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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001
For as long as he can remember, Justin Loop has been a shortstop. But near the end of Eckerd's 2000 baseball season Loop was thinking about making a change.
The Tritons were out of playoff contention. Loop was slumping at the plate after a strong freshman season. This seemed like a good time to move to third base.
"I talked to coach (Bill) Mathews about it and we agreed that this was a good move," Loop said. "If I was going to play at the next level, which I want to do, then I should make the move. That's fine with me."
The next level is professional baseball. As a junior, Loop is eligible for Major League Baseball's June draft. He has the credentials to be drafted in the first 20 rounds, and said he would think about leaving school early.
As a senior at Pinellas Park High, Loop led all public school batters with a .480 average and 34 RBI. As a freshman at Eckerd, Loop hit .349 with a team high 51 RBI. He was named to the Sunshine State Conference first team.
Last season, Loop "slumped" to .301 in 50 games. During the last three games of the 2000 season Loop gave up shortstop and moved a few feet to the right.
"He had approached me about (moving to third base) and I told him I was thinking the same thing," Mathews said. "He was getting bigger and his one-step lateral movement was much more conducive to third base. If he's going to go to the next level, I felt this was a move he needed to make."
It took some getting used to.
"It was a little awkward at first but I'm getting better," Loop said. "The first couple of games I was kind of lost. I could make the plays right to me, but I hadn't adjusted to the way the ball comes off the bat. Now I feel much more comfortable."
A summer playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League helped. The wooden bat league is open to college players with professional aspirations and attracts scouts from all over. He had a chance to get extra games at third base.
During the fall Loop continued to accumulate games at third. He also got his stroke back. Through 32 games this season, Loop is hitting .402 with seven doubles, five home runs and 39 RBI.
"I worked with (assistant) coach (Mark) Morawski on my stroke," Loop said. "I was holding my hands too high and coming down on the ball. I've lowered my hands a little and I'm hitting the ball more level."
Loop now feels settled in at third base and at the plate. In fact, most of the Eckerd team feels settled in at the plate.
Through Wednesday's 8-1 loss to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Eckerd is hitting .300 as a team. Chris Figueredo, Steve Williams and Josh Beauregard are hitting over .340.
But mistakes have cost the Tritons games. They were 16-16 through Wednesday.
"We're getting good hitting and pitching," Mathews said. "But we're young. We're making mistakes in the final six outs and those always come back to haunt you."
SPJC: Through Wednesday's games, the St. Petersburg Junior College baseball team was 22-7 and 8-3 in the Suncoast Conference, tied for first with Manatee Community College.
The Trojans are hitting .308 as a team and have a team earned run average of 4.46.
Infielder Mike Cox leads the team with a .370 average, 41 RBI, 10 doubles and 10 home runs. Infielder Erick Monzon is hitting .344 and outfielder Abraham Valencia is hitting .342 with 26 RBI.
Right-handed pitcher Maximo "Paco" Reyes has had a good start. Reyes is 7-1 with a 2.13 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 18 walks. Righthander Ty Banks is 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA and also has two saves.
ECKERD TENNIS: Eckerd is 14-1 and starting to turn heads. The Tritons are 3-0 in the Sunshine State Conference and have wins over four teams ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 20.
The team features players from 10 different countries. Marton Balla, from Budapest, is the top player and is ranked 11th in Division II singles.
Glen Allsop of Brisbane, Australia and Richard Macey of Birmingham, England have both been named SSC Player of the Week this season.