Fall Baseball 2009 provided a wonderful couple of months for me. It was all about fun, competition, some special moments with my father, and getting ready for my final high school season and developing for the future.
Here is an overview, starting with our Fall Championship:
Pittsfield Pirates - 2009 Champs of Ann Arbor Adult Wood Bat League
I accepted an invitation from Dann Goodson (who was the coach when I played for Forsythe Middle School a few years back) to join his adult team for the fall season in a loose, but competitive, adult wood bat league in Ann Arbor. As a bonus, my dad (a 50-yr. old former college player - he still talks a big game, though) was put on the roster as a backup. We joined a number of fine players who played for Pioneer H.S. in the past (including Mark Richards, Trevor Brewster, Mitch Holdwick, Jeff LeDuc, and Dann), and Tony Shourds (who played in the Texas Rangers' organization) on a team that lost only one game en route to the championship of this league.
I had an absolutely great time and a great season as "the kid" on this squad. I played third base and shortstop, and contributed 3 pitching wins (with one save) on "the bump." My dad got into a few games, too - we had some "Field of Dreams" moments as I brought him home with RBI's a couple of times and we shared the left side of the infield for one game (me at SS, him at 3B). I also saw and played against many former H.S. players from the area, including some good friends, like Ian Rosoff, who I used to play with on travel teams.
We took the championship when we beat the Ann Arbor A's - a veteran team in this area - with a 9-6 victory on November 1st. As I closed out the game for the save, it put a nice bookend to my 2009 season - I was on the mound for my H.S. league championship, district championship, and regional championship. My dad said it reminded him of Willie Hernandez in the '84 season for the Tigers.
Fall Stats:
Batting: 12-30 (.400 BA). 10 RBI, 9 R scored.
Pitching: 17 IP, 2 ER allowed (0.81 ERA). 10 H
allowed, 26 K, 5 BB.
Other Fall Baseball Activities
Fall Baseball at the Michigan Sports Academy is a 6-week program on Saturdays in September and October. Through drills and loosely-structured games, the focus is on development issues; it provides a great opportunity to try out new things. I worked on my cut fastball in game situations, drag bunting at the plate, and aggressive play in the field.
I also had the opportunity to work with Coach Geoff Zahn (former MLB pitcher, U-M coach, and now a renowned pitching instructor) in fine-tuning my technique for next season.
The arm gets a rest after all the innings pitched this year, from high school through summer into fall. I have no hint of arm problems, in spite of throwing a lot of innings over the last 8 months. This is due to my conditioning, my approach - I NEVER overwork my arm that much - and my communication with coaches.
I CANNOT WAIT FOR SPRING...
