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Austin players sweep Sun’s top baseball awards
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By COREY ROEPKEN
To opponents one was a known and feared quantity.
The other was a mystery with no track record for success.
A.J. Glasshof and Taylor Cobb entered the 2010 baseball season with different expectations, but together they helped the Austin Bulldogs find their greatest success. They also have swept the Sun’s Pitcher and Player of the Year awards.
Austin advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs were eliminated by Clements, but counting the regular season, won three of five games against the Region III champion Rangers.
Glasshof is the pitcher who first turned heads last year and followed it up with a District MVP performance this year. In 81 innings he struck out 121 and walked 14. He won a district-high 10 games and recorded an ERA of 1.73.
Cobb hit .360 on the junior varsity team a year ago. This year he hit .562 during the regular season with the varsity and drove in a district best 47 runs.
Cobb said he could tell he had the hang of the varsity level after the opening tournament in Katy. He saw the ball well and maintained his hitting mechanics. He added that the increase in production came from a simple and common formula.
“My hitting instructor showed me a lot over the summer,” he said. “I followed what he said and it worked out.”
At first glance it looked like Cobb came out of nowhere, but coach Randy Ursery said he and many others involved with the team could see Cobb would do well.
The Bulldogs graduated six position starters from last year’s team, and it was clear one of those would go to Cobb.
“He works at it, and obviously he has talent,” Ursery said. “He works hard not only on his hitting, but at his athleticism a ton. His strength has gotten better. He’s always had good hand-eye coordination.”
Cobb’s stunning arrival was not enough to take away from Glasshof’s big senior season. After an All-District first team selection last season, Ursery said Glasshof wanted to win the MVP award this season. As a result, Glasshof said, he expected more out of himself.
He started hot and maintained that pace. The Wharton College commitment used a fastball, curveball and slider to keep hitters off balance and often made them look silly.
“I wasn’t expecting much more,” Glasshof said. “I just wanted to do what I knew I could do. I wanted to pitch my game and get wins for the team.”
Cobb embodied that same selfless attitude, which was just another reason he and Glasshof played such pivotal roles this season. They were so pivotal that Ursery saved them for last when discussing each player at the team’s banquet.
“I don’t think you can understate how important both of them were,” Ursery said. “Later in the year people quit pitching to Cobb, and that led to others benefitting from better pitches. With A.J. on the mound we didn’t just feel like we had a chance to win. We felt like we probably were going to win the game. Both of those guys were influential to the success of the other players and ultimately the success of the team.”
A.J. Glasshof and Taylor Cobb entered the 2010 baseball season with different expectations, but together they helped the Austin Bulldogs find their greatest success. They also have swept the Sun’s Pitcher and Player of the Year awards.
Austin advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs were eliminated by Clements, but counting the regular season, won three of five games against the Region III champion Rangers.
Glasshof is the pitcher who first turned heads last year and followed it up with a District MVP performance this year. In 81 innings he struck out 121 and walked 14. He won a district-high 10 games and recorded an ERA of 1.73.
Cobb hit .360 on the junior varsity team a year ago. This year he hit .562 during the regular season with the varsity and drove in a district best 47 runs.
Cobb said he could tell he had the hang of the varsity level after the opening tournament in Katy. He saw the ball well and maintained his hitting mechanics. He added that the increase in production came from a simple and common formula.
“My hitting instructor showed me a lot over the summer,” he said. “I followed what he said and it worked out.”
At first glance it looked like Cobb came out of nowhere, but coach Randy Ursery said he and many others involved with the team could see Cobb would do well.
The Bulldogs graduated six position starters from last year’s team, and it was clear one of those would go to Cobb.
“He works at it, and obviously he has talent,” Ursery said. “He works hard not only on his hitting, but at his athleticism a ton. His strength has gotten better. He’s always had good hand-eye coordination.”
Cobb’s stunning arrival was not enough to take away from Glasshof’s big senior season. After an All-District first team selection last season, Ursery said Glasshof wanted to win the MVP award this season. As a result, Glasshof said, he expected more out of himself.
He started hot and maintained that pace. The Wharton College commitment used a fastball, curveball and slider to keep hitters off balance and often made them look silly.
“I wasn’t expecting much more,” Glasshof said. “I just wanted to do what I knew I could do. I wanted to pitch my game and get wins for the team.”
Cobb embodied that same selfless attitude, which was just another reason he and Glasshof played such pivotal roles this season. They were so pivotal that Ursery saved them for last when discussing each player at the team’s banquet.
“I don’t think you can understate how important both of them were,” Ursery said. “Later in the year people quit pitching to Cobb, and that led to others benefitting from better pitches. With A.J. on the mound we didn’t just feel like we had a chance to win. We felt like we probably were going to win the game. Both of those guys were influential to the success of the other players and ultimately the success of the team.”
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