Nick Vera - 2007 Graduate of Trinity (TX) University - Johnson City Cardinals (St. Louis)

Quote from: The U For Life on May 25, 2008, 01:28:59 AM
Guess now that our season is over i can now post all the injuries and casualties we sustained through out the year.  Not that it matters but anyways here it is.

Pitcher Blaine Wieck - torn labrum
Pitcher Trey Hellman - torn labrum
Pitcher Jordan Lamb - transferred at break.  would have really helped us
Pitcher Jacob Ashcraft - problems with shoulder, probably going to have surgery this summer
Pitcher Arnold Toombs - The weirdest thing I have ever seen happen except for maybe Yurchick's injury.  While taking batting practice before the game against MHBU, in which he was scheduled to pitch he is hit with a line drive.  He was the bucket man and somehow the ball barely flew over the net and hit him in the head.  He sustained a concussion and was unable to pitch.  He never started again and was delegated to reliever
Pitche/1b Brent Voorhees - messed up shoulder in a game he pitched and won vs. Chapman first series of the year.  Later hurt it worse in freak accident against Howard Payne.  Was only able to swing with one arm the rest of the year.
Pitcher Dakota Smith - discovered he had a slight tear and extreme case of tendinitis in labrum after the Conference Championship.  Have to ask, if 100% healthy how many runs Chapman scores off him.  They only scored 3, but wonder if things would have been different.
Pitcher Aaron Redman - quit during the year because he was unhappy with playing time
Second Baseman Weston Franco - had tears in his hamstring and broke a finger in 2 spots
Second Baseman Steven Yurchick - was moved from the OF during the year.  Had a freak accident when he dove for a ball and his thigh hit the lip of the infield.  His thigh got 2 times bigger and was one of the weirdest injuries i have ever seen.
Second Baseman Greg Guse - while filling in for Nate Love at the first of the year against Chapman he tore his labrum
Catcher Thomas Beckham - pulled hamstring, re-aggravated it twice
Catcher Jeff Jackson - caught a ball wrong and his hand became swollen and missed a series or two
Outfielder Lance Jones - aggravated groin vs. SRU and had to wear a wrap the rest of the year to keep it from pulling
Outfielder Gerad Morris - extreme case of tendinitis in shoulder all year which limited him from throwing as hard as he could.  Whats weird is he still had the best arm on the team
First Baseman/ Catcher Ross Shores - quit after the TLU series because he was unhappy with playing time
Shortstop/ Second baseman Evan Reece - had nerve problems in his lower back.  This guy pushed Weston Franco in the fall to the point where coach told Weston that if he did not play well at the first of the season that Evan would be inserted.  This guy if healthy would have been great for us.  Would have put up huge numbers for us.  Lead the team in homers in the fall.

I think that about covers it.  Dont think i forgot anyone, but would be very easy to.  Didnt include the guys with arm fatigue cause every team has that late in the year. 

Wow, what kind of conditioning and arm care program did they have - This sure looks like an inordinate amount of injury!

Quote from: Ralph Turner on May 20, 2008, 03:05:12 PM

I thought that Sigman, Clear and Luzar did outstanding jobs last weekend.
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No doubt about it - Chapman had pitching that kept their opponents off balance and hitters that could absolutely smash a mistake.  Good luck to Chapmen - validate the western talent!

Really did not mean to quote myself in an origial post;    sorry about that! 

Congratulations to Trinity(TX) Tigers Evan Jones, Brian Oates, and Evan Bronson for their selection to the 2008 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA III All-West Region Team.  The complete listing can be found on:  National topics  |  Topic: All-Region Teams.

Quote from: bbnag101 on May 20, 2008, 12:51:12 AM

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The coach is the one in charge - they know from experience what the long-term effects are by having them throwing too many innings too fast.  

Absolute agreement, the coach is indeed in charge.  Experienced coaches know the cause and potential effect that can result from over-throwing – Good coaches care about the cause and effect that can result from over-throwing.  Experienced coaches will let their athletes play based on feelings at the heat of the moment – Good coaches will prepare their athletes to play and know they are ready when the heat of the moment arises.  Good coaches use but don't abuse their athletes.  Can an experienced coach be a good coach, you bet they can ... just an opinion.
   

Quote from: HALLEBASEBALL on May 20, 2008, 12:34:11 AM
Same thing that happens to other Pitchers that throw the ball for eight years.  They finish School play as long as they can ,  get a job,  get married,  have a family. Oh I forgot .01% of all Players with arm problems kept them from Pitchings in the bigs. You will never win a Ring unless you let your throw.

How about throwing batting practice to your kid, being able to reach above your head to take something off the top shelf, going to bed without having to take NSAIDs ...  I can go on, and so can others that threw too much for glory and the hope of earning a ring that are now above 40 something.  Its one thing to be a great athlete and quite another to be a stupid athlete, but then it goes back to risk/reward and what is important short term and long term...just an opinion.

Seems the talk of venues raises the ire of some more than others.  I have been to Hart Park and while it is a nice facility and certainly appears adequate, I think most would have a difficult time identifying it as a premiere facility.  I was amazed when I heard the NCAA hosted regional tournaments there.  I maintain the NCAA has an obligation to provide the players a 'field of dreams' to play on, and it should be at a neutral site.

I do not know the Chapman coaching staff, I am sure they must be very good.  I can say without hesitation that Scannel is very good and is player oriented.  If one can read meanings into a statement that is that simple and uncomplicated and it makes them sick, then so be it. While Infield Dad may be very loyal to Trinity and the SCAC, I have found his insight to the game, its players, and its coaches to be precise.  I have never known of him being unkind, but then I certainly would not want to provoke him either.

As for arms, I cannot imagine any twenty something year old telling a coach that he could not or would not take the field for his team in any competition, much less a game that leads to a title.  As I posted before, Oates would have taken the mound without a moment's hesitation if Scannel would have allowed it.  Oates is a great kid, is intensely loyal and most probably considered it worth the risk to throw on short notice in order to carry his team to a title.  The important thing is the coach did not call on him to take the risk even though he knows Oates prepares extensively and was probably ready for the challenge.  Whether Oates ever plays for pay or not (and I understand he might), he will still have to live with his arm for the rest of his life.   While I am versed in risk/reward processes I do not understand anyone that claims the risk to the long term health and well being of an amateur player is worth the reward of living vicariously through them to enjoy a victory from the stands.

By the way, whatever happened to Scott Hyde?

Good Luck to Chapman, I hope they win it all!

There is little doubt venue can have a huge effect on the outcome of the game.  It goes beyond not having to travel, or being able to sleep in your own bed at night in the comfort of your home, or having access to your own refrigerator and the type and quantity of food you are accustomed to.  Anyone that argues with 'home field advantage' really has not studied, much less played the game.  Subtle nuances such as being familiar with how prevailing wind patterns affect fly balls; being accustomed to a slow or fast infield;  being adapted to a sandy or tight base path; and certainly for pitchers, the mound height and characteristics.  Teams are built around playing conditions such as these, just look at the Colorado Rockies and their pitching staff.

For example the West regional was held at a truly amazing park, possibly the best D3 park I have seen, but I am told the mound was very difficult because of its height and slope.  (I can only assume it was regulation height but I heard it jokingly referred to as the mountain instead of the mound.)  Even though the host team did not win the West regional, their pitchers could have had a distinct advantage because they were accustomed to the mound if it indeed had unique characteristics. 

I am amazed the NCAA does not partner with professional baseball to have these tournaments at parks that truly would be neutral.  It would negate all the bickering and put everyone on a "level playing field".   It could also create even more memories for the players that have earned the opportunity to play at this level of competition.

Having traveled to Tennessee and Kentucky for the SCAC tournaments then to Texas to watch the teams selected to participate in the NCAA tournament from the West region, there is no doubt several SCAC teams were left at home that could have competed head to head with what was supposed to be the best from the West.  I regret the NCAA selection committee did not do a better job evaluating the talent in SCAC and give credit where credit was due.

Frank, I absolutely agree "that SCAC teams that are better than the Pool C choices are getting passed over because the selection process works heavily against the teams from good conferences."  As an avid Trinity supporter I have no reservation stating that Milsaps, particularly with the way they were playing at the end of the season, had the potential of beating every team I saw in Abilene including the nation's number 1 ranked team. 

Ralph, no doubt about it, LaVerne, McMurry, and especially Trinity let Chapman off the hook because they did not capitalize on scoring opportunities.  I do not intend to demean Chapman, they played steady fundamental ball and capably exploited mistakes made by their competition.  I just did not see them exhibit the overwhelming level of play I expected to see from a number one ranked team.  Possibly their lack of superiority was because of the high level of competition they faced ... time will tell.  Obviously I wish Chapman well in Wisconsin; their continued success will reflect the talent of the teams they narrowly escaped from.   I sincerely hope their ranking was correct, and a national championship will show they came from the toughest region in the country.

Infield Dad, I believe you were absolutely correct when you wrote that Coach Scannell was being very careful with his pitching staff.  You can be assured that Bronson and Oates would have been more than willing to take Saturdays start and go as deep as necessary (and in my humble opinion I do not think Chapman would still be playing if they had seen Bronson and Oates). It is indeed refreshing to see a coach that values his pitchers more than a title.  The showing Trinity had in the post-season should justify your evaluation of their talent to even the harshest critic.  Even though Bronson and Oates may be gone to another level, there is certainly a wealth of young talent on the team that, with the experience they received this year, should be a force to be reckoned with next year.