Started from the bottom...

[jwolt92]

Fresh off a college career which saw Wolter go undrafted despite some strong play, the desire to be around baseball was still too strong. He honed his abilities at Florida State under legendary coach Mike Martin and soon had many offers to coach at the lower levels of the minor leagues.

First thing he had to do was sift through the offers and see what seemed like the best route for himself. Many teams had some quality prospects that had the feel of a good team to learn the ropes in, but the Augusta GreenJackets, lead by Lucious Fox and Phil Bickford won the young coach over and Wolter soon agreed to a contract.

"It's great to be able to accept this position and begin my new career as a coach in the San Francisco Giants organization. Hopefully I can learn as much from these young men as they can learn from me," Wolter stated in his press conference after accepting the position.

Wolter continued, "I will bring a patient approach to the plate. I don't want these guys hacking away at just anything, make the pitchers work and get yourself on base."

When asked about his pitching philosophy Wolter replied, "I want our guys to go and get the first pitch strike at least 75% of the time. I know many of these young men are still learning how to pitch at the big league level, but to be successful at the next level they will need to get that first pitch over and then we can work from there. I would rather have a guy go 7 innings and only strike out 1 or 2 while getting some great play from the defense than have him go 5 innings and strike out 7 or 8."

Only time will tell how this experiment works out for the GreenJackets and Wolter. Weekly updates to be given as time goes forward.

[jwolt92]

In his short time in Augusta, Coach Wolter has made many friends within the quiet community. By doing so, he has secured himself a Monday morning slot on the Fox Sports 1340 sports talk show. He'll be there to discuss the team and tell the listeners about his transition from playing to coaching.

"Week 1 went by in the blink of an eye. The first 4 games were truly special to me as a head coach and it will be something that I will never forget. Unfortunately we weren't able to get the series win against the Rome Braves, but we did manage a split after taking the first two. We'll spend another 3 on the road in Lexington before we get our first taste of the home crowd, so we're hoping to at least head home with a 4-3 record, preferably a 5-2 record though. Lexington did just lose their starting third basemen for 12 games for a benches clearing brawl, so we'll look to take advantage of that and maybe lay down a few more bunts this series than we did in the last."

"Overall things are going great. We're getting some solid hitting, great starting pitching, and solid arms out of the pen. One guy we're really excited about is Cody Brickhouse. He's started all 4 games for us at third base and been nothing short of spectacular. Between his stellar play at third and his consistent bat, there's nothing this guy can't do."

"To recap the series, we started out hot winning the first two. Game 1 was a pitchers duel as both Bickford and Soroka had solid starts. Bickford gave us a QS going 6.2 giving up just 2 runs in a 3-2 win. Steven Duggar (RF .5 star overall/2 star potential) came up with the big hit for us in that one knocking his first of the season over the fence to put us up 3-2. After that the bullpen came through for us in a big way shutting down the Rome bats."

"Game 2 couldn't have been more different for us. The bats came alive after managing just 7 hits in the first one. The lineup erupted for 14 hits and 9 runs en route to a 9-6 win. Lucius Fox (1*/5*) was the key contributor here. He finished the day 3-4 with 4 RBIs and a run scored. But I can't say the rest of the offense was stagnant. We popped 2 more big flies that game thanks to Matt Winn (.5*/4*) and Dylan Davis (.5*/1*). Logan Webb (.5*/4*) did enough to get the win for us and the bullpen once again went out and threw up some zeroes."

"Out first loss of the year was a tough one, and I take much of the responsibility for that one. Down 3-0 in the top of the 5th out bats came alive in a big way giving us two runs. I had the opportunity to hold up TJ Bennett (.5*/2*) at third and give us 2nd and third with 2 outs and Fox coming up to the plate, but a weak arm in left field got me anxious to send him and he ended up being tagged out at the plate. Maybe if we don't send him, Fox gets a big knock for us and we take the lead. Can't dwell on that though. Christian Jones (.5*/.5*) took the mound for us that night and only gave us 4 before being pulled. He struggled with his command and will look to improve upon that in his next start which is scheduled for our home opener later this week."

"Game 4 was another quick pitchers duel. Hats off to their starter Ryan Lawlor. He threw 6 innings of shut out ball before handing it off to the bullpen who kept the shut out alive. But Pat Young (.5*/.5*) gave us an exceptional start as well. He went 7 innings, striking out 7, walked 1, and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. If the offense is clicking like it had the first 3 games, we walk away from this one on top."

"This week we've got 3 against Lexington on the road and then 4 at home against Charleston. We hope to see a big crowd out there for opening night and give them a victory. Thanks for having me guys."

[jwolt92]

Coach Wolter was informed following Monday's show that ratings at Fox Sports 1340 AM were higher than they had been since the 2015 Masters. Because of that, the morning crew has asked the coach to give the audience more than a once a week show. They have invited him to join them in the mornings following every series. This will give the coach a chance to discuss happenings on the team as well as key performances that might not make it in a weekly show.

"Man let me tell you guys, it's an honor to be back on the air so quickly after our first show. I'm even more grateful to the wonderful fans of the GreenJackets who listened in not knowing who I was or what I was all about earlier this week. Hopefully you all show up in similar numbers tonight when we open up at home against Charleston."

"But enough with the chit chat, let's cut to the stuff you guys want to hear about. Our first trip to Lexington as a team was a huge success. We went in hoping to take 2 out of 3 from the struggling Legends and ended up with a clean sweep with some huge games out of plenty of guys."

"Game 1 was another pitchers duel for us. We came out on top 3-1 but heading into the 6th it was just a 1-1 game. I'll save you all the trouble of worrying, but their starters didn't go past the 5th inning in a single game for the series and our bats took advantage of their depleted bullpen later on. Anyways, Carlos Diaz (.5*/1*) threw an absolute gem for us in Game 1 of the series going 7 strong innings, giving up just 1 run and scattering 7 hits. The defense behind him was spectacular, turning 2 double plays and making all the plays when we needed them to. Despite all of that, it would have been for nothing if it weren't for the clutch at bat in the 6th by Matt Winn (1*/3.5*). He came up with the bases loaded and no outs and delivered a 2 run single to put us ahead. Diaz went back out and finished the 6th and 7th before turning it over to the bullpen which put up 0's in the 8th and 9th. It was a game that I loved to see as a coach as everyone did what they had to to get the job done."

"Now Game 2 was one that will both shorten and extend my life by many years. We sent out Phil Bickford (.5*/4*), our ace of the staff, to try and take the first 2 from Lexington. Their starter was having none of that. In his brief appearance, he held us to just 3 hits over 4.1 innings pitched, but our patient at bats took their toll and he couldn't get to the 6th inning. Their bullpen looked like it was going to hold us in this one and it looked like a solid outing from Bickford (6 innings, 3 earned runs), was going to be wasted. Through 8 innings the Legends led 3-0 before they brought in their closer. Not a good idea for the Legends on that day. The offense exploded for 8 runs, capped off by a Dylan Davis (1*/1.5*) grand slam. He was 3-4 on the day with those 4 RBIs to go along with 2 runs scored. That was all that we needed as Heath Slatton (.5*/.5*) came in and allowed just one run before getting 3 outs and giving us the 8-4 win."

"Now before I give you the recap for Game 3, I want you to remember the 8 runs that we scored in the 9th in Game 2. The GreenJackets had a comfortable lead heading into the top of the 9th inning with both their closer and middle relief pitchers getting up in the bullpen. The score was 7-3, but the Legends were once again short on arms after a brief start by their SP. Our hitters exploded, once again in the 9th inning, for 7 runs. Can't make this stuff up guys. That's 15 runs in the 9th inning in the last two games. Their bullpen ERA certainly took a hit in just those two innings. The inning was started by a single, followed by a double, then a triple before the reliever was finally chased. A slew of hits followed, along with 3 walks and a hit batsmen. By the end of the frame our boys had jumped from a 7-3 lead to a 14-3 lead and it was all but over. It took Ryan Halstead (.5*/.5*) just 9 pitches to retire the Legends and complete the sweep. Steven Duggar (1*/4*) and Manuel Geraldo (.5*/1.5*) lead the way offensively collecting 4 hits a piece while Duggar had 2 RBIs and Geraldo had 3. After a rough first start Logan Webb was the beneficiary of an offensive explosion as he went 7 innings, giving up 9 hits and 3 runs."

"Right now our boys in Green are in the top half of many key statistics around the league. Our team on base percentage sits at .353 which is good for 6th out of 14, 2nd in runs scored with 40, 1st in bullpen ERA at just 1.00, and 3rd in defensive efficiency with a .707. I believe if we keep up those trends right there, at those key stats, we will have a very good year and bring out many fans to our little ballpark. We ranked just 9th in the Power Rankings after the first 4 games and are currently sitting just 1 game back of first place in the South Atlantic League (SAL A) Southern Division, behind only Greenville, who got out to a 6-0 start before dropping their first game. Charleston is 3-4, and just dropped 3 straight. Charleston has been ravished by injuries (15 guys on the DL already) and have an exhausted bullpen. Normally we'd be content with a split in a 4 game set, but we want 3 out of 4 this weekend and hope to please our fans."

"Thanks again for having me guys, look forward to our chat Monday morning."

[jwolt92]

Back for his original Monday morning slot, Coach Wolter was happy to talk with the local media about the first home series of the season, despite some semi disappointing results.

"Well guys, as you recall we had just come off a 3 game sweep of Lexington and were looking to continue that by taking 3 of 4 from Charleston. Didn't go quite that way, but we salvaged a split after dropping the first two. Rome comes to town for a 3 game set starting tonight and if you recall we started off the season with a 4 game series that saw us win the first 2 before losing the last 2 of the series. Let's talk about these last 4 against Charleston though."

"Game 1 was one that our starting pitcher Christian Jones would like to forget, and we're hoping he does as he has the ball against Rome tomorrow. Jones went 6 innings, only threw 84 pitches, but gave up 5 runs on 8 hits, including 2 deep balls. He improved from his last start as he walked none compared to the 4 last outing, so we're hoping that's a silver lining for him right now. He came out down 5-1 and our bullpen gave up just 1 more run over the next 3 innings, and our offense put up two runs in both the 8th and 9th innings, but it wasn't enough as the tying run was left on 3rd and the winning run on first as Brickhouse struck out looking to end the game. The offense put up some great numbers racking up 17 hits, 5 of them for extra bases, but we stranded 12 guys. We bring in even a third of those guys and we're looking at a big win for the GreenJackets."

"Game 2 was an entirely different story from Game 1. While Game 1 featured 31 hits from the two clubs, Game 2 had just 13 and only 3 runs scored. The Riverdogs put their first run on the board in the 6th inning off of starter Pat Young who allowed only 6 hits in 7 innings of work. Despite his hard work on the hill, their starter was better. Jordan Foley went 6.2 giving up just 3 hits and walking 1 while striking out none. Skipping ahead to the 9th, with the Riverdogs up 1-0, they strung together 3 hits and pushed their second run across against Ryan Halstead. In the bottom half of the 9th, the only run on the day for the GreenJackets came on a Dylan Davis solo shot. The next 2 hitters were retired in order and gave the Riverdogs their second win in a row to start the 4 game set."

"Game 3 was, once again, a complete reversal from the previous one. The bats came in ready to turn things around for the GreenJackets. The first inning started off quickly with the GreenJackets loading the bases with no outs for catcher Matt Winn. Winn got a fastball and delivered a 448 foot bomb to dead center that gave the home team an early 4-0 advantage. Carlos Diaz surrendered 1 run in the top of the second, but the GreenJackets offense got that one back right away in the bottom of the second. However, the Riverdog offense wanted a piece of the pie as well and exploded for 4 runs in the top of the 3rd off of Diaz to tie things up. Things would go quiet for the next 2 innings as neither team scored until the GreenJackets were able to get one to take the lead in the bottom of the 5th as Lucius Fox reached on an error and was brought in on a Matt Winn double, giving him 5 RBIs for the day. With a 6-5 lead and Diaz finding a groove, the GreenJackets never looked back. The team scored another in the bottom of the 6th and 4 more in the 7th to put away the Riverdogs and give themselves their first win at home on the year in an 11-5 win."

"Game 4 was Bickford's home debut for the GreenJackets was a little shaky. Coming into the game with a 3.55 ERA and 2 consecutive QS's, Bick quickly gave up a 2 spot in the first inning. The offense rallied around him and gave him one back in the bottom half of the first before he threw up a zero in the top of the second. The game was tied up on the first pitch in the bottom of the second on a towering homerun by Jean Angomas. The rest of the offense saw the flood gates shaking and took advantage by scoring 3 more times in the frame before finally recording the 3rd out. With a 5-2 lead, Bickford tossed up 2 more zeroes in the 3rd and 4th innings before surrendering his 3rd earned run in the 5th. Phil was able to quiet the bats in the 6th inning before reaching his pitch limit at 101 thrown and handed things over to the bullpen with a 5-3 lead. The pen gave up 1 in the top of the 7th when Matt Pope gave up a two out double to make the lead just one. In the bottom of the 7th, leadoff hitter Steven Duggar stepped up looking to give the team something to work with when he launched one over the right field fence and give the GreenJackets a 6-4 lead. That proved to be a very clutch hit as the bullpen gave up another run in the top half of the 8th before Connor Kaden was given the ball in the 9th and he shut the door for his 4th save on the year."

"We have 3 more at home and then hit the road for a 4 game set at Charleston. Right now we're tied for first in the Southern division with Greenville (7-4) who struggled with Columbia and West Virginia last week. The latest Power Rankings pushed us from 9th up to 3rd and we hope to jump up again this week facing two familiar lineups."