University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: A Mind For The Game
June 7, 2007 | Baseball
June 7, 2007
By Adam Lucas
Ordinarily, a summons to a coach's hotel room on the day of one of the season's biggest games is not a positive sign. But for Carolina sophomore Tim Federowicz, it was just the latest step in his evolution into an unusually complete catcher.
Two weeks ago, the Tar Heels were sitting at 0-1 in the ACC Tournament following an 8-4 loss to Georgia Tech. One more defeat would have sent the Coastal Division champions to another disappointing ACC Tournament finish. National seeds and plum postseason positioning were in question.
And Carolina pitching coach Scott Forbes had a simple message for Federowicz in room 452 of the Jacksonville Hyatt:
"I want you to call the game against State."
"Honestly, I was really surprised," Federowicz says. "He told me Robert (Woodard) and I were going to work the game together, and I thought it was just because Woodard was pitching and he was a senior so that's why I was calling the game. But then I got to call it again for Alex (White) the next time out."
With Federowicz calling the pitches, Woodard pitched Carolina to a 14-5 win over the Wolfpack. Two days later, White had his best start of the season in a 5-0 defeat of Virginia. With the stellar results, the sophomore has continued to shoulder much of the game-calling burden during the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, catchers call all their own pitches in the major leagues. But it's significantly more unique in college, where the only Carolina catcher in recent memory to earn the role is current major leaguer Chris Iannetta.
"College kids have more on them than a major league catcher," says Forbes, a former catcher. "In the majors, that's their job. They have to know every hitter. But during the season, when Tim and Benji (Johnson) and Mark (Fleury) might have two exams during the week, do you want them studying for exams or studying the scouting report?
"But as a coach, I think it's our responsibility to help them learn how to call their own game. I don't want them to be like puppets out there. Hopefully all our guys will play pro ball, and we want them to go into it having experienced a sense of responsibility during our games."
After Johnson and Federowicz split the catching duties evenly last year, Johnson's sore shoulder allowed Federowicz to emerge at midseason as the squad's regular starter. He's earned two-thirds of the starts at that position, and although both catchers occasionally were allowed to call pitches in the past, it's only after that Jacksonville meeting that Federowicz has received blanket permission.
That leads to a complex--and sometimes convoluted--series of signs whistling around the diamond. Federowicz looks into the dugout for signs from Forbes before every pitch. Sometimes the pitching coach's signs are live, sometimes they're not. Federowicz then fires off a series of signs to his pitcher, who has the authority to shake them off at any time. There's even a sign Federowicz can give to Forbes when the catcher is unsure of what pitch to call and wants help.
"I tell all our catchers that if they want to call the game, they have to understand what's going on," Forbes says. "They have to remember what every hitter did four or five at-bats ago. If they can't do that, I want them to rely on me. We have that communication--I want them in the game mentally just as much if I'm calling the game, just like I expect myself to be in the game mentally just as much if they're calling the pitches."
Federowicz wears a wristband similar to a football quarterback that contains the highlights of the scouting report for every opposing hitter. But as he's learned this season, calling a competent game is about much more than just reading a list of previous tendencies.
"I do look at (the wristband) a little bit," the Apex native says. "But I'm always looking at how the batter is standing in the box, their facial expressions, and any adjustments they might have made. I want to get a feel for what they're thinking."
"The catcher can see things I can't see because he's right there with the batter," Forbes says. "I might call a slider but the pitcher is feeling better about his cuveball that day. Or I might call a slider and the cutter is working better, and the catcher has first-hand knowledge of that. So even when I'm calling the game some decisions are still in the catcher's hands."
Those decisions are made somewhat easier because Federowicz--who has also made 18 appearances on the mound this year--is an accomplished hitter. It's a testament to his defensive ability that you've read this far into the story and are just now learning about his offense.
His .350 batting average and 62 RBI both rank in the top three on the squad. That offensive knowledge--"He's just a smart baseball player," Mike Fox says--and mature approach with the bat help him even more when he's behind the plate.
"If you're a hitter and you have a good mentality up there, it can become pretty easy to call pitches," Federowicz says. "It's all about keeping the other hitter off-balance."
Adam Lucas's third book on Carolina basketball, The Best Game Ever, chronicles the 1957 national championship season and is available now. His previous books include Going Home Again, focusing on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team.
