Arlington update and AAS interview with Zubia (excerpts).
https://twitter.com/KendallRogers/status/1362438069400580103 (can't get to embed)
How ready is this team to get back on the field?
I think that this team is probably the most prepared team that I've been on since I've been here. This team is full of maturity, it's full of dedication, it's just full of hard work. I think that's also a credit to our coaching staff and our staff in general. We've done a really good job with the COVID-19 world that we're living in right now. I think it's a really focused, a really driven and a really motivated team to win. I'm very excited to see what shows out (in the season opener).
How is balancing your master's program for marketing with baseball?
I get my master's in marketing from McCombs so it's the best of both worlds for me. You get to play at the highest level in sports and you get some of the best academics in the country so you can't beat that.
Of the new guys on the team or the young guys who had smaller roles last season, who is going to take that next step?
One of the guys that really sticks out to me is (second-year catcher) Silas Ardoin. The kid's work ethic is unmatched. He's always looking at ways to get better and he's always asking the older guys questions. He's always asking DJ about how to get better. He's always hanging out with DJ on what he does catching-wise and then he's always asking guys what they're looking for hitting-wise. He's taken a step in a very mature direction this year. It's gonna be really exciting to see him get to play a lot this year.
Then another guy, I mean he's an incoming guy, is Mike (Antico). Mike's a whole new player. I'm really glad we got him and no one else did because he's gonna be really, really helpful to our team this year. I think that he is someone that can really wreak havoc on a lot of teams this year.
What are this team's strengths?
We're going to be able to score in multiple ways on offense. I think that's one of the biggest things for us, is that we have speed, we've always had speed, but we have power this year, we have guys who can handle the bat really well... Our pitching is gonna be really good, too. We've got a lot of guys that can come out of pen. We've got a lot of guys who can start,,,
https://www.hookem.com/story/sports/baseball/2021/02/18/texas-longhorns-baseball-zach-zubia-readies-2021-season/6794217002/