John Rodriguez hit a ball to the right-center field gap in the eighth inning on Saturday, and the only question seemed to be where he would end up.
C.J. Ziegler hit five home runs in the Wingnuts’ first seven games, putting him on pace for 71 over their 100-game season. Such prognostications are usually outlandish, but while Ziegler probably won’t top 70 homers, he has record-setting potential.
Sixteen scoreless innings were enough.
There are often a multitude of complaints from an offense after it gets shut out — a missed opportunity here, poor execution there.
Equating success — or lack thereof — between the Wingnuts’ offense and their overall play so far this season has been easy. When first four hitters in the batting order produce, the Wingnuts often win. When they don’t, Wichita usually loses.
A play that Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper said later was a “botched call” brought in Gary-SouthShore’s only runs in a 2-1 victory over Wichita in an American Association game Tuesday afternoon in Gary, Ind.
The Wichita Wingnuts los tto the Gary SouthShore RailCats 5-1 in their series opener on Monday in Gary, Ind.
The Wichita Wingnuts defeated the Kansas City T-Bones 3-2 in a rain-shortened game on Sunday in Kansas City, Kan.
The Wichita Wingnuts rallied from an early, 3-0 deficit for a 4-3 win over the Kansas City T-Bones on Saturday night in Kansas City, Kan.
Ryan Hinson made an offer to Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper to return to the team before Hinson knew for sure that he was ready to fulfill it.
The veteran Wingnuts’ turn through the batting order was complete, and their younger players were going to decide Friday’s game against the Kansas City T-Bones.
Even though Jon Link was nearly flawless through the first four innings of his start for the Wingnuts on Thursday, it was no indicator of how he would pitch as the game continued.
Chris Smith’s welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment happened when he gave up a grand slam in 2008 to the second batter he ever faced. Once that was behind him, it became somewhat of a calming influence.
Jake Kahaulelio had to be talked into returning to baseball this season. Now the Wingnuts second baseman can’t imagine ever being talked out of it.
The Wingnuts of manager Kevin Hooper’s five-year era have been built on starting pitching, and this season appears no different. Anchoring the rotation are right-handers Chris Smith and Jon Link, who both pitched briefly in the major leagues. Another ex-MLB pitcher, Mike Burns, will serve as the bullpen coach and could be activated at some point. Ryan Hinson returns after winning 20 games over the last two seasons, and right-hander Junior Guerra is back in Wichita after spending last season in the Mexican League. In 2011, Guerra went 9-3 for the Wingnuts. Rounding out the rotation will probably be former WSU left-hander Anthony Capra, who had an inconsistent Wingnuts debut in 2012. The bullpen is once again led by Josh Dew, entering his third season as closer. Nick Walters gives Wichita a dominant left-handed specialist or eighth-inning setup reliever, while newcomers Lincoln Holdzkom, Tyler White, Daniel Bennett and Kristhiam Linares will open the season in the bullpen.Catcher
The start of the Wingnuts’ season on Thursday will be a relief for manager Kevin Hooper and his seemingly endless efforts to put together the team’s outfield.
| Pitchers | ||||
| No. | Name | B/T | Ht. | Wt. |
| 21 | Daniel Bennett | R/R | 6-4 | 220 |
| 22 | Anthony Capra | L/L | 6-1 | 215 |
| 18 | Josh Dew | R/R | 6-4 | 230 |
| 19 | Junior Guerra | R/R | 6-0 | 230 |
| 44 | Ryan Hinson | L/L | 6-3 | 220 |
| 45 | Lincoln Holdzkom | R/R | 6-6 | 245 |
| 17 | Kristhiam Linares | L/L | 6-0 | 218 |
| 23 | Jon Link | R/R | 6-1 | 210 |
| 26 | Chris Smith | R/R | 6-0 | 197 |
| 7 | Nick Walters | L/L | 6-2 | 180 |
| 15 | Tyler White | R/R | 6-3 | 205 |
| Catchers | ||||
| 37 | Cole Armstrong | L/R | 6-3 | 230 |
| 4 | Stephen Yoo | S/R | 5-10 | 185 |
| Infielders | ||||
| 11 | Jake Kahaulelio | R/R | 5-10 | 185 |
| 2 | Ryan Khoury | R/R | 5-11 | 180 |
| 13 | Abel Nieves | R/R | 6-0 | 205 |
| 33 | C.J. Ziegler | R/R | 6-5 | 240 |
| Outfielders | ||||
| 30 | David Amberson | R/R | 6-3 | 210 |
| 24 | Colt Loehrs | R/R | 6-2 | 215 |
| 16 | Jared McDonald | L/R | 6-1 | 195 |
| 5 | Derek Perren | L/L | 5-9 | 190 |
| 25 | John Rodriguez | L/L | 6-0 | 220 |
The art of turning a double play begins and ends with the chemistry between the two middle infielders, the second basemen and the shortstop.
The long-term planning of several of last year’s Wingnuts players didn’t help manager Kevin Hooper’s efforts toward putting together a roster over the course of a few months.
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