bag-o-chips
06-01-2013, 07:06 AM
http://www.expressnews.com/sports/college_sports/utsa/article/Man-behind-the-mask-leads-UTSA-into-NCAAs-4558749.php?t=519d1dd0f37f81fc0c
Just as an Iowa cornfield once served as a backdrop for one of the most popular baseball movies of all time, a rural setting outside of Seguin has produced what UTSA coach Jason Marshall has always coveted:
The catcher of his dreams.
His name is John Bormann, a sophomore walk-on from Navarro High School.
“We've been hungry to find someone to solidify that position,” Marshall said. “Sometimes you find diamonds in the strangest places.”
A former football and baseball star at Navarro, Bormann has shined as brightly as any of UTSA's gems lately.
The kid who not long ago romped through cornfields in Geronimo led the team in batting (.470) during the recent Western Athletic Conference tournament.
He even stole home on the back end of a delayed double steal in the title-game victory over Dallas Baptist.
But what really stirred the Roadrunners' four-game sweep in Grand Prairie was Bormann's signature defense.
In the second and third games of the tournament, he threw out runners trying to steal.
Both times, the UTSA offense came alive and scored in its next turn at-bat.
“Catchers throwing out runners, it's like a double play,” Marshall said. “It's a momentum play.”
Bormann has been creating a lot of it this year for the Roadrunners, who will play their first NCAA game in eight years Friday night at Oregon State.
He has thrown out 31 of 51 runners attempting to steal, a rate of 60.8 percent. It's the second-best percentage in the nation, trailing only Oregon State catcher Jake Rodriguez's 63.3.
Using what Marshall calls “an elite-level release” in his throwing mechanics, Bormann has also picked off a nation-leading 14 baserunners, including 10 at first base.
“His arm strength is very good,” Marshall said. “His release is elite. It's the reason you see him back-door a lot of guys at first base.”
Bormann played quarterback and safety in football at Navarro. In baseball, he was a shortstop and pitcher.
Marshall said Bormann didn't start catching a lot until after his senior year in high school.
Recruited for that position at UTSA, he was raw as a freshman. As a part-time starter, he threw out only 10 of 44 trying to steal. He had five passed balls in 32 games.
This year, in contrast, he is blocking everything. Bormann has been charged with only three passed balls in 58 games.
Plus, in an ironman show of durability, he has caught every inning of every game UTSA has played — 5142/3 innings in all.
Bormann credited his teammates and coaches for his improvement.
With UTSA having qualified for the national tournament, he also admitted to some good fortune.
“It really hasn't hit me yet,” Bormann said. “Personally, this is a dream come true. I come from playing in a cornfield out in Geronimo, Texas, to getting a walk-on spot and now getting to play with these guys every day.
“It's truly an honor.”
Just as an Iowa cornfield once served as a backdrop for one of the most popular baseball movies of all time, a rural setting outside of Seguin has produced what UTSA coach Jason Marshall has always coveted:
The catcher of his dreams.
His name is John Bormann, a sophomore walk-on from Navarro High School.
“We've been hungry to find someone to solidify that position,” Marshall said. “Sometimes you find diamonds in the strangest places.”
A former football and baseball star at Navarro, Bormann has shined as brightly as any of UTSA's gems lately.
The kid who not long ago romped through cornfields in Geronimo led the team in batting (.470) during the recent Western Athletic Conference tournament.
He even stole home on the back end of a delayed double steal in the title-game victory over Dallas Baptist.
But what really stirred the Roadrunners' four-game sweep in Grand Prairie was Bormann's signature defense.
In the second and third games of the tournament, he threw out runners trying to steal.
Both times, the UTSA offense came alive and scored in its next turn at-bat.
“Catchers throwing out runners, it's like a double play,” Marshall said. “It's a momentum play.”
Bormann has been creating a lot of it this year for the Roadrunners, who will play their first NCAA game in eight years Friday night at Oregon State.
He has thrown out 31 of 51 runners attempting to steal, a rate of 60.8 percent. It's the second-best percentage in the nation, trailing only Oregon State catcher Jake Rodriguez's 63.3.
Using what Marshall calls “an elite-level release” in his throwing mechanics, Bormann has also picked off a nation-leading 14 baserunners, including 10 at first base.
“His arm strength is very good,” Marshall said. “His release is elite. It's the reason you see him back-door a lot of guys at first base.”
Bormann played quarterback and safety in football at Navarro. In baseball, he was a shortstop and pitcher.
Marshall said Bormann didn't start catching a lot until after his senior year in high school.
Recruited for that position at UTSA, he was raw as a freshman. As a part-time starter, he threw out only 10 of 44 trying to steal. He had five passed balls in 32 games.
This year, in contrast, he is blocking everything. Bormann has been charged with only three passed balls in 58 games.
Plus, in an ironman show of durability, he has caught every inning of every game UTSA has played — 5142/3 innings in all.
Bormann credited his teammates and coaches for his improvement.
With UTSA having qualified for the national tournament, he also admitted to some good fortune.
“It really hasn't hit me yet,” Bormann said. “Personally, this is a dream come true. I come from playing in a cornfield out in Geronimo, Texas, to getting a walk-on spot and now getting to play with these guys every day.
“It's truly an honor.”