Category Archives: My Boy Series

March 29, 2012 · 5:01 pm

My Boy: Jordan Etier

Today, we continue our My Boy series with a post from the Mr. half of Texas Baseball Blog, focused on senior shortstop Jordan Etier, who is currently batting .305 in his first season as a switch hitter.

Jordan Etier has had a roller coaster career at Texas, with the lowest low coming in this past off season when he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and evading arrest by the Texas Department of Public Safety. It was not a good way to finish off 2011, the year in which he hit for a .237 batting average with only two home runs, and he was subsequently kicked off the team. At that point, Etier could have gone in any direction, including transferring to another school, but he decided to stick with the University of Texas and continue his academic pursuits. This went a long way toward convincing the administration that he was not only committed to the school, but also to improving on a personal level. A few weeks before the start of the 2012 season, after all charges were dropped, Jordan was reinstated and advised that he would need to serve a four game suspension before he could play again. From the start, he was eager to make the most of his second chance.

Mr. Etier, for all his faults in the batter’s box, had been a tremendous second baseman for the Longhorns, turning the best double play in college baseball with fellow middle infielder Brandon Loy and sporting a .980 fielding percentage over the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Unfortunately (for Texas fans), Mr. Loy would go on to be drafted by the Detroit Tigers leaving the shortstop position open. After the suspension, Jordan again struggled at the plate, but successfully made the switch over to shortstop from second base to help shore up a young infield occupied by two sophomores at third and first base, and a freshman at second base. As he once again flashed the leather, Jordan also provided a voice of leadership as a senior and was the reassuring voice as the defense broke from their customary first base huddle before every half inning. The contributors here at Texas Baseball Blog felt it was only a matter of time before his bat would finally come alive, as he had shown during at points during the regular season and during the Super Regionals where he extended a late inning lead against Arizona State. Sure enough, the last few weeks have seen a transformation from the sure-gloved shortstop.

Etier has been hitting .361 since the game two win over Loyola Marymount bringing his overall average to .305. Obviously, Jordan is seeing the ball much better as he has nearly matched his 2011 walk total (14) with 10 so far this year, even after changing his approach at the plate by batting from both sides, primarily from the left. His clutch hits mixed in with his fantastic defense and leadership have helped get this youthful team rolling with nine wins out of the last ten games. The selflessness displayed by Jordan demonstrates a maturity and strength that will do wonders for the young players in the days ahead and during the seasons long after Etier has left. Given his performance so far, and Jordan’s realization of the magnitude of the opportunity he has been given, I look forward to seeing the rest of Jordan Etier’s Redemption Tour 2012.

Photo: Donald Boyles

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March 22, 2012 · 10:15 am

My Boy: Tim Maitland

Today, we continue our “My Boy” series with a post written by the Mrs. half of Texas Baseball Blog, focused on senior outfielder Tim Maitland. Maitland is currently batting .254 on the season and filling the void left in center field by an injured Cohl Walla.

I’ll admit it. I am a fan of the underdog. I realize this greatly contradicts my stance as a Texas baseball fan, considering our team’s storied history and multiple national titles, but I just can’t help it. Something in me seeks out the players that most need support, and the next thing I know, I’m screaming my head off for the guy barely batting above .200. I guess it is the thrill of waiting…and waiting…and waiting, and then, finally, the payoff of having the player come through in the clutch, all the while, watching them improve bit by bit as time goes on. Take, for example, the case of Tim Maitland.

During his freshman year (2009), Tim batted .194 over 31 at bats. That dropped during his sophomore year (2010) to .071 in 14 at bats. His junior year (2011) saw an uptick to .206 with 34 at bats. Finally, in this, his senior season, Maitland is batting .254, with an OBP of .397. As with most players, these numbers don’t tell the full story of Tim Maitland. Maitland makes his living at the plate by being scrappy and coming through in the clutch. When the team is down, Timmy is there, ready, able, and willing to pick them up.

This year started off with a lull for many of the Texas hitters. Up until a week ago, much of the team was barely cracking .200, and we were averaging only 6 hits a game. Tim Maitland, on the other hand, started the season with a bang, and repeatedly found himself giving the Longhorns a much needed boost. Maitland paced the Texas offense against Houston Baptist, going 2-for-3 with a double, and helping Texas snap a five-game skid that had started opening weekend. When Texas faced Rice at the Houston College Classic, they found themselves in a 3-3 tie with the Owls heading into the fifth inning. Tim Maitland led off with a bunt single and started what became a six-run inning for Texas. In that game, Maitland went 2-for-4, scoring one run and bringing two other runners home. More recently, Maitland delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning to give Texas the victory over Dallas Baptist. Maitland has consistently found himself involved in scoring the winning run for Texas, scoring the winning run off the bench against Kansas State on March 20, 2011, and doing the same against Texas State during the NCAA Austin Regional on June 5, 2011.

Another level of Maitland’s charm lies in his willingness to take a few lumps, quite literally, for the good of the team. Maitland has been hit by pitch 11 times this year, almost twice as many times as anyone else on the team. In his career at Texas, he has been hit 24 times. When Texas faced Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday, he was hit twice, reaching the same number of HBP that Stephen F. Austin’s entire team had taken this year. Chris Hummer of The Daily Texan had a recent article profiling Maitland, and had the opportunity to talk to both Tim and head coach Augie Garrido. It is interesting to consider that, had Cohl Walla not been involved in a collision during pre-season practice, Maitland would not be seeing much time at the plate. It is extremely refreshing to see a senior such as Maitland step into the spotlight and excel at taking on one of the more challenging defensive roles, all the while, drastically improving his pitch selection and output at the plate. It is clear that Maitland has taken his new-found role as a starter for Texas very seriously, and the hard work and dedication he has shown is paying off in spades. His leadership on the field and during practice is evident in his playing time, and I have a feeling we can look forward to many more great things from Tim Maitland this season.

Plus, how can you not love a guy who used “I’m on a Boat” as his walk-up song last year?

Photo: Donald Boyles

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March 15, 2012 · 10:05 am

My Boy: Erich Weiss

Today, we kick off our “My Boy” series, in which we will focus on individual players and what makes them special to a dedicated fan. Today’s post comes to us from FJLA, a long-time Texas Baseball fan with extensive knowledge about college recruiting and the transition from high school to college ball. He tells us about his favorite player, Erich Weiss, currently batting .259 with four doubles and one triple.

In November 2009, Longhorn Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Tommy Harmon was wrapping up another much heralded recruiting class during the early-signing period for the University of Texas. Some of the Letters of Intent (LOIs) he received were from highly rated high school pitchers like Nathan Thornhill, Kirby Bellow, and Mike Foltynewicz (who would be drafted in the 1st round the following June and sign with the Houston Astros). Harmon also added position players like Jacob Felts, Christian Summers, Alex Silver, and Dex Kjerstad. Most of these kids were Top 50 players in the state of Texas based on Perfect Game USA’s player recruiting rankings (except, of course, Foltynewicz who was the number 1 ranked player from the state of Illinois)

Reportedly, one of the last kids to be offered a scholarship in that recruiting class was a somewhat little known 2nd Baseman from Brenham, Texas named Erich Weiss. Weiss was not included in Perfect Game’s Top 50 list, and unlike future teammates Christian Summers, Alex Silver, or Jacob Felts, Weiss had not been a member of the Texas Rangers Area Code Team, which is one of the most prestigious honors a HS baseball player in Texas can receive. The story goes that former Longhorn great and fellow Brenham HS alum Dustin Majewski alerted the Longhorn Staff late in the recruiting process that they needed to take a look at Erich Weiss, and just as Majewski was a clutch performer on the diamond at Texas, in this case he also proved to be a very proficient scout of talent.

Coming into the 2011 season the Longhorns needed to replace some key bats that had left following the 2010 season. Guys like Cameron Rupp, Kevin Keyes, and Russell Moldenhauer, who had helped the Longhorns win a combined 100 games the previous two seasons had left the 40 Acres. But one thing that the Longhorns appeared to already have filled were the infield positions. Then, word started to trickle out from preseason practices that Augie and the staff were really high on the new kid, Weiss. He had already begun to fill out some since high school, his glove was better than expected, but most of all, he was showing that he could handle the bat, hit to all fields, and had surprising power. At some point it must have become apparent to Augie Garrido that there was no way that this kid could be kept out of the opening day lineup. And so, when Texas opened the season at home versus Maryland, Erich Weiss was batting in the 6th hole and playing a position that he did not play in high school and a position where he was not recruited to play in college, 3rd Base.

The rest is pretty much history, Erich had 3 hits in his first game, and went 9 for 12 in the 4-game series while driving in 7 runs. He would go on to hit .348 for the season and lead the Longhorns in Batting Average, RBI’s, On-Base Percentage, Walks, and finish 2nd in Hits and Home Runs – while also fielding his new defensive position at close to a .960 Fielding Percentage committing only 7 errors for the entire 68 game season. Erich Weiss was a key offensive piece and a big reason that Texas was able to win a third consecutive Big 12 Championship and advance back to the College World Series in Omaha for a record 34th time. After the season, the kid who was not a High School All-American was a consensus Freshmen All-American from virtually every College Baseball publication in the country, as well as being First Team All-Big 12 and the Big 12 Freshman of the year.

What makes Erich Weiss so great is that he is a living, breathing example of perseverance and will. For someone to not be highly recruited, to be offered a scholarship to his dream school at basically the 11th hour and then use that opportunity to mold himself into one of the best College Baseball players in America proves what can be accomplished with hard work and determination. As a fan of Longhorn Baseball I can tell you that I am very much looking forward to more great things from Erich Weiss over the next few seasons, and based what he has accomplished so far in his career I would bet that is exactly what we will get.

-FJLA, 2012
Photo: Donald Boyles

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