Steven M. Sipple: Anderson making the right moves
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
Nebraska baseball coach Mike Anderson emphasizes the importance of rhythm. For every at-bat, he says, there’s a distinct rhythm. He teaches hitters to dictate rhythm.
You can apply Anderson’s approach to the big picture. When you apply it to last season, well, Nebraska wasn’t exactly Elvis material.
“To be blunt, we weren’t in great rhythm,” Anderson says. “When that’s noticeable, you have to figure out a way to get it back.”
Nebraska seems in excellent rhythm now. The Huskers are 36-8-1 overall and 15-5-1 in the Big 12 entering a crucial league series against first-place Texas A&M (40-8, 18-3) this weekend. Big Red clearly has its mojo working. But a good coach is constantly trying to keep things rolling. You tinker until you feel that rhythm. Anderson wasn’t feeling it as last season ended. So, he made major changes.
We all know about Nebraska’s off-field issues last season; Anderson cleaned up that mess. But he did more than that. He also reworked his coaching staff. Don’t overlook that part. He analyzed the situation, did some serious soul-searching and made some tough decisions. He took over as hitting coach and moved Dave Bingham from pitching coach into a defense-oriented role. Most important, Anderson hired Eric Newman to whip the pitching staff into form.
The results? Nebraska found its rhythm, and Anderson answered his critics.
The 35-year-old Newman obviously deserves a ton of credit for the Huskers’ success. But remember, Anderson’s the one who made the hire. He shuffled the coaching deck. He recognized a rising star in the coaching ranks. He recognized Newman’s strong character traits and sound approach to pitching. Good hires usually don’t happen by accident.
“I had a definite plan: Character first,” Anderson says.
Says Nebraska junior right-hander Erik Bird: “Newman doesn’t give you any slack. I really respect that about him. He’s going to be on you no matter what. There’s no preferential treatment. Everybody walks into the locker room every day fearing what the conditioning’s going to be.
“The conditioning level’s gone way up — a lot more running, a lot more abdominal work, a lot more pushups, a lot more squats, a lot more everything, really.”
Nebraska had seven pitchers selected in the 2007 major-league draft. Nevertheless, the Huskers lead the Big 12 and rank ninth nationally with a 3.46 earned-run average — a marked improvement from last year’s 4.60. Will Big Red wind up in Omaha next month? Well, probably more than anything, a deep and talented pitching staff gives NU that chance.
Emphasize deep.
“I feel like our bullpen is getting deeper and deeper as the season goes along, which is a good problem to have,” Newman says. “The hardest thing for me right now is managing to get everybody enough innings to keep them sharp.”
Nebraska’s top four starting pitchers — Johnny Dorn, Thad Weber, Aaron Pribanic and Dan Jennings — are fresh for the season’s homestretch, Newman says.
So, Nebraska’s winning formula has long since crystalized: Strong pitching, timely hitting and excellent defense. The Huskers are tied for the league lead in fielding percentage at .972 (up from .965 last season). They’ve committed only six errors in the last 12 games and none in the last six conference games.
Credit Bingham for improved defense.
But credit Anderson for the 59-year-old Bingham’s role change.
“It was a matter of putting him in a position he’s been in for much of his career,” Anderson says. “He was a shortstop. That’s what he’s worked with all his life. It was just the right thing to do.”
Anderson took over as hitting coach, in part, because he wanted to make sure that the technical aspects of hitting were intertwined with Nebraska’s “team approach” on offense. A “team approach” becomes necessary when you lack star power throughout the lineup.
The Huskers are tied for eighth in the league with a .284 average and are 10th with only 25 home runs. However, they’re hitting .311 with runners in scoring position.
“We have 14 hitters, and I think every one of them has come up big in the clutch at some point this season,” Anderson says. “But the most enjoyable part is they’re doing their roles. They’re doing simple things. We’re not explosive. But our mental side is good. The kids understand what we’re trying to do.”
Nebraska is 8-1 in one-run games and has rattled off 18 come-from-behind triumphs. The Huskers keep coming at you. To be sure, Anderson appears to have solved the program’s character issues. So much for those who said the program was slipping. Now we’ll see if the most surprising squad in the Big 12 this season can finish strong. Critics are always waiting to pounce.
We’ll see if Nebraska can cool surging Texas A&M, coached by ex-Husker assistant Rob Childress.
“I told Rob that I’m going to tell every single person I see that they (the Aggies) are the hottest team in all of baseball,” Anderson told reporters the other day.
Anderson was wearing a mischievous grin as he said it. He’s clearly enjoying this ride. His team’s vibe is good. He’s feeling rhythm again.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news