STILLWATER – Whenever a season starts you will often hear athletes, professional, college, high school, and little league talk about getting in rhythm, getting comfortable. Comfortable can also be a synonym for confidence. Baseball is perhaps, the sport where that progression is needed more than any other. It doesn’t matter if you are in the batter’s box trying to hit or on the mound trying to throw strikes and get hitters out. Have you ever seen the movie “Moneyball”? Oakland first baseman Scott Hatteberg is trying to convert from catcher to first base. Veteran Major Leaguer Dave Justice is standing with him in the player’s lounge eating cereal.
Dave Justice: How you likin' first base, man?
Scott Hatteberg: It's, uh... it's coming along. Picking it up. You know, tough transition, but I'm starting to feel better with it.
Justice: What's your biggest fear?
Hatteberg: A baseball being hit in my general direction.
(Hatteberg and Justice both laugh)
Justice: That's funny. Seriously, what is it?
Hatteberg: No, seriously, that is.
Hatteberg walks off, kind of embarrassed. Justice yells “Well, good luck with that.”
Confidence means everything. Gabe Davis is in his junior season pitching for the Cowboys. The 6-9, 234 pound flaming fastball thrower is being pointed toward weekend duty and, hopefully, the kind of season that an ace has for his team. He’s added a change-up that with his velocity could really screw hitters into the ground. He also has a slider that can be really effective and he thorws a cutter and curveball.
Davis got his first outing this season with the start against Clemson in Arlington and the season opener in Globe Life Field. He threw four-and-a-third innings allowing three runs on three hits with three walks and six strike outs. He also hit a batter. Two of the three hits he allowed were doubles.
He came back and got an inning on Sunday in the 19-4 win over Texas-Arlington. Davis did not allow a run, gave up a single, and had one strike out.
Very early, but working toward confidence.
"I thought it was a good first outing, very solid," Holliday said after the first stint against Clemson. "A thing or two could have gone differently, (but) it didn't. That's baseball. That's competition. That's why he handled it well. We just kept right on going, and (that's) a great sign for him.”
“I would say that I definitely had some issues with being confident on the mound, trusting my stuff and believing in myself,” Davis admitted before the start of the season on media day. “But after this summer and proving what I can do, I feel like I’m in a good spot. And I feel like (I need to) take that confidence and build on it.”
This summer, yes, Davis had a good summer wearing different colors. He wore the red, white, and blue of Team USA.
“I think’s he's got a chance to be fantastic,” Holliday said before the season. “I believe in Gabe, and I love the story and how much he’s grown since he’s been here. I think what you’re always trying to do is figure out that ideal rhythm as to how they best perform and how they bounce back.”
Pitching coach Rob Walton has infused all the knowledge and savvy he can into Davis. He will likely get a big shot for a huge injection on Friday with a start against Tennessee. If not the Vols, then maybe he is held for the No. 1 Texas Aggies on Saturday. Either way this weekend in Texas could trump the first one and bevery important for this season.
“Honestly, it’s just about trying to hammer my mechanics and making sure that I’m staying consistent and making sure my release is always the same,” Davis added.
Keep it simple and keep it strong down in Houston.
