OCR Text |
Show B2 SPORTS Home wins, road woes Owlz find wins easy in Orem, hard anywhere else By JONATHAN BOLDT Asst. Sports Editor If there is one axiom the Orem Owlz have embodied up to this point in the season, it would be home-field advantage is key for victory. Their record at home is an impressive 9-3 while their record away from Brent Brown Ballpark is 3-8. After starting out winning six of their first seven, Orem went 0-6 on a trip to Casper to play the Ghosts and a painful pit-stop taking on the Chuckars of Idaho Falls. The streak came to a striking halt as soon as they stepped foot back on home turf and won their next three consecutive games. As quickly as their luck rose, it came crashing back to earth in Billings, Montana as the Mustangs won in the bottom of the tenth inning with a walk-off homerun. "The toughest part is being on the road so much," said Owlz second baseman Taylor Lindsey. "Kotchman does a good job of making sure we get our rest and take care of our bodies. The long bus rides are pretty tough though." They dodged the ex- Connor Allen/UVU Review The Owlz offense hasn't depended on location, but the wins have. Orem had one nine of 12 at home, bu tlost eight of 11 on the road as of last Friday. ecutioner's blade last Thurs- basemen/designated hitter day in Billings as the game Brandon Brewer. He led the was postponed due to weath- league in overall batting as er. The game was made up well as leading the Owlz in as part of a double header the nearly every offensive catnext day. egory. Brewer was called up Part of the inconsis- just as Angels 17th overall pick tency is due to turnover. Like C.J. Cron signed and was asevery year, they have made signed to the Owlz. some additions and had some Cron joined Orem subtractions. The first to after playing three years and go was pitcher, PJ Jang. He 45 minutes up the freeway at pitched a one-hit shut-out and the University of Utah. He was promptly called up to Tri- has promptly taken over the ple A Cedar Rapids. Next to offensive reigns and now go was Brennan Gowens, who leads the team in home runs struggled batting a meager and runs-batted-in. .162 before being sent down Beyond the glitz and to the Tempe Angels. glamour of Cron's arrival, diaFollowing the los- monds in the rough abound in ing streak, Orem lost third Orem's roster. The Owlz are one of the only teams that can boast three first-round draft PIONEER LEAGUE STANDING picks in their starting line-up with Cron, Lindsey, and Kaleb Cowart. Both Lindsey and NORTH SOUTH Cowart are batting a high average (.379 and .404 as of last Missoula 14-10 Ogden 17-7 Friday, respectively). Some timely hitting has sparked Billings 13-10 Orem 12-11 some big innings as Orem has Great Falls 11-13 Idaho Falls 10-14 exploded for more than 20 runs twice this year. Helena 11-13 Casper 7-17 On the flip side, Cowart and shortstop Bran*Standings as of July 14 don Brewer have combined for 13 errors (seven and six, For Hall, self comes last By JAKE PARTRIDGE Asst. Sports Editor When it comes to humility, Orem Owlz first basemen Frazier Hall could write the book, though he never would. It's not that he can't write or tell a story, because he can. Hall just isn't the kind of guy to toot his own horn, despite the numerous accomplishments he has achieved playing baseball. When asked about his accomplishments on the baseball field, Hall minimized them. Instead, he chose to express his gratitude to God for his physical talents that allow him to play a game he loves with some of the most talented guys he has ever met. "I feel that God has given me a talent and I want to use it in the right manner," Hall said. For Hall, part of using that talent in the right manner takes him to youth baseball camps, where he volunteers his time teaching kids and speaking about baseball. "Doing anything I can to give back is something that I've always wanted to do," Hall said. Hall, who was raised a Christian, attended Southern University in Louisiana. During his time there, he saw that many of his fellow athletes were new to the area and hadn't found a church to worship at. This motivated Hall to organize a chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a non-profit interdenominational ministry. "I looked around for an FCA and couldn't find one," Hall said. "In the beginning of my senior year, I reached out to the head football coach to see if I could borrow their meeting room. I took the Tony Clayton Meeting Facility that we had and on Tuesday nights we had an FCA chapter meeting." Hall enjoys his associations with other athletes, but he also sees fans as being an important part of the game. Before he was drafted by the Angels, Hall played in a collegiate summer league for the Waterloo Bucks. During his time there he made friends with a fan named Tony, who came to every home game. Tony was in his early forties and had autism. "Tony and I would hang out every day before games, and I would toss the ball with him," Hall said. "Sometimes after the games he would need a ride home, so my roommate and I would bring him home. I started to hang out with Tony and got to know him really well." Hall later went on to play for a different team in the same league. He returned to Waterloo playing for the Lacrosse Loggers. In his first at-bat, he hit a homerun that resulted in the Waterloo fans giving him a standing ovation, a gesture not often awarded to visiting players in any sport. "That was really nice," said Hall. "I'm just hanging out with Tony, and they saw that overtime and appreciated it." Hall says it is the fans that motivate him and give him encouragement even when he plays poorly. It is a sentiment that fans of any sport love to hear from pro athletes. To Hall,thowever, it is more than something that sounds nice — it's something he believes and demonstrates through his actions on and off the field. "It's an honor to be able to be able to play this game," Hall said. "It's an honor to have fans come out and watch me. It's an honor to play professional baseball." respectively). Coming into the season, pitchers Aaron Meade and Logan Odom were called upon as returning starters from last season to lead a young pitching staff. Meade has been very good up until the fourth inning, where he has struggled, giving up more than three runs three separate times. Odom has been the more consistent of the two, throwing two one-hit shutouts and being among the team-leaders in ERA (1.84 as of last Friday). While Odom doesn't boast Meade's speed, he has proven even more capable of retiring the side through good placement instead of power. "An out is an out," said manager Tom Kotchman. "We'll take them how we get them, but that means less opportunity for them and more for us. That's what it's all about," Orem's next home stand begins July 21st, where the Owlz. At that point, Orem will have either turned their fortune around — or just be glad to be home. Gilbert Cisneros/WU Review Owlz manager Tom Kotchman has pinpointed Orem's effort on the mound as the key to their success. AARON SOOKEE Minor league pitcher Aaron Sookee hails from Auburn, Australia. The right-hander is in his second season with the Angels' farm system and has made appearances for both the Orem Owlz and Arizona league Angels this season. Sports writer Gant Stokes caught up with Sookee to dig up more about the hurler from Down Under. Q: How long have you been in Utah? A: One day. I got in from Arizona playing for Tempe and Australia before that, that's where I grew up. Q: What has been the biggest difference playing here instead of Australia? A: Playing every day, just getting ready for that. Q: Who was your biggest influence in baseball? A: Several coaches and Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves Q: What was your proudest baseball moment? A: "Playing in the national championship finals in Australia for New South Whales State." Q: On the flip side what has been your most embarrassing baseball moment? A: Getting hit in the face while playing third base Q: What is your favorite warm up music? A: Techno, it's pretty big back in Australia. Q: What summer movie do you look forward to seeing most? A: Hangover 2, it looks really funny Q: What your favorite victory food? A: A good pizza, I like Dominoes. Q: Are you a Miami Heat hater or believer? A: Hater, go Bucks! Q: What's something unique about you? A: My accent |