by Kelly Brocklehurst
Daily Lobo
It could have been a tough changeover for the Lobo baseball team, but Daniel Stovall's play made it painless.
Stovall, a sophomore from Midland, Texas, replaced Chris Alexander at first base last season. Alexander set several UNM records, including career RBI and single season home runs. He graduated from UNM in 2003.
Stovall batted .347 in 199 at-bats, good for fifth on the team.
Head coach Rich Alday said there is no way to compare the two. Alexander was a power hitter, with 25 home runs in 2003. Alday said Stovall is not a home run hitter, but he did lead the team with 12 round-trippers last year.
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Alday said Stovall is an outstanding worker who is very well-mannered.
Stovall said he thinks he's a good hitter, and all the players bring strengths to the team.
"He's got raw power," Alday said. "We try to tell him to hit line drives and to hit it in the gap."
Stovall's weakness is that he does not run very well, Alday said, but he is a quick on defense and a good offensive player.
Juggling baseball and school is not always easy. Stovall said it is difficult at times to balance the two, and there is pressure that goes with being a college athlete. But he said handles the pressure well.
"It's a great thing to be a student athlete," he said.
For Stovall, the hardest part of making the transition from high school baseball to college baseball was the increased level of competition. He also said it is difficult to get to know new players after playing with the same people for years.
Despite these difficulties, Stovall said he has made a smooth transition. Last year, he had 69 hits in 199 at-bats. Fourteen of those hits were doubles, and he scored 41 runs.
He was second on the team with a .608 slugging percentage.
Stovall received accolades during his freshman year. He was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Co-Hitter of the Week and the Mountain West Baseball Player of the Week.
Stovall was also named to the Wallace Watch List for College Baseball Player of the Year at the end of 2004.
"It was a great honor," he said. "I think it shows a lot about this program."
The Wallace Watch List will narrow the players to 12 semifinalists in May. After the NCAA Super Regionals, the list will be narrowed down to three finalists. A banquet will be held for the finalists, their coaches and their parents.
Baseball
The Lobos begin their season Friday in Tucson. Their first home game is
February 11 at 6 p.m. at Isotopes Park.
