Post by Trojan Warrior on Apr 10, 2014 8:29:44 GMT -6
TROY -- Jo-El Bennett is back to being Jo-El Bennett, and that has been good news for the Troy baseball team this year.
Bennett was hitting .330 with five homers and 20 RBIs as of the beginning of the week and has become a key cog for the Trojans offense this year.
But the former Houston Academy star, despite immense talent, has not always produced as well as he has this year. To get back to where he projected to be took a little bit of relaxation – and rediscovering himself in the batting cage.
“My first two years here were not exactly how I planned it,” he said. “My expectations were to contribute to the team more than I did.”
Bennett displayed his great talent in high school, hitting .563 in his senior season with the Raiders. His high school career was so good that the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB draft.
Bennett, though, decided to play for Troy – a strong Sun Belt Conference program with a knack of sending players to the minor leagues. With such great talent, Bennett – and several around the program – thought the Midland City resident would contribute immediately to the Trojans.
Bennett hit .226 in his freshman year and just .190 in his sophomore campaign. He had flashes of brilliance, like batting .263 in conference play in 2012, but consistently he did not produce like he wanted.
“Young players who are trying to improve – there’s never a timetable for their development,” Trojans head coach Bobby Pierce said. “I could go back and say I probably put Jo-El in situations that he wasn’t ready for, but I believed in Jo-El’s ability.”
“It was definitely frustrating. I was putting in the work and not getting the results I wanted,” Bennett added. “Always having success then going to (lack of success) was tough.” (Full Article)
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Bennett was hitting .330 with five homers and 20 RBIs as of the beginning of the week and has become a key cog for the Trojans offense this year.
But the former Houston Academy star, despite immense talent, has not always produced as well as he has this year. To get back to where he projected to be took a little bit of relaxation – and rediscovering himself in the batting cage.
“My first two years here were not exactly how I planned it,” he said. “My expectations were to contribute to the team more than I did.”
Bennett displayed his great talent in high school, hitting .563 in his senior season with the Raiders. His high school career was so good that the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB draft.
Bennett, though, decided to play for Troy – a strong Sun Belt Conference program with a knack of sending players to the minor leagues. With such great talent, Bennett – and several around the program – thought the Midland City resident would contribute immediately to the Trojans.
Bennett hit .226 in his freshman year and just .190 in his sophomore campaign. He had flashes of brilliance, like batting .263 in conference play in 2012, but consistently he did not produce like he wanted.
“Young players who are trying to improve – there’s never a timetable for their development,” Trojans head coach Bobby Pierce said. “I could go back and say I probably put Jo-El in situations that he wasn’t ready for, but I believed in Jo-El’s ability.”
“It was definitely frustrating. I was putting in the work and not getting the results I wanted,” Bennett added. “Always having success then going to (lack of success) was tough.” (Full Article)
iconTroy3