By: Carver Rayburn
Sophomore pitcher Bobby Wahl is expected to contribute as a starter on the mound for the 2012 Ole Miss Baseball Team. With a fastball recorded traveling in the high 90s, Wahl should prove to be a workhorse for the pitching staff this year. TLV sat down with the Springfield, Virginia native for a little Q&A recently.
TLV: Ok, first the cheesy get to know you questions. You Ready?
BW: Yeeeeuuuup.
Favorite Restaurant? Bouré. Can’t go wrong with the Bouré Burger or Jambalaya Pasta.
iPhone, Android or Blackberry? iPhone. Gotta have it. I’ve had the 4 a little over a year now and I love it.
Mac or PC? Mac. I’m an Apple Guy.
Favorite Major League Team? The Baltimore Orioles. I grew up right outside of Washington, D.C. The Nationals were not around when I was growing up.
Give us an update on what your role will be this year. Last year, you were a closer and a starter. Where will you fit in 2012? Right now, I have been working on being a starter for this team. In the offseason, that is what I worked towards. But, if the season gets going and Coach Bianco needs me to step up and fill another role, I will.
How would you rate this year’s pitching staff compared to 2011? I think we have a great pitching staff from top to bottom this year. We have a lot of young guys and some juco transfers that have come in. Then, obviously there are guys like Brett Huber coming back. Overall, I think being a little younger has made us hungry and we want it a little bit more, if that’s possible. Everyone is really anxious and excited.
How big of a challenge will it be to open at No. 9 TCU? TCU is a great program and they have a great coach, but we have that too. We are really excited that we will be able to test ourselves as team so early in the season against a highly ranked opponent. I’m just ready to play someone other than ourselves. I hate pitching against our offense, because they are really good.
Which series are you looking forward to the most this year? I am just ready to play. The Mississippi State series is always big one.
Biggest Rival? Mississippi State.
What is your best pitch? Fastball. I’ve gotten it up to 98.
Will we see that this year? Hopefully. Hopefully.
Predictions on the season? Obviously, our goal is to win the SEC, Regional, Super Regional and get to Omaha. With the talent we have on this team and the chemistry we have there is no reason why that can’t happen this year. We have worked really hard this fall and we are hungry. After not making the postseason last year, we have a bad taste in our mouth. Win the day.
