Local pitchers have become Dogs' most reliable asset
By Lance Fleming / Abilene Reporter-News
Almost one month ago, Barry Jones was sitting in his office at Scott Field discussing what type of team he thought the Abilene Prairie Dogs could become.
He kept saying over and over that the ballclub would be a good one, and that it would be one that relied on its pitching staff. He clicked off the names that he thought would be the most important: Royal Thomas, Korey Keling, Brian Conger, Mark Hampton, George Preston Jr., etc... .
As almost an afterthought he got around to talking about two local products, Louis Maberry and John Baack.
"I don't know if I really expect a lot out of either one of them," Jones said at the time. "Louis is coming off surgery, and John is just an entry-level guy. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with those two guys."
What's happened is that Baack and Maberry have become two of Jones' most consistent and reliable pitchers. Baack, who moved into the starting rotation in Rio Grande Valley early in the season, helped settle a starting staff that was rattled early in the campaign.
And Maberry has become Jones' go-to guy when things are tight in the middle-to-late innings.
"I wish I had 10 Louis Maberrys," Jones has said on a number of occasions. "And John is really the one that got us going when we were 1-6. He came in and had a good start against Alexandria and that seemed to pick everybody up."
While Maberry has done this before on the professional level (he was with the Cincinnati Reds' organization before surgery), Baack is maybe the biggest surprise on the ballclub.
Between graduating from Abilene Christian University in 1996 and joining the Prairie Dogs this spring, Baack spent most of his time instructing younger players on the mechanics of pitching.
"I didn't really expect that I would play anymore," Baack said. "But I thought that since I had the ability, I might as well stay in shape. Plus it made it easier to teach when I could get out there and show them how to do it."
In March, Baack spoke with Abilene pitching coach Troy Dean Conkle (who at the time was an assistant at ACU) about joining the Prairie Dogs. But he didn't hear back from the club for a while, and he moved to Irving while his wife was still here.
"I was coming back to see her the day before they had the tryout camp here, and I thought I would come out just to see what might happen," Baack said.
What happened was that Baack stuck with the Prairie Dogs.
His 2-3 record and 6.31 ERA belie the fact he's been one of the team's top starting pitchers. The right-hander from Wylie and ACU was supposed to be nothing more than a guy to get an out or two, but he's turned into much more than that.
And even Baack is stunned by the turn of events.
"Mainly I just expected an opportunity to play," he said. "From there I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how the hitters would be as opposed to college hitters, and I found out quickly that they're better here."
Baack got his chance to start in the season's fifth game when he got the ball against the WhiteWings. He only lasted 2-1/3 innings and gave up seven hits and four runs. But his next start - on May 31 at home against Alexandria - was much better as he scattered six hits over seven innings and picked up the victory in the Prairie Dogs' 6-4 win over the Aces.
He's gotten better as the season progressed, and the his success made Baack think this pro ball stint might last longer than just one season.
"I don't think it's a one-year deal at all," he said. "We'll see what happens, but I'd definitely like to continue playing. I'd like it to be here if it's in the Texas-Louisiana League, but if it's somewhere else, that's fine. But I think there's a definite possibility that I'll play again."
All Maberry was doing when he signed on with the Prairie Dogs was looking for the chance to prove that he could still play.
After all, the surgery on his right (pitching) elbow had caused several things to happen. First he lost his velocity; next he lost his confidence; and finally he lost his job with the Reds.
Now he's back, and he's pitching better than ever.
His 2.05 ERA leads the Texas-Louisiana League, and he's given up just 12 hits in 26-1/3 innings of work. Wednesday night, in his second start of the season, he threw five innings of no-hit baseball in the Prairie Dogs' 1-0 loss to Tyler.
But Maberry, who graduated from Cooper and played at both Hardin-Simmons and ACU, didn't sign with the Prairie Dogs until just a couple of days before the season opener. He was holding out hope he might latch on with an organization.
"But I got a chance to play here, and I wasn't expecting that," Maberry said. "When I signed I thought I might get on the mound some, but I was surprised when I went out there in our first game. I expected some work but not as extensively as it has worked out."
Maberry has developed into the team's best middle-inning short reliever. He's capable of entering a game in a sticky situation and getting the Prairie Dogs out of the jam.
And he credits that ability to his confidence, which can be traced directly to the fact that he is once again armed with a fastball that can reach the low 90s.
"The surgery knocked five miles per hour off my velocity," Maberry said. "But now I'm back to throwing harder than I was before the surgery. I've always been a guy who said that if you're not good enough to challenge hitters then you shouldn't be on the mound."
Case in point: Dan Law Field in Lubbock two weeks ago. The Prairie Dogs, on their way to a sweep of the Crickets, were in a minor jam in the 10th inning of the third game. In came Maberry and down went the Lubbock threat.
"I had a 3-1 count on a guy, and he knew a fastball was coming, and he knew it was going to be a strike," Maberry said. "But I got him to ground out, we got out of the inning, and we won the ballgame. The fastball is the most important pitch in baseball, and it's nice to have it back."
And with back in his repetoire, Maberry is anxious to see what awaits him after the 1997 season.
"I really think I'll get another shot in an organization," he said. "It's hard to tell what scouts are thinking, but I'm pitching pretty well right now.
"The Reds sent me all over the country, so it's kind of ironic that I'm back where I started," Maberry said. "Everything has come full circle. When I was here last I was on an upswing. Now I'm back after things have gone downhill. But maybe things are starting to head in the right direction for me."
Tonight's game
The Abilene Prairie Dogs return home tonight to begin a six-day, seven-game homestand. Tonight's will be the Prairie Dogs' fifth straight against the Tyler Wildcatters, who will be in town through Sunday.
Starting Monday, the Prairie Dogs will play a four-game series against Rio Grande Valley that includes a doubleheader on Tuesday.
Big promotions for this homestand include Prairie Dogs Thermo Mug Night
(tonight), sponsored by Sonic Drive-In; Prairie Dogs Youth Baseball Glove
Night (Saturday), sponsored by Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems; Prairie
Dogs Team Photo Night (Monday); and Little League All-Star Night (Tuesday).