The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
ESPN's Kyle Peterson talks Texas Baseball
06.17.2011 | Baseball
June 17, 2011
ESPN college baseball analyst Kyle Peterson, a former pitcher with the Milwaukee Brewers, joined TexasSports.com to discuss the Longhorns, their upcoming game against Florida and the College World Series' move to TD Ameritrade Field. Peterson will join Dave O'Brien and Nomar Garciaparra on the call for Texas' College World Series opener against Florida (Saturday, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN).
On Texas baseball's position among the nation's elite programs
"I think it's right where it's been the last 10 years. When you think of the top teams in the country, it doesn't really matter what year it is. Texas is always going to be in there among the top five of them. It will always be in the running to get here. I don't think people realize how tough it is to get here and how impressive it is. I know that Augie (Garrido) has won it twice since he's been there - but just how impressive it is to get teams here with the regularity that he does.
"It's not just talent. There are plenty of talented teams across the country that don't make it here. What Augie's always done - and I saw this when I played against him and now I've seen it when we cover him - he has the ability to make guys play better than maybe they are sometimes. There's not a lot of coaches who can do that. He pushes a lot of buttons. He has a constant ability to make guys play better than they are. You combine it with the athletes that come out of Texas and it makes for a pretty good combination."
On Texas starting pitchers Taylor Jungmann and Cole Green
"They are two different guys. In Jungmann, you have a guy who, from a 'stuff' standpoint, is off the charts. We saw it as a freshman. You knew it was going to be there. You assume there is going to be growth, and the growth has really continued. I like tall guys who throw it down in the zone. When you can do that, you create so much more leverage when the ball is coming in, so it's tough for somebody to square the ball up. That's one thing Jungmann does pretty well.
"With Cole Green, he just knows how to pitch. What we've seen, specifically with the (new) bats and the way they are right now, you don't need to be the off-the-charts 'stuff' guy. You need to be the guy that can pitch. If you can move it in the zone a little bit, you can get some outs. Green was good before the (new) bats came in. It benefits a guy like that that's comfortable with the way they approach things and can move the ball around. You feel pretty good when you've got those guys as your 1-2 starters."
On Texas freshman closer Corey Knebel
"You never know what you've got in a freshman until you get him in a game, and that includes taking him through fall ball. Guys can look like the greatest thing you've ever seen coming out of their freshman fall season. But, until you put them in an actual game and the fans stand up and somebody is booing him on the road, you don't really know what you have. The amazing thing about him is he has pretty much had it going since the day they threw him out there, which doesn't happen very often.
"Usually, there's some kind of growth pattern for freshmen. That's what impresses me the most about Knebel. The 'stuff' is good, but there's more to just having good stuff to pitch at the end of a ball game. You've got to have the mentality and have a short memory when you come in, and you don't mind coming in with guys on second and third. I think that's what impresses me about every closer, but specifically when it's a freshman. There are certain roles you just don't see a lot of freshmen in, and closer is one of them. Catcher is another one of them. Those guys are in control in the most important parts of the game. I think it says a lot for the kid. The stuff's great, don't get me wrong, but just for the kid himself, it says enough that they have the confidence to put him in those situations."
On Saturday's Texas-Florida match-up
"Florida is a club that I've seen a fair amount (of times) this year. I think they're about as balanced as anybody out there. Offensively, they can swing it. They will show you some offensive numbers that you don't see from most teams. Mike Zunino has 16 or 17 home runs and Preston Tucker has 12 or 13 home runs. They've got some speed. It's a lineup that is put together pretty impressively top to bottom. There are not a lot of holes.
"Hudson Randall, on the mound, is a guy like Cole Green in that he gets the absolute most out of his stuff. He's not going to go out there and throw 95 or 96 (mph), but he'll throw 88-92, move it around and show any of four pitches at absolutely any time. He doesn't walk anybody. They've got a pretty deep bullpen. They're good. It's what you would expect when you get to this point of the season. They are going to be good. Texas will match up with anybody, though. Once you get here, if you have the right guy on the mound, which in Jungmann, clearly, you do, you're going to have a chance every night."
On how TD Ameritrade Field will play, compared to Rosenblatt Stadium
"I think it will play a little bigger. I did a Nebraska-Creighton game here earlier this year. The difference is home plate, essentially from where it was at Rosenblatt, has been pushed out to left field. It might not sound like that big of a difference. The difference is the prevailing wind, which at this time of year is going to come out of the south or the southwest. If the wind comes out of the south or southwest right now, it's going to blow in from right or it will blow from the right field foul pole to the left field foul pole.
"You don't know right away, with the bigger stadium around it, how the wind is going to play a factor. But, I think overall you're going to see it play a little bit bigger. The left-handed guy is going to have a lot harder time hitting the ball out to right field. The right-handers can ride some of the wind out to left if they get it between the alley and the foul pole. I want to see the guy that hits it out to center. If there are three or four of those this weekend, I'd be shocked."
On his perspective, as an Omaha native, in seeing the College World Series move from Rosenblatt Stadium to TD Ameritrade Field
"It just points to the growth we've had in the sport, and that piece is a good thing. With a place that has the history of Rosenblatt, you don't like to walk away. But at the same time, it was kind of time. The growth in this sport the last 15 years and the attention that it gets across the country during the regular season which just leads into this event….I think it calls for a setting like this.
"The nice thing from an Omaha standpoint is with this new stadium it means the College World Series stays in Omaha for 25 more years. That was one of the biggest things from the city's standpoint. They needed a commitment like that in order to float the bonds and build the stadium they did. I think it's going to be a great home. It's different. Clearly it's different. But, there will be plenty of memories that are made here, starting pretty quickly."
On the experience fans can expect at TD Ameritrade Field
"I think the fan experience was one of the biggest reasons they built it. The concourses are a lot wider, and it's easier to get to the bathrooms, the concessions are a lot closer. You can be standing at a concession stand and turn around and watch the game at the same time. Whereas, at Rosenblatt, if you went downstairs you would be able to watch it on television, but there was no chance you would see the game. So, that was a big thing.
"You do have the luxury boxes and suites from a corporate standpoint, and that's a big advantage. It's not going to have the 'Dingerville' and the 'roll-up-the-RV's' feeling that Rosenblatt did, which is too bad because that part of it was pretty cool. But, if you're bringing your kid here, and my kid's coming down today, there are a million things for your kid to do."
