Jan. 30, 2006
Georgia Tech enters the 2006 season ranked No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America. The Yellow Jackets return 19 letterwinners from the 2005 team that finished 45-19 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season, ACC Tournament and NCAA Atlanta Regional. Tech opens the season on Feb. 11 at Georgia Southern.
Head coach Danny Hall, now in his 13th year at Georgia Tech and the school’s winningest coach with 529 victories, offered his views on the upcoming season.
You have often made the comment that your team goals are to play well within the ACC and the ACC Tournament so that you have the opportunity to host a NCAA Regional and try to earn a berth in the College World Series. Is that the same formula for the 2006 season?
“It never changes. It’s the journey and process that you have to go through. It started for us back in the fall. You have to spend a lot of time working in the fall to see what you have and see what adjustments you have to make. Now we have started practice in the preseason and we are trying to get our team ready to play. It’s one step at a time and one day at a time. Even though you have that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you can’t focus on that. You have to focus on the daily tasks of trying to get our team better.
“It’s a competitive league, and we have a very competitive schedule outside of the league. We have a lot of ground to cover between now and June. Ultimately, we hope that in June we are playing our best baseball. If we are, then I think that this is a team that is capable of making it to the College World Series and playing extremely well there.”
With the addition of Boston College for the 2005-06 school year, the ACC has completed expansion to a 12-team league. The conference schedule now features 30 games, and each team will play 10 of the other 11 schools in the league each year. Another change is that only the top eight teams will advance to the ACC Tournament. How do you feel about these changes?
“You don’t approach the season any differently with these changes. You are still going to have to play well in the league to make the ACC Tournament. You are going to have to play well in the league to set yourself up for regional play.
“I don’t like the fact that we don’t play every other team each year. I wish that we could play everybody, but I understand the reasoning behind not playing everybody. We are going to get to go to Boston College this year, and I have never taken a team there. I think they will be a quality addition to the league.
“If you look at our league, there are a number of teams in the preseason polls. I think that it will be a competitive dogfight with great teams and great coaches all vying for the league crown.
“I do like the fact that the ACC Tournament is only eight teams this year. I think that makes it a much cleaner event. I know that it would be nice to have all the teams in our league there to participate in the tournament, but it’s just not really feasible with 12 teams in the league. The eight teams that make it will all be great teams, which should make for a great tournament.”
You enter the 2006 season with the luxury of quality and experienced depth at the catching position. Discuss the roles that you expect for Andy Hawranick and Matt Wieters this spring.
“I think we have two of the best catchers in the country coming back. Andy Hawranick is a great catcher, and he had an opportunity to sign with the Cubs after last year but he had some shoulder problems and decided to come back. To get a guy that was looked at as a professional prospect after his junior year and have him come back for his senior year with all his experience is a big bonus.
“We have Matt Wieters sitting right there behind him. He’s a guy who I think is one of the best prospects that we have had in the last several years. Even though he is just a sophomore, I think that he will be a big time pro prospect. Matt gives us everything – he can catch, he can play first base, and he’s our closer. Having Andy there gives us a lot of flexibility to shift Matt around. That gives us two quality guys to handle our pitching staff.
“Backing those two guys up is a great freshman in Jason Haniger. We’re very excited about him. I think he is one of the hardest workers on our team. And we have Nick Scherer back, who ended up catching some for us last year when we needed that third guy to get in there. All told, we have tremendous depth at the catching position.”
In the infield, you have returning starters at first base, second base and third base. What do those players mean to the lineup in 2006?
“It gives us a lot of confidence in having those guys coming back to anchor our infield. Whit Robbins has been the starter at first base for three seasons, and he gives us steady defense and good offense.
“Mike Trapani played a lot of third base two years ago, and he ended up starting at second base for us last year and was an All-ACC performer. He’s a fifth-year guy who really knows what Georgia Tech stands for, and he already has his degree. His leadership will be invaluable to our team this year.
“We have a great pro prospect sitting at third base in Wes Hodges. Wes had a terrific season last year, and we expect him to be a main force in the middle of our lineup this season.
“Those three guys will really anchor our infield.”
Clearly the biggest unknown entering the 2006 season is the shortstop position. How do you expect to handle that spot and who are the likely candidates to fill that role?
“You look at shortstop and we have Michael Fisher and Russell Harben vying for that position. Those guys are going to have Wes Hodges to one side and Mike Trapani to the other, and I think that will have a settling effect on them. Hopefully that will give them a lot of confidence to play a good defensive shortstop.
“I think initially we are probably going to have to play both guys. In an ideal situation, I would like to know by the first conference weekend who the best guy is for the position and let him play most of the games there. I think both guys have shown flashes of brilliance and being able to play that position and have the leadership that it takes to play that position. Right now, I really could not pick one guy.
“The best answer is to let them both play and let’s see who settles in to play the position best defensively. In both cases, I think they both have a chance to be very good hitters. But we’re going to take hitting out of the mix. We need to make sure that our shortstop can make the routine play and do it consistently. The guy who does that will end up winning the job.”
Matt Murton was a first round draft pick in 2003, and now you welcome his brother Luke into the program this season. What impact can he have on the 2006 season?
“Luke, just like his brother Matt, is an accomplished hitter. He has tremendous power and he is a good hitter overall. He has more size than Matt, and that’s hard to believe. We’re excited about his bat potential. He has to continue to work extremely hard on his defense at first base. But he is a very hard worker and he wants to get better every day. His bat is going to get him into the lineup somewhere – as a DH or spot starting at first base. We have also tried to get him some fly balls in left field. We’re excited about having another Murton in the program.”
With other infielders – Brad Feltes, Ryan Tinkoff and Nick Wenderoth – you have to feel like you have more quality depth in the infield than in recent years.
“There is no question that we have a lot of flexibility in the infield this season. Brad Feltes is a very good baseball player. He’s a great defensive third baseman and he can really catch the ball. He came on late in the fall and swung the bat extremely well. He’s someone who could push for some playing time.
“Ryan Tinkoff and Nick Wenderoth give us depth, particularly at second base. We all know Mike Trapani and we love him, but he plays so hard sometimes that he puts his body in position where he gets banged up and has to miss a game here and there. So to have those two guys sitting there knowing that we can plug them into the lineup gives us some comfort and some depth.”
In the outfield, you have three returning starters who all started over 60 games last year and were key hitters in the top half of the lineup. Steven Blackwood has been a key bat in the lineup from his left field position, and you have to expect more of the same this spring.
“All three guys are great players. Steven Blackwood is in his fourth year, and he’s been a .300-plus hitter every year for us. He’s a Dean’s List guy and he’s involved in a lot of community service projects. He truly embodies the term ‘student-athlete.’ He has great experience and he has great skills as a hitter. He’s played in our biggest games since he’s been here.
Danny Payne was your center fielder and leadoff hitter as a freshman last season. How do you expect him to continue to grow in that role?
“Danny Payne came in as a freshman and hit leadoff in nearly every game last year. He has another year of experience under his belt. He started hot last year and hit a cold spell, but I thought at the end of the year he was really picking things back up. He built on that with an excellent fall. He is a guy who can really catch the ball in center field, and he’s a great leadoff hitter.
Jeff Kindel is the type of story that has to make you proud to be a coach. After being written off as a struggling pitcher, he focused his efforts on becoming an outfielder and became an All-ACC right fielder in 2005 after batting .359.
“There’s probably not a better story for me in Georgia Tech baseball history than Jeff Kindel. Here’s a guy that was not even an afterthought in terms of getting playing time after his first year here as a pitcher. He worked really hard and turned himself into an all-conference performer in the outfield. He was a great player for us last year, and he had a chance to sign a pro contract after a great summer. But he decided to come back for his senior year, and he earned his degree from Georgia Tech in December. He worked hard in the fall to become even better than he was last year.
“He’s a great success story, and those are the kind of stories that we need in college baseball. Here’s a guy that got an opportunity and seized it to make himself a great player.”
How do the other outfielders in the program – Wally Crancer, Jay Dantzler and Chris Hicks – figure into the equation in 2006?
“Wally Crancer is a junior college player out of California. He came in and earned the respect of all his teammates this fall. He hit a lot of home runs for us late in the fall. His bat is going to get him in the lineup somewhere, whether it’s as a DH or spelling some of those guys in the outfield. He has an excellent throwing arm, but his bat is probably his biggest tool.
“Chris House and Jay Dantzler are two guys who are eager to learn. I think they both made great progress this fall. Both of those guys could play any of the three outfield positions. From a defensive standpoint, it gives us a lot depth. I am very happy with all of those guys.”
Blake Wood really solidified the weekend rotation last year, posting a 10-1 record and a 3.13 ERA. Does he enter the 2006 season as your Friday guy?
“Blake Wood had a tremendous year for us last year and he ended up being our No. 1 pitcher. He pitched great in big games, and he handled everything thrown his way. He has made as much progress from where he started at as a freshman to where he is now as anybody we have had at Georgia Tech. He is a big game pitcher with excellent stuff, and he has the potential to be a high draft pick. He’s our No. 1 pitcher heading into the season.”
Tim Gustafson was one of your top pitchers at the end of last season, and he was used in a variety of roles – setup, closer, and starter. What do you envision his role to be this spring?
“Down the stretch last year, there wasn’t a more valuable guy to us than Tim Gustafson. He set games up for us all year. Then he had two big starts for us in the championship game of the ACC Tournament against Virginia and the NCAA Regional championship game against South Carolina.
“I haven’t decided what role he will play this year, but it will be a big role. He could be our No. 2 starter or we could keep him as a setup guy. I really like having him as a setup guy, because I think that if we can get the game to the sixth inning with a lead, I feel like we won’t lose many of those games with him sitting there to throw a couple of innings and Matt Wieters to close. It’s a valuable thing for us to have a guy like him who can do both roles for us, and do them well.”
Among the options to fill the rest of the weekend rotation are two junior left-handers, Lee Hyde and Ryan Turner, who pitched quite a few innings and were in and out of the rotation last year.
“Lee Hyde and Ryan Turner are two lefties who pitched a lot for us last year and did a good job. I am counting on both of those guys. They are very experienced guys, and they have both had a number of starts in our conference and in big games. We need them to really step up and bolster our rotation, and give us some veteran guys that we can pitch in those big conference games. I am counting on both of those guys to really step up and have excellent years for us.”
Matt Wieters really embraced the closer’s role as a freshman last year, and you have to expect more of the same in 2006.
“Matt gives our team a lot of confidence. I wouldn’t say that his stuff is overpowering, but I think that it is very good. He handles the role, and doesn’t really let what is going on in the game affect the way that he pitches. I think that is his biggest asset as a player. He doesn’t let anything shake him up. He’s very even keel, and I think that leads to his success in the closer’s role. He’s a very, very valuable guy for us at the end of games.”
You have three guys in Tim Ladd, Brad Rulon and Jared Hyatt who pitched a number of key innings last year in a relief role. What do you look for in those players this season?
“All three of those guys pitched extremely well for us at times last year. They all have another year of experience under their belt. Ladd and Rulon went to the Cape Cod League last summer and pitched against some great competition.
“Tim Ladd may have been one of our most improved guys in the fall. I would say that if anybody in the starting rotation would slip up, they might want to look up because he is breathing down their necks.
“I feel like all three of those guys – Ladd, Rulon and Hyatt – are experienced and have been in competitive games. And I think all three are better than they were a year ago.”
Three freshmen join the pitching staff. What contributions can you expect from David Duncan, Chris Hicks and Jake Sullivan?
“The guys that are in the starting rotation better look out for Duncan and Hicks. They both have excellent arms and they are both very competitive pitchers. These two guys could gobble up innings and end up being in our starting rotation at some point during the season. Any other year, those two guys would be in our rotation, but the fact that we have quite a few upperclassmen back may initially keep them in a secondary role. But their talent is very good and I think their competitive makeup is very good to be starting pitchers.
“Jake Sullivan really came on in the fall, and he could be a factor this season in a relief role. He comes from an excellent family, his brother played at Auburn and his father played football at Arkansas, and he has a chance to be a very good pitcher at Georgia Tech.”
John Goodman and Eddie Burns are both coming off injuries. What is their prognosis for the upcoming season?
“I think that Goodman is very close to being 100% right now. He was one of our best guys as a freshman prior to getting hurt. I look for him to be a major factor on our pitching staff, whether it’s as a starting role, a setup role or a closer role. I think he could do all three, and he’s going to be a factor for us throughout the year.
“Eddie Burns has made great progress, and I would say that he is at 60% as we begin preseason practice. His arm is working good and it doesn’t hurt any more. Two years ago as a high school player, he was the highest rated pitcher in the state of Georgia. If we can get him back to 100%, he is going to surprise some people.”
Danny Payne was a very good pitcher in high school and you experimented with using him on the mound during fall practice. Could he be in the mix this year as a pitcher in addition to his center field role?
“Danny Payne could be a setup guy, maybe a guy to come in and get lefties out. He is a very competitive guy and he’s a strike thrower. He likes to have the ball in his hand when the game is on the line. I can see him helping in a relief role, and I wouldn’t rule out him closing out a game for us because he can throw strikes and he’ll compete.”
You have brought Bryan Prince in to fill the volunteer assistant coach position, continuing your trend of having former players in that role. What can Bryan bring to this team?
“One of the things that I have taken a lot of pride in is seeing guys get opportunities in the field of coaching. Bryan has some big shoes to fill as Victor Menocal did a tremendous job for us in that role last year. Prior to him we had Jon Palmieri, who is now an assistant coach at Wake Forest, and Scott Stricklin, now the head coach at Kent State.
“I always like having a former player in the volunteer coach position because he has gone to school here and he knows what it is like to be a student at Georgia Tech. A former player can really relate to what our guys go through on a daily basis.
“Bryan has done everything that our players are trying to do – get a degree from Georgia Tech, be a great player in the ACC, and get an opportunity to play professional baseball. I am very pleased to have him back working with our guys.”
