2004 Baseball Season Preview: King of the Catchers
1/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Lyons Hopes to Lead UA Catchers with Better Offensive Numbers
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
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Charlie Lyons understands the catching legacy at The University of Alabama.
During his final two years at Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, he watched All-American and First-Round Draft pick Jeremy Brown at work. He studied his game, watched his every move then he’d worry.
“I watched Jeremy Brown the two years before I got here, I thought how in the world can I fill this guy’s shoes,” Lyons said. “He was awesome. He never made any mistakes. It seemed like everything he did was perfect.”
Brown isn’t the only Alabama catcher with great credentials, although his numbers may be slightly higher than most of the others.
Lyons also has to follow in the footsteps of another local product Doug Duke, who played across the street from the Joe at Tuscaloosa-Central High School. Duke (1984-86) led the SEC in home runs and RBI in 1986 and left the Capstone after his junior season as the school’s all-time home run leader.
The there was Alan Hill (Mobile), who rarely made an error behind the plate. Following him was Dax Norris, Matt Frick, Paul Phillips, Kelley Gulledge and Brown.
Duke (1986) and Norris (1996) were both first-team All-America picks, while Frick and Brown were consensus second-team All-America selections. Brown was also the winner of the 2002 Johnny Bench Award, given annually to best catcher in college baseball.
Talk about some big shoes to fill.
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“Alabama has had some outstanding catchers. I don’t know if I will ever become what they were, but I am certainly going to try my hardest.”
That road began long before preseason workouts in mid-January. Lyons worked out all summer here in Tuscaloosa, not only on getting bigger and stronger, but better, too.
“I worked hard in the off-season,” Lyons said. “I put on some weight to get bigger and stronger. I have added the long ball. I just have a lot more experience. I feel a lot more comfortable behind the plate.
“When I came back last fall, I already knew all the signs. I had a little a bit of trouble with that last year, so most of the fall (2002) I spent most of time working on that. This year, I focused on things that I found throughout the season were weaknesses, so I concentrated on those and really tried to improve my hitting. Coach (Todd) Butler has really helped me a lot with that, and I think I have improved the most in that area.”
Lyons was destined to redshirt as a true freshman last year, but injuries and overall lack of experience forced him into the lineup early in the season and he eventually became the Crimson Tide’s everyday backstop.
He was thrust into action in the third game of the season against the No. 2 Rice Owls in the final game of the Minute Maid Park Classic in Houston.
In that first starting assignment, he collected his first collegiate hit, which led to the eventual winning run in the sixth inning. He then preserved that lead when he picked off Craig Stansberry at third base for the final out in the seventh inning in the Crimson Tide’s 6-5 upset win over the eventual national champions.
“The Rice game stands out more than anything,” Lyons recalls. “That was my first collegiate start. (Allen) Ponder came in and earned the win in his first collegiate start. He pitched so well. I remember picking off the guy at third base to help us win the game. I got my first collegiate hit against Rice in a game that we eventually won. Those are things that really standout.”
As a rookie, Lyons played in 44 games and batted .270 (34-for-126) with one home run and 13 RBI. He added 17 runs scored and four doubles, while starting 40 games for Alabama. Defensively, he made three errors and was charged with 10 passed balls. Lyons also threw out nine of 26 base runners.
Lyons hopes to improve on all of those numbers as his sophomore season nears.
“I just want to help the team as much as I can,” he added. “I want to improve my numbers from last year. I think I can do a lot better hitting this year. Behind the plate, I want to cut out all the mental errors I had as a freshman. I had too many passed balls. I want to learn to work with the pitchers more, know what they want and help them as much as I can.
“I believe my hitting will be better. I think my numbers will go up. I think I will have more home runs and more RBI this year.”
His coach agrees.
“Charlie got a year under his belt,” Alabama head coach Jim Wells said. “Under normal circumstances last year, he would not have played. So the great thing is he played quite a bit a freshman.
“He is bigger and stronger. He is a much better hitter. He has shown a lot of power. I think last year he hit only one home run. This year, he will hit quite a few more. Defensively, he has improved. His whole game has improved. He is just a solid No. 1 guy that will be a middle of the lineup hitter.”
Lyons grew up watching Alabama baseball and always dreamed of coming across the river from nearby Northport to play for his favorite team.
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“It means a lot to me personally,” Lyons said. “A lot of friends in Northport and Tuscaloosa tell me they are coming to watch me play. That means a lot. When I was a little kid, I always dreamed of playing baseball at Alabama and for that dream to come true means a lot to me. I try and do the best I can and represent the city of Northport well.”
Lyons not only hopes to do his hometown well, but he is hoping he can be the force behind the Crimson Tide’s return to the post-season and eventually back to Omaha for the College World Series.
That process is underway right now, as Lyons and his fellow backstops work every day to prepare for the 2004 season opener against New Orleans on Feb. 13.
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Joining Lyons behind the plate are sophomores David Ferazza (Redwood City, Calif.) and Bo Hannah (Tuscaloosa) and senior Nick Richardson (Tuscaloosa).
Ferazza enrolled at UA this spring after playing one season at American River College near Sacramento. As a freshman, he batted .333 (45-for-135) with two home runs and 28 RBI. He was drafted in the 49th round of the 2003 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.
Hannah played in just two games last year for the Crimson Tide as a reshirt freshman.
Richardson, a native of Tuscaloosa, played last season at Troy State. In 14 games, he batted .217 with three RBI as a junior.
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So Lyons hopes to be that impact player, too. A power-hitting catcher with a solid defensive performance behind the plate. Sounds familiar, right?
That is what will make this hometown hero the next king of the Bama catching jungle.
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Editor’s Note: This is the first of four-part season preview on the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team. Each position will be featured over the next four weeks, giving insight to the upcoming 2004 season, which begins Friday, Feb. 13 against the New Orleans Privateers here at the Joe.
2004 Season Preview Schedule:
Date Preview
Jan. 21 Charlie Lyons (Catchers)
Jan. 28 Zac Welch (Infielders)
Feb. 4 Matt Grooms (Outfielders)
Feb. 11 Brent Carter (Pitchers)
