May 13, 2003

Question from Cleo Dan: How can I become a better softball pitcher? I practice, but it's hard to throw strikes. Is there a book or video that I can learn from.

A: My first recommendation would be to check out Club K with Cheri Kempf in Tennessee. The website address is www.clubk.com. You can also try pitching tapes by Michelle Smith or Ernie Parker. In terms of becoming a better pitcher, the old adage of "practice, practice, and more practice" still applies. Another good way is to watch a lot of baseball and pay particular attention to what the announcers may be saying about pitch locations and what pitchers are trying to accomplish along those lines. Good Luck.

Question from Michael Lewis: Which of the six teams going to the A-Sun Tournament scares you the most?

A: Well, I don't really think any of them really scare me. However, I do think Stetson has the best pitching staff and Mercer has the best hitting.

Question from Dale Mulberry: How do you feel about your chances heading to the NCAA Regional in Gainesville?

A: I like our chances going in due in large part to the way the team has played down the stretch. We've won 16 of our last 18 games, and we are a totally different team than we were at the beginning of the season. With all of the injuries we had early on, it's nice to be at full strength for the first time.

Question from Kylie Boles: This year, each Regional has eight teams instead of six. What effect will that have?

A: There's really no effect to that. You still need to win the same number of games to advance to the World Series. If anything, it affects a team that falls into the losers' bracket because you'll have to win more games to climb out.

Question from J.L. Wyles: Were you surprised at the second-place finish of your golf team at the conference championship?

A: I wasn't at all. I really expected them to do exactly what they ended up doing. I thought we had a great chance to win the tournament, but it just happened Georgia State played a little bit better than we did.