Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 48

10D The Clarion-Ledger Jackson Daily News Sunday, April 2, 1989 JaiiEIMs Swisher alarm stGne -Jhk ilk New manager hopes hard work, pitching and defense will overcome a lack of power hitting. By Joe Powell Staff Writer Yl VI Scott BoydThe Clarion-Ledger Jackson Daily News Jackson manager Steve Swisher (right) helps with infield practice while pitching coach Bob Apodaca hits fungoes at Port St. Lucie, Fla. a sensation in the New York and Class AAA Tidewater (Va.) camps this spring, will start. "He's an outstanding looking prospect.

He has a strong arm and is highly polished behind the plate," Swisher said. "Like a lot of catchers, he needs work offensively." Liddell hit .329 for Reno, a co-op club in the California League, and .248 for Port St. Lucie. Chris Jelic, struggling to keep his "prospect" label after shoulder surgery and a .209 batting average here last year, will start the season on the disabled list. "I know he's a competitor," Swisher said.

Gilberto Roca, formerly with the Pittsburgh organization, will back up Liddell. Billy Stevenson, a left-handed hitter who had 16 home runs at Wichita, will start at first base. Juan Villanueva, who hit .270 as Port St. Lucie's shortstop, is being converted to second base. "He's got good range, and he's getting use to the double play," Swisher said.

"We want him to be a blue-collar guy." The shortstop job belongs to Tim Bogar, who hit .282 at Columbia, S.C., and .275 at Port St. Lucie. "He has proven to be a quality guy, a pro in every sense of the word," Swisher said. Craig Repoz, the son of former New York Yankee and California Angel outfielder Roger Repoz, will start at third base. He hit .256 at Port St.

Lucie. Said Swisher: "This young man has a lot of talent. There is a question as far as hitting, but I really feel he'll get the job done." Mike DeButch, who was traded to Jackson from Wichita last July, and Manny Salinas will fill utility roles. The latter hit .245 here with a team-high 51 RBIs. Center field is a bright spot with Chuck Carr, who was acquired from the Seattle organization in the off-season.

The switch-hitter stole a combined 62 bases for Wausau (Wis.) in the Midwest League and Vermont in the Eastern League. "This kid is only 20 years old. He gets down to first base in 3.8 or 3.9 seconds," Swisher said. "We want him to bunt and keep the ball out of the air. He'll be our lead- Having heard the crow of the rooster at Port St.

Lucie, the Jackson Mets are eager to claw their way into Texas League title contention. Mets first-year manager Steve Swisher explains why his troops began their spring-training workday at 7:45 a.m.: "Our players needed to know that to get anything in life you need to make sacrifices, but the main reason was to develop camaraderie. You have to have that closeness and respect for one another. "We'd lift weights one day and take a run for fun through the woods the next. Guys were loosening up.

I think we got a lot accomplished." Swisher takes over a team which finished last in both halves of the Eastern Division pennant race, scored the fewest runs in the league and never reached .500 during 1988. "We're ready to compete. I'm optimistic but realistic," he said. "We're going to have to do a lot of extra things on We don't have the power to wait for it to happen. "Pitching will be a strong point.

We've got to play good defense. We don't have much margin for mistakes." The Mets open their 15th season Friday night at Smith-Wills Stadium against defending champion Tulsa. They play host to Mississippi State Thursday night in an exhibition game. Twelve players, or more than half of the Mets' 23-man roster, contributed to Class A Port St. Lucie's Florida State League championship last year.

"Anytime you have a taste of winning, there's a carryover," said Swisher, who managed in the Cleveland Indians' organization the last four seasons. "I'm more concerned about the guys who were at Jackson last year. We don't want any dead weight." Swisher is a former catcher, and the position should be a strong point. Steve Liddell, off man." Left-handed hitting Angelo Cuevas, who hit .296 with 8 homers and 42 RBIs here last year, will start in either right or left field. Johnny Monell (.283 at Port St.

Lucie), Zoilo Sanchez (.287 at Port St. Lucie, .227 at Jackson) and Jovon Edwards (.158 at Port St. Lucie) are the other outfielders. The Mets' starting rotation will be composed of Port St. Lucie alums Chris Rauth, Greg Talamantez and Kip Gross and former Minnesota Twin farmhands Jeff Bum-garner and Toby Nivens.

"They're all right-handers, and they have a lot of similarities," Swisher said. "They're aggressive and pitch ahead in the count. You'll see fastballs, sliders and change-ups. "Even if they don't have their best stuff, they'll keep you in the game." Gross owns the best set of statistics with a 13-9 record, 2.62 earned run average and 124 strikeouts. Talamantez was also 13-9 and Rauth 12-9.

Left-handers Brian Givens and Kevin Brown figured to be the Nos. 1 and 2 starters, but they will begin the year on the dis abled list. Givens led the Texas League with 156 strikeouts and was 6-14 with a 3.78 ERA. Brown was 5-7 at Port St. Lucie with a 1.81 ERA and 113 strikeouts.

Givens is recovering from off-season elbow surgery, and Brown developed a tender arm last week. Todd Welborn, who was 0-11 with 10 saves and a 6.00 ERA, returns for another go at short relief. His moving fastball and hard slider are rated major-league quality. He overpowered hitters on three levels in 1987 before succumbing to wildness in 1988. David Trautwein (11 saves, 3.44 ERA at Port St.

Lucie) and left-hander Gus Mei-zoso (8-2, 1 1 saves, 2.48 ERA at Port St. Lucie) have won spots as short relievers. Left-hander Virgil Conley and Pete Bauer round out the staff. Bob Apodaca is beginning his second tour of duty as Jackson's pitching coach. The Mets' lack of power cannot be overstated.

"I don't want to see guys swinging for the fence, because it's just not there," Swisher said. "Our first baseman, Cuevas and San chez are the only guys who've shown any power." He rates Carr, Liddell and Bogar the best prospects on his active roster. He said Rauth and Gross were the most impressive in spring training. The 37-year-old Ohio University graduate likes to tell his players that success comes before work only in the dictionary. "Our goal is to be the best," he said.

"We'll work to get better. We've got a long way to go." All games, home and away, will be broadcast over WJDX (620 AM) with Bill Walberg handling play-by-play duties. All Monday through Saturday games at Smith-Wills Stadium begin at 7 p.m. Sunday games begin at 2 p.m. in April and May and 6 p.m.

the rest of the season. Ticket prices are as follows: Box seats $4.50, reserved $4, adult general admission $3.50, studentssenior citizens $2.50, group general admission $1.50 and children under 6 free. For more information, call the Mets' office at 981-4664. JaxMets' schedule With or without sword, Sanchez must cut mustard Switch to outf ield gives Dominican hope in third attempt to make grade with Jackson Mets. By Joe Powell Staff Writer April 6 Mississippi State (exhibition); 7-11 Tulsa; 12-16 Shreveport; 17-21 at Tulsa; 22-26 Arkansas; 27-30 at Shreveport.

May 1 at Shreveport; 2-6 at Arkansas; 8-12 Wichita; 13-17 San Antonio; 19-23 at Wichita; 24-28 at San Antonio; 29-31 Tulsa. June 1-3 Tulsa; 5-10 Shreveport; 12-15 at Arkansas; 16 at Arkansas (2); 17-22 at Shreveport; 23-28 Arkansas; 29-30 at Tulsa. July 1-4 at Tulsa; 6-10 Midland; 1 1-15 El Paso; 17 Texas League All-Star Game at San Antonio; 19-23 at Midland; 24-28 at El Paso; 30-31 Tulsa. August 1-3 Tulsa; 4-8 at Shreveport; 9-11 at Arkansas; 12 at Arkansas (2); 14-18 Shreveport; 19-23 Arkansas; 24-28 at Tulsa. After two disappointing seasons here, the Jackson Mets' Zoilo Sanchez will remove his mask.

With the mask he was an erratic-fielding third baseman and strikeout-prone hitter. Unhappy with his playing. ii' 1 i 1989 Jackson Mets Roster' Pitchers B-T Ht. Wt. Birthplace '88 Club W-L ERA BB SO Pete Bauer R-R 6-4 205 St.

Paul, Minn. Columbia, 4-5 3.71 23 55 Kevin Brown L-L 6-1 172 Oroville, Calif. St. Lucie 5-7 1.81 37 113 Jackson 1-2 2.20 11 24 Jeff Bumgarner R-R 6-6 205 Spokane. Wash.

Portland 2-3 7.71 32 17 Orlando 3-11 3.84 56 68 Virgil Conley L-L 6-1 170 Fort Worth, Texas Jackson 5-4 3.95 32 58 Tidewater 0-1 5 40 2 3 Brian Givens" R-L 6-5 220 Lompoc, Calif. Jackson 6-14 3.78 68 156 KipGross R-R 6-1 190 Scottsbluff, Neb. St.Lucie 13-9 2.62 53 124 GusMeizoso L-L 6-2 190 Havana, Cuba St.Lucie 8-2 2.48 26 52 Toby Nivens R-R 6-0 180 Palestine, Texas Orlando 7-7 3.82 44 77 Chris Rauth R-R 6-1 175 N. Towanda, N.Y. St.Lucie 12-9 3.18 25 79 G.

Talamantez R-R 6-2 215 Idaho Falls, Idaho St. Lucie 13-9 2.64 62 110 Dave Trautwein R-R 6-5 210 Lynn, Mass. St.Lucie 1-5 3.44 25 45 'Todd Welborn R-R 6-2 205 Greensboro, N.C. Jackson 0-11 6.00 63 63 Catchers B-T Ht. Wt.

Birthplace '88 Club Avg HR RBI Chris Jelic" R-R 5-1 1 180 Bethlehem, Pa. Jackson .209 4 25 Dave Liddell R-R 5-1 1 190 Los Angeles Reno .329 0 12 St.Lucie .248 1 13 Gilberto Roca R-R 6-0 195 Maturin, Venezuela Harrisburg .159 1 7 Salem .036 0 1 Miami .341 2 21 Infielders B-T Ht. Wt. Birthplace '88 Club Avg HR RBI Tim Bogar R-R 6-1 190 Indianapolis Columbia .282 3 21 St.Lucie .275 2 30 Mike DeButch R-R 5-10 165 Chicago Heights, III. Wichita .252 2 15 Jackson .219 0 15 Craig Repoz R-R 6-3 170 Bellingham, Wash.

St.Lucie .256 1 33 Manny Salinas L-R 6-0 175 San Antonio, Texas Jackson .245 1 51 Bill Stevenson L-R 6-0 170 Sacramento, Calif. Wichita .252 16 54 Juan Villanueva R-R 6-0 160 Santo Domingo, D. R. St. Lucie .270 1 31 Jackson .226 0 4 Outfielders B-T Ht.

Wt. Birthplace '88 Club Avg HR RBI Chuck Carr S-R 5-10 1 55 San Bernadino, Calif. Wausau .299 6 30 Vermont .245 1 13 Angelo Cuevas L-R 5-10 205 New York Jackson .296 8 42 Tidewater .250 0 1 Jovon Edwards L-L 6-0 180 Syracuse, N.Y. St.Lucie .158 0 6 Johnny Monell S-R 5-10 180 New York St.Lucie .283 3 48 Jackson .250 1 5 Zoilo Sanchez R-R 6-0 1 75 Santo Domingo, D. R.

Jackson .227 5 15 St.Lucie .287 5 29 Manager Steve Swisher Pitching coach Bob Apodaca Trainer Mike Murray 'Roster is unofficial. Changes may be made before Mets break camp Monday. "Disabled list time, black mourning clothes suited his mood. The Sanchez who'll show his face to Smith-Wills Stadium fans in 1989 is an outfielder with what appears to be offensive and defensive skills. "I feel better playing the outfield.

When you play third base you've got to pay It was there he began playing outfield and for the first time began to make some progress hitting breaking balls. "I owe a lot to (manager) Clint Hurdle," he said. "He spent extra time with me." Along the way, Sanchez earned his fourth championship ring in six professional seasons. His struggle with breaking pitches was so hopeless at Jackson he simply quit swinging at curves and sliders. "I still don't hit many breaking balls, but it is better," he said.

"My batting stance is a little different, because I've lowered my shoulder. I've learned to stay back and be patient. You've got to wait to see the ball. I was pulling my head off." He played winter league ball in the Dominican and hit .270 with three homers. "I hit some breaking balls, and many of the players were major leaguers," he said.

He and JaxMets manager Tucker Ashford didn't see eye-to-eye last year. "He didn't like me, so I didn't like him. He didn't communicate. He put me on the injured list, and I wasn't even injured. "I decided to go back to the Dominican when we were playing in Wichita.

(Former director of minor-league operations) Steve Schryver talked me out of it. I'm glad I decided to stay." Said Ashford by telephone from Memphis, "I tried to communicate with him, but he didn't want to communicate with me. I guess anytime you have poor communication it's both persons' fault. He had two poor years in a row. He wasn't happy with himself, the fans or me.

"A lot of his problems stemmed from defense. I believe he was out of position. As an outfielder, he could possibly be a good (Class) AA hitter." Sanchez' relationship with current manager Steve Swisher is better. "He's a good kid, a little like (former Atlanta Brave) Rico Carty," Swisher said. "He's had a great attitude this spring.

"He seems comfortable in the outfield and has Sanchez sprayed the ball around as a hitter." Said Sanchez: "Swisher talks to me every day." The 6-foot, 175-pound, right-handed batter hit .238 for Jackson in 1987. He led Texas League third basemen in errors (30) and double plays (26). In 1986 he hit .296 with 14 homers and 85 RBIs at Class A Lynchburg, Va. The performance earned him a spot on New York's 40-man roster He and his wife Sandra have a 1-year-old girl. "I like playing in the U.S.

Everybody is nice," he said. "I might even want to live here some day." The mystery and potential of Sanchez' career is best exemplified by a grand-slam homer he hif, against Wichita two years ago. He drove in four and chipped his bat on the same swing. "It proves anything can happen in this game," he said. A sequel to "the mark of Zoilo" would be popu- lar in Old Spanish Mississippi.

attention to several things on every play," Sanchez said. "In the outfield you might not get but one ball the whole game. I feel confident. If they let me play every day I'll do the job." The 24-year-old Dominican Republic native began last year in Jackson. Bumped from a starting role by the acquisition of Manny Salinas a few days before the Texas League opener, he hit .227 with 5 home runs and 15 runs batted in.

He struck out 33 times in 1 19 at-bats. Demoted to Class A Port St. Lucie, in July, he responded with a .287 average, 5 homers and 29 RBIs. In brief Bob Kocol's 1979 record for the longest hitting streak (24) in school history. The Bulldogs had seven homers.

Tommy Raffo had two homers and Barry Winford a grand slam. Tracy Jobes, 5-1, blanked Vanderbilt on five hits in the first game. Pete Young, 5-1, picked up the nightcap victory after relieving Bobby Reed. Young retired 10 of the 1 1 men he faced and struck out five batters. The two teams close out their three-game set with a 1:30 p.m.

game today. Georgia 7-7, Ole Miss 0-2: Dave Fleming struck out nine and limited the Rebels to just four hits as the Bulldogs won the opener of an SEC doubleheader at Oxford-University Stadium. Georgia also won the nightcap and moved to 18-13 and 6-5 in the SEC. Ole Miss fell to 19-10-1 and 2-6-1. In the first game, Darren Musselwhite, 4-2, was the loser, and Nate Riddley led Ole Miss with two hits, including a double.

Bruce Chick's two-run single ignited a six-run seventh inning as Georgia won the nightcap. Ole Miss led 2-1 when Georgia exploded for six runs in the final inning. Joe Kelly, 2-3, got the win. Grant Sullivan, 3-1, the first of three Rebel pitchers, suffered the loss. Florida State 6, Southern Mississippi 2: Semi-noles starter Tim Nedin, 5-3, went the distance and struck out nine, as Florida State defeated the Golden Eagles in Metro Conference play in Tallahassee, Fla.

FSU scored two runs on a dropped fly ball by Sedgwick McCollum. Golden Eagles starter Damon Pollard, 4-2, lasted just 1 23 innings and took the defeat. USM's Fred Cooley hit his 11th homer. The loss dropped the Golden Eagles to 15-13, 1-2 in the conference. FSU improved to 27-9, 3-2.

The two teams play again today at 1 p.m. Tulane 6, Jackson State 5: Tulane got an RBI single from Donald Blue in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie and give the Green Wave a win in New Orleans. JSU got home runs from Ricky Bush and Anthony Brown. JSU, 16-8, plays at Tulane, 18-17, again today. Grambling 15-10, Mississippi Valley 0-5: The Tigers beat the Delta Devils twice on the 10-run rule during a Southwestern Athletic Conference double-header in Grambling, La.

The Delta Devils dropped to 1-23. Grambling is 12-10. Belhaven 8, Louisiana College 5: Dan Henley hit a homer in the second inning and Paul Warren added a three-run shot in the fifth as the Blazers won an NAIA District 30 game in Pineville, La. Belhaven is 14-10, 5-4 in the district. William Carey 10-5, Spring Hill 7-6: Billy Reynolds hit two-run and solo homers to spark the Crusaders, 14-9, 6-3, in an NAIA District 30 opener in Mobile, Ala.

Delta State 10-5, North Alabama 0-11: At Cleveland, Michael Cudd's double in the ninth inning of the first game drove in two runs and propelled the Statesmen to a Gulf South Conference Western Division win over the Lions. Mississippi College 8-7, Livingston 7-2: Rick Smith hit a game-winning single in the top of eighth inning as the Choctaws, 15-10, 5-5, won the first game of a Gulf South Conference doubleheader in Livingston, Ala. Tony Richard, 4-2, was the winner in the first game. 4 4 From special and wire reports State sweeps Vanderbilt; Ole Miss drops 2 at home Mississippi State exploded for 11 runs in the first two innings of a 19-4 victory over Vanderbilt, then got a doubleheader sweep as Richie Grayum hit an eighth-inning, three-run home run for an 8-5 victory Saturday in Southeastern Conference baseball in Nashville, Tenn. The win improved the Bulldogs' record to 20-5, 8-1 in SEC play.

The Commodores fell to 15-10-2, 4-6-1. Grayum homered in the second inning of Game 1 and hit a first-inning single in the second game to tie jr.