Post by elp525 on Mar 29, 2011 5:29:34 GMT -5
March 28, 2011
Former Hoover standout starting at short, batting cleanup for Mountaineers
By Mike Whiteford
The Charleston Gazette
Fortunately for the West Virginia baseball team, Grant Buckner once played shortstop for Herbert Hoover High School.
When the Mountaineers face Morehead State at 6 p.m. today at Appalachian Power Park, Buckner will be playing not far from his Elkview home and will be handling his old high school position.
Buckner, a senior who played third base for the Mountaineers last year, has taken over for shortstop Jedd Gyorko, a first-team All-America selection last year who was drafted by the Padres in the second round last June.
Initially, Gyorko's departure left a troublesome void in the Mountaineer lineup.
"When Jedd got drafted last year,'' said WVU coach Greg Van Zant, "it left a big hole at shortstop, and we were really concerned about that position. With Jedd at short, it had been hard to recruit a shortstop because kids knew they weren't going to be playing that position with him here. This year, we brought in two high school shortstops, but neither one was ready to play. But [Buckner] stepped in in the fall and did nice job.''
Buckner has not only handled the shortstop duties but bats cleanup and, as a preseason All-Big East selection, is hitting .309 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Last year, he was second on the team with a .363 batting average with eight homers and 50 RBIs.
Buckner delivers more than just good numbers, said Van Zant.
"Without him out there,'' said the WVU coach, "we wouldn't have the same team we have right now. He has every intangible going for him. Some players have ability but not the intangibles. But he has ability, brains, attitude, work ethic, desire - all the intangibles. And he's very humble and lets his actions speak for themselves.''
After opening the Big East season with a successful road trip to South Florida, the Mountaineers are 16-10 and 2-1 in the Big East.
"Our guys are playing hard, and they're doing the two things we really preach - preparation and effort,'' said Van Zant. "We've had good preparation and pretty good effort, and that's all I'm asking for.''
BRIEFLY: In last year's game in Charleston, WVU's Matt Frazer, a Nitro graduate, homered to help the Mountaineers to a come-from-behind 13-11 victory over Eastern Kentucky. It drew a paid crowd of 1,259. ... "They have an unbelievable park down there,'' said Van Zant, a Williamson native. "It's extremely well run and nicely manicured. We really enjoy playing in the southern part of the state so more Mountaineer fans can see us play a baseball game.'' ... The Mountaineers, who won two of three at South Florida over the weekend, will resume conference play with three games at Louisville Friday, Saturday and Sunday. ... Tickets purchased the day of the game are $6 for general admission and $8 for box seats.
Former Hoover standout starting at short, batting cleanup for Mountaineers
By Mike Whiteford
The Charleston Gazette
Fortunately for the West Virginia baseball team, Grant Buckner once played shortstop for Herbert Hoover High School.
When the Mountaineers face Morehead State at 6 p.m. today at Appalachian Power Park, Buckner will be playing not far from his Elkview home and will be handling his old high school position.
Buckner, a senior who played third base for the Mountaineers last year, has taken over for shortstop Jedd Gyorko, a first-team All-America selection last year who was drafted by the Padres in the second round last June.
Initially, Gyorko's departure left a troublesome void in the Mountaineer lineup.
"When Jedd got drafted last year,'' said WVU coach Greg Van Zant, "it left a big hole at shortstop, and we were really concerned about that position. With Jedd at short, it had been hard to recruit a shortstop because kids knew they weren't going to be playing that position with him here. This year, we brought in two high school shortstops, but neither one was ready to play. But [Buckner] stepped in in the fall and did nice job.''
Buckner has not only handled the shortstop duties but bats cleanup and, as a preseason All-Big East selection, is hitting .309 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Last year, he was second on the team with a .363 batting average with eight homers and 50 RBIs.
Buckner delivers more than just good numbers, said Van Zant.
"Without him out there,'' said the WVU coach, "we wouldn't have the same team we have right now. He has every intangible going for him. Some players have ability but not the intangibles. But he has ability, brains, attitude, work ethic, desire - all the intangibles. And he's very humble and lets his actions speak for themselves.''
After opening the Big East season with a successful road trip to South Florida, the Mountaineers are 16-10 and 2-1 in the Big East.
"Our guys are playing hard, and they're doing the two things we really preach - preparation and effort,'' said Van Zant. "We've had good preparation and pretty good effort, and that's all I'm asking for.''
BRIEFLY: In last year's game in Charleston, WVU's Matt Frazer, a Nitro graduate, homered to help the Mountaineers to a come-from-behind 13-11 victory over Eastern Kentucky. It drew a paid crowd of 1,259. ... "They have an unbelievable park down there,'' said Van Zant, a Williamson native. "It's extremely well run and nicely manicured. We really enjoy playing in the southern part of the state so more Mountaineer fans can see us play a baseball game.'' ... The Mountaineers, who won two of three at South Florida over the weekend, will resume conference play with three games at Louisville Friday, Saturday and Sunday. ... Tickets purchased the day of the game are $6 for general admission and $8 for box seats.
