Veteran Profile - #9 - Brett Paterson

#9 - Brett Paterson
Position - Infield
Height - 6'3"
Class at NWMSU - Junior
Hometown - Kansas City, Missouri
Transferred from William Jewel
Major - Elementary Education
2011 Stats -
Batting Average - .209
GP/GS - 45/39
AB - 115
R - 17
H - 24
2B - 7
RBI - 11
TB - 31
SLG% - .270
BB - 10
HBP - 7
SO - 26
OB% .308
SF - 1
SH - 1
SB/ATT - 9/10
PO - 39
A - 58
E - 6
FLD % - .942

Comment - Brett is a great kid.  Blue collar.  Works hard.  Big question heading into the 2012 season is whether Brett's offense can catch-up to his defense.  What I remember is that Brett played mostly third base in 2011.  During fall practice, I saw Brett playing at both third base and second base.  Good base running skills as he stole 90% of his base attempts in 2011.  There is a lot of competition at Third, Short, and Second base heading into winter workouts so it remains to be seen who will separate himself from the others in time for February 17's opener.  I know one thing about Brett:  he's the kind of player you need for a Conference Championship team.  I'm glad he is a Bearcat.

Go Cats!!

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Last Practice of Fall 2011 is Friday, October 21, 2011

After some scheduling changes, Friday, October 21, 2011, is the last practice of Fall 2011.  There is a lot of competition out there but a lot of questions still to be answered.  Who will step-up and separate himself from the next guy?  Who will be the best 3rd baseman, the best Short Stop, the best 2nd baseman, best 1st baseman, who are the best outfielders, will there be some quality depth at catcher to spell Lando, pitching, who is going to fill Huey's shoes as the shut-down closer, starting pitching, will there be 4 guys that can separate themselves and throw 7 innings of 3 runs or less baseball, will the hitting finally break-out after 2 years of poor production.  You have got to have the WANT TO to get better.  I'll judge my expectations on the year based on the number of times I have to hear the coaches talk about the "killer instinct."  There are just somethings that will have to be understood instead of said/told if this squad will challenge for a MIAA championship.  There are teams that can rake and mow down pitching in the MIAA.  Whether Northwest will compete for a MIAA Championship depends on whether the players will accept mediocrity or poor performance on defense, on the mound, at the plate, or in practice.

The guys all seem like great guys.  I'm looking for the seniors to bring some long awaited leadership to how the rest of the team will attack winter work-outs and the spring season.  There is a mountain of difference between going through the motion versus getting better.  Will they care more about the name on the front of the jersey, the emblem on the front of the hat, or more about their statistics?

Talk is cheap.  Missouri is the Show Me State.  The guys will Show Me what is important to them when the regular season starts on February 17th.

Stay tuned as I continue to feature returning Veterans over the winter off-season.

Go Cats!!

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Veteran Profile - #8 - Josh Parrish

#8 - Josh Parrish
Pitcher
Height - 6'5"
Bats Right
Throws Right
Class at NWMSU - Senior
Hometown - Springfield, Missouri
Transfer from North Central Missouri Community College
2011 Stats -
ERA - 3.69
W-L - 1-1
App - 13
GS - 6
CG - 0
IP - 39.0
H - 52
R - 23
ER - 16
BB - 13
K - 18
2B - 7
3B - 2
HR - 1
HBP - 3

Spent the summer of 2011 playing for the St. Joseph Mustangs in the MINK League.  He was mainly used as a 7th inning relief pitcher.  Very effective.

G - 9
GS - 0
IP - 8.2
H - 8
ER - 1
BB - 3
K - 4
2B - 2
ERA - 1.04

Comments - If my memory is correct, Josh came on late in the 2011 NCAA regular season.  He developed into a pretty consistent performer as his 3.69 ERA confirms.  Josh's 3.69 ERA was good for 5th on the team behind Mr. Everything Jayson Huett, NWMSU's Ace Chris Green, Aaron Amaral, and Nick Caldrone.  Josh is a great kid, an outdoorsman (which is required living for someone from Southern Missouri), and has his priorities right.  I don't think he is your fiery, in-your-face, personality, but his even-tempered demeanor can be incredibly important as a starter or in relief.  Bottom Line - Josh will compete for a weekend starter position and NW is better off with his talent going 6-8 innings.  His work load must increase.  But with Jayson Huett's graduation, a huge void must be filled with someone DLoe can trust for 3-9 outs.  Importantly, Josh is integral to NW's success in his ability to start the 2012 season by throwing quality strikes, down around the knees.  If there's a kid that is any better than Josh to take that challenge head-on, I don't know him.

Go Cats!!

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Veteran Profile - #7 - Jake Kretzer

Jake Kretzer
#7
Position LF
Bats Right
Throws Right
Height 5'11"
Class - Junior
Transferred from Kansas City Community College for the 2010-2011 season
Hometown - St. Joseph, Missouri
Major - Elementary Education
2011 Statistics
Batting Avg - .243
GP/GS - 50/49
AB - 144
R - 25
H - 35
2B - 6
3B - 3
HR - 1
RBI - 17
TB - 50
SLG% - .347
BB - 19
HBP - 29
OB% - .432
SF - 0
SH - 6
SB/Att - 10/17
E - 4
Fielding % - .943

Played for the St. Joseph Mustangs - summer college wood-bat league
GP - 47
AB - 131
R - 33
H - 35
2B - 3
3B - 1
HR - 3
RBI - 20
BB - 17
K - 51
SB - 15
Batting Avg - .267
HBP - 13

Remarks - Jake is a remarkable player.  Tough.  Gritty.  He was limited in fall practice in 2010 coming off of surgery.  Coaches have high praise for the kid for being a high energy, all-out, ball player.  Jake gets on base every way he can and was hit by a pitch every other game in the 2011 regular NCAA season.  Despite his average, Jake's OBP was All-Conference caliber.  Showed some pop in the bat in the spring and especially during the summer MINK league.  Jake played about every day in the Mustangs season.  A remarkable feat considering he played with D1 players and older (out of eligibility) kids.  I'm looking for Jake to lead what potentially could be one of the finest defensive outfields in NW program history.  Add in a year+ removed from surgery, and therefore improved arm strength and confidence in letting it rip on a throw, and Jake could compete for All-Conference honors in the MIAA in 2012.  I'm proud of this kid.  He's worked hard to earn everything he's received - a clear product of his parents' rearing.  The potential of Jake Kretzer batting lead-off, maybe an Alex Singleton batting 2nd, would likely get you quick runners for your money batters in the #3 and #4 holes.  Look for big things from Jake, both on the field, and off of it.

Go Cats!!

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Special Request - Ricky Ideus - The Pitch

We here at the B2R aim to please.  So, when a special request is made to capture a pitch...the B2R brings the heat.  Here you go, Ricky.

Go Cats!!

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Practice Report - Friday - September 23, 2011

Great energy today at practice.  Alex Singleton and Andrew Ramage were pretty fired-up today.  Great practice.

Go Cats!!

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Veteran Profile - #3 - Alex Singleton

#3 - Alex Singleton
Class - Sophomore
Position - CF
Throws - Right
Bats - Right
Height - 5'7"
Weight - 140
Hometown - Chillicothe, MO
School - Chillicothe High School
2011 Stats:
Batting Average - .296
GP/GS - 30/25
AB - 71
R - 18
H - 21
Dbl - 1
RBI - 6
TB - 22
Slg% - .310
BB - 13
HBP - 3
K - 6
GDP - 0
OBP - .425%
SB/Att - 11/13
A - 1
Fielding % - 1.000

Comments - As most in the B2R nation know:  I'm a stats guy and I value OBP more then BA.  Alex's OBP of .425 was 2nd on the team and he had the most stolen bases on the team.  With his speed and strike zone command, I look for him to lead-off in 2012.  Not knowing what the new guys will bring to the table, Alex and Kretzer will go first to third as your #1 and #2 batters plus have enough speed to put pressure on the defense for the #3 and clean-up batters.  Alex slapping a single, followed by Jake getting plunked means a gapper out of your #3 or #4 batters will score you two.  I hope Alex has a solid fall and spring to compete for the starting CF.  He probably needs to get bigger in the weight room to add more power to fully maximize his speed.  He's a great kid and tough as nails.  In 2011, he broke his jaw as spring practice began and got back in there to still start half the season and play in 30 games. He is a high-energy guy and his leadership skills are clearly evident during fall practice pumping up the guys during scrimmages.  You can consider me a #1 fan of #3, Alex Singleton.

Go Cats!!

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