February 18, 2009

LOADED WITH LEADERSHIP: CATCHING
Rodriguez, Furry will be relied upon to lead young staff

Many baseball experts say that the catching position is comparable to the quarterback position in football because they see everything that is going on and must be key leader of the squad.

The Virginia Commonwealth University baseball team will look for two veterans to step into that leadership role this year as senior Carlos Rodriguez (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) (left) and junior Nate Furry (Salem, Va.) (below right) will share time behind the dish.

“Having two experienced catchers is always a good thing,” Head Coach Paul Keyes said. “Carlos and Nate have a ton of ability, but we will need them to step into a more vocal leadership role in order for us to be successful this year.”

Rodriguez has been a mainstay behind the plate since the 2007 season, when he saw action in 53 of VCU’s 60 games that season during a CAA Championship run. This year, the Puerto Rico native hopes to get back to his sophomore form that saw him hit at a .247 clip with three home runs and 26 RBIs.

“Carlos has worked very hard during the off-season and it has showed during the fall and early in the spring season,” Keyes said. “He’s a veteran guy who we will need to become a leader, especially with the young pitching staff that we have this year. We need him to turn into a Jason Varitek type player that can put a pitching staff on his back and run with it.”

Furry returns to his original catching position after bouncing around between the outfield, first base and catching last year. He supplies a power bat that can drive the gaps off the bench for the Black & Gold.

“Nate is a great clubhouse guy for us,” Keyes said. “He always keeps everyone loose and this year we’re going to have to rely on him to be able to give us some big time playing time. The coaching staff knows that he has a lot of potential and we are hoping to see him step up and fulfill that potential that we all see.”

Adding depth to the backstop is redshirt sophomore Josh Ware (Glen Allen, Va.) and freshman Taylor Perkins (Dinwiddie, Va.).

Ware has battled injuries ever since stepping foot onto VCU’s campus, but the hard-nosed catcher hopes to vie for playing time off the bench. He possesses a great offensive presence that will supply valuable depth options for the coaching staff.

“Josh is one of the toughest kids on this team,” Keyes said. “Unforunately, he has run into some injuries problems, but we all know that he has the ability to really help us out off the bench in key offensive situations.”
Perkins is a converted infielder that has just recently started to work behind the plate. He is a natural athlete that will work on his blocking ability, but could give the Black & Gold a much-needed lift off the bench when called upon.

“Like I’ve said already, Taylor is a great kid who is willing to do anything that we ask him to in order to help the team win,” Keyes said. “We saw his good hands and footwork and thought that we might try him out behind the dish to give us more options. For being a few weeks into it, he’s done a great job. In time, he could become a big part of our future back there.”