Advertisement
Bigley prefers good old-fashioned lumber, too.
“Swinging with the wood bat is something I love doing; I love it more than the metal bat,” said Bigley, a sophomore from Dallas Baptist University. “It took me about a week last summer to get adjusted to it and once I did, it felt really good.”
Bigley, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander, batted .270 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in the Texas Collegiate League in 2006.
Bigley carried the momentum over from last summer into a breakout year at Dallas Baptist University. He batted .329 — a bump of 36 points from his freshman year — with 10 homers and 61 RBI in 52 games.
“I worked on hitting a lot,” Bigley said with a chuckle.
Bigley’s college statistics show that he has a knack for the long ball. In two spring seasons and one summer campaign, he has 27 home runs.
It appears those numbers aren’t lying: Bigley has hit a handful of batting practice pitches out of Copeland Park on the Loggers’ first two days of workouts.
“Coming into college, I’d never really hit a lot of home runs,” said Bigley, a native of Lancaster, Texas. “But my freshman year of college, that fall I never worked out as hard as I did then. I bulked up a lot and I just started hitting more and more it and kind of came to me.”
Bigley said he often used a wood bat during batting practice sessions this spring to fine-tune his swing and get ready for the summer.
“When I get used to the wood again, I think I can bring some home runs and doubles to (the Loggers),” Bigley said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
So is Loggers manager Rick Boyer.
“You can see he’s so strong and has such a quick bat,” Boyer said. “We’re expecting him to hit for average and power. He’s hit some tremendous homers in batting practice. I think that with what we know of him, he’s the real deal. There’s no question marks with Evan Bigley.”
Bigley’s older brother, Dennis Bigley, was selected as in the 22nd round of the 2003 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Dennis Bigley pitched in the Blue Jays’ minor league system for three seasons.
“Watching my brother play and how dedicated he was to the game makes me more dedicated to get drafted and get to the next level,” Evan said. “That’s my top goal.”
DOZIER OUT: Southern Mississippi shortstop Brian Dozier will not report to the Loggers this summer, general manager Chris Goodell said.
Dozier, who batted .335 with three homers and 25 RBI this spring, asked for his release in order to take care of a family situation.
The Loggers still have four shortstops on their roster. Spencer Lucian (Princeton), Justin Toole (Iowa) and Gabe Schultz (Northern Iowa) are the three who have reported and Troy Hanzawa (San Diego State) is expected by this weekend.
ROAD BOYER: Boyer will be a busy man this week, thanks to the success of his La Crescent High School baseball team. The Lancers advanced to the MSHSL Section 1A tournament and will play Triton at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Rochester, Minn. The tournament is double-elimination.
Boyer said Tuesday that his plan is to practice with his La Crescent team on Thursday and Friday, then drive to and from Wausau, Wis., each day. He will not manage the Loggers’ home opener on Saturday.
BJELLAND SIGNS: Jon Bjelland, who pitched for the Loggers in 2003 and the Eau Claire Express in 2005-06, signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks last weekend, nwlfan.com reported.
Bjelland, a senior left-hander for Minnesota State University-Mankato, went 11-0 with a 2.17 ERA and was named the Daktronics Region Pitcher of the Year for NCAA Division II this spring.
For more coverage of the Loggers, check out Joel Badzinski's Loggers blog.
Joel Badzinski can be reached at (608) 791-8402 or joel.badzinski@lee.net
