Practice officially starts for Runner baseball

By Phillip Barnett
Editor in Chief

Last Sunday was the first day the NCAA allowed Division I teams to begin baseball practice, and it also marked the first official practice for the inaugural season of the baseball program.
The team began their first official practice at about 10 a.m. on a beautiful day. The media watched as pitchers showed off their arms and position players fielded in myriad drills, but this isn't the first time the team has been together.
"We trained them how to practice during the fall. I think the most important thing we learned during the fall was learning how to practice," said head coach Bill Kernen. "Guys come in to this level from high school and junior college and they have no idea how to practice as a top world class trained athlete - and they shouldn't. It's not a criticism, they just have no way of knowing that until they get here."
The team spent the Fall working out with their coaches and played six exhibition games against junior college teams and spent the previous two months holding practices without the coaches.
"The coaches weren't allowed to give us instruction so we took over running the practices doing all of the stuff we needed to do to get better," said Mickey Jannis, a right handed junior college pitcher from Allan Hancock College. "From the Fall all of the players know what to expect, so we basically run it on our own."
Jannis is one of 11 junior college transfers along side 13 true freshmen who make up the roster that will be opening the season on Feb. 20 against St. Louis University on their new field that was theoretically morphed from a lot of dirt into a pristine baseball diamond in a matter of months.
As of right now, there is no power around the facility, nor are there no bleachers or water. However, Kernen noted that "The power will be in next week. We have 500 chair back seats that are going to be on a bleacher structure kind of an arrangement. There will be three sections between the two dugouts.
"Everything is a work in progress outside of these fences. There will be restroom facilities for the fans, there will be concessions here with different vendors ... there might even be a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream vendor out here."
Erik Draxton, another right handed junior college transfer pitcher had a different perspective on the field: "From a players perspective I feel we have all we need. We have dirt, a mound, bases - we're ready to go.
"We've been involved with the progress with of the field. We've helped with the sod and certain things with the bullpins. I think the more we put our sweat and time into this field the more we're going to appreciate it. For all of the people who donated to have this finished, it's been very appreciated."
Time and effort put into this field aren't the only things some of the guys on the first CSUB baseball team have sacrificed. Since the school is still in the process of moving to Division I, the team will not be eligible to participate in any postseason play until the 2011 season - meaning the junior college transfers will end their college playing careers without playing any post season games.
"I felt that the risks actually didn't out weigh the potential gains," said Draxton. "I weighed the risks versus the gains, and I felt like I had more to gain than I had to lose.
Coach Kernen really sold me on, 'if you want to go pro, I can help you do that.' I really believe that's what he's going to help me do. I felt that the other programs didn't really have much to offer to me."
Jannis got offered a scholarship to play for the defending World Series Champion Fresno State Bulldogs, but opted to come to Bakersfield and play for Kernen.
"It was between here and Fresno State," said Jannis on his decision to come to CSUB. "For me it was the coaching. All of these guys have experience in the College World Series and taking guys to the next level, and that's what I wanted to do. I'm happy with the choice that I made. I like these coaches and the guys on this team."
Opening day is rapidly approaching, but the team doesn't plan on changing things up too much between now and their opener on the 20th.
"We plan to keep doing what we have been doing," said Brandon Boren, a Bakersfield native who went to Stockdale High School and Bakersfield College. "We need to practice the same way every day. Even in the individual work we need to practice like it's a game."
Their home opener will be on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. at Tom Hardt field at the southwest end of the campus. An hour before the game, the field will be dedicated in the name of Tom and Barbara Hardt for their generous donations, time and effort in making sure that the team had a field to play on.