Athlete of the Week: Tony Coyne

That isn't likely to happen anytime soon. Coyne dominated the Ancient Eight last year, leading the league in average, home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage, while playing solid defense at shortstop. When the baseball team kicked off its short fall season on Fri., Oct. 2 and Sat., Oct. 3, finishing second at the New Haven City Series Championship, Coyne picked up where he left off, going 4 for 10 and hitting two home runs.

Those two home runs matched Coyne's freshman-year total, but he hit 10 last year. He attributed this increase in power to hitting coach Dan Scarpa's advice during last season's winter workouts. "We agreed that since I was going to be hitting third or fourth, I would have to hit for more power," Coyne said. This required a more aggressive hitting style. "[Scarpa] stressed that you get one pitch per at bat to drive, so you can't waste it," Coyne added. "He taught me to be aggressive. Half of my home runs were on the first pitch."

Besides adjusting his hitting, Coyne also switched from first base to shortstop last winter. The move wasn't much of a sacrifice for him. "I've played short my whole life. It wasn't a change I wasn't ready for," Coyne said. He recognized that he would have to sharpen his shortstop skills, however, which he did. "I've become a much better fielder," he said. This was important for the team, because the shortstop position is crucial. "At shortstop you have a lot more responsibility, as the quarterback of the infield."

His transition back to quarterback of the infield may have been helped by his experience as a quarterback in high school. The Prince Frederick, Md. native was offered athletic scholarships, primarily for football, by a couple of colleges, including Maryland, but Coyne showed his commitment to Yale by applying Early Decision--after "the coaches at Yale convinced me that I could get in," he said.

Coyne never, however, considered playing football at Yale. "The only thing I liked about football was [playing games]. Practicing was terrible. I enjoy practicing baseball."

Part of the reason Coyne chose to attend Yale was that 12 Bulldogs have been drafted from the time coach John Stuper arrived at the program in 1993. This bodes well for Coyne, who said that "it's been my dream to play professional ball" since playing tee ball as a five-year-old. If he puts together another season like last year's, the scouts will be calling.

--Carl Bialik

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