DeVeaux hitting his stride

Some may say that Mike DeVeaux is “on fire.” Many of his teammates would say that he “rakes.” Simply put, the Bobcats’ starting shortstop can hit, really well.

DeVeaux, a junior from Statesboro, Ga., is leading the Bobcats in nearly every offensive category. Currently his season batting average sits at .455, and he leads both the team and the Peach Belt Conference in batting average and RBI.

“[DeVeaux] is a very gifted hitter capable of carrying a team offensively,” said Head Coach Chris Calciano. “He hits for average and power.”

DeVeaux’s batting average is enough to have opposing pitchers shaking in their cleats, but tack on seven home runs, a pair of triples, eight doubles and .701 slugging percentage, and pitchers may seem happy to give up a measly single to the hot-hitting right-hander.

“I’m really not thinking about [hitting],” said DeVeaux. “It’s all been more of a snow-balling effect, and I haven’t really questioned or analyzed any of it.”

DeVeaux played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League during the summer before returning to Georgia College & State University in the fall. He credits much of his success to having the opportunity to see some of the “big time” pitchers for a good part of the collegiate off-season.

Although many of the teams on GC&SU’s schedule have quality pitching, it seems to be hard to surprise DeVeaux at the plate.

“He adjusts well at the plate during an at-bat and learns from his previous at-bats,” said senior catcher Donald Johnson. “He has a tremendous ability to put the ball in play, even with two strikes.”

As if his impressive offensive surge isn’t enough to blow the competition away, his defensive skills are proving solid for the Bobcats, too.

“The offensive numbers that he has put up have overshadowed the job that he has done at shortstop,” Calciano said. “He has been rock solid and is learning a lot of the nuances that the position demands.”

There may not be much to critique about the offensive and defensive performances that DeVeaux has supplied in each of the Bobcats’ outings, but his aggressive hitting style does result in a few more strikeouts.

However, with a 31-game hitting streak that was intact until last Saturday’s conference match up with UNC Pembroke, DeVeaux is certainly allowed to take his cuts. Calciano accepts that DeVeaux’s approach to hitting may lead to less walks and more strikeouts, but is convinced that he will become more willing to take pitches as teams begin to pitch around the Bobcats’ slugger.

Having dropped five of their last six conference games by one run, they are eager to take on Augusta State University this weekend at John Kurtz Field beginning Saturday at 1 p.m.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 1 2005. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry