Baseball Begins Fall Practice on Sept. 27
9/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 24, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team begins a new era on Sept. 27, as head coach Todd Whitting begins the fall practice schedule with his program.
Whitting and the Cougars will take to the field at 8:30 a.m., for the first practice in a schedule that will last through Nov. 10. With a new coaching staff in place, Whitting says the fall will be comprised of a two-part system. The first part will be to put the new system in place and the second will be to evaluate the team.
"This fall we are going to bear down and evaluate every player on the team at this point to see where all of the pieces go together," Whitting said. "The next part of the process will be to put our systems in place. It is one thing to execute these things in practice but being in a game environment in completely different. The pace of practice will pick up once we start intersquad scrimmages. They will be put to the test."
The team will spend five days a week on the field, in addition to work in the weight room. The schedule will also be adjusted in the event of inclement weather.
With just over a month to spend with his team in the fall, Whitting says that a successful fall will result if his team is healthy and everyone is on the same page.
"This is a good time for us to evaluate the players, but the main thing is staying healthy through it and getting everyone on the same page," Whitting said.
"With a new staff the terminology is different and the way we play the game will be a little bit different. The guys have to understand that each day we go out there we are going to play hard. You don't have to come to practice and you don't have to play baseball; you get to play baseball at the University of Houston. We want to coach every day that they get to play baseball here and it is a huge honor to play in the program. We are excited about what lays ahead."
Houston will return 19 letterwinners, including 12 position players and seven pitchers from last year's team. The Cougars will also welcome 10 newcomers to the roster this season.
Whitting begins his first season as head coach of the baseball team. He comes to Houston after spending the last seven seasons at TCU. Prior to his stint with the Horned Frogs, Whitting served on the UH staff from 1995-2003.
UH opens the 2011 regular season on Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. against UT Arlington at Cougar Field. The weekend series will continue on Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. and conclude on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m.