Finding a rhythm
Fortifying pitching roster has Twins’ coach hopeful of second-half turnaround
Jake Mitzner must have been born with a smile on his face. The young coach of the Texarkana Twins has had plenty of reason to frown during the early part of the Texas Collegiate Wood Bat League season this summer.
Texarkana is in last place with a 6-14 record, but Mitzner has been sporting a big smile recently, as the Twins have won four of their last six games, including a 14-4 rout of Acadiana on Sunday. It gave Texarkana its first consecutive win.
The bad news is that the Twins are probably too far back to catch Brazos Valley in the first half of the league race. The good news is Texarkana can still will the second half and qualify for the playoffs.
What has led to Texarkana’s turn around?
The addition of starting pitchers Trey Jeans, Blaze Hastings and Colin Cameron has added depth to the roster. Cameron will join the team this week after helping Sam Houston State reach the NCAA Tournament, where the Bearkats were eliminated by Florida State.
Texarkana’s most recent addition is Alex Rodriguez. No, he’s not the former major league star, although he produced a home run, double, single, scored three runs and drove in five more in Sunday’s win.
“Alex actually got here Saturday night from Miami, Fla., but we couldn’t get him activated until Sunday,” Mitzner said. “We’re sure glad to have him. He’s a true shortstop, but the good thing about guys like him is he can play anywhere on the infield. I had a feeling Alex was going to hit a home run tonight, and he didn’t disappoint me.”
Mitzner told his players when they arrived in Texarkana that their summer season might get off to a slow start.
Sure enough the Twins’ starting pitchers struggled with their control, and a makeshift infield committed a host of errors.
“We walked 18 in our first game; you’re not going to win any games when you don’t play good defense and get good starting pitching,” Mitzner said. “We’ve been on the receiving end of that far too often this summer already.”
The shoe was on the other foot Sunday when the Cane Cutters committed six errors and their starting pitcher walked three in the first inning to get the Twins off to a 4-0 start.
“Our guys have bought in to what we’re doing here; they want to win and be a good ball club,” Mitzner said. “They want to give Texarkana a good team to watch every night.”
The owner has guaranteed the Twins’ fans good entertainment, and baseball fans have gotten just that.
Several hundred were in attendance last weekend to see the Twins sweep Acadiana, and with “ARod” on their side now, it appears prospects for a successful season have improved dramatically.
And if you haven’t heard, Rodriguez will be playing in the Southeast Conference next fall for the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Twins travel to Victoria for two games on Wednesday and Thursday, returning to George Dobson Field on Friday for a series with the Texas Marshals.