COLUMBIA, S.C. — There are plenty of different approaches when it comes to hitting and every one can be successful. Doug Shribman takes the most basic, caveman-like approach.
See ball. Hit ball. Hard.
Right now, no one can argue with the results and Shribman's red-hot streak is one of the catalysts to Bucknell's run from the fourth seed in the Patriot League tournament to its second NCAA berth in three seasons.
"I swing as hard as I can, every time," Shribman said prior to a recent practice. "If I hit the ball, it does go far. Right now, it seems like I am hitting everything."
The junior from Marblehead, Mass., is as hot as hot can be entering tonight's NCAA tournament opener against host South Carolina. In the course of six Patriot League games, Shribman turned into an offensive tour de force. His numbers are video-game like, approaching the ridiculous stage. In a pair of three-game series against top-seeded Army and Holy Cross, Shribman batted .423 (11-of-26) with seven of his school record 20 homers, 16 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
"Right now, it looks like a beach ball coming in there," said Shribman, completely serious. "I've had hot streaks before, but never like this. I've always been a guy who swings real hard and if I make contact it goes a long way. The last two weeks have just been off the charts."
"I don't think anybody could really expect the kind of thing Doug has done the past two weekends," Bucknell head coach Gene Depew said.
The scary thing for Bucknell's three regional opponents — The Gamecocks, The Citadel and Virginia Tech — is that Shribman is not alone as an offensive force. The Bison have hammered a school record 72 home runs this year — including 20 by Shribman and 18 from Andy Brouse — 22 more than the old mark set in 1997. Bucknell averages more than six and a half runs a game.
Depew's lineup is anchored by four seniors in the top four spots in the order, all veterans and all All-Patriot performers this year.
Ben Allen, B.J. LaRosa, Ben Yoder and Brouse have all benefited from Shribman's eruption out of the five hole and, in turn, so have the Bison.
Perhaps the biggest beneficiary has been Brouse. The senior from Midd-West was named the Patriot League Player of the Year a couple of weeks ago and now that Shirbman has moved into the No. 5 spot, it has forced teams to come after Brouse a bit more with Shribman looming in the on-deck circle. In the playoffs, Brouse is hitting .423 with three homers and eight runs scored.
"With Doug going the way he is right now, it really takes the pressure off me," said Brouse. "With a guy like him behind me, I am definitely getting more pitches to hit."
It works both ways, however, said Shribman.
Throughout the course of the season, Shribman has been up and down the lineup, hitting anywhere from fifth to eighth. He has settled in behind Brouse in the five spot.
"A lot of teams don't want to give Andy something to hit, he is the Player of the Year," said Shribman. "Since Andy is on base so much, teams have to try to get me out, so I am getting a lot of pitches to hit right now."
n Sports editor Bill Bowman covers college sports for The Daily Item. E-mail comments to bbowman@dailyitem.com
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