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Bloggin' With the Bears: Kendal Volz and the USA Baseball National Team
July 10, 2008
For about 10 minutes during Team USA's batting practice prior to today's game against Chinese-Taipei, the clouds broke, blue skies were overhead and the sun appeared for the first time since last weekend. By the time Chinese-Taipei completed its batting practice about 45 minutes later, the sun was gone, the clouds were back and the mist and drizzle had returned. So, we're in a rain delay. Shocking, I know. However, this gives us an opportunity to do a Q&A session with Kendal Volz about the summer. Volz, who has been in Baylor's starting rotation each of his first two seasons with the Bears, has been used exclusively in relief with Team USA and primarily as the team's closer. He has appeared in six games and is 4-for-4 in save opportunities. In 7.0 innings, Volz has allowed no runs on five hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts; opponents are hitting just .200 off the right-hander. LL: What has been the key to your success this summer? KV: Really, I just haven't tried to do too much. I've just come out and thrown strikes late in the game and let our defense play behind me. We have some of the best defensive players in the country. That's probably been the main reason why I've done so well, just confidence in my surroundings. LL: How much of a transition has it been to go from being a starter to working in the closer spot where you may be called upon back-to-back days or three times in four days? KV: It's definitely different. It's exciting, and your mentality has to be different. You don't know if you're going to throw each day when you come to the ballpark, and you usually know when you're going to throw as a starter. But it's been fun, and it has been nice to change roles for a little while.
LL: Every time you have entered the game as the closer for Team USA, it has been a close game and/or a pressure situation, but you have handled those situations with ease to this point. How beneficial do you think that will be for you next spring as a starter? KV: It will help a lot, mainly from a confidence standpoint. These have been tight games. And not just against scrubs; it's been against some really good ball clubs here at Haarlem, even some Olympic guys. I think succeeding in those situations will definitely help me next spring. Hopefully I can just build off this experience. LL: Obviously you'll return to being a starter next season at Baylor. But do you like the closer role? Is it something that - maybe further down the road in your career - you could see yourself enjoying? KV: Hopefully, God willing, I'll be able to stay healthy and play ball professionally. Whatever role they want me to fill, I'll be happy with that. I think this shows I'll be able to do whatever they need me to do. LL: Other than the rain, what will you remember most about Haarlem Baseball Week? KV: The fans, without a doubt. The fans here are awesome; they are unbelievable. They're so different from fans in the United States. They stick around during the rain, they know every song, they know every dance, they're loud, they know baseball, and they add so much energy to the game. That makes for a great atmosphere. LL: You've had the opportunity to work with two great pitching coaches in Rob Walton and Jerry Meyers this summer. What have you gained from them? KV: It's been wonderful. Those two guys know so much, and they've helped each of [the pitchers] so much. They're not trying to change anything, just give tips. Everyone has benefitted from their knowledge, and it shows. Everyone on this staff has put up great numbers this summer. LL: There are 11 pitchers on this staff and four of them are from the Big 12 Conference and there were two others in the trials. What does that say about the pitching in the Big 12? KV: I think sometimes pitching in the Big 12 gets overlooked a little bit, but we're definitely one of the top conferences in the nation in pitching if not the top conference. There are other good pitching conferences, but it's hard to argue with the amount of talent in the Big 12. I don't think it's going to be easy winning games in the Big 12 next year, and I think everyone knows it. But that just makes everyone better. We just need to be prepared to play every game. LL: Kyle Gibson from Missouri has been your roommate most of the tour. What's it been like to "live with the enemy," so to speak? KV: [laughs] At first it was tough to get along with him, but now he's alright... I guess. No, seriously, Kyle is a great guy and a great pitcher. It's been fun to be on the same team with some guys that we're usually going up against on weekends. July 10, 2008
Today's game against Chinese-Taipei has been postponed until Friday at 10:30 a.m. local time due to the continuing rains in the Haarlem area. This field has seen a lot of rain already, and it is nearing full saturation. So, we'll see you all Friday. I'm sure the 3:30 a.m. CDT works into everyone's plans nicely. July 11, 2008
Ask anyone who knows me: I'm not a morning person. So today's 7 a.m. wakeup call was early for me under normal circumstances. Add to the equation that, despite a week in Europe, 7 a.m. here in the Netherlands still feels somewhat like midnight the previous night to my body, and it was an even earlier morning. Consider: our wakeup call today was the same in real time as my typical bedtime in Waco. Coffee? No thanks. I'll have a triple shot of espresso. Then again, I'm told by the public address announcer, who worked international flights for 25 years, that jet lag should dissipate after one day for each hour of time difference. This is day eight in the Netherlands for us, so we really have no excuse in that regard. Well, as early of a morning as it was for me, it was just as early for the National Team players. And I'm lucky enough to be able to sit for the duration of the game; of course, that may be more tiring. Nonetheless, after what one coach deemed to be the squad's best batting practice of the tour, Team USA looks as if it is still asleep through the first three innings against Chinese-Taipei, a team it swept in a six-game series a few weeks ago in the United States. Here's a taste of what we've seen so far from Team USA: the first baseman drop a pickoff attempt from the catcher, a lazy fly ball drop between three fielders in right-center, the pitcher fail to cover first base on a ground ball to the first baseman, and seven strikeouts from the first 10 batters. Taipei has a 1-0 lead thanks to a four-hit second inning. It is the first time Team USA has trailed since the bottom of the first inning against Japan in the first game of the Haarlem Baseball Week. Japan scored a run in the top of the first, and Team USA responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the frame. After Taipei scored a run in the top of the second in today's game, Team USA responded with three strikeouts in the bottom of the inning. Team USA faced today's Taipei pitcher twice in the six-game series and handed him one loss. In 10.0 innings of work during that series, he allowed six runs on eight hits and four walks for a 5.40 ERA. Today, he has allowed one hit through three scoreless innings. Hopefully Team USA wakes up soon. July 11, 2008
That triple shot of espresso just arrived for Team USA. Josh Fellhauer (Cal State Fullerton) blasted a one-out solo home run well over the wall in right field on a 1-1 pitch in the bottom of the fourth. We're now tied 1-1. Micah Gibbs (LSU) followed with a walk, and Blake Smith (California) followed with a single up the middle. Hopefully Fellhauer's blast gets the offense going. July 11, 2008
Team USA has no true equipment managers. There are 22 players on the roster, four coaches, one trainer, the general manager and me, the press officer. The staff also includes two auxiliary assistants; their duties range from issuing equipment to throwing batting practice to catching bullpens to handling team meals to basically anything and everything that needs to be done in assistance of the general manager. Typically, the auxiliary assistants also are stuck hauling all the equipment. However, this year, Team USA assistant coach and Kansas head coach Ritch Price decided to instill some responsibility and "team" attitude by giving out equipment assignments to the players. These assignments include but are not limited to three bags of batting practice balls, extra catcher's gear, a cooler the trainer uses to store ice bags, and the two most dreaded assignments of all - cleaning dugout after the game and the large, cumbersome bat flume. Coach Price, who is affectionately known as "Big Time" or "Baby" because that is what he typically calls everyone else, hands out new equipment assignments about every five days. About one-third to one-half of the players have equipment duties at any given time. When he handed out assignments yesterday, Coach Price made quite a statement. First, Coach Price gave himself dugout maintenance duty, a move that garnered quite a cheer from the players. Then, "Big Time" assigned the large, cumbersome bat flume to Missouri pitcher Kyle Gibson... for the second time on the tour. After Gibson moaned and the other players laughed, Coach Price gave Gibson a hearty "Rock Chalk, Baby!" Coach Price has been rather nice to Baylor's Kendal Volz, and at first I was surprised by this. But then I thought about it: Volz has led Baylor to wins against Kansas in each of the past two seasons. In 2007, he allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts over 6.0 innings for the win. Volz did not factor in the decision this season, but he did strikeout 12 over 7.2 innings in a game Baylor won 4-3 on Jon Ringenberg's pinch-hit, bases-loaded, walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth. Perhaps Coach Price doesn't want to give Volz any added incentive to beat up on his Jayhawks again in 2009. Here's predicting it won't matter. Sic `Em, Baby! July 11, 2008
Team USA scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 3-1 lead ove Chinese-Taipei and held on to win by that score. The National Team improved to 12-0 overall with the victory, completing pool-play action at the Haarlem Baseball Week with a 5-0 record. California's Blake Smith, who also has seen time in the closer's role for Team USA, pitched the ninth inning to earn the save. That gave Baylor's Kendal Volz a day off after recording three saves in three opportunities in Team USA's first four games at Haarlem. Volz and Smith have combined to give Team USA quite a dominant back end of the bullpen. The duo is 1-0 with six saves and a 0.00 ERA in 10 total appearances. Volz and Smith have allowed no runs on seven hits and seven walks with 21 strikeouts over 15.0 innings. Team USA returns to action Saturday at 7 p.m. in a semifinal game. The opponent has not yet been determined. July 12, 2008
Team USA and the Chinese-Taipei National Team meet tonight in the second semifinal game of the 24th Haarlem Baseball Week at Pim Mullier Stadium. This is the eighth time the two teams have faced each other in an 18-day span, dating back to June 25. Team USA swept a six-game series in the United States during the last week of June. The U.S. squad then rallied to a 3-1 victory over Taipei yesterday morning in Team USA's final pool-play game. Needless to say, the teams are familiar with each other. Furthermore, the starting pitchers for each team both are making their second starts against the opponent. Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State) allowed three unearned runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over 6.0 innings against the Taiwan team in the series opener June 25 at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. Team USA won that game 4-3 in 12 innings. Taipei starter Yu-Chi Hsiao was just as strong in his start against Team USA the following night in Kannapolis, N.C. He allowed one run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Yu-Chi left the game with a 2-1 lead only to see Team USA rally for a 4-2 victory in 11 innings. The winner of today's USA-Taiwan game faces Cuba in the championship game Sunday at 3 p.m. local time (that's 8 a.m. Texas time). However, the forecast calls for rain throughout the day Sunday. Shocking, I know. So far so good for Team USA in today's game. The U.S. team leads 2-0 after two innings on the strength of a Ryan Jackson (Miami-FL) sacrifice fly and a Ryan Lipkin (San Francisco) RBI single, both of which came in the second inning. Meanwhile, Strasburg has allowed only a broken-bat, second-inning single in 2.0 scoreless innings. His fastball has consistently reached 96-97 miles per hour, drawing ooohs and ahhhhs from the crowd and the assembled media members. July 12, 2008
Chinese-Taipei scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning, cutting Team USA's lead in half at 4-2. The U.S. squad enjoyed a two-run second and a two-run third. Stephen Strasburg allowed only one hit through the first six innings, but Taipei got three knocks off him in the two-run seventh. Missouri's Kyle Gibson pitched a one-two-three eighth. Ryan Jackson (Miami-FL) tripled to lead off the bottom of the eighth and later scored when Matt den Dekker (Florida) reached on an error. Baylor's Kendal Volz is among the pitchers who has loosened in the bullpen during the past couple innings, but we'll have to see if he gets the assignment again today. July 12, 2008
Baylor's Kendal Volz took the mound to start the ninth inning with Team USA leading 5-2 over Chinese-Taipei. When I announced in the press box that Volz was entering the game, the official scorer for Haarlem Baseball Week said, "Just as I suspected." Volz faces Taipei's 3-4-5 hitters here in the ninth. First up is Kuo-Min Lin, who bounced one up the middle. Volz tries to bare-hand it; luckily, he could not get it. However, shortstop Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) cut it off near second base and retired the batter at first in plenty of time. Volz then struck out Min-Szu Chen on a 3-2 slider. Up stepped Ken-Wei Lin. First pitch: Slider for a strike. Second pitch: Fastball away. Third pitch: Slider inside. Fourth pitch: Slider fouled down the first-base line. Fifth pitch: Ken-Wei checked his swing on a slider down. Sixth pitch: Fouled at the plate. Seventh pitch: Fouled back to the screen. Eighth pitch: Slider missed low. That brought to the plate Chih-Pei Huang. First pitch: Slider for a strike. Second pitch: Slider tapped back to Volz, who tossed it to first for the final out of the game. Volz earned his fifth save of the tour and his fourth of the Haarlem Baseball Week. Team USA won the game 5-2 and advanced to Sunday's championship game against Cuba. We'll see you then. July 13, 2008
Team USA and Cuba are about 20 minutes away from first pitch in today's championship game at the 24th Haarlem Baseball Week. The U.S. team defeated the Cuban team 1-0 in pool play earlier this week. Vanderbilt southpaw Mike Minor will start on the mound for the U.S. team in today's title game. Minor earned the victory in Team USA's 1-0 victory over Cuba earlier this week; he allowed four hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 6.1 scoreless innings. Baylor's Kendal Volz got the save in that game, one of his four saves on the week. Consider: Volz has one fewer save in this tournament than the other five pitching staffs combined. Without question, Team USA is the crowd favorite. Most of the expected 6,000 fans at Pim Mullier Stadium are decidedly pro-American for today's game, including a group of fans above the third-base dugout who have a large U.S. flag and chant "USA! USA! USA!" on a regular basis. Perhaps the most interesting thing I've noticed during our time here in the Netherlands has been the crowd reaction during each team's national anthem. A hush falls over the crowd for every anthem, but two anthems seem special here. Obviously, the crowd is at attention and sings during the Dutch national anthem. However, I've been surprised by how many voices can be heard singing - word-for-word - during the Star-Spangled Banner. Many of the fans here at Pim Mullier Stadium even hum or whistle softly along with the music if they are unsure of the words. If Team USA is to defeat the Cubans twice in one week, they must do the three main things any baseball team must do - pitch, play good defense and get timely hitting. Team USA lost a coin flip last night; so, despite being the top seed, the U.S. squad will be the visitor in today's game. However, the Americans have the home-field advantage... or at least the home-crowd advantage. July 13, 2008
An outfield error in the bottom of the fourth allowed Cuba to take a 1-0 lead against Team USA in today's championship game at Haarlem Baseball Week. With runners at first and second and two outs, Cuba's Alfredo Despaigne lined a single to left field. It was hit so sharply that the runner from second was held at third. However, Team USA left fielder Josh Fellhauer (Cal State Fullerton) misplayed the ball, allowing the runner to score. Team USA's deficit was short-lived, though. The U.S. squad got out of the bottom of the fourth on the very next pitch, and Blake Smith (California) led off the top of the fifth with a home run. Smith fouled off several pitches before lifting a 2-2 off-speed pitch off the top of the wall in right. It was his first round-tripper of the 2008 National Team tour. However, Team USA missed an opportunity to take the lead later in the inning. After consecutive two-out singles from Matt den Dekker (Florida) and Mike Leake (Arizona State) put runners on the corners, Fellhauer walked to load the bases. That sent Cuba starter Adiel Palma to the showers in favor of right-hander Vicyohandri Odelin, who struck out Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) on four pitches. July 13, 2008
Tennessee outfielder Kentrail Davis has carried Team USA offensively much of the summer. However, Davis was forced to return to the United States earlier this week due to injury. Taking his place on the roster was Cal State Fullerton's Jared Clark, who arrived in the Netherlands Thursday morning after a red-eye flight. In his first three games, Clark has gone 2-for-5 with two walks. His second hit was a big one as he led off the top of the sixth inning with a home run to left-center, giving Team USA a 2-1 lead against Cuba in today's championship game at Haarlem Baseball Week. July 13, 2008
Team USA still leads 2-1 over Cuba in the championship game of Haarlem Baseball Week. However, the Cubans have something brewing in the bottom of the eighth. A walk and a single, both with one out, have put runners at first and second. Missouri's Kyle Gibson has entered the game. Baylor's Kendal Volz is getting loose in the bullpen. Stay tuned. July 13, 2008
Kyle Gibson had an 0-2 count on the first batter he faced - Alexis Bell. Gibson then tried to run a fastball under Bell's hands; instead, the pitch hit Bell on the hand. That loaded the bases with one out, and brought Alfredo Despaigne, who had one of Cuba's five hits to that point, to the plate. After a check-swing strike on the first pitch to Despaigne, Gibson got a second-to-short-to-first, inning-ending double play. We go to the ninth with Team USA holding on to a 2-1 lead. July 13, 2008
Team USA scored two runs on a bases-loaded error by the Cuba first baseman in the top of the ninth inning. That gave the U.S. squad a 4-1 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth. Into the game came Baylor's Kendal Volz, and he was as strong as ever. Volz got two groundouts and a lazy fly ball to center, ending the game and giving Team USA the Haarlem Baseball Week title. It was the fifth save of the tournament for Volz, who now has six saves on the summer. Vanderbilt's Mike Minor was named Most Valuable Pitcher after going 2-0 with both wins coming against Cuba. Miami's Ryan Jackson, who hit .427 with five RBI, was named Most Valuable Pitcher. Team USA will enjoy the fruits of its labor tonight and then board a bus at 11 a.m. local time Monday headed to Regensburg, Germany. The U.S. team will play two games in Regensburg before heading to the Czech Republic for the 2008 FISU World Championships. |
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