Aggie Baseball: Coach Johnson Interview - Part 2
The Texas Aggie baseball squad is in the midst of preseason workouts preparing for the February 8 opener against Rice at Enron Field in Houston. The Aggie Websider had the pleasure last week to interview veteran head coach Mark Johnson who’s entering his 18th year as the head of the Texas A&M program.
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Coach Johnson appears optimistic about this team with a more experienced group returning to make a run at the program’s third Big 12 title.
One of the keys to a successful season is avoiding the injury bug and staying healthy. How’s the health of the team heading into the spring preseason workouts?
"We’re in pretty good shape, but we have some questions with key personnel. David Evans, as you know, had surgery in the summer and missed fall workouts. I think he’s close. He may not throw much these first few weeks, but I think he’ll be ready soon. Whether he’s ready by opening day, we’ll see. Ben Himes is battling some knee problems that slowed him down in the fall and it hurt his performance. We’ll take a good look at him in January and see where he stands. Ryan Wardinsky pulled a hamstring late in the fall and it’s a little tender right now. We just hope he doesn’t tweak it in this cold weather. If he doesn’t have any setbacks, he should be okay.
Khalid Ballouli and Ryan Warpinski are both returning to the mound after undergoing major surgery and sitting out all last year. Both are near 100% and physically good to go, but neither has pitched in a live game in well over a year. Ballouli missed fall practices as well. So you just don’t know how sharp they will be and if you can count on them until you put them out on the mound. In the fall, Warpinski did give me an indication that he’ll challenge for a weekend spot."
Who are some players that stepped it up in the fall and really improved their game from last year?
"I’m excited about Rusty Meyer. His "catch-and-throw" times from home to 2nd base were phenomenal. His throws were also very strong and accurate. I’m expecting us to slow down some running games this year with Rusty. His bat also came alive and he has that potential to be a big RBI guy in the middle of the lineup.
We’ve been waiting two years for Travis Wong to get comfortable with the breaking ball. In the last 10 days of fall workouts, he showed signs of turning the corner. Hopefully, that will carry over to the spring because we need him to be productive.
Erik Schindewolf hit the ball well. He needs to be in the lineup somewhere. His defense has improved, but Ty Garner has stepped up his defense also. He has the best pivot on the team.
Matt Alexander is pushing Ryan Wardinsky at shortstop. He’s always been a good hitter, but he showed good power and made things happen at the plate this fall. What’s put him close to Wardinsky is his improved defense. He’s more consistent than he was last year."
Did you see any freshmen/newcomers who looked promising in the fall and might contribute this season?
"I think so. Coby Mavroulis is a lefty who really opened my eyes. He’s a smart player and reads pitches well. He can do a lot of good things with the bat. We’ll see how he does in preseason, but if were filling out a lineup card today, Coby’s name would be on it.
Logan Kensing from Boerne is another freshman that was a pleasant surprise this fall from both the mound and the plate. He’s already the best two-way player on the team. He did some good things, particularly as a pitcher. He should contribute in some capacity."
With a couple of outfield spots up for grabs, Nick Martin showed me enough that he should push for playing time. He and 1B teammate Cody Reimer, both from New Braunfels, had a nice fall."
Can you briefly discuss who you see will be contributors at each position in the field?
1B
"Travis Wong is the incumbent there. We’re counting on him to have a big year at the plate. If that’s the case, then I probably won’t platoon as much with lefties like Cody Reimer or Coby Mavroulis. Travis gives us solid defense and an experienced player at 1st base. He needs to have a break-out year at the plate and help us in the lineup."
2B
"The battle is between senior veteran Ty Garner and sophomore Erik Schindewolf will battle for the job. Both will likely see time at second base, but Garner and Schindewolf can shift over to 3 rd base if needed. Schindewolf’s strengths include a great eye at the plate and the ability to put the ball in play and make things happen. Garner can get hot, but I think he’s our best fielding infielder. He’s got the quickest pivot on the team. Both will see plenty of time this year."
SS
"Veteran two-year starter Ryan Wardinsky is in a close battle with sophomore Matt Alexander. Alexander had a nice bat last year, but struggled defensively at shortstop. He’s really improved the consistency of his defensive play. If Alexander can build on his improved play in the field, he has a good chance to be a quality shortstop for us. Wardinsky brings experience to the lineup. He’s crossed the line for us the past two years, so we know he can get it done. This will be one of the more interesting battles this spring."
3B
"This position is wide open and you might see a lot of guys play there unless someone takes control of the spot early. We’re not as solid here as I want to be going into the spring. Tim Petru has shown flashes of being a big RBI guy for us. It would be a big boost to get him going. We also worked Ty Garner and Erik Schindewolf over at 3B and those guys can shift over from 2B if we need them.. Justin Pouk is a transfer from Wabash Valley JC that could work into the mix. We’ll just have to see."
Catcher
"We’ve talked about him earlier, but we’re going to count on Rusty Meyer to really lead us at the catcher spot. He should be one of the best defensive catchers in the league and I’m expecting some production from his bat as well. I’m excited for Rusty. He had some injuries early in his career that has limited his playing time, but he should be ready for break-out season if he stays healthy. Jordy Mitchell and Justin Pouk will provide depth and get some action to spell Rusty. Justin McNeely is a freshman from Cincinnati who had shoulder surgery in the offseason, so he may have to redshirt."
Outfield
"We have several open spots in the outfield that are up for grabs. Eric Reed will likely be our centerfielder. He still needs to improve some things at the plate to be our true leadoff hitter. He needs to be more patient at the plate and draw more base-on-balls. His bunting has improved, but still must get better to use that as a weapon. I want him to find ways to get on-base. That’s what we need from Eric. On the other hand, Eric’s defense is outstanding. His ability to cover ground and make the catch is phenomenal. When it’s all said and done, he could be the best we’ve had out there, although his arm isn’t quite as strong as I’d like.
Neal Stephenson hit the ball well in the fall, and he can be as good as anybody we have out there. He’s contributed his entire career at A&M, but we’d really like to see him take that next step and have that special year. I think he’s poised to do that.
Eddie Lang is a great guy to have on your team. He’s a hard worker and puts it all out on the line. I expect him to help us out throughout the season in many capacities. Ben Himes had his knee cleaned out in the summer. He returned in the fall, but really struggled because of the knee. He’ll have to come in here in the spring and re-establish himself as a player we can count on during the season.
Coby Mavroulis was a big surprise this fall. He has a nice arm and plays good defense, but he separates himself from some of the others with his abilities at the plate. He’ll definitely play. Nick Martin has a chance to work into the rotation too. I liked what I saw from that freshman."
Pitching
"We have a lot of arms and we’ll just have to see how it shakes out. Nobody established themselves as the #1 or #2 pitchers in the fall. Matt Farnum certainly has the stuff to be that guy. He’s got one of the best sliders in the game when he’s in a groove. I want him to show us he can do it every time he crosses the line. Justin Moore was one of our most consistent weekend pitchers last year and I expect him to battle for his weekend spot. Ryan Warpinski showed signs in the fall that he’s back healthy and will make a run at the rotation.
Then you have guys like Chris French and Kyle Parcus who really came through for us as freshmen. They have a chance to make the weekend rotation and start some Tuesday ball games for us. Then you have Khalid Ballouli who was one of our top pitchers until his arm injury that sidelined him last year. He missed fall workouts as well, but he’s back here now throwing at close to 100%. His issue will be how much rust has developed in over a year of inactivity, and how quickly can he knock it off.
Todd Deininger is a guy who’s probably the most naturally gifted pitcher I have. However, he’s really struggled since the early part of last year. He had some mechanical problems that got him off track, but now I think it’s a mental issue. He had a poor fall. If he’s going to be that bell cow pitcher we projected him to be when he showed up on campus two years ago, he’ll need to regain his confidence and show us what he can do early.
As far as relief pitching goes, many of the guys I already mentioned will work a bulk of the middle and long relief outings we need. For short relief, I’m hoping that Zach Dixon will be our go-to guy from the left side. He’s shown us at times that he can be that guy, so we’re hoping he develops a closer mentality. From the right side, Robert Ramsey is a guy with the excellent velocity and big breaker that you look for in a closer. He has the tools, but needs to improve his control. Also, he’s battled nagging injuries so he needs to be healthy to fill that role."
Do you think this squad has the potential to compete for the Big 12 title and make a run into postseason?
"I think so. We have more veterans on this team than the past two seasons. I think we certainly have the talent to compete for the championship, and our program always expects to make the NCAA regionals. To stay home in 2000 and 2001 wasn’t acceptable for our program. We’ve got to get back there. I think we can, if we stay relatively healthy and get 3-4 keys players to deliver on the field. It should be fun, and I’m looking forward to the season. Aggie baseball at Olsen Field is special and I look forward to being out here every spring."
Thanks again to Coach Johnson for providing The Aggie Websider insight into the coming season. Be sure to check back frequently during the season with the Websider for player interviews, features, and analysis and opinion on the season as it unfolds.
David Sandhop
Aggie Websider
