Jeff Ditch is in his fifth season as the head coach at IUP and is leading the Crimson Hawk baseball program toward the top of the PSAC and Atlantic Region. Not only is the baseball team successful on the field, they also excel in the classroom. The 2009 team earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.09. Check out his blog here.
Ping!Baseball Spotlight Interview Jordan Pacheo and Ian Hollick
University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico second baseman Jordan Pacheco (.351,
5, 43), third baseman Ian Hollick (.376, 11, 65 ) and with
first baseman Daniel Stovall (.323, 10, 75) lead the high
octane powered UNM offense that will be looking to duplicate
last season’s gaudy offensive numbers when they placed
in the top-25 nationally in scoring, slugging percentage,
batting average and doubles. All Ping!Team selections Pacheco
and Hollick took time off from blistering opposing pitching
to answer five questions from Ping!.
Ping!:
Last year you guys got off to an incredible start which included
a run of victories that could only be stopped by eventual
national champion Oregon State. What happened to turn around
your season so dramatically? Jordan Pacheco: We put a lot of effort into
the start of our season and I think we got a little tired
towards the end. Ian Hollick: At the start to middle of our
season last year, we had fresh arms. I feel that a few of
our main pitchers became fatigued towards the end and we weren't
able to compensate
for that. Plus, we had a few long road trips that we let get
to us.
Ping!: The
Lobo offense has been one of the most productive in the nation
over the last couple of years. Does playing in such a fan
friendly and scenic park like Isotope Park contribute to those
numbers? JP: Yes it does. It is nice to know that
you can hit a ball in the air and it can have a chance to
leave the ballpark. IH: I feel playing at Isotopes Park is a
great place to hit. I see the ball well here out of the pitcher's
hand. The outfield gaps are pretty big which gives us more
space to hit the ball. The whole atmosphere is fun.
Ping!: It would
be a tremendous understatement to say that Danny Ray Herrera
was an incredible asset to the team last year. How will the
staff compensate for his loss? JP: Our coaching staff has brought in some
new guys that can throw the ball well. We won't be able to
replace Danny but we have enough guys to compensate for his
loss. IH: It is difficult to replace Danny Ray
but I feel we have a stronger bullpen this year so we won't
have to rely on our starters as much.
Ping!: With
this year's schedule (Texas Tech, Arizona, Nebraska, Oregon
State, TCU, etc.) your wins won't come easy. Is there any
team or weekend series you most look forward to? JP: I don't look forward to any one of those
series but I can't wait until we play them. They are going
to be good challenges for our team and good series to get
us ready for conference play. IH: I try not to look into the future to
much, just try to focus on the here and now. But my teammates
say Texas A&M is a fun environment to play in so I am
excited to see that.
Ping!: Have
you played as yourself on EA's Sports MVP 07 yet? How did
they do measuring up your abilities? JP: I have not played the new one yet but
I have played the
old one and the guy on the game is 10 times better than me. IH: I have actually only seen myself on MVP
'06 and just
watching was cool but I have been told my arm strength could
use some work in that game. But it was fun to see No. 10 playing
in a video game.
Ping!:
Last year you guys got off to an incredible start which included
a run of victories that could only be stopped by eventual
national champion Oregon State. What happened to turn around
your season so dramatically?
