JUCO: All-DP Team -2008- Starting Pitchers Name College Yr Signed W-L ERA SV IP H BB SO Jeff Dulaney SMC So C of C 8-3 3.07 0 70.1 61 18 59 Charles Matthews SMC So Ga. Southern &nb… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password
By: David List-May 20, 2008 As we sit a week away from the DP showcase, it is important that all participants ready themselves for what will be coming. There will be a multitude of scouts, both college and pro who will attend, and it is important that you are at the top of your game. Below is a list of things that will definitely help you prepare yourself for the best possible outcome. Know the Format: The biggest issue for a player coming to an event like this is how to control their nerves. One of the best ways to combat nerves is to know what is going to happen and knowing that you have prepared yourself. If you have been to our showcase before then you understand the sequence of events that will take place, but don’t stop reading this just yet. For the first-timers, here is what is going to happen: 60 Yard Dash: The first event will be 60 times in the outfield. This is a critical component of the showcase and you will need to run your best time. As the start time approaches, start stretching and running on the practice football field. DON’T WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO TELL YOU TO GET LOOSE. Jog around the football field, practice getting out of the gate and then stretch out your legs and upper body. Understand that you will be starting in a base-stealer’s stance, not a three or four-point stance. You really need to do this to get loose after the morning drive because the last thing anyone wants to see is you getting hurt at the showcase. Don’t think you will run your best if you are not loose or haven’t run a few before we start. This is the first thing the scouts see you do and you want to leave a good impression. The clock starts on your first movement and you need to run all the way through the line, don’t leap at the finish line. Another quick tip, run a straight line. It sounds crazy but we see it all the time, don’t turn 60 yards into 62 yards! Outfielders: Outfielders will be throwing from deep rightfield and will make two throws to third base and two to home plate. The ball will be flipped to you and scouts are looking for your pure arm strength first, then accuracy…cut it loose but try to keep it on a line! Outfielders will run first, hence giving you time to get a baseball and go and get loose on the practice fields. Infielders: First basemen will report to first base. All shortstops and second basemen will report to a deep shortstop position. Third baseman will report to the area behind third base and off the line 10-15 feet. The middle infielders will start this off with two balls hit right at them, throwing to first and continue with one back-hand and one fore-hand ball, ending with one slow roller, five groundballs taken consecutively. The same will be true for the third base guys and the infield sequence will end with first baseman taking two balls deep and throwing to third, then two coming off the bag and throwing to second. There is no return throw for the 1B’s to handle. Catchers: The catchers will make four throws to second base to record POP times. All catchers need to be in full gear. Remain in a squat and behind the dish, don’t cheat! Scouts are recording your time, grading your arm and noting your exchange, they will notice if you stand up or hover over the plate before the pitch is thrown. Batting Practice: Depending on the numbers of guys at the showcase, each player will get 7 to 10 swings to hit for BP. Try to relax and show everyone what kind of hitter you are. If you have power, show it. But if you are a smaller guy, spray the ball around and show us that you can square up balls with consistency. Hit the ball hard! Quick tip, don’t take strikes because you want to time the BP pitcher. He is making over 1,500 throws, don’t burn one because you weren’t ready! Time him up long before you jump in the box. Pitchers: Following Batting Practice, pitchers will make their way to the mound. During BP, pitchers should be getting loose, there is no time allotted for extra warm-up pitches. You will expected to be ready as soon as you toe the rubber. Two pitchers will throw at a time, FIRST ONE; THEN THE OTHER. You will make between 8-10 pitches total, this should move very quickly, but there also must be enough time between the two pitches to get another reading on the gun. Show your top velocity and breaking pitches with late/sharp movement. Showcase what you have! Games: Remember this is a showcase and it is all about YOU! There is a four hitter limit per inning and we turn you loose to do whatever you want to do. Throw what you want to throw, run when you want to run, swing as hard as you want to show us what you can do. There is no score, there is no winning or losing team. Take extra bases, steal every pitch! Bunt if that is part of your game. While your tools are being graded, you are also being observed as much for how you play the game more than how many hits you accumulate. To best assess you, give us all you have! Little things: Don’t think for a second that evaluators don’t notice who keeps going to get foul balls, that guy that tracks every fly ball he can get to during BP or the player that keeps volunteering to run the bases. It’s easy to blend in, it takes effort to stand out! While there is plenty of downtime at a showcase, don’t get caught watching the paint dry for two days. Be in Baseball Shape: Depending on how long …
-2008 All-DP Team- AAAA First Team Position Name High School Year INF Gabe Grammer Irmo Senior INF Sloan Gilliam Dorman Senior INF Nick Orvin Berkeley Senior INF David Greene Richland Northeast Senior I… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
-2008 All-DP Team- AAA First Team Position Name High School Year INF Ryan Stewart Carolina Forest Senior INF Daniel Rawls Chester Junior INF Chipper Daniels Riverside Senior INF Reggie Weatherford Lake City Jun… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
-2008 All-DP Team- AA Position Name High School Year INF *Christopher Owings Gilbert Junior INF Adam Spires Gilbert Junior INF Dustin Britt Dillon Senior INF Corey Frye Chesnee Senior INF Kyle Johnson Dillon Sophomore INF Jimmy Lindberg Bishop England Freshman OF Anthony Smith Dillon Junior OF Rick Boyles Barnwell Senior OF… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
-2008 All-DP Team- A Position Name High School Year INF Kyle Heffner Great Falls Sophomore INF *Dustin Morris Landrum Junior INF Tyler Boyd Lamar Senior INF Sam Scroggs Williston-Elko Junior INF *Christian McClure Southside Christian Sophomore INF Trip Strickland Lake View Senior OF Isaiah Lynn Great Falls Sophomore OF *Zeke … The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
By: Banks Faulkner-May 16, 2008 Right-hander Owings paces Indians, Gilbert wins second title in three years Diamond Prospects traveled west up I-20 for a winner-take-all showdown between the Dillon Wildcats and the Gilbert Indians. The two teams split their two earlier battles, each winning on the others home field, to force a deciding ga… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
By: Will Cheatham-May 16, 2008 Godley shuts out Chesterfield, Red Raiders claim another State Title Diamond Prospects were in Lexington SC for the final game of the 1A State Championship on Friday night. The series was tied 1-1 and the final game of the week would prove to be nothing less than what a state championship series should be. … The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
By: Tim Wallace-May 1, 2008 Baseball is a great game. I am sure that everyone who reads DP would agree with that statement and could (and would) argue that position. We know the history of baseball. We know the players, managers, heroes, goats. We can recite the statistics and recount the details of the games. We’ve cheered when the game was played at its’ best and we’ve joined the boo-birds when the game got the best of the players. We can appreciate the beauty and difficulty of baseball because most of us have played the game, whether in a pickup game in the neighborhood or in some organized league. Baseball is special to all of us. This is a tough time of year for many readers of DP. There will only be one team at each level celebrating once the last out has been recorded. Shortly after the champions are crowned, even the winners will realize the sadness that accompanies season’s end. I’ve already watched the tears of those who came up short this year, those of the players whose careers are over and also those of parents who won’t see their sons play anymore. As exciting as the game can be, I am not sure that anything can prepare us for the pain that comes with one’s last game, no matter the level attained. The end of the season is also especially difficult for one other small group of people involved with the game, the coaches. While the game belongs to the players, I would suggest that no one is more committed or loves the game more than the coaches. The amount of time and energy that they invest, for a very insignificant salary supplement, would overwhelm most people. The effort that they put forth comes because of two things, their love of the game and, more importantly, their love of their players. Many will put on a tough exterior but when all is said and done, their care and concern is evident. Most realize the impact that they have on their athletes and embrace their role as mentor. Many of us know the kind of impact that a good coach can have on us. I was fortunate to have great coaches as I worked my way through High school and Legion ball in Lancaster, SC. John Daurity came to town in my Freshman year and proceeded to have more impact on my life than anyone that I have ever met. He was, and is, a wise man who is still loves and enjoys teaching the game and influencing lives at Socastee High School. Not only did Coach Daurity know the game, he knew people. He brought along-side two local young men who would prove to be great assistants for him and, in the long run, great head coaches in their own right. Al Berry and Steve Williams (left) entered the coaching ranks during my Sophmore year of high school. Thirty years later, both of these gentlemen are retiring from the High School ranks and I don’t know that any tribute can adequately convey the feelings I have for these men. During their years together they coached some of the best teams that ever donned a uniform in SC. I’ve heard many discussions that ended with the agreement that the 1991 LHS team may have been the best seen by this generation. Though their personalities seemed to indicate major differences in thought, the blended "good cop-bad cop" coaching style that they had proved to be very effective in bringing out the best in their players. Once Coach Berry made the move to Dutch Fork, Coach Williams took over the reins at Lancaster. Individually they both continued to do a great job and have done so for a long time. It takes a special man to coach as long as both of these gentlemen have and still be successful. As we age as coaches, it gets tougher and tougher to relate to the young men we work with. Both Coach Williams and Coach Berry have been able to do so. As a coach now, I would like to say "Thank you" for your commitment, both to the game and to the kids. You both are tremendous representatives and models of how things can be done in this profession. As a former player, I would like to say that the lessons I learned on the field from both of you have proven to be invaluable. I believe however, that you might be shocked to know that the thing I remember most fondly, and think of most often regarding both of you, is the fishing trips we used to take during Legion season. Though I knew you both loved the game, it was there that I saw your concern for me as a person. For that, I cannot thank you enough. Now that both of your high school coaching careers have come to an end, I just wanted you to know that your efforts over the years weren’t unappreciated nor will they be forgotten. Many others would probably say similar things if given the opportunity. I wish I were a better writer so that I could convey what I feel for you guys in my own words but since I’m not I’ll look to baseball for the right terms. For what you’ve accomplished as coaches and, more importantly, for the kind of men you are – I tip my cap to you. DP Note: Steve Williams now moves on to be the pitching coach at USC Lancaster and will serve in the same capacity for the South Carolina Diamond Devils 18u AAU team. Al Berry will remain a teacher and football coach at Dutch Fork.
By: DP Staff Writer-May 14, 2008 Westmoreland caps stellar career with big night, Bearcats claim 3A title Diamond Prospects ventured over to Forest Acres for the second game of the 2008 AAA State Championship series. The AC Flora Falcons faced elimination on their home field tonight. In order to advance to a winner-take-all game three,… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.
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