Photo by: Boise State University
Boise State Offense Shines in 2020
3/27/2020 11:22:00 AM | Baseball
BOISE, Idaho – If you spend time with Boise State head baseball coach Gary Van Tol, you will quickly learn he is a man who prides himself on finding the right fit for his program.
When it comes to the tools of the trade, Van Tol and the Broncos partnered with Axe Bat prior to their first season since 1980. Early returns indicate it was indeed the right fit for Boise State.
The Broncos ranked second in the Mountain West, top 50 nationally and top 25 among teams outside of the Power 5 conferences in batting average (.296), on-base percentage (.397). slugging percentage (.435), OPS (.832) and runs per game (7.2).
"We loved the performance and feel of the new bats, but equally important, we felt Axe Bat was committed to growing a successful long-term program with us," Van Tol said. "Axe Bat's approach to building the best bat for a player's swing aligns with the direction the game is headed and is an important competitive advantage of us."
Boise State hitting coach echoed Van Tol's sentiments. "The partnership with Axe Bat couldn't have started off on a better note," Buck said. "Our hitters embraced the change to the axe handle this year and in return we saw better bat speed and barrel control from them. Although our season was only 14 games long, I wasn't surprised where we finished in the conference and nationally in most offensive categories. We knew we had guys who could hit, but the Axe Bat gave our hitters confidence to perform."
Matthew Farman, Reagan Doss, Kase Ogata and Torin Montgomery each ranked among the top 35 freshmen hitters nationally according to D1Baseball.com's analytics. All Boise State freshmen combined to hit .296.
The Broncos' three Division I transfers on the offensive side, Michael Hicks, Geon Hyoung Kim and Cory Meyer, all saw spikes in their output. Each posted a batting average at least 40 points above his career average entering the season. The most dramatic improvement came from Hicks.
Prior to 2020, the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho native was a .211 career hitter. In 2020, Hicks started all-14 games and led Boise State in batting average (.386), fourth in the Mountain West, hits (22), doubles (eight) and RBI (11). He recorded eight multi-hit games and slugged .579.
The Broncos season ended March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When it comes to the tools of the trade, Van Tol and the Broncos partnered with Axe Bat prior to their first season since 1980. Early returns indicate it was indeed the right fit for Boise State.
The Broncos ranked second in the Mountain West, top 50 nationally and top 25 among teams outside of the Power 5 conferences in batting average (.296), on-base percentage (.397). slugging percentage (.435), OPS (.832) and runs per game (7.2).
"We loved the performance and feel of the new bats, but equally important, we felt Axe Bat was committed to growing a successful long-term program with us," Van Tol said. "Axe Bat's approach to building the best bat for a player's swing aligns with the direction the game is headed and is an important competitive advantage of us."
Boise State hitting coach echoed Van Tol's sentiments. "The partnership with Axe Bat couldn't have started off on a better note," Buck said. "Our hitters embraced the change to the axe handle this year and in return we saw better bat speed and barrel control from them. Although our season was only 14 games long, I wasn't surprised where we finished in the conference and nationally in most offensive categories. We knew we had guys who could hit, but the Axe Bat gave our hitters confidence to perform."
Matthew Farman, Reagan Doss, Kase Ogata and Torin Montgomery each ranked among the top 35 freshmen hitters nationally according to D1Baseball.com's analytics. All Boise State freshmen combined to hit .296.
The Broncos' three Division I transfers on the offensive side, Michael Hicks, Geon Hyoung Kim and Cory Meyer, all saw spikes in their output. Each posted a batting average at least 40 points above his career average entering the season. The most dramatic improvement came from Hicks.
Prior to 2020, the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho native was a .211 career hitter. In 2020, Hicks started all-14 games and led Boise State in batting average (.386), fourth in the Mountain West, hits (22), doubles (eight) and RBI (11). He recorded eight multi-hit games and slugged .579.
The Broncos season ended March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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