Quotes & Notes: Senne's Team

■ Walz makes change happen (CJOnline..com)

For the first eight innings of last Friday's 17-3 victory against Oklahoma State, Kansas pitcher TJ Walz had the best of both worlds.

When he wasn't holding the Cowboys hitless with a suddenly deadly changeup, Walz watched from the dugout as the Jayhawks piled on the runs.

"I was just happy that we were killing somebody after having it handed to us the last few games," Walz said.
. . .
For KU to solidify its position, Walz and his change must be effective. The only problem is no one, including Walz, will know how well the pitch will work until the game is under way. Against the Cowboys it took Walz until the middle innings to feel in control.

"In the pen I felt good, but it was after the third and fourth innings that I felt like I had good enough stuff to give our team a chance to win," Walz said.

■ Player gives up dream to become leader for Missouri baseball team (Columbia Missourian)

Had Senne left the team last season, the Tigers' lineup would have lost one of college baseball’s best hitters and a large group of young players would have been without Senne’s leadership. But by remaining in Missouri, this year's squad has become Senne’s team, according to coach Tim Jamieson.

“No question,” Jamieson said. “It has been since day one. He’s done a good job with keeping guys where they need to be.”
. . .
“I have a one in 30 chance of getting drafted by them again,” Senne said. “Do I want to play with the Twins? I really do. But for what it was worth, I wanted to come back this year. I love it here. I’m glad I made that decision.”

■ Nine Named To CoSIDA/ESPN Baseball Academic All-District Teams (Big12Sports.com)

Mizzou's Aaron Senne was named to the District 7 First Team

Nine Big 12 student-athletes have been named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Teams for baseball, the Academic All-America Committee announced.

Nominations and voting for the All-America programs are conducted by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. Three Academic All-District teams are chosen in each district, with those on the All-District first teams placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

■ Tigers are taking inconsistency to a new level (Columbia Tribune)

When a baseball team is having an up-and-down season, questions seeking a prediction for one game’s outcome are often met with a generic response: “Depends on which team shows up tonight.”

Around Taylor Stadium these days, “tonight” is too vague. The Missouri Tigers have to take it inning by inning.

Mizzou Baseball in the Minors

■ Zagone's misfortune (Frederick News Post)

Rick Zagone smiles, says all the right things and quietly wonders what his record might look like if the Frederick Keys produced one of their trademark big innings during one of his starts.
The Keys have produced at least a three-run inning in 20 of 26 games this season. But the clutch, run-scoring hits have been in short supply whenever Zagone pitches.

In the 31 2-3 innings he has thrown this season, the Keys have scored only 10 runs. It's one of the primary reasons Zagone is staring at a 0-3 record with three no-decisions after the Keys fell, 3-0, to the Winston-Salem Dash on Wednesday night at Harry Grove Stadium.

"Can't do anything about it. It's out of your control," he said. "Just got to go out and do your job."

Former Tigers

■ From TriValleyCentral.com:

Central Arizona College’s offense has been productive all season. Sam Lind , the co-Player of the Year in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, will start at shortstop and hit third in the lineup after posting a .404 batting average with five homers and a team-leading 57 RBIs during the regular season.

Nationally ranked Central Arizona has a 39-17 record. Lind let the team in hits and RBI's. Former Tiger Brian Carr also played on the team. His season was cut short by an non baseball related injury. Brian was 1-1, with 23 strike outs in 17 innings. Word is, Brian is returning to Missouri next season, his Junior year.

Mizzou Baseball FAQ

■ The SimmonsField.com FAQ, in the left-hand column, includes suggestions on where to eat, where to stay, what to do when you're in Columbia, MO. Our friends at RockMNation have been compiling a Guide to Columbia, including Best Wings, Best Semi-Upscale Dining, Best Breakfast, etc. They're not done yet, but it's worth a look.