Home › All
Tollett nervously awaits Eagles' fate
More All 
Share and Enjoy 
Florida Gulf Coast University coach Dave Tollett should have a great time tonight as he watches his former Punta Gorda-Charlotte High right fielder, Tommy Murphy, play for the Los Angeles Angels against the Devil Rays up in Tampa.
Murphy received his first major league call-up on May 4, and on the heels of a 41-17 season in which FGCU made its first trip to a Division II regional (it went 2-2 in the South at Tampa University), Tollett should be relaxed for a rewarding reunion.
Not likely. For Tollett, Tropicana Field could get drafty.
"It's a nervous time for us, you know?" said Tollett, who will have his cell phone at his side to monitor today's opening of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. "It is. You really don't know what your team is going to be like until after the draft."
The draft ends Wednesday, and these two days could make a huge difference for FGCU next season.
"You live and die by the draft," Tollett said.
Of particular concern to Tollett are junior pitchers Chris Hassen (5-1, 2.04 ERA) and Justin Stiver (6-5, 3.81) and signees Westley Spickard, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound right-hander from Polk Community College, and third baseman teammate Josh Appelbaum (6-1, 190), who batted .318 with 29 RBIs.
"(The draft is) a great opportunity for kids, and we're definitely on the right kids," Tollett said. "But I mean, we could lose Hassen and Stiver, we could lose Spickard ... "
Also in the draft mix are FGCU seniors Jason Louwsma, a 6-2, 205-pound third baseman who batted .425 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 74 RBIs and Estero native Ryan Williams, a 5-11, 185-pound left-hander who went 6-1 with a 4.20 ERA. Louwsma has worked out with the Devil Rays and Tollett said he has heard positive remarks from scouts.
But Tollett doesn't have a real strong handle on the draft status of his players or signees.
"I think Chris and Justin are probably second-day guys," he said. "It only takes a couple of guys to like you in this business."
Scouts are concerned with Hassen's throwing-shoulder problems that developed midseason, causing the 6-foot, 160-pounder with 90 mph power to miss most of the backstretch, including all the regional games.
"They were asking me about his arm — if it's serious, if there's anything obstructionally wrong with it," Tollett said. "The MRI and all that is negative. Just a real bad case of tendinitis.
"I think the kid is pretty well off because he's been here four years. He's close to graduating and I think that will play a part in it — where Stiver probably needs another full year."
Tollett seemed to believe the signees will make it to campus.
"We've got our fingers crossed that they show up," Tollett said. "For those guys, I think it's going to be a little bit different. They all tell us they're going to show up, so we feel good about that.
"But you never know."
Comments
This site does not necessarily agree with comments posted below — responsibility lies with the relevant reader alone. Read our privacy policy & user agreement.
Post your comment
(Requires free registration.)