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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 236
Friday, April 8, 2005
By Denny O'Brien |
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'Spark Plug' aiming to help
salvage season
�2005 Bonesville.net
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Billy Richardson
Photo: ECU |
Billy Richardson heard the
stereotypes. By the midway point of the 2004 season, he was the East
Carolina shortstop who could clean the infield with his golden glove, but
couldn't litter the outfield with his bat.
That was his label, his role. Play solid defense, work opposing pitchers deep into the count, and advance
runners when the opportunity presented itself.
Those were the expectations
many had for Richardson, but he demanded more.
"Yeah, it was frustrating,"
Richardson said. "But when you look at the stats, what people were saying
was true.
"It was frustrating because I
knew I could hit. I believed in myself, and that's basically when I got it
going there at the end of (last season)."
Richardson did eventually get
it going. After starting the year ice-cold, his average gradually improved
as the season progressed.
And while the final numbers
were hardly impressive � .234, 2 HR, 27 RBI � they were considerably
better than his midseason projections.
"I just started forgetting
about everything," Richardson said. "I knew I could hit from before.
"I developed a lot more
confidence in myself. I just had a different mindset when I went up to the
plate."
Richardson's numbers improved
so much throughout the course of last season that he climbed his way from
ninth to second in the batting order. He became an important piece of the
Pirates' attack and was utilized heavily in bunt and hit-and-run situations
to move leadoff man Jamie Paige around the base paths.
But this season was different.
With graduation and the Major
League draft dismantling the Pirates' lineup, Richardson no longer was an
important piece of the puzzle � he was the centerpiece. If East Carolina
was going to be successful, it needed a spark plug to ignite the attack.
Richardson took it upon
himself to assume that role.
"I got in the weight room
pretty hard," Richardson said. "I just thought about that last loss we had
last year at South Carolina. I didn't want that feeling again, so I just
really worked real hard last fall."
The results showed.
Through 23 games, the Pirates
shortstop's average was a scorching .423, and his homeruns (4) and RBIs (26)
were among the tops on the team. The all-glove, no-bat shortstop had become
the complete player, a shoe-in for All-Conference USA and a serious
contender for All-American honors.
Then the injury.
Against Charlotte two weeks
ago, Richardson broke a bone in his hand that has kept him in the dugout
since. Now, instead of slugging balls into the gap or fielding balls deep
in the hole, he charts pitches and provides leadership with his vocal
support.
It isn't exactly what he
envisioned for his senior year.
"It's very difficult,"
Richardson. "You have to stay positive positive with it.
"You know, maybe I can help
these guys somehow in the dugout. It's very difficult right now, but I've
just got to keep my head up. It's not something I'm used to, being in the
dugout. I can't really help what happened to me, I can only focus on what I
can do to help this team in the future."
Richardson was scheduled to
have his stitches removed Thursday, after which time he would begin the
rehab process. He hopes to be back sometime in the next three weeks, but
many feel that that rapid of a return is a long shot.
Tell Richardson something he
hasn't already heard.
Solid debut
Add Mark Minicozzi to the list of available
arms in the ECU bullpen. The junior third baseman saw his first action on
the mound in Wednesday's loss to N.C. State, pitching a scoreless eighth.
Minicozzi, who pitched at Conestoga High
School in Pennsylvania, surrendered a hit and a walk, while recording a
strikeout.
"That should serve as a lesson to all of
our other pitchers," Mazey said. "Mark's cocky and loves to play baseball. He relishes the opportunity to get out there and show people what he can
do.
"Other than Mark, I think every relief
pitcher that can in tonight walked the first guy they faced. And Mark came
in there and said, 'Hey, I'm Mark Minicozzi... here's my stuff, try and hit
it.' Hopefully our guys learned something."
So, any chance of seeing a return
appearance?
"You never know," Mazey said. "You never
know what kind of situation you get in where you might need a guy like
that.
"Absolutely. I mean, yeah, if the
situation calls for it, I dang sure wouldn't be afraid to put him out
there."
Hit parade
P.J. Connelly would like to forget his
outing against the Wolfpack. After a solid two innings of work, the senior
southpaw surrendered seven hits and eight runs in the third, and never
recorded an out.
While Connelly may not have taken his best
stuff to Raleigh, Mazey praised the Wolfpack hitters for their astute work
at the plate.
"They did a great job," Mazey said. "You
talk to your hitters all the time about using the whole field and hitting it
the other way.
"Every one of their right-handed hitters
stood there and just banged base hits into right field. That's rewarding
for a coach to see a team executing the hitting philosophy."
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02/23/2007 01:59:46 AM |
