Indiana University Athletics
Smith Primed to Open Hoosier Career
2/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - With the start of the 2006 baseball season just three days away, first-year Hoosier head coach Tracy Smith sat down with IUHOOSIERS.com to talk about the upcoming season. Smith and the Hoosiers open the regular season with a three-game set at Charlotte on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 24-26. The season opener is scheduled for 4 p.m. with single games taking place on Saturday and Sunday at noon.
Additionally, be sure to catch Coach Smith every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on WIUX 100.3 FM radio. The Hoosier skipper will appear on "In the Dugout with Tracy Smith," IU Baseball's weekly radio wrap up. Click here to listen.
On his outlook for the 2006 season:
"I'm cautiously optimistic. We have some things we need to address and shore up, and we need to see how our pitching rotation shapes up. We have some injuries, and when that is combined with not having a large staff to begin with, it creates a little bit of a concern. I think we will compete, and we stack up well defensively. We will score some runs through situational hitting, but our biggest concern is what will happen on the mound. We have some talent, it is just whether we can mold, shape and identify roles for guys that are going to give us the best chance to win. We are realistic in the fact that it is going to take a little bit of time to figure that out. We are setting our sights on the Big Ten and want to be ready when the Big Ten season rolls around."
On opening up the season this weekend in Charlotte:
"It is that time of year when you are tired of being inside and tired of seeing each other all the time. It's always good to play somebody else. Our guys are excited about the first road trip. Just to play somebody else and not your teammates is going to add that competitive environment that you just can't create in practice. You can try all you want, but until you `turn the lights on' and see how kids respond, you don't know a whole lot. From a coaching perspective, we are really looking forward to that."
On strengths of the team this year:
"I have been really pleased with the leadership our captains have been providing. How that translates on the field we will see. We are very experienced in the outfield with Jay (Brant) and Reggie (Watson). Josh Lewis on the mound has been pretty consistent. I think we are going to play pretty good defense behind our pitchers. We have some speed and are going to steal some bases. I think that will be a better question a few weeks from now because I will know more after we have played some.
On his adjustment from Miami (Ohio) to Indiana:
"It has really been a smooth transition. Since I have been here before (as the Hoosiers' pitching coach in 1995-96), it really helped out. The fact that you have two schools that are a lot alike with their makeup - the type of school they are in their respective leagues, the small-town feel - I think that has gone a long way in helping with the comfort zone of being here. I am taking over a program that is in a similar situation as Miami a couple of years ago. When you see what we built there it gives you the confidence we can do that here. There is a little bit of deja vu, but it is exciting and there is something new everyday. We are looking forward to getting the season started."
