Major League Baseball kicked off the 2007 season this past week – not that anyone could tell looking at the weather forecasts. Despite April snows squalls, future Bombers continued to give local fans cause for optimism.
It was a week of firsts for several future Bombers. Florida State freshman Casey Whitmer, just acquired in a trade with the Duncanville Deputies, picked up his first collegiate victory on Sunday. Whitmer entered the Seminoles game against NC State in the fourth inning, after the Wolfpack had pushed four runs across to grab a 4-0 lead. The former Texas all-state pitcher settled down the NC State attack to close out the fourth, then added a scoreless fifth inning. When FSU’s bats came alive for five runs in the sixth, it guaranteed the #2-ranked Seminoles a series victory and clinched Whitmer’s first NCAA win.
In Dayton, Ohio, where the weather wreaked havoc on the Temple Owls and host Flyers, Ryan Weber managed an unlikely first of his own. Weber managed a hit in each game of the weekend series, adding 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. But it was the final inning of the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader that proved special for Weber. The Owls entered the final frame with a 6-1 lead, only to see a pair of relievers allow the first four Dayton hitters to reach safely. Head coach Rob Valli then turned to… Weber, his shortstop. The junior transfer had made only one prior appearance on the mound prior to Sunday, a 2-1/3 inning stint a week ago in an extra-inning loss to LaSalle. This time around, Weber guaranteed a different result. Despite giving up a pair of hits, the Cypress, Texas, native shut the doors on the Dayton comeback, earning his first NCAA save.
The results were far more traditional for a pair of Texas-based Bombers. In Thursday’s win over Texas Tech, Texas A&M’s Darby Brown went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored. In the second inning he scampered home for the game’s first run, then added an insurance score in the eighth. UT-Tyler and Joseph Towns continued their stellar season as well in a three-game sweep of UT-Dallas. Towns went 4-for-13 for series, scored two runs and added a stolen base, bringing his season average to .425. The Patriots are now 30-0 on the season, tying the school record for most wins in a campaign.