By Brett Jager
University of Louisville redshirt sophomore third baseman Chris Dominguez does to opposing pitchers what Batman does to criminals in Gotham City: he crushes them.
Last season, Dominguez capped an amazing run through the post-season. He smacked three home runs and logged six RBI’s in three games at the College World Series. One of the home runs was a tape-measure shot to one of the last rows in the stadium.
The monstrous home run left sophomore graphic design major Chris Arrowood wanting more.
“I want to see the Cards make it back to Omaha to see if Dominguez can hit one out of the park this time,” Arrowood said.
Dominguez finished the year with a .262 batting average, 15 home runs, 62 RBIs, 19 doubles and nine stolen bases. Dominguez’s main goal for this season is to eclipse his totals from last season. Eight of his fifteen home runs came during the post-season. Dominguez hopes to be more productive during the regular season.
Dominguez said he felt the CWS brought positive things for the team and the U of L baseball program. The players were treated first class and his favorite part was simply winning a game. He mentioned the team does not feel any added pressure to make it back to Omaha. They plan to take the season one game at a time.
Dominguez made the team’s goals very clear: to win the regular season Big East title, the Big East tournament and to make the post-season.
Being one of two returning offensive starters, Dominguez said it is his duty to lead the younger guys on the team.
“Chris is a very mature clubhouse leader who is very popular with the team and has a great personality,” Dan McDonnell, U of L head coach, said. “He has a consistent work ethic and leads by example.”
Dominguez was named Big East preseason player of the year, a preseason All American and a member of the 2008 Brooks Watch List that contains the best college baseball prospects in the nation.
Although extremely hyped, Dominguez said he does not plan to alter his game. He will continue to go out everyday and do everything he can to help the team win.
“People are going to talk all about it. I can’t control it. I just want to help the team win,” Dominguez said.
Reigning Big East Pitcher of the Year Zack Pitts said he feels Dominguez’s hype is great because it brings pro scouts out to the games, and gives the team a much greater national exposure.
“Chris is a great player and a tremendous help to me when I’m pitching. He backs me up with great defense, and his home runs fire up and motivate the rest of the team,” Pitts said.
While Dominguez’s numbers point to him being a strong power hitter, he said he thinks his weakness is being too aggressive at the plate, and he tends to swing away a bit too often.
McDonnell doesn’t seem to agree.
“I wouldn’t say that Chris really has any weaknesses,” McDonnell said. “He merely has room to improve in areas. He has worked hard to improve his defense and to become a better overall athlete. It is only a matter of time before he matures into a more complete player.”
With the ability to make any pitcher pay for the crime of pitching to him, Dominguez expects to get pitched around a lot this season.
“It does not bother me at all that pitchers will be pitching around me. I know [Andrew] Clark and [Justin] McClanahan will be getting the job done before and after me, so I have to just sit back and wait for my pitch. As long as I’m on base, it doesn’t matter how I get there,” Dominguez said.
The U of L baseball team has 35 home games this year, which gives fans ample opportunities to make it out to Jim Patterson Stadium and cheer them on and to see Dominguez, the “Cardinal Caped Crusader” in action.
