Feb-21-2020-Digital
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Collegiate Baseball The Voice Of Amateur Baseball Started In 1958 At The Request Of Our Nation’s Baseball Coaches Vol. 63, No. 4 Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 $4.00 Torkelson May Go From No Draft To No. 1 After only hitting he snapped Barry Bonds’ freshman worker, and he prides himself in being mark in just his 25th game of the year. a total player. While he receives a lot 11 home runs in 110 Bonds hit 11 home runs in 64 games of accolades with his power numbers, varsity games in high as a freshman in 1983. he also is great on defense as a first school, Sun Devil star The talented first baseman was baseman. just one home run shy of the NCAA “What he has achieved is not an belts 48 in 2 seasons freshman record. accident. He has worked hard on his with Arizona State. In 2019, Torkelson hit 23 more development with our hitting coach homers in 57 games despite pitchers Mike Earley who I consider the best By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. trying to pitch around him. hitting coach in the country. Editor/Collegiate Baseball That is 48 home runs in 116 games “From day one, Spencer had a against much tougher pitching than plan, preparation and structure in his EMPE, Ariz. — When Arizona he faced at Casa Grande H.S. development with Mike. Another State’s Spencer Torkelson He is only the third player in important aspect in his development Tfinished his senior season at Pac-12 history to have back-to-back was hard work with our strength and Casa Grande High School (Petaluma, 20-plus home run seasons. conditioning coach Jason Robbins. Calif.) in 2017, there were 1,215 The last time a college player was “You look at Spencer now, and players chosen in the MLB Draft picked No. 1 overall in the draft and he is a strong, physical man (6-foot- over 40 rounds. wasn’t drafted out of high school 1, 220-pounds). He also is a very He wasn’t one of them. was in 2009 when San Diego State coachable player.” During his four years at Casa RHP Stephen Strasburg was chosen Smith said his favorite Spencer Grande H.S., he only hit 11 home No. 1 overall by the Washington Torkelson story took place recently. runs in 110 varsity games. Nationals. “During the last round in our Fast forward three years. The obvious question is how did batting cage, he asks me where I Torkelson could easily be the Torkelson become an elite power would like him to hit it. I said try and No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB hitter when he really didn’t show it hit a ball over the right centerfield Draft. as a high school player? scoreboard. He steps in there and His freshman year with the Sun “He is a generational type of belts the first pitch exactly where I Devils, he belted a nation-leading 25 player, and a combination of things said to. He turns his head back and home runs in 59 games in 2018. came together for him,” said ASU has this big smile as he looks at me. It was the most amount of home Head Coach Tracy Smith. Arizona St. Slugger Spencer Torkelson runs ever for an ASU freshman as “First of all, he is a tremendous See TORKELSON, Page 2 Utilizes 720 Cubes To Make 6-foot Tall Works Of Art Iowa Ace Constructs Murals With Special Cubes It typically takes 10 hours enters the season as the Friday night starter. Virtually everyone is familiar with the to design and build each Rubik’s Cube (see photo to right), a 3-D portrait as he constructs square combination puzzle which has nine each one with great care. squares on each of the six sides. Invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik, By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. over 350 million cubes have been sold across Editor/Collegiate Baseball the world. It is the top selling toy in the world and has caused hours and hours of frustration OWA CITY, Iowa. — Jack Dreyer is the in the quest to solve it. ace of the University of Iowa pitching A beginner may take days and even weeks staff and does something rare for college I to get each side the same color unless he uses athletes. a cheat sheet. For the past 15 months, this gifted southpaw The world record for solving this puzzle has been designing and constructing six foot is 3.47 seconds by Yusheng Duo. tall murals out of cubes that are nearly identical to Rubik’s Cubes. Solved Rubik’s Cube Early In Life It a huge artistic challenge since there When Dreyer was a young boy, he played are only six colors (white, red, blue, orange, with a old Rubik’s Cube that his parents over 16 seconds, and I placed 50th in the green and yellow), and each cube is 2 1/4 enjoyed with when they were kids. competition. It was apparent to me that I was inches on each side. “I found it really challenging,” said not going to get much better at this. When Dreyer is done, each mural features Dreyer. “A friend of mine sent me a Tweet about 720 cubes and takes up to 10 hours to “I got pretty good solving one side of it but a well known artist who made murals out complete. didn’t know where to go from there. Once I of Rubik’s Cubes as his full time job. When Dreyer, who saw his season cut short last figured out how to solve all six sides, I would I saw it, I was super intrigued. I felt it was year when a shoulder injury sidelined him look up different algorithms to solve it faster something I needed to do. after two starts, posted a 1-0 record, 2.45 ERA and faster. Eventually I got to the point where “I reached out to multiple cube companies and fanned 11 batters as he took a medical I solved it in 14.2 seconds. online. Rubik’s Cubes is not one of the best redshirt. “I entered in a competition last fall in Iowa Pitcher Jack Dreyer He is healthy now for the Hawkeyes as he Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I averaged a time just See WORKS OF ART, Page 8 Inside Collegiate Baseball Web Site: www.baseballnews.com Baseball Rules On Technology Ethics Meltdown In Baseball Secrets To Coaching Baseball Rich Marazzi explains how you For some coaches, using any and Special 3-part series focuses can get into big trouble using all tactics to win games is more on unique skippers who can electronics to steal signs/Page 3 important than anything/Page 6 teach on another level/Page 11 Page 2 Collegiate Baseball Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 Torkelson Delivers Bombs After Collegiate Baseball The Voice Of Plan, Structure By Mike Earley Amateur Baseball Continued From Page 1 ‘do less,’ what happens is less becomes more. “It is the type of story you tell at a “It was a process, and he had to trust it. We utilized simple drills Collegiate Baseball (ISSN 0530-9751) is published twice a month banquet. I used to do the same thing January-May and once in June, July, September and October with Kyle Schwarber (fourth player that got it all to click with him. It (14 total issues) by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Inc., 2515 picked overall in the 2014 MLB is important to say that Spence puts N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705. Periodicals postage paid at Draft by the Cubs) when I coached in a ton of work.” Tucson, AZ. at the University of Indiana. He had Earley said he has found that the ability to do special things just knowing when to coach and when Postmaster: Send address changes to: as Spencer can.” not to is a very fine line in hitting. Collegiate Baseball Smith said Torkelson is a “With Spence, it is three simple P.O. Box 50566 remarkable person as well. things which include using less Tucson, AZ 85703 “People who come around the body, where his finish is at and program are greeted with a warm being in a good position to hit. Overnight Mail: 2515 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705 handshake by Spencer. It might be “Both of us do a good job of pre- an alum, someone doing a tour or game preparation not only seeing Past Publishers: Abe Chanin, Lou Pavlovich, Sr. someone else. After they meet him, what other pitchers are throwing Single 1-Year Subscription Rate: $28 for 14 issues. every person comments on what a against other guys but almost Single 1-Year First Class U.S. Subscription: $45 $50 predicting how pitchers are going to Single 1-Year Foreign Air Mail Subscription: nice young man he is. Sometimes Special Team Subscriptions: 11 papers each issue sent to one that great quality is lost when pitch to him. I put a lot of time on address — $110 (save $198 off the single subscription price), and people look at him. pre-game preparation. But he easily 21 papers each issue sent to one address — $189 (save $399). “The humility of success is puts in just as much time being a Other Multiple Subscription Offers: Please inquire with sub- lost with some people. Spencer SPENCER TORKELSON student of hitting. He watches a ton scription department at (520) 623-4530. routinely makes a great impression every level but the Big Leagues.