May 11, 2011
By Art Garcia for UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Tex. - So what's the secret in Brian Nephew's batting average jumping 100 points from last season to this one? He's carrying a lighter load on his back.
"If I was No. 9 last year," UT Arlington's senior third baseman pointed out, "I would have put up numbers I have this year."
Nephew, of course, is joking about the drop from No. 10. He's just not kidding about having less weight on his shoulders. Transferring from McLennan Community College last year, Nephew admitted he tried to do too much.
Maybe it had something to do with coming home to play in front of family and friends for the Arlington Martin graduate. Nephew wanted to perform immediately and build off a strong sophomore year McLennan. He wanted to be a power guy in the lineup, swinging for the fences and driving in a ton of runs.
"It didn't go as I would have liked," admitted Nephew, who hit just .255 last season. "I tried to press a little bit and put up numbers at the plate. I just tried too hard."
Nephew arrived back at UTA last fall with a different approach. Instead of trying to figure things out on his own, Nephew worked diligently with hitting coach K.J. Hendricks to shorten his swing and develop a more athletic stance. Nephew also made it a point to relax and have fun in his last year of collegiate baseball.
The results speak for themselves. Nephew heads into the weekend series at Lamar hitting a team-leading .356. He also leads the squad with 72 hits, 14 doubles and is third with 29 RBI.
"He's made great adjustments," Mavericks coach Darin Thomas said. "That's hitting in a nutshell, is making adjustments. In my 11 years here, usually there's a period, especially for junior college transfers that you have to do something different.
"What you may be doing may not be working at this level. You're facing a little better pitching with a little better plan. I give him a lot of credit because he's made adjustments with his stance and with his approach, and has been a lot more successful and we needed that production."
The change in bats this season in college baseball has also been a blessing in disguise. Without as much pop in the stick, Nephew isn't focused on the long ball as much. He has taken more of a "wood-bat approach" and has looked to drive the ball in the gap.
"There's no sense in trying to hit the long ball," Thomas said. "You're going to fail miserably. We've got a big park, the wind blows across. His doubles are up, his average is way up, he gets his foot down quicker and he's going to the right side of second base a lot more than he did last year.
"He's shortened up his approach. There's not a lot of length in his swing, which I thought last year he had. He's able to hit a ground ball up the middle. He's able to hit a ball to right-center a lot more than he did last year."
Nephew began to show signs of big senior season ahead in the fall. A little competition back then didn't hurt, either. Though he started 54 games at third last season, JUCO transfer Michael Guerra arrived this year with the ability to play third. Nephew noticed.
"When I see a guy with talent the way Michael has, it definitely pushed me in the weight room, off the field, everything," he said. "I worked that much harder in the weight room to keep my spot, in practice and in the cages."
Nephew is also healthier after going through some back issues last season. The coaches thought Nephew was a bit too bulky last year, focusing too much on size in the weight room. His body has changed, as well.
"He's moving around better," Thomas said. "He's a little more flexible, a lot more athletic this year. He's playing the heck out of third base. Not only is he hitting, he's playing defense better than last year. Overall, he's a lot better player. Typically, that's why you coach - you want guys to get better and you're counting on guys getting better from one year to the next."
The Mavericks (25-24) head into the Lamar series tied for sixth in the in the Southland Conference at 13-14. The top eight teams reach the conference tournament, and Thomas thinks it will take 16 wins to get in. After facing Lamar, UTA finishes regular season with SLC-leader Texas State heading to Arlington the following weekend.
"If we get in, I really like our chances," Thomas said of the conference tourney. "I haven't seen anybody that blows our doors off where I don't think we can beat those guys, but we've got to get in. I don't want our guys to play with any pressure. I told them the playoffs start this weekend."
Nephew said the Mavericks are up for the challenge.
"The season has gone well individually, but I really am a team guy and we want to finish strong as a team," Nephew said. "To go out this weekend on the road and get two of three would be awesome for us and the program. To get in that tournament is the key, because anything can happen once you get in."
