hand. Good Luck Guys!

So, I hope to see you all around campus or at the yard. I’ll do my best to keep you updated on all of the things happening around the ballpark and in the classroom. So here’s to stepping up to the plate for another great year.

GO RAMS!!!