The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Team Wraps Up Successful Fall Practice
11/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 27, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB baseball team wrapped up a successful fall season of practice, leaving head coach Larry Giangrosso excited about the promise of the 2003 squad. Versatility was of the name of the game during the fall, as the coaching staff discovered that many players could fill a large number of different roles.
"It was probably one of the most productive falls we have had since we have been here," said Giangrosso. "The fall was really good because we were able to inter squad with the depth of pitching that we had. We played a lot of inter-squad games and we found out a lot about our players. I think we found out what roles people can play and I believe that is so important going into the year. I think we have a lot of things settled on who can play in what role."
The Blazer offense was an area that excelled during the fall. The hitting was led by returning senior outfielder Kyle Leon who batted .384 with 17 RBI, a .529 on base percentage and six home runs. Leon led UAB in hits (55) last season and batted .309 with 22 RBI.
"Kyle Leon had an outstanding fall," said Giangrosso. "He really swung the bat well."
Returning junior outfielder Matt Womble also had a strong fall at the plate for the Blazers. He led the Blazers in RBI (36) and runs scored (36) last season.
Newcoming junior outfielder Steve Martin, a transfer from Northwest Shoals Community College, put up solid offensive numbers as well. Martin batted .307 and led the team in stolen bases with seven.
From the mound, coach Giangrosso believes the diversity in styles the staff possesses will play a critical role in the success of the team.
"We believe the most successful pitching staff is one that can come at you from different angles," said Giangrosso. "I think when you see our pitching staff, it really poses some problems because they are not all the same. Each guy has a different look."
Senior right-hander Lucas Trotter had the lowest ERA on the team with a 0.47; sophomore right-hander Tony Falls, who was second on the team in strikeouts last season with 43, was second on the team in ERA in the fall with a 1.20; and junior right-hander Adam Price was third with a 1.90. Senior right-hander Cody Cillo also had a solid fall, posting a 2.80 ERA. Cillo led the Blazers in appearances with 27 last season.
"Lucas Trotter finished the fall with the lowest ERA on the team and over a three to one strikeout to walk ratio, which is outstanding," said Giangrosso.
"Cody Cillo will move from the closing role to a starter. He had a good fall. His ERA was under three and his strikeout to walk ration was excellent. Cody is a competitor and as many times as we can get him out there on the mound that is going to help us.
" I'm really impressed with Adam Price. He has good velocity with his fastball and has a very, very good breaking ball.
"Tony Falls had another good fall. He finished second in the fall in ERA. We are not sure how we are going to use him yet. He is versatile. We can start him or bring him out of the bullpen. He did both things for us last year."
Defensively, Giangrosso feels the Blazers will be very strong come spring. He is especially pleased with the outfield. Newcoming junior Sam Clark, a transfer from Gadsden State Community College, will anchor the group.
"We are really excited about our outfield because we have some great defensive players out there," Giangrosso said. "We are pleased with Sam and the rest of the outfielders because we feel like no matter where the ball is hit, if it stays in the park, we can catch it. We have some good arms out there as well."
The middle infield is another area coach Giangrosso feels strongly about. This unit will be led by newcoming junior Josh Miljavac, a transfer from Johnson County Community College.
"We are real pleased with our middle infield," he said. "They will be solid across the board. We are really pleased with Josh. He is good with the glove and he is an outstanding two hole hitter. He really showed a lot of defensive prowess in the fall. Our middle is going to be really solid."
Coach Giangrosso deemed the fall a success. Improvements seemed to come in every area of the game. It left both coaches and players excited about the challenges that lay ahead in the upcoming season.
"Overall, I thought we had a very productive fall," said Giangrosso. "I thought at times we swung the bat extremely well. When you are playing inter-squad games and you divide teams up, and you put up some offensive numbers, you begin to wonder about your pitching. However, there were days when our pitchers shut the hitters down and there were days our hitters really swung the bat well. That leads me to believe we have the makings of a pretty good team both ways.
"We looked at a lot of different combinations this fall. Offensively, I like what we are doing. We have some guys in the middle of the order that can hit home runs, drive in runs and hit doubles. We have speed on the bases, people who can score from first base on balls hit in the gaps.
"We feel pretty good about how our team has come along. We still have a long way to go, but we have a lot of different options we can go to and that will really help us. I think the thing that stood out this fall was that we were able to hit the ball around the ball park against good pitching. Our hitters really hit the ball well this fall. Overall, our defense was solid. We were pleased with it. We were also pleased with all of our newcomers."
The Blazers open the season Feb. 11 at Alabama State at 1 p.m. UAB's home opener will be Feb. 14 against Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m.
