hardball drills

[kramer]

Pitching coach Bingham ready for fall drills

 

BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star

Monday, Sep 19, 2005 - 12:27:33 am CDT

 

Nebraska pitchers Brett Jensen (left) and Phil Shirek (right) watch the final moments of Nebraska's loss to Florida during the 2005 College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha on Sunday, June 19. (Krista Niles)

 

New pitching coach, same attacking attitude. Dave Bingham — hired this summer when Rob Childress took over Texas A&M’s baseball program following eight successful seasons guiding the Nebraska pitchers — promises that Husker baseball fans will be challenged to tell much difference in how things look on the mound.

 

“What Rob was doing was very sound in college baseball,” Bingham said. “If you went to all the great programs in the country, the pitching approach would not be a heck of a lot different from any one or the other, because there’s just certain things you have to do to be good at it — and they were.

 

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. This is just (going to be) trying to tweak little things, trying to pull it all together.”

 

The 56-year-old Bingham has been a head coach for 22 of the 23 years he’s been in the college game. Before spending last season as New Mexico’s pitching coach, he steered the Kansas program for eight years and took the Jayhawks to their only two NCAA regional appearances and the 1993 College World Series. He also spent 14 seasons at Emporia State, where his 1978 club won the NAIA national title.

 

Nebraska’s fall practice begins today, and Bingham has a lot of ground to cover. Joba Chamberlain and Johnny Dorn — the Huskers’ top two starters who were a combined 22-4 for the Huskers’ 57-15, College World Series participant last season — are skipping the drill while resting and rehabilitating elbow ailments.

 

Bingham knows all about that pair’s talents, though, and says they’re throwing on the side. He also has seen plenty of returning closer Brett Jensen, who saved a school-record 16 games in 2005, and has big plans for left-handed sophomore starter Tony Watson (6-1, 2.16 earned-run average last year).

 

For now, most of his time will be occupied looking at a staff that includes seven newcomers and four redshirt freshmen. Bingham singled out two players in the latter category, righthanders Charlie Shirek and Tim Radmacher. Shirek recently was selected by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Northwoods League after going 9-2 with a 1.69 ERA this summer. Radmacher also made the Northwoods League post-season all-star team.

 

Shirek and Radmacher will be among those competing to replace departed draft picks Brian Duensing and Zach Kroenke, who combined to go 15-2 last season.

 

“This is going to be a time of evaluation. We’re not really establishing roles with guys right now,” Bingham said. “We know that Brett Jensen is probably going to be a reliever. And we’re going to try to find some others to go along with him. Then, we’ll try to set up some of our starters, figure out who can do what and what the range is on each kid.

 

“It’s so short, the fall. We get 10, 12 innings to see a guy pitch and it’s hard to make that kind of evaluation. But the kids need to understand that that’s where decisions are going to be made. We’re going to

 

n Bingham

 

 

 

have a feel on you, so you’d better be ready.”

 

Like they did under Childress, the Huskers will rely on power breaking pitches, particularly the slider. Bingham, though, admits he’s a little more into velocity, and said if his catchers display an ability and desire to call pitches, he’ll turn games over to them.

 

That may or may not happen in 2006.

 

Except for last season, Bingham has always been a head coach, and “early on, I found for me to be successful I had to be very experienced and very much in control of a pitching staff,” he said.

 

Already, NU coach Mike Anderson likes what he sees.

 

“The training’s different,” Anderson said of Bingham’s teaching method. “I’m saying this, and it’s not a knock — but we’ve had seven or eight big-league guys come out of this program that are position players. We’ve had zero that have come out as pitchers, and it is our job to enhance this program, to make them great college pitchers and have them have the opportunity to advance in professional baseball.

 

“I think the training and the things that Dave’s doing is going to do that.“

 

For example, Nebraska pitchers will spend more time throwing long toss in between starts, because some Major League organizations believe that helps in development.

 

But NU fans aren’t likely to notice such subtleties.

 

“We’re going to look a lot the same,” Bingham said.

 

Briefly

 

Outfielder Andy Gerch — who hit a three-run home run to give the Huskers a ninth-inning lead in last year’s third College World Series game that they eventually lost in extra innings to Arizona State — will miss fall practice while recovering from shoulder surgery that was required after he tore his labrum playing this summer.