University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Team Opens Practice On Monday
1/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Team Opens Practice On Monday
"We are excited about the start of practice next week," Head Coach Corky Palmer said. "The players worked hard during the conditioning period and now everyone is ready to get started. The team got a taste of success last year and was disappointed with the outcome of the season. They know what it takes to be successful and now want to advance a step further and not only compete for the Conference USA championship but earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament."
This year's roster has 16 letterwinners returning, which includes seven position players who were starting at the end of last season and one starting pitcher. There are also 12 newcomers who will battle for playing time on the diamond as well.
Guiding the squad into the new season will be a committee of returning starters led by oufielders Jeff Cook and Carlos Velasquez, infielders Griff Israel, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Matt Shepherd and Brad Willcutt and pitchers Bob McCrory, Stephen Castleman and Cliff Russum.
Senior left fielder and All-American candidate Cook, a 2002 first-team All-Conference USA member, hit .335 with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and drove in 63 runs. He also was second on the team in stolen bases with 18 and scored a team-leading 67 runs. Velasquez, a junior who started in center field in 2002, hit .282 with 11 doubles, six homers, drove in 30 runs and stole a team-high 21 bases.
Senior first baseman Griff Israel hit .330 with 12 doubles, five home runs and drove in 40 runs, while being hit a school-record 19 times. At second base, sophomore Hoffpauir, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, hit .320 with 17 doubles and 32 RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Shepherd, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, hit .315 with 10 doubles, one homer and drove in 26 runs. Sophomore catcher Willcutt, also a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, hit .288 with 17 doubles, nine homers and was second on the team in RBIs with 53.
Junior All-Conference USA McCrory finished with a 7-3 record and a 2.57 ERA in 84 innings pitched last year. He struck out 63 batters, while walking 32, and finished with two complete games. McCrory is the only starter returning from last year's lineup. Sophomore Russum, the team's fourth Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, was the team's closer last year, finishing with a 1-2 record and a 2.39 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched. He struck out 31 batters, while walking 19. Russum is slated as the team's No. 2 starter behind McCrory. Castleman finished with a 3-2 record in 2002 with a 4.64 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched. He struck out 26 batters, while walking 16.
