Nov. 8, 2010
RUSTON, La. - Clint Ewing and Taylor Terrasas drove in two runs apiece and Josh Barrett tossed six solid innings as the Blue Team upended the White Team, 8-2, to clinch the 2010 Louisiana Tech Fall World Series in game seven Saturday afternoon at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
"I thought both teams fought and played the game hard," said Louisiana Tech baseball coach Wade Simoneaux. "Our leaders stepped up and I like the fact that the series went seven games because it shows that the senior leadership was drafting to win the series."
Saturday's game marked the first time in the Simoneaux era that a champion had not been decided prior to game seven.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Game One: The White Team jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never relinquished offensively as the White Team plated 11 runs on 17 hits to knock off the Blue Team, 11-7. Alex Williams led the way offensively for the White Team collecting four hits while Austin Hedges and Will Alvis both totaled three hits while driving in one run apiece.
Game Two: Mike LeBreton tossed six scoreless innings and Mark Threlkeld plated five RBI on four hits as the Blue Team rolled past the White Team, 10-0, to even the Louisiana Tech Fall World Series at one game apiece.
Game Three: Clint Ewing was 4-for-6 while Kyle Roliard and Mark Threlkeld drove in two runs apiece as the Louisiana Tech Blue Team exploded for an eight-run offensive outburst in the fifth inning en route to a 11-5 win.
Game Four: Will Alvis went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI to lead the White Team past the Blue Team 14-2. Austin Hedges added three RBI while Alex Williams drove in two runners.
Game Five: Trailing by three runs, the White Team rallied with a four-run fourth inning courtesy of a two-run homer from Marc Picciola and back-to-back RBI hits from Corey White and Ashton Hughes to claim game one of the twin bill, 7-5.
Game Six: Facing elimination, Mark Threlkeld drove in three runs and Caleb Dudley tossed 3.0 shutout innings late in the game to lead the Blue Team past the White team 9-7 forcing decisive game seven.
THE SERIES WAS WON WHEN
Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning in game seven, the Blue Team finally broke through against the White Team's pitching as Marc Picciola and Ryan Gebhardt were roughed up for a combined four runs.
Down two runs, Justin Gordey led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double to left center. After a Kyle Roliard sacrifice bunt moved him over to third and a Threlkeld walk, Ewing drove in Gordey with an RBI single to left to get things rolling for the Blue Team.
With two runners on, Beau Bayliss singled to left scoring Threlkeld and moving Ewing into scoring position. Following pop out to short, Taylor Terrasas doubled down the left field line scoring both Bayliss and Ewing to put the Blue Team on top to stay.
""We wouldn't give up," said senior Clint Ewing. "We just pulled together as a team and fought hard over the last 18 innings and we came away with two wins."
MOVING FORWARD
With the conclusion of fall practice and the spring start date of Jan. 28 just around the corner, there is plenty to be excited about moving forward to the 2011 season.
For onlookers, a few things are clear: this team will compete for a conference title and the offense that lit up the scoreboard at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park last season is back.
THE OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
As a squad the Blue Team hit .322 during the Fall World Series. Among those that had at least 20 at-bats, Clint Ewing led the offensive attack hitting at a .600 clip while collecting five RBI. Justin Gordey had 12 hits, three doubles and two RBI for a .500 average while Mark Threlkeld had 13 RBI, three home runs and 12 hits for a .429 average. Dan Breazeale drove in four runners while hitting .308 in the Fall Classic.
Will Alvis led the White Team offense with a .522 average, drawing seven walks, driving in seven runs off of four home runs and 12 base knocks. Austin Hedges tallied 13 hits and drove in six runs while hitting .500 on the week. Corey White, Alex Williams and Joey Ford combined to hit .318.
With the NCAA mandated change that teams are required to use aluminum bats that meet the standards of the Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR), the offense will face a few changes this season.
Across most of the nation, power numbers have dipped during fall practice. Although Tech did not use the new bats during the Fall World Series, Easton did ship one of the new bats late last week that the players utilized during batting practice.
Despite the familiar "ping" sound being replaced by what sounds like wood, the Tech hitters performed well and there didn't appear to be much of a drop-off in terms of overall power.
However, with the game changing in terms of offense due to the new bats, fans can expect to see a bit of small ball in addition to manufacturing runs.
Throughout the Fall World Series both teams combined to steal 18 bases with Gordey leading all Bulldogs with seven stolen bases in eight attempts.
Furthermore, both teams were perfect in bunt situations combining for four bunt singles and five sacrifices. Breazeale led all Tech hitters with two bunt singles and one sacrifice.
THE PITCHING BREAKDOWN
Plain and simple, the Fall World Series was won because of the Blue Team's arms. With the 75 pitch limitation for all pitchers, it was imperative that starters were effective within their abilities to maximize their team's chance of winning.
Mike LeBreton and Josh Barrett did just that. Both pitchers had a combined 4-0 record with a 2.74 ERA allowing only seven runs while fanning nine batters in 23.0 innings of work.
With LeBreton and Barrett's numbers withheld, the Tech staff combined for a 7.76 ERA allowing 81 earned runs while collecting 54 walks.
"We still have some issues on the mound that we are going to address," said Simoneaux. "We've got a couple of guys that are injured that will be back in the spring. We've got December and January of good off-season conditioning to get these guys in better shape."
If the Tech arms can cut down on walks, this season can be special. The Bulldogs should get a boost from a pair of arms returning in the spring as Jeb Stefan and Graham Meyers return from injury and should be ready to go at the start of the season.
THE NEWCOMERS
With 35 rosters open spots and 41 student-athletes vying for slots on the 35-man roster and the travel squad, the Fall World Series is a chance for newcomers to shine.
"We had some guys that stepped up and contributed. It wasn't your core guys a lot of times that decided this series - it was a lot of new faces," said Ewing. "There was a lot of excitement this past week and I am looking forward to the upcoming season."
For the White Team, Tyler Qualls looks to be a guy that can step in immediately and backup Ewing. He features good instincts behind the plate and has some pop in his bat as witnessed by his grand slam in game one of the Fall World Series.
For the Blue Team, Cole Gilmore and Beau Bayliss were very productive in their limited at-bats. Both hit .385 during the Fall World Series while Gilmore had five hits, five RBI and one home run.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Outside of the four returning all-WAC performers, Justin Gordey emerged as a player to watch coming out of Fall Practice.
The Bossier City native shared center field duties as he played in 38 games while starting 19 in the outfield last season. During conference play Gordey batted an incredible .486 in 16 games played with nine of his 16 RBI coming against conference foes.
During the Fall World Series Gordey spent his time leading off for the Blue Team. With a .586 on-base percentage, Gordey had 12 hits including three doubles and one home run. More importantly, he was patient at the plate as he drew five walks.
What cannot be overlooked was his effectiveness on the base paths. With the new bats this season, speed is key and Gordey provides that. With his position at the top of the lineup and his ability to reach base at a high percentage, it will only for guys like Threlkeld, Ewing and Alvis to drive him in.
With an outfield that lost Devon Dageford and Clint Stubbs, Gordey appears to be a strong candidate to see time roaming the outfield at J.C. Love Field after an impressive fall.
WHAT'S NEXT
With 81 days until Tech can resume spring practice and 101 days until the regular season, the fall roster will be reduced to the NCAA mandated 35-man roster.
With a schedule that features games against teams that have a combined 17 College World Series appearances and two College World Series titles, Tech opens the 2011 campaign on Feb. 18-20 as the Bulldogs host Southern Illinois, Nicholls State and Grambling State as part of the Louisiana Tech Baseball Classic.
"We have a lot of work to do because you can never be satisfied with what has happened," said Ewing. "I really think we have the makings of a good team. This offseason we are going to put in a lot of hard work and go out and compete this spring."
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