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 MATT OTTEMAN - ut arlington mavericks
PING!BASEBALL PLAYER PROFILE
T hree years ago it was a blessing and a curse to have UT Arlington on your schedule. Games against the Mavericks often resulted in victory, but the Mavs 13-40 overall record could wreck havoc to your RPI. Last year however things changed in the Metroplex with the arrival of new head coach Darin Thomas. Thomas led UTA to 26 wins, double the total from the year before, which included wins over No. 7 Texas A&M (16-8), No. 14 Oklahoma State (7-3) and No. 20 Texas (4-3) in Austin.
Thomas and company have kept it going in 2009, recently finishing off their second straight conference sweep and have earned wins over nationally ranked Baylor and Minnesota. While Thomas and Wallace Award Watch List candidate and
2009 USA Baseball National Team Trial
invitee Michael Choice are big reasons for UT Arlington's resurgence, they haven't done it alone. Maverick senior outfielder/pitcher Matt Otteman may be the MVP on a team full of achievers, starting this season tying the school's all-time hitting streak record at 26 games and is on pace to break the Maverick record for hits in a season. His batting average is well over .400 and he is among the leaders in batting average and hits not just in the Southland Conference, but nationally as well. Even more impressively, Otteman's 2009 statistics are due to a breakout in offense. His first three years on campus his role had been limited to a supplementary role, but this year he swings in the middle of the Maverick order.
Despite the allure and glamor of being in Conway, Arkansas, Otteman recently took some time between games to answer from questions from Ping!Baseball:
PING!BASEBALL:
You had a .274 batting average with 75 hits in your collegiate career
going into 2009, yet this season you've gone insane, batting well over
.400 and on pace to have more hits this season than your first three
seasons and break the UT-Arlington single season record. What has
happened this season to give you such breakout season?
OTTEMAN: It is probably just the experience I have gained. I have gotten more at bats and have become an every day starter. Also a lot of it comes to the work I have done in the off season - hitting in the cages, working on my defense and spending time in the weight room.
PING!BASEBALL: Your head coach, Darin Thomas, is in his second year at the helm of the
UTA program and so far things appear to be in pretty good hands. How do
you feel about the future of Maverick baseball?
OTTEMAN: Coach Thomas has done a great job with us and has kept us playing with each other as a team. He has spent a lot of time around us and effort improving our program. He is always around and will tell us what we need to do to get better. He also stays positive with us. I think the program will definitely be in good hands as long as he is here.
PING!BASEBALL: You began the season with a 26 game hit streak. Were you a typical
superstitious baseball player who started doing things the same every day
to make sure the hits kept coming or did it not get to you?
OTTEMAN: I have always tried to stay away from superstitions on the field. So as far as that goes I pretty much didn't worry about doing certain routines.
 PING!BASEBALL: You're not just getting it done at the plate this season, you've been a
success on the mound as well with an ERA just over 1.00 and you've
recorded almost 2/3 of your outs via strikeout. Would you rather earn a
Maverick win with a game winning hit or by coming in to fan the final
batter in a tight contest?
OTTEMAN: I would probably rather get the hit, just because every game I'm trying to drive runs in for our team and wanting to get the game winning hit. To get dog piled would be a great way to end the game. But that is a really good question because ending the game with a strikeout ranks up there as well.
PING!BASEBALL: Yourself, Michael Choice and Andrew Kainer have been a bit of three headed
beast in the middle of the order this season. Is there any competitive
rivalry between the three of you?
OTTEMAN:Absolutely not. We are all always pulling for each other. We know if we are all hitting in the same game it is going to be tough for us to lose that game. If one of us isn't getting it done we are pulling for the other guy to pick up the slack for us to help us win. PING!BASEBALL: You've worn 10 different uniform combinations so far this season. How
does the team decide what you're going to wear for a game and what's your
personal favorite?
OTTEMAN: The coaches decide what uniforms we wear, so whatever is in the locker room is what we wear. My personal favorite would be wearing our white pants with our black tops.
PING!BASEBALL: What was the topic of the last big school paper you wrote? How'd you do?
OTTEMAN: It was in Exercise Physiology, the paper was on muscular fatigue. I nailed it and got an A and ended up doing well in the class.
PING!BASEBALL: If you could have anyone come to Arlington and throw out the first pitch
of the game, who would it be?
OTTEMAN: If I could have both of my parents there to throw out the first pitch that would be the best. Since my parents live in Illinois I don't get to see them that often, so if both could be there that is who I would choose.
PING!BASEBALL: If someone were to swipe your mp3 player, what song would you be
embarrassed to have other find out is on it?
OTTEMAN: Anything by Brittney Spears, the one or two that I will admit are on there.
PING!BASEBALL: You step to the plate against teammate Nathan Long – you take him deep
right?...
OTTEMAN: Oh yeah, he can throw that cutter or slider - whatever he wants to call it - and it wiil end up on Park Row.
PREVIOUS PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS
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PREVIOUS COACH SPOTLIGHTS
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2008
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