Gilligan excited about squad, season opener

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Gilligan excited about squad, season opener

By RUSH WOOD, The Enterprise

02/09/2007

Updated 02/08/2007 11:35:24 PM CST

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BEAUMONT - After 30 years as a head baseball coach at the collegiate level, one might expect Jim Gilligan to be past getting to the bubbly point on the dawning of a new season.

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Not so.

Gilligan, who has spent 29 of those years at Lamar University, has been itching for weeks to see the 2007 version of his Cardinals in action. He gets that chance today when the Cardinals meet perennially-tough Oklahoma State in a first-round matchup in Texas-Pan American's Citrus Tournament.

"I like the makeup of this club," said Gilligan, who ranks among the top 20 active Division I coaches with a 1,035-647 record (1,025-637 at his alma mater). "I like the experience of our position players, and I like the confidence I have seen from this bunch so far.

"The first five or six and maybe even the first seven guys in our lineup may be playing professional baseball next year. I'm very confident about our potential to have a great season.

"On paper, we're fine, but we have go out and beat someone big like Texas State did earlier this week (in a 3-2 win over No. 1-ranked Rice University). We get that chance right out of the chute, because Oklahoma State should have one of the best hitting teams in the country."

The Cardinals' lineup also will be loaded with heavy hitters, led by catcher/designated hitter Michael Ambort and outfielder Collin DeLome. Before sitting out last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Ambort earned the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year Award with a .336 average and a school-record 18 home runs as a sophomore in 2005, and DeLome won the same award last season after hitting .376 with 11 homers and 16 doubles.

"Ambort is one of the best players we've ever had, and everyone knows what he can do or else he wouldn't be getting all of the All-America recognitions he's been getting the past couple of years," said Gilligan. "DeLome impressed a lot of people with his bat last season, and we're counting on him picking up where he left off. Also, we're going to take advantage of his great speed by moving him from right field to center."

Gilligan said Ambort, who is an excellent handler of pitchers, will open the season this weekend at designated hitter instead of behind the plate.

"Michael is ready to catch, but we won't let him," said Gilligan. "We don't want to run the risk of Mike hurting his elbow. We want him to have a little warmer weather before he gets behind the plate in games.

"We want him to develop his muscle preparedness a little more, because he could probably only go only four or five innings back there right now. We'll get his bat in there at DH, and if we pinch-run for Dan Hernandez, he'll go in and play a little first base.

"If we had to put Michael back there, we could, but fortunately Jeff Vickers gives us the luxury of not having to do that. He's a very capable catcher, and he can hit as well."

Vickers batted .333 and earned first-team all-conference honors at College of Southern Idaho last season.

Other big bats returning to the Cardinals belong to Hernandez (.350 with nine homers in 2006), outfielder Erik Kanaby (.356) and second baseman Ryan Baker (.310). Among the newcomers, shortstop Brian Lloyd hit .396 at Skyline Junior College in 2006; third baseman Travis Dunson batted .366 at Brookhaven JC, and outfielder David Moore posted a .370 average at Weatherford JC in 2005 before sitting out last season after also having elbow surgery.

"In Hernandez and Baker, you're going to see much better versions of old hands, and Moore has really been lighting it up in our intrasquad games," said Gilligan. "He's a big, strong guy with a lot of power.

"We have the ability to get on base and to push runs across. Putting a pitching staff together will be the key to our success.

"We have a strong nucleus to start with in guys like Allen Harrington, Matt Morgal, Brian Sisk and Scott Meyer, and we have a lot of other promising arms. It's just going to be a matter of seeing them throw in game situations and then piecing together the best ways to utilize everyone."

Today's other Citrus Tournament pairings in Edinburg Stadium have McNeese State challenging Cal State-Northridge and host UT-PA playing Illinois Chicago.