Monthly Archives: October 2011

October 27, 2011 · 3:00 pm

Dillon Peters – #32

Dillon Peters is a 5-foot-11-inch, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Indianapolis, Indiana where he played for Cathedral High School.  Ranked the 71st player of his graduating class by Perfect Game USA, Dillon was drafted in the twentieth round by the Cleveland Indians.  Though he does hope to go pro some day, Peters opted to honor his commitment to Texas and now finds himself on a very solid pitching roster.  Dillon already has three pitches, including a 91-mph fastball.

During high school, Peters accumulated a staggering overall record of 36-3 with a 0.67 ERA and 447 strikeouts over 258 innings.  He was named Indiana All-State Pitcher twice, Perfect Game All-American three times, and Indianapolis Player of the year twice.  In the state championship game his senior year, Peters fanned a record 16 batters in a historic pitchers’ duel that ended in a 1-0 loss for Cathedral.

For a great in-depth article on Dillon’s accomplishments in high school, check out “Dillon Peters on the Hunt for a State Championship” (Ryan Canner-O’Mealy, ESPNHS Magazine).

Photo: IndyStar

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October 25, 2011 · 9:53 pm

Jackson Mellina – #47

Jackson Mellina is a 6-foot, 190 pound infielder from Fort Worth, Texas.  He attended Trinity Valley High School, where he earned four letters as a short stop.  During his senior year, Mellina batted .475 and hit 10 home runs while serving as the team captain for both the baseball team and football team.

Mellina saw playing time as a DH in the fall ball game versus UTSA.  In two at-bats, he went hitless, but became the catalyst for the game-winning error by UTSA’s short stop in the bottom of the tenth.

For an informative glimpse at Jackson Mellina, including his high school GPA and footage of both fielding and batting, check out this video:

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· 9:38 pm

Fall Ball Notes

The Texas Longhorns defeated the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners, 4-3, in a 10 inning scrimmage on Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Roadrunners took a 3-1 lead after scoring 2 runs off sophomore transfer Justin Peters in the 6th and plating another run in the 7th against senior Austin Dicharry. The Longhorns would claw back into it over the course of the 9th and 10th innings, culminating in a frantic finale where a bases loaded error scored the winning runs. Based on the two scrimmages that I have witnessed firsthand, and on reports of the third scrimmage, I can say that if you did not like the last two versions of these Texas baseball teams, you will find yourself tearing your hair out over this one.

The batting has a long way to go, even to be on par with last year’s offense, which struggled at times to say the least. The bright spot in the lineup so far has been Brooks Marlow, who makes good contact no matter the count. He started off the Texas rally in the 9th inning by blasting a triple to deep right center on a 2-2 pitch and then scoring on an Erich Weiss single. Mark Payton has also been seeing the ball extremely well, reaching base by way of a hit in all three at bats, including an RBI double in the 3rd inning, which scored Taylor Stell. The top third of the lineup could be special if they keep up the production, however the other six spots were pretty dismal with a 4-26 effort. The lone bright spot in the rest of the line up is the aforementioned Taylor Stell who went 2-3 and scored two of Texas’ four runs.

The following day was even worse for the Longhorns, who could only muster 3 hits against Sam Houston State, leading to a 3-2 victory for the Bearkats. Brooks Marlow again showed a superior batting ethic, going 1-1 with three walks and scoring a run. The rest of the team went 2-30. On a positive note, these guys are scrappy and can manufacture runs. I believe the game will start to slow down for them and each at bat this fall will lead to a stronger team come spring time.

On the flip side, the defense has been terrific. Veterans Lusson and Weiss are holding down the corner positions of the infield, Christian Summers is easing in at shortstop, and Marlow has shown quick feet and good range at second, presumably replacing a talented but oft-troubled Jordan Etier.

As for the outfield, Augie has trotted out a variety of players, including familiar faces such as Cohl Walla, Mark Payton, Jonathan Walsh, and Tim Maitland.  Freshmen Taylor Stell and Collin Shaw have both seen time in left and right field, respectively.  However, due to quality pitching and frequent changes in defense, neither has seen enough action to be judged as of yet.

Texas wraps up their fall ball mini-season with a game against Texas State this coming Sunday, October 30 at 1pm.

-Michael Taylor

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· 7:58 pm

Texas vs. UTSA Scorebook

My scorebook from the October 22, 2011 fall ball game between Texas and UTSA.  Texas won 4-3 on a walk-off E6.  Click through for full-size.

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October 21, 2011 · 10:43 pm

Grant Martin – #45

Grant Martin is a catcher/outfielder combination from Burnet, Texas.  He lettered and earned Academic All-State Honors all four years at Burnet High School.  During his junior and senior seasons, Grant served as team captain.  For three consecutive years, Martin was recognized with First-Team All-District honors.  At the end of his high school career, Martin held an impressive .331 cumulative batting average along with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs.

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· 11:09 am

Brooks Marlow – #8

Brooks Marlow is a 5-foot-9-inch, 165-pound second baseman from Giddings, Texas. As the son of a high school baseball coach (Mike Marlow, Giddings H.S.), Brooks has baseball in his blood.  His older brother, Ty, joined Texas A&M’s baseball team last season as an infielder.  Not one content to be in his brother’s shadow, Marlow accumulated an impressive list of honors in his time at Giddings.  He lettered all four years of high school and was named to the All-District team each year.  Brooks was named the Offensive District MVP his junior year, and the District MVP his senior year.  During his junior year, Brooks led District 3A with a .588 batting average, 13 home runs, and 47 RBIs. 

Brooks had a great first game of fall ball with Texas, getting the nod for the start at second base.  Marlow’s double in the third inning brought home Alex Silver, breaking the scoring seal for Texas.  Marlow went 2 for 6 on the day.  With recent off-field issues involving the Texas infield, it appears that Marlow will be seeing a good deal of playing time at second base for the remaining games of fall ball.

Photo: Austin American-Statesman

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Gallery

Some photos from game one of 2011 Fall Ball – Texas vs. Houston.

Final score Texas 7 – 2 Houston (14 innings)

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October 18, 2011 · 8:34 pm
October 18, 2011 · 8:14 pm

Ricky Jacquez – #10

Ricky Jacquez is a 5-foot-8-inch, right handed-pitcher/shortstop combination player from El Paso, Texas.  Potent from both on the mound and at the plate, Jacquez boasts a fastball that sits consistently and comfortably in the low-90’s. Leaks from early fall practice hinted at a lethal curveball from Jacquez as well. During his last two years at Franklin High School in El Paso, Ricky recorded 209 strikeouts and carved out an 11-3 record.  Jacquez was consistently rated as a top-100 prospect in high school, and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round of the 2011 Draft. Thankfully, for Texas fans, Ricky chose to become a Longhorn.  In June, Jacquez told Evan Mohl of the El Paso Times, “I remember in fifth grade when I saw the Longhorns win the College World Series. I wanted to be a part of something like that. When I took my visit, I fell in love with the team. The facilities are great and it’s a chance for me to improve and get on the national stage.”

Ricky Jacquez is off to a great start with the Longhorns in fall ball, earning the W in the first game of the fall scrimmage season.  Jacquez struck out three of the six batters he faced through consecutive 1-2-3 innings.  After the game, Assistant Coach Tommy Harmon told Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman, “I bet he doesn’t weigh 150 pounds, but he was outstanding.  His fastball was up to 96 mph with an 89-mph curve ball.”

Photo: The USA Baseball Blog

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· 11:48 am

Parker French – #24

Parker French is a 6’2”, 195 pound right handed pitcher that was born in Australia, but hails from Dripping Springs, Texas.  Parker alternated between pitching and playing the infield in high school, but will focus on pitching for Texas.  Lettering all four years in high school, Parker French also racked up an impressive amount of awards and honors, including being named District 26-4A MVP his junior year.  During his senior year, French was awarded First Team All-District and First Team All-Centex.  He maintained a .427 cumulative batting average in his four years at Dripping Springs High School.  French has a fastball that has been clocked as high as 93, but is more frequently around 90.

In July of 2010, French told Cody Thorn of the Neosho Daily News, “I’m going to try to still hit. …  Going to play for Texas is huge. It’s pretty much in my backyard.  Texas baseball is the same thing like Texas football, it’s huge. The whole city supports the team.”

In the first game of Fall Ball versus Houston, French saw two innings of work.  He allowed one hit (a single from the first batter he faced), but recovered to fan one batter and induced four ground-outs over the next six batters.

Photo: Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman

 

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