Shaud Williams

[JoJoforHeisman]

DT, 38 Special, or anyone else,

Have you heard any of the rumors about Shaud Williams possibly playing baseball this spring? Is there any substance to this?

He is obviously a good ballplayer, as he was drafted in the 13th round out of high school. But, it has been quite a while since he has played, so I imagine he will likely be rusty if he does in fact decide to give it a shot. He had the chance to play both sports at Texas Tech, but after practicing some with the baseball team decided to stick to the gridiron full-time.

We definitely appear to have a substantial void in the lineup with our recent, unfortunate losses. Looks to me like pitching, solid defense, and small ball will have to carry this team, as the big time run-producing potential of the past couple seasons might be gone for a while.

 

[BAMATRAML]

My daughter works in the equipment department at Coleman Coliseum and over the past few years she has gotten to hear a lot of the comings and goings with the football and baseball teams. She called me last week to tell me about the two departures before they were made public. The day after these announcements were made public, she called me to tell me that Shaud was going out for baseball this spring. I heard on one of the TV games that he was a very good baseball player and was drafted in the latter rounds out of high school. I'll bet the rust will not stay on him long. After watching him play this season, nothing surprises me on what he will be able to do.

 

[Play Ball!]

I'm pretty sure he played one year at Texas Tech too. Don't look for a superstar, but maybe he can help in the OF and on the bases if he can get there. It takes and exceptional athlete to come in this late in the fall and really have an impact on a team in the SEC.

 

[38 Special]

Bottom line...You CANNOT play football and baseball in the SEC. It only hurts the team when you have to miss the heart of the SEC schedule to attend spring training. Of course football will always get priority because it pays 100%. He would also miss the entire fall practice because of the football season. Ask Gabe Gross how difficult it is. I think Spencer Pennington is one of the best players we have, but until he gives up a sport, he will not perform at his maximum potential. Don't look for Shaud to be a savior.
JMO
38

 

[JoJoforHeisman]

38 Special,

You bring up an interesting point, but how do you think the two-sport problem will affect Spencer and/or Brandon Avalos? Nothing against Spencer's ability on the football field, but his best sport is clearly baseball, and he has a legitimate chance of playing professionally. Would you foresee him possibly giving up one or the other? I honestly don't know enough about Avalos to make any type of determination. You mention Gabe Gross and if I remember correctly, he was in a similar situation: starter on the baseball team/backup quarterback. Did he ever quit football? If he didn't then it's hard to make a comparison to him, as he was an outstanding player at the Barn and is about to break into the majors with the Blue Jays.

I agree with your point about Shaud as well - I wasn't anticipating a savior by any means; just curious as to whether he was going to give it a try this spring. If he does, and he can contribute, then more power to him, but I'm certainly not going to get my hopes up, especially since he hasn't played ball in quite a while.

 

[38 Special]

JoJo,
I coached Spencer a couple of years ago, and he is by far the best baseball player I have ever coached. You're right, his future is baseball.
As far as Gabe Gross, he was actually going to be the starting QB at tsdtr and gave it up to play baseball full time. He realized that he couldn't do both.
I wasn't implying that you specifcally thought Shaud would be a savior...I know you know better. I just didn't want everyone getting their hopes up.
After losing two good outfielders, I think it would be in Pennington's best interest to drop football and work on playing OF. He has the makeup to be great, but will not until he drops a sport.
RTR
38

 

[JoJoforHeisman]

38 Special,

As someone who knows and respects your knowledge of the game and ability to evaluate talent, I have to say that your statement regarding Spencer was indeed profound. At first, I was all for his decision to play both sports, but my outlook has changed. Sacrificing some depth at the quarterback position won't hurt that much, especially with Avalos no longer redshirted; Spencer needs to concentrate on baseball full time, as it will be best for the team and himself.

Is he necessarily tied down at first base or is it possible he might try and work elsewhere? I believe we will see some noticeable improvement out of both Spencer and Zac this season, and Coach Wells might find himself wanting to work both into the lineup.

Another question: Will Beau Hearod be able to play in the field this year, or will he be forced to DH full time? A lot of options with the lineup open up when he can see action in the field, i.e. Spencer at 1B, Zac at DH, etc.

 

[38 Special]

JoJo,
1st Base is certainly a position that we should have depth at this year. I feel in the end that Zach will win out. His biggest threat will be Nate Meiners, who is VERY SOLID at the plate. He will have to be in the lineup somewhere.
As far as Beau is concerned, I feel like we are better suited with him as a DH unless Rice doesn't produce at the plate. But look for Rice to step up this year and hit high in the order.
I am so confident in Spencer's ability that I wouldn't hesitate to put him anywhere on the field. He just has to get more reps.
It will be interesting to see what CJW does with the lineup. If it were me, I would look at moving Rice to 2B and playing Pennington at 3B (if he gave up football). Maybe even Beau at 3B and Meiners DH. Also, look for Hogan to make an impact by midseason.
As their biggest critic, I think we are better off than people realize.
RTR
38

 

[JoJoforHeisman]

One more question for you: Who plays catcher? I think that's a big question on a lot of people's minds right now.

 

[38 Special]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by JoJoforHeisman:
One more question for you: Who plays catcher? I think that's a big question on a lot of people's minds right now.</font>

Good question JoJo. How's your eligibility?

The biggest problem with catchers right now is that they can't seem to grasp the signs. Hopefully that will change by the season opener. I know this...CJW will not play anyone that doesn't know the signs, no matter how good they are.