Up & Coming Weekly

Professional Feel at “The Swamp” by ADAM YOUNG When the 27 players from all across the nation come to Fayetteville for their 56-game season with the SwampDogs during the summer, often times their big- gest challenge isn’t the change of scenery, but instead the change from aluminum bats to wood bats. Offering top-notch collegiate players from around the nation the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats, the SwampDogs give the players the chance to play all summer long with wood bats. Having used aluminum bats their whole lives, includ- Salute to the Skipper & Thirsty Thursday! Free bucket hat to the first 500 fans 21+ courtesy of Healy Wholesale & Coors Light. FIREWORKS!!! The most amazing 3-D fireworks show you have ever seen, sponsored by Hendrick Chrysler Jeep & Dogwood Capital Management. Faith & Family Night and TWC 2 for Tuesday! Join the SwampDogs for fellowship and fun & get 2 for 1 GA tickets and hotdogs courtesy of Time Warner Cable. ing while playing during the collegiate school season, play- ers often struggle, especially early on with the switch. “It’s a good opportunity to get a feel for what the wood bat feels like,” said SwampDogs first baseman Corey LeVier, who plays his college baseball at San Diego. “It’s certainly more challenging, but also rewarding when you have success with the wood bat.” While the players are in transition, fans get to watch players grow right SwampDogs infielder Corey LeVier. Picture courtesy of Patrick Grecinger. before their eyes. The summer experience with the wood bat helps the players get a feel for the style of bat they would be using if they are fortunate enough to play professional baseball after college. Meanwhile, it gives professional scouts the chance to see how the players handle the switch. “Scouts can come to a game and see if a player can handle the wood bat successfully,” said SwampDogs head coach Darrell Handelsman. “It’s very important they get this experience so they can show scouts that they can play at that next level.” Just because a certain player struggles with the change, doesn’t necessar- ily mean they have can’t have success at the next level. Former SwampDog and current Arizona Diamondback, Mark Reynolds, batted just .196 for the SwampDogs in 2003 with the wooden bat. Reynolds has gone on to be one of the top third-baseman in the National League at the moment. “I think the biggest thing is knowing that you don’t have to change your swing,” said the California native LeVier. “It’s still the same swing; the ball just might not go as far.” Fans that come out to “The Swamp” this summer will have the chance to watch these top-notch collegiate players grow right before their eyes. Some will succeed and some will struggle, but in the end it is the learning process that is most important. Each player has the same goal in mind, and that’s to play pro- fessional baseball. In order to get there, they realize there will be some highs and lows. “Players can’t get frustrated when they are going through the change,” Handelsman said. “They have to realize it takes some time to adjust.” At J.P. Riddle Stadium this summer, you won’t hear the sound of aluminum, but instead you will hear the crack of the bat. The same sound that you here in Professional baseball is heard In Fayetteville dur- ing the summer months. The players don’t have professional contracts and don’t get paid, but taking in a SwampDogs game during the summer still has that professional baseball feel. ADAM YOUNG, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com Call 484-6200 Wher i     s FUN       18 UCW JUNE 30-JULY 6, 2010  WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM    e Baseball

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