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Woodwork in the AppyBillmeyer takes home-run lead despite swinging unfamiliar batBy THOMAS HARDINGof the Daily Telegraph staffUntil this summer, catcher Mickey Billmeyer of the Bluefield Orioles did not know how it felt to get good wood on the ball.After swinging aluminum bats from when he was little to his college days at North Carolina State, he has put the wooden bat to good use — as evidenced by his Appalachian League-leading eight home runs in the season’s first 15 games.“I had never used wood,” said Billmeyer. “I picked one up one time and took a few swings, but I said I didn’t think I could hit with it, so I stayed with the aluminum. I thought I would have trouble getting used to it, but I got a bat that I liked.”Billmeyer has since broken that bat, but it should take more than that to disturb his new-found home run stroke.“I hit 11 at N.C. State this year, but that was in a lot more at-bats,” he said. “I never did hit home runs when I was young. I had only one home run my senior year in high school.”His fence-busting parade started with a two-run shot in the season opener fgainst the Pulaski Braves. He knocked three two games recently against the Bristol Tigers and blasted a grand slam in the final inning of a 7-4 win over the Johnson City Cardinals. He is hitting .341 and has 21 RBIs.The power is an unexpected surprise to Orioles manager Mike Verdi.“When we signed him, he came down to Miami to our rookie camp for two weeks,” said Verdi. “He didn’t hit a home run the whole time we were down there. He’s certainly been hitting them up here.”Billmeyer believes he is making steady improvements defensively. He was the full-time designated hitter at N.C. State.“I didn’t catch. I was just the DH,” he said. “Of course, the guy who was catching, Jim McNamara, was a real good ballplayer with a good glove and a good arm.“I feel confident calling the game and blocking pitches, but I don’t feel confident throwing yet. I don’t know. My body seems out of whack, but the coaches are working with me on the little things.”The rigorous schedule affects many players, but Billmeyer believes his college schedule has prepared him to play every day.“I like to come to the ballpark every day. This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” said Billmeyer, who played at Hagerstown Community College before joining the Wolfpack. “I just try to keep myselfMickey Billmeyer...Batting .341 with 8 HRsin good shape. In college I learned that you have to pace yourself during the year.”Verdi is not worried about Billmeyer tiring.“He’s always looking for extra help and putting in extra hours,” Verdi said. “Of course, catchers are used to working. They’re hard-driving types, and he fits that mold.”Billmeyer noted that his offensive prowess is not the result of anything intentional.“I just feel pretty good,” he said. “It seems that I’m just throwing the bat out there and things are just working out real well. For a while I was trying to jerk the ball, but I’ve cut down on my swing a little bit. I’m just trying to hit the ball.”Billmeyer’s hitting technique is been simple. He simply tries to connect the bat with the ball — his way of knocking on wood.
Newspaper Details
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bluefield, West Virginia, US
Sun, Jul 07, 1985
Page 115
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