Tulsa World Articles 6/8/2006

[praetorfenix86]

Baseball and bloodlines

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

6/8/2006

Andy Bouchie and Brendan Duffy of ORU have relatives who've hit the majors.

Most college baseball players have to use their imagination when they dream about playing in the major leagues.

Oral Roberts, though, has two starters who need only pick up the phone.

Right fielder Brendan Duffy's older brother Chris was the starting center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the beginning of the 2006 season. And catcher Andy Bouchie's second cousin is retired Gold Glove and All-Star third baseman Matt Williams.

"That's always been my driving force," said Bouchie. "I want to be like my cousin."

Bouchie and Duffy have been the driving force behind ORU's offensive success this season. The Golden Eagles are 41-14 and on their way to their first-ever super regional this weekend at No. 1 national seed Clemson. ORU went 3-0 at the Fayetteville Regional last week, beating top-seeded Oklahoma State twice and host Arkansas.

Going unbeaten was unexpected, but not unlikely. ORU went 8-0 this year against the Cowboys, Razorbacks and Wichita State.

And since ORU started the season 10-11, both Bouchie and Duffy have had similar offensive numbers.

Bouchie leads the team with a .377 average, Duffy is second at .363. Each is batting .417 since the March 28 turnaround date. Both players went 3-for-5 in Sunday's championship game against OSU.

"Bouchie gets on streaks where he's really hot," said ORU head coach Rob Walton. "Duffy's been our most consistent player throughout the whole season."

Bouchie's dream to follow his cousin's path got a significant boost on Tuesday when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Milwaukee Brewers. Duffy was not drafted.

Bouchie transferred to ORU from Riverside (Calif.) Community College. Growing up in talent-rich Riverside, Bouchie said having a major leaguer in the family helped keep his eyes on the prize. Of the group of friends he hung out with, one was a first-round draft pick, one is an NAIA All-American, one is the starting first baseman at USC and one is the closer at Arizona State.

"Instead of going out to parties or something, we'd go, 'Hey, let's go down to the field, turn on the lights and hit,' " Bouchie said. " 'Forget all that stuff. There'll be plenty of time for that when we're older. Let's have fun now and play baseball, because that's what we love to do.' "

Walton said he recruited Bouchie as a defensive star behind the plate. His batting average was OK, but in two seasons (56 games) at River side, Bouchie had just five home runs and 33 RBIs. This year, however, under the guidance of hitting coach Ryan Folmar, Bouchie has developed power. He's tied for the team lead with 12 home runs, ranks second with 53 RBIs and 16 doubles, and his slugging percentage of .623 is a team best.

"I was pretty strong last year but I had no power," Bouchie said. "Coming here, coach Folmar helped me stay on my legs more and use more of my body, rather than just using my hands."

Bouchie said he graduated high school weighing 165 pounds. He's now close to 210.

Duffy is slighter, 175 pounds, perfect for a speedy leadoff hitter.

"Duffy's as consistent a guy as we've had. He hits left-handers the same he hits right-handers," said Walton. "He's a lot like Doug Dascenzo, my roommate in college (at Oklahoma State). He's a good runner, savvy runner, he's always on base. Walk a hundred times, score a hundred runs. Duff's a lot like him."

Duffy leads the team with 65 runs and 14 stolen bases, and also ranks first in walks (36) and hit-by-pitches (15).

"I just try to get on base and score runs as much as possible," Duffy said. "That's my job as leadoff."

Consistency, he said, is a trait he learned from his brother. It's also a trait that got his brother to the majors after only one year at Arizona State and three years in the minor leagues.

"That's the good thing about baseball," Duffy said. "You have one bad game, you play the next day."

Walton said he doesn't go searching for prospects with a big league bloodline.

"But it'll make you feel better," he said, "because the history's there, for sure."

Can having that role model as a member of the family keep a player focused in the mundane, day-to-day routine of a five-month college baseball season and beyond?

"I think it does, yeah," Duffy said. "I would love to do the same thing that my brother has done. Achieve your dreams, you know?"

[praetorfenix86]

Tigers coach says he is wary of ORU

By GREG TEPPER World Sports Writer

6/8/2006

Despite its low seeding and small conference status, Oral Roberts is not a team Clemson head baseball coach Jack Leggett will take lightly entering the super regional matchup Friday.

"Absolutely they are a team we are worried about," Leggett said. "Anytime a team goes through Arkansas and Oklahoma State in their regional, and beats Arkansas on their own field, you worry about them."

Leggett, in his 13th season coaching the Tigers, is familiar with ORU, having knocked the Golden Eagles out of the NCAA Tournament's regional round last year. His familiarity with the program is why he is wary.

"They have some tremendous pitching, and every starter is hitting above .300," Leggett said. "Plus, they've won what, 31 of their last 34 games? So they're coming in hot."

Clemson, ranked fifth in the latest Baseball America poll, finished the regular season 47-14 and won the ACC tournament. They dominated the Clem son Regional, going 3-0 against North Carolina-Asheville, Elon and Mississippi State.

Oral Roberts is 41-14 and won the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament for the ninth straight year.

The third seed in the Fayetteville, Ark. Regional, the Golden Eagles beat No. 21 Arkansas in its own stadium, and defeating No. 20 Oklahoma State twice to advance to the super regional round for the first time since 1978.

Oral Roberts will be forced to play on Clemson's home field, as the Tigers were rewarded by being named a regional host site.

However, Leggett said it may not matter where they play.

"I hope we have a home-field advantage," Leggett said. "We'll find out. But they're not just going to lay down because they have to travel. We have to play like we can."