Postseason possible with a strong Coffee
Tigers poised again to battle for SWAC title
A year ago, Texas Southern outfielder Roderick Coffee was described as an up-and-coming player by Tigers coach Michael Robertson.
As a redshirt freshman in the Tigers’ 2020 opener at New Mexico State, Coffee belted two home runs from the ninth spot. Over that four-game series Coffee hit four homers with seven RBIs.
In the shortened season the right-handed hitting Coffee homered seven times, drove in 15, batted .383 with a .830 slugging percentage.
In 2020 Coffee arrived. “We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to load the bus with some really good players and assistant coaches,” said Robertson, whose Tigers have won three SWAC postseason baseball tournaments over the past five years.
Coffee will slide into either the sixth or seventh spot in the lineup for 2021. “So that we can turn him loose and be himself,” Robertson said. “He’s hitting smarter this time around and utilizing the middle of the field more.”
Coffee was under the radar entering 2020. But TSU is definitely being noticed. The Tigers, who beat Mississippi State and won a series at Grambling State last year, are preseason favorite to win the SWAC Western Division.
All position starters return from a 7-12 squad that was 4-2 in conference before the pandemic forced cancelation of the 2020 season. And the Tigers have added several pieces to make a run for another SWAC championship. Key among them are righthanders Kamron Fields, a grad transfer from Texas, and Prairie View A&M transfer Brian Williams.
“With the addition of those guys it’s going to make us more resourceful on a weekend series where we will be able to run out three quality starters,” Robertson said. “In our conference, if you got a solid 1 and 2, you’re probably going to be at the top.”
The 95-mph throwing Fields, who will get the start in Saturday’s season opener at Houston, and Williams, along with righthander Bryson Armstrong, headline a rotation that includes righthander Alex Olguin, who is in his third year in the program. Also showing well has been freshman Adolf Castillo of Waltrip.
Fields, who graduated at Texas in three years, also saw time in the outfield for the Longhorns in 2019.
“We needed a good leader because our staff was young last year,” Robertson said. “He can make adaptations.”
With no designated closer, in the mix for pitching late in games are righthanders Adam Dearinger, Armstrong, Castillo and lefty Jesse Garcia.
Coffee, utility players Oscar Ponce and Dean Salazar, shortstop Justin Cooper and infielder Tyrese Clayborne are the core of TSU’s lineup. Clayborne, the leadoff hitter who hit .370, and Cooper, slotted for the No. 2 spot in the order, are the catalysts.
Redshirt freshman Avery Chatman is the only position newcomer projected to play regularly. He will rotate in center field with sophomore Jordan Vidato. Tyson Thomson, on the roster last year, will spell Coffee in left field.
TSU has road games scheduled with LSU, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
“We play a competitive schedule to get our kids ready for May,” Robertson said. “The only thing that matters for us is postseason.”