GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH catcher Brian Bock hit .188 last season after improving from .250 to .271 as a sophomore.
Bock thinking less Brian Bock knows he has to produce at the plate. Otherwise, he will spend much of his senior season sitting in the Hawaii Rainbows dugout.
in effort to hit more
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comHis production behind the plate is not in question, but the only returning catcher on the UH roster cannot afford to come anywhere near the .188 batting average he posted a year ago. UH baseball coach Mike Trapasso has made that point very clear.
Prior to last season, the Bakersfield, Calif., resident hit .250 as a freshman and improved to .271 as a sophomore.
What went wrong last year?
"I tried to think about it during the summer. I cleared my head out a bit and realized I was thinking too much about my swing when I stepped into the box," Bock said. "I got myself into a fix before I even stepped into the box.
"The reason I kept playing was because I could play defense well. It was two different worlds for me. I could shut the offense out while I was on defense. I knew I had to do the job in defense because that's why I was out there."
The rebuilding of his swing, and more importantly his confidence, was a process that began last summer when Bock played for the Santa Barbara Foresters, and it continues under the guidance of UH assistant Brian Green.
"My coach at Santa Barbara, Bill Pintard, just talked with me, simplified some things and made me realize I was there to have fun. He told me to just go out and swing," Bock said.
Eventually he started to relax, got some hits and had his confidence returned. He hit about .300 in a wood-bat league. If he hits around .300 for the Rainbows, everyone would be happy.
Bock says Green takes each individual's strengths and weaknesses and combines them to make the player better.
"He doesn't say everyone has to do the same thing. He knows when to tell you something and when to leave you alone and let you think about things on your own," said Bock.
For much of his college career Bock has called his own game behind the plate. That will change to some extent this season. He is aware assistant Chad Konishi has been calling the pitches in the intrasquad games.
With the other three catchers on the team being freshmen, Trapasso feels it is best all four are handled the same, although some leeway is possible as the season progresses. Trapasso says Bock is above average defensively.
Assistant Keith Komeiji, who has taken charge of the catchers this year, agrees.
"Overall, after watching him last year, I thought he was one of the best catch-and-throw guys in our league. He has improved from last year," Komeiji said.
"He blocks balls in the dirt well, and when you talk about receiving it's all about how many strikes he can get for the pitcher. Brian is a senior, so we expect him to be a leader."
That is not a problem for Bock who, along with the pitcher, is involved in the most action.
"The players in the field look at the catcher. You can set the tone and the pace by having energy," Bock said.
Bock chose Hawaii over San Francisco, St. Mary's, Cal State Northridge and Tulane.
"UH was my first visit. I had the best offer from here and it seemed right. The first year I felt like it was a little far from home, but looking back this is the right place," said Bock, who is majoring in communications and will graduate next spring.
When Bock came here as a freshman, he was ready to stay and play for four years. Admittedly, Bock had thoughts about performing well enough to be drafted after his junior season. That possibility disappeared as fast as his batting average dropped last season.
But he is upbeat and ready for his final season of collegiate ball.
"I'm just going to go out there and have fun. I want the team to win a WAC championship and hopefully I can help," said Bock.
"As far as getting drafted and all that, I'm just going to let it take care of itself. There is no sense worrying about it."
When: Tonight and tomorrow, 6:35 p.m.; Sunday, 1:05 p.m. Rainbow Baseball
Where: Murakami Stadium
TV: Live, KFVE, Channel 5
Radio: Live, KKEA, 1420-AM
Tickets: $6 Orange, Blue levels. $5 Red level. $4 Seniors, children age 4-18, UH students in the Red level.
Parking: $3
Probable starting pitchers
UCLA (2-2)
W-L ERA K LHP Wes Whistler (So.) 0-1 6.35 5 LHP Mike Kunes (Sr.) 1-0 1.80 2 RHP Casey Janssen (Jr.) 0-0 9.64 10
Hawaii (0-0)
The Rainbow starters have not been named. Right-handers Chris George, Colby Summer and Ricky Bauer and left-hander Justin Cayetano are in the running. The order will be determined prior to the first game.Notes: The Rainbows and Bruins have played 52 games in a series that began in 1974. UH holds a 29-23 lead. ... This is the 10th consecutive year UCLA coach Gary Adams has brought the Bruins to Murakami Stadium. ... Adams is in his 29th season guiding the Bruins and has a career record of 1,112-832-12. ... This is Hawaii's 73rd season sponsoring a baseball team, the 33rd at the NCAA Division I level.
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