The Alabama State baseball team will host Fan Appreciation Night Wednesday, February 13 at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
The free, family event begins at 5 p.m., with food, games and fun. Around 7 p.m., the Hornets will hold a brief scrimmage in advance of Friday's season opener vs. Chicago State.
“We're excited about the event,” head coach
Mervyl Melendez said. “We want to bring excitement to all Alabama State fans and the city of Montgomery about what is to be expected of our team and showcase our players before we start the season, and give them a preview of what ASU Baseball will be about in 2013. We're looking forward to fans coming to enjoy the activities that we have planned, but also to see our team perform and have our players excited about the fans that will be here throughout the year to watch us play.”
Alabama State completed week two of spring practice Sunday afternoon in the final of three weekend scrimmages.
“I thought it went pretty well,” Melendez said. “Our pitching staff made the necessary adjustments to be able to get ready for opening weekend. The hitters had been ahead of the pitchers after week one, but the pitchers came back very strong this week and learned more about they need to do to be successful.”
One of the unique challenges as a head coach in evaluating intra-squad scrimmages is balancing one unit out-performing the other. At times, pitchers dominate hitters, while at other times, the hitters get the best of their mound counterparts, all the while with the same goal of getting ready for the season.
“You want everyone to be competitive,” Melendez said of what he looks for in scrimmages. “Whether it's the home team or the visiting team, or the pitching or the hitting, you just want them to compete. For the hitters, it's taking good at-bats, and for the pitchers, it's making good pitches when the game is on the line and it matters the most. You want them to have a competitive edge at all times, regardless of who wins the battle, because you are still pulling for everyone at the same time.”
The Hornets open the 2013 season with a four-game home stand. Alabama State will host Chicago State Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., before hosting Mercer next Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.
