The 2003 season in Review

Departures and the Veterans

Departures

From the end of the 2002 season, we only lost Karl Carrier, who decided to retire from the game; Rich Allen, who unfortunately had to relocate due to his job; Mike Harris who having finshed his degree, returned to the States; and Tom Haywood who having learnt to drive, then managed to find a job that required him to work on Sundays! Obviously this left us with big holes on the mound, and at third base, as well as in the outfield and behind the plate. Tom’s departure in particular was a blow, as this left us with very little cover for Pete, on the mound. Offensively, losing the bats of Mike, and Rich was also a big blow, and one which we are struggling to replace. However we would like to thank the four of them for their contributions in the rebuilding of this team over the last couple of season, and if they wish to return to the fold, they will be more than welcome; and of course we wish them all the best for the future.

At this point we should also mention Richard Pentney, who joined us last season, and who during the off season worked harder than anyone to prepare for 2003. Unfortunately after just a handful of games at the start of this season, and whilst commuting from Bristol as a result of a job relocation, he was moved once more (to Cardiff) which proved just too far, and he regretfully had to leave the club. Hopefully Richard is enjoying life out in Wales, and is still teaching those softballers in the Bristol area about the grown up version of the sport!!

The Veterans

We had 16 players return from the 2002 season. Still there, providing a historical link to the past, and in fact to the previous era of the Wokingham Millers, were myself, Brian Kendal and Nick Jolly. Despite attempts to retire us, and this damn thing called work trying to throw as many obstacles in the way as possible, we were still able to show the “youngsters” a thing or two about the game. Brian as always was there providing vocal support from the sidelines, and a solid bat in the middle of the order. Nick of course, played with his usual competitiveness, and as always seemed to raise the level of play of the team a notch or two, every time he was on the field. Rob Wheeler, the one remaining link to the Mudcats, returned for another season, and as always showed commitment to the team and a reliable glove in the outfield. His left hand bat also came in useful lower down the order, and helped throw pitchers out of their rhythm. Paul Dommett, (who thinks he is old and is going to retire during the off-season – but not if I have anything to do with it) brought another solid bat to the line up, and helped the club tremendously at the midweek training sessions. Ben Martin-Dye proved again that he can play almost any position on the infield, although once again decided he wanted to run the London Marathon (why? – MB), as obviously playing baseball for the Mavericks isn’t enough of a challenge. Pete Cruddas unfortunately had to spend most of the summer in the US, so although he attended a lot of the pre-season training, wasn’t able to make any of the regular season games, and Pete Savage, with his last year at University out of the way, will hopefully be able to make a full return next season. Julius Miller, Moleseys Reserves greatest, returned on the left side of the infield, and again provided some substance to the top of the order. James Geraghty, suffered through much of the early part of the season with an ankle injury sustained whilst playing hockey, but was able to get onto the field much more in the second half. Unfortunately this coincided with us playing in the Top 6 play-offs, and therefore facing the better teams for 5 weeks solid. James – a tip from me for the future: make yourself unavailable for the top two, but always available for those in the bottom half – how else do you think I keep my average up! Last seasons Rookie of the Year Jim Henson, again played a very agile 2B, and also brought speed to the top of the line up. Unfortunately, only being based in Guildford during term time, meant he was unavailable much of the season. Ross Pennington had to be one of the most improved Mavericks this season – high up in the averages, and playing well in the field. In fact the loss of him for the last two months of the season, if not the cause, was certainly a contributing factor to our downturn in results over that period. Roger Marsden, was another who showed much improvement from last year, and has certainly become a reliable bat, as well being able to platoon the catching duties. Roger has also showed he can play the outfield, and brings a strong presence to the team. The low point for the Mavericks this season was the loss of Steve Sawyer for the season to a torn ACL, after he fell awkwardly off the mound trying to field a ball hit back to him, in the first inning of the game at the Richmond Dragons. Not only did we lose our No. 2 pitcher, but also our starting centerfielder, and No.3 hitter. When looking back on the season, the fact that the Mavericks struggled most in relief pitching, hitting, and outfield play, it shows what a loss to the team, Steve was. Unfortunately this injury may keep him out for the start of next season, as well. We also lost Tomas Diaz, for the latter part of the season, as he decided to concentrate on his business degree. This was another strong bat out of the line up, and also our starting 2B. We also missed Tomas on the coaching side, as he brought a wealth of experience, and was invaluable both on game days, as well as training sessions. Finally, there was Pete Hammer. Without doubt the MVP of the Mavericks for the second year running. Not only did he lead the batting, but he was a star on the mound. Probably one of the top 3 pitchers in the division, his consistency was remarkable, and if only we had been able to back him up in the field, instead of asking him to make 4 outs every inning, then he might have had a few more complete games. Despite this frequent lack of support on both sides of the ball, his enthusiasm never diminished, and even at practices he seemed to have an endless supply of energy. If anything, the fact that he was so consistent around the plate meant that he sometimes got hit harder than opposing pitchers, the majority of whom had no where near as many pitches, or as much control. That said however, the standard of our batting, and the small strike zones that most umpires call (they must all be batters!) meaning he couldn’t throw at the edges, were probably contributing factors to this. Unfortunately with our lack of pitching, it meant Pete had very little opportunity to show off his skills at shortstop, but here again, he would surely rank as one of the best in the division.

Next: The Competition