Bourne Again

Armen Simonian will be the secondArmen Simonian will be the secondQuaker in as many years to play for theArmen Simonian will be the secondQuaker in as many years to play for theBourne Braves of the Cape Cod League The Cape Cod League is regarded as one of the top summer baseball leagues in the country. Playing in front of countless professional scouts against the best amateur players in the country can prove to be a daunting challenge for even the top players. The selection process for the Cape Cod League is very extensive, and numerous phone calls were made to Simonian's coaches by teams in the league. One factor that helped Simonian's chances was the play of Penn junior shortstop Mark DeRosa with Bourne last summer. DeRosa's all-around play opened the eyes of professional scouts and created greater opportunity for future Penn players to play in Cape Cod. "There are two reasons why Armen was selected for the league -- his play last year as a freshman and the strength of DeRosa's performance last year," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. DeRosa believes that Simonian will be able to perform well this summer based soley on his talent. But DeRosa does warn that it can be rough in the beginning. "Initially it was a big adjustment," DeRosa said. "You are away from home all summer, you have to get used to wooden bats, and the quality of play is really high." But unlike DeRosa, Simonina will not have to get used to using wooden bats. For the past three summers, he has played in a wooden-bat-only league. Last year Simonian showed that he is equally adept at using an aluminum bat, as he finished second on the Penn team with his .415 batting average. He also exhibited steady play at second base, forming an excellent double-play combo with DeRosa. "I just focused on doing my job," Simonian said. "I didn't feel pressure, and things rolled my way." It was surprising that Simonian's biggest impact at Penn last year was made at the plate and not on the mound. During a superlative high school career in Emerson, N.J., under Ennis's tutelage, Simonian racked up a 35-11 career record along with 376 strikeouts. "The main thing that Coach Ennis did was train me to pitch like a professional," Simonian said. "He tried to get me to understand the fundamentals of pitching and to focus on mechanics." Last season, however, Simonian did not have much opportunity to pitch on a veteran staff. Working mostly out of the bullpen instead of the starting role he was used to, he finished with a 2-3 record. And unlike many other collegiate pitchers, Simonian was expected to play in the field when not pitching. "It can be tough on you body," Simonian said. "You might not think about it, but as the game goes on you feel the wear and tear." This year has been exactly the opposite for Simonian, who has shined on the mound but struggled at the bat. Stepping into the No. 2 spot in the rotation, Simonian has responded with a 3-1 record and a team-leading 2.48 ERA. "It is just matter of getting a chance to pitch," Simonian said. "I was able to pitch a few innings last year, but it wasn't a good determination of how I'd do as a starter." Despite getting roughed up in his last start against Brown, Simonian feels better than he ever has on the mound. He has confidence in all his pitches and in catcher Rick Burt's game-calling ability. But most of all, he is getting the ball each weekend as a permanent fixture in the Penn rotation. But while getting more innings has resulted in improved pitching stats, it may have taken some of Simonian's focus away from his hitting. Simonian is mired in a season-long slump and is hitting just .208. It has been extremely difficult for Simonian, who has hit at every level and had never before experienced an extended slump. "I think my attitude was a big part of it," Simonian said. "It was difficult coming in with a positive attitude, to wipe out the past. I was thinking too much, trying to analyze what was wrong. You can paralyze yourself from analyzing." So Simonian stopped overanalyzing his swing and stopped thinking so much at the plate. And it appears to have worked. Simonian has been hitting the ball hard recently, and the end of the slump may be near. "People you see everywhere have some form of advice for you," Simonian said. "But sometimes you need to step back and work on your own." Simonian does not see this year's struggles at the plate changing his situation with the Braves. He has been assured that no matter how his season has gone, he will be on the team this summer. "You start with a clean slate in the summer," Simonian said. "Most importantly, I'll have to earn a spot because I never like having anything handed to me." Seddon, however, sees Simonian's pitching this year as his biggest plus going into the summer. He believes Bourne will use Simonian primarily as a pitcher, a position the Braves have a weakness at. "Pitching is his best ticket to stardom," Seddon said. "I think he can do well. He has three quality pitches, and, when he is under control and in a groove, he can beat a lot of teams." If his record this year is any indication, Simonian may move closer this summer to his life-long dream of playing professional baseball. By the end of the summer, he will be the one demanding respect -- and fear.