Fall Notebook II
Sep 25 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Now over a week into fall practice, Rutgers baseball continues making progress towards the preparation of the 2015 season. The Scarlet Knights return a lengthy amount of players and are excited for the new additions of the team.
After breaking into the black and grey teams once again for an intrasquad scrimmage, the Scarlet Knights looked more comfortable settling into positions and being in game mode.
Having the second week in full swing, head coach Joe Litterio felt the team has grown over the summer and is ready to develop their talent further.
"They are back to playing aggressive baseball," Litterio said. "We started out slow last year, but we are a young team. I am looking for us to pick up how we left off last season."
Senior right-handed pitcher Jon Young (Old Bridge, N.J.) also noticed the greater focus in increasing the energy and determination.
"I think we want to win more now," he said. "There's a lot more fire in this team. Coach Litterio does a great job of coaching us up and getting us ready for the season. There's a really good team chemistry which plays a big part in why we want to play and win together."
Young returns to the mound as one of the "anchors" according to Litterio, making 21 appearances during the 2014 season. After collecting his first career save against Jacksonville in February, Young went on to lead the team with nine saves, tied for second-most in Rutgers history.
Young has confidence in his fellow staff saying, "I'm really excited about our pitching this season. I think our bullpen is really solid and improving more from last year. I'm also pumped up to play in the Big Ten. I think it's a big stage and big atmosphere. We're really excited and ready to go."
Fellow "anchor" and lefty pitcher Max Herrmann (Rutherford, N.J.) enters his sophomore year returning from a team-high 22 appearances with a 3-0 record. He also gathered four saves on the year with a 2.57 ERA. Herrmann believes the bullpen is becoming stronger and retaining better training habits.
"The team has been doing a lot of work in the offseason with running, strength and agility, and throwing bullpens. Coach (Casey) Gaynor put us on a great shoulder strength program which helped with our velocity and durability."
Herrmann and Young believe in the importance of the bullpen keeping in good health and shape to improve.
"You have to be responsible for your own work, take care of yourself, your body, lifting and running," Hermann stated. "In the end, this is our business and its our responsibility to keep getting better."
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Mike Carter (Bloomfield, N.J.), who was named a Freshman All-American, returns from last season after starting 52 games in centerfield and leading with a team-high conference batting average of .355. Carter's stellar season helped mold him into a college-level athlete both physically and mentally as he shared his thoughts of the new fall start.
"Throughout our fall practices we have been getting better as a team and focusing on improving daily," he said. "The fall is the time to test our limits and see what we can and cannot do." Carter believes one of the biggest overall goals of this time of year "is to prepare for the spring and make our way to a Regional."
Playing the field from an in-depth perspective as a true freshman last year, Carter spoke about the importance of advice the coaches have given him to improve his game. He carries that advice every day and shares it with the new faces of the team to prepare them the same way.
"You always want to be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing," he said. "As for baseball, the best advice the coaches gave me about hitting is to see the ball and hit it. Keeping things simple helps players relax and feel confident."
Although the team works harder every day and is more determined than ever, Litterio never stops stressing the importance of being prepared both physically and mentally.
"Coach and the rest of the staff believe in spreading the message of being aggressive, and understanding what type of team we are," Carter said. "Play smart baseball and prepare for all situations we will see this spring."
