The weather is warming up, birds can be heard happily chirping away, and the green leaves are beginning to fill the trees again. Spring is quickly approaching and that means one thing: Baseball season is back! This Friday, several Bombers players will be kicking off their seasons, hoping to make their mark on college baseball.
In what could turn out to be the game of the week, #13 ranked Long Beach State University will open up their season against perennial powerhouse Rice, ranked #6 in the nation. Four Bombers players will be looking to make a splash for Long Beach State , including T.J. Mittelstaedt, who will start the season as LBSU’s starting left fielder. The sophomore stud looks to improve on a solid freshman campaign, in which he batted .296 and had a team-high 33 walks. Mittelstaedt will also be joined by backup catcher Kip Masuda, who helped guide the Bombers to the playoffs last summer, and relief pitchers Dustin Rasco and Brandon M. Godfrey. These four Bombers all look to make significant contributions to a Long Beach State team that is picked to win the Big West Conference.
Superstar pitcher Casey Whitmer, who was the 2007 TCL Freshman of the Year and Baseball ’s top prospect from the TCL, hopes to make his debut this weekend for Texas as they play Virginia Commonwealth . Whitmer looks to add a little more to an already stacked Longhorn pitching staff. As a freshman, he led the TCL with 51 strikeouts and finished fifth with a 1.57 ERA, while holding opponents to a miserable .163 batting average. Also, returning Bomber John Touchton figures to get some middle relief work this weekend as his University of Houston squad squares off against Pacific. He was terrific last summer for the Bombers, finishing with a 3-0 record and a 3.03 ERA.
Junior College transfer Garrett Duff and the Rebels of ‘Ole Miss are also picked to win the SEC West and were one vote shy of being picked to win the overall conference title. The Rebels have been ranked in the top 10 of four polls, including two fourth place rankings by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. The Rebels advanced to the Super Regional’s last year in their fifth-straight post season appearance. Duff, a right handed pitcher from Katy, Texas , did well for the Bombers late last season. His first start for Brazos Valley was a late-July gem against the McKinney Marshals in which he allowed just two runs and four hits while pitching into the seventh inning. In just 14.2 innings pitched, Duff recorded 10 strikeouts and had a 4.91 ERA with the Bombers and looks to add some depth to the Rebels roster.
Another Bomber player looking to make a big impact is left handed pitcher Tyler Davis. Davis will start on the mound for the McNeese State Cowboys on opening day against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The Bomber’s closer went 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA last summer, leading the league in appearances with 31. Pitching as a redshirt freshman, Davis finished second in the league with six saves and didn’t give up an earned run until his tenth outing of the season. The College Station native was also one of six Bombers to take part in the 2007 TCL All-Star Game.
With the Bomber’s roster already stacking up with loads of talent, 2008 looks to be an electrifying year. The 48 game schedule has just been announced and Season Tickets and Partial Season Packs are now on sale. Weekly promotions include Kids Eat FREE on Tuesdays, Margaritaville Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, Fireworks Fridays, Saturday Giveaways and Sunday $1 Hot Dogs & $1 Soft Drinks.
It should be an exciting weekend as the college season gets under way. We will continue to update the Bombers website throughout the spring with information on your Brazos Valley Bombers rosters!