University of Houston Athletics
2011 Baseball Season Preview Part 3: Catchers
2/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 7, 2011
HOUSTON - With the 2011 University of Houston baseball season just a couple weeks away, UHCougars.com will give fans a position-by-position preview in a four-part series to be released each Friday through Feb. 11. This week as part three of the series we take a look at the Cougar catchers, where two veterans and a freshman will compete for starting time behind the plate.
Here is an in-depth look at the Cougar catchers.
CATCHERS
Three players will vie for time behind the plate. Junior John Cannon and sophomore M.P. Cokinos will return for the Cougars, with freshman Kyle Bacak joining the mix.
"The toughest thing to do in our program, especially with our new staff, is to be a catcher because of the system we use," head coach Todd Whitting said. "There is a great deal of learning with our catchers. Everything we do comes out of the dugout, but they've got to learn how to do that, handle the pitcher and also catch the baseball."
"The catchers are going through a lot right now learning our system and they are the ones that will impact what we do on the field the most."
Cokinos came to Houston last season as a catcher but spent most of the year as the designated hitter. With the graduation of Chris Wallace, that role will quickly change. As the DH, Cokinos finished his freshman campaign with a .284 batting average, eight doubles, a triple and seven home runs. He was named to the Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team after setting a tournament record with five RBIs against Texas Tech. Cokinos also made 12 starts at catcher.
"M.P. is probably one of the most improved defensive players from what I saw after fall practice," Whitting said. "The coaches have done a really good job with him as far as his skills, catching, blocking and receiving."
Cannon is the veteran of the group and will be a contributor behind the plate. He saw limited action at catcher last season but made 23 starts as a freshman. As a sophomore, Cannon also made four appearances on the mound.
"John is very steady behind home plate," Whitting said. "He is not flashy, he doesn't have tools that are over the top but he has tools that are good enough to play and has great instincts."
Bacak, a freshman from Katy, Texas, is the lone newcomer to the group. He was named a First Team All-District selection out of Seven Lakes High School as a senior. He played in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star game and was a Preseason Under Armour All-American.
"Kyle will see substantial playing time this season as a freshman," Whitting said. "Once Kyle figures out the pace of the game and the system we are using he is going to be really good. He is an above average thrower which is key for us to control the running game."
UP NEXT
The series will wrap up on Feb. 11 with a preview of the Cougar pitchers.
