ERIC
LATURA SPOTLIGHT3-28-03
When a student-athlete leaves high school and becomes a college athlete, one of the biggest challenges he faces is playing time, or lack thereof. There are very few, if any, athletes who don't become frustrated with spending time riding the bench, despite whoever may be playing in front of them. Junior Eric Latura (Midlothian, Va./Manchester), a centerfielder on the VCU baseball team, can tell you what that's like, having spent his first two seasons watching former VCU All-American Matt Davis roam the outfield and rack up big numbers from the plate.
During those two seasons, Latura had a total of 45 at-bats in as many games, including eight starts. All six of his career hits, as well as those eight starts, occurred in his freshman year, the year Davis hit .396 and stole 49 bases to earn All-America honors. Last season was even more frustrating for Latura, who saw action in just 16 games. But instead of pouting or complaining, Latura made use of his time in the dugout: he watched and learned from Davis.
"My freshman year was OK," Latura said. "I got in more than half of our games. Last year was much more frustrating, since I thought I'd play a lot more that year and I ended up playing less. But I still got to learn a lot from our experienced players in the outfield, especially Matt Davis. I wanted to be in the field as much as possible but it was still a good learning experience.
"During batting practice or outfield workouts, I'd ask Matt questions, watch his first step in the outfield and how he does things, and just pick his brain whenever I could. In high school I was just fast and used my speed in the outfield. Matt helped me learn how to play the position at this level."
The Rams are reaping the benefits of Davis' tutorial of Latura, who has taken over as the team's everyday centerfielder and lead-off hitter. Not only is Latura playing everyday, but he has been the team's best offensive player as the Rams have jumped out to a 20-7 record this season. He leads the team in five offensive categories, including average (.389), hits (35), runs (24) and on-base percentage (.513). Pretty impressive numbers for a guy who wasn't necessarily Davis' heir-apparent in centerfield. Latura was supposed to compete with talented freshman Joe Meador (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) for playing time, but Latura's hot start has solidified his role as a starter.
"[Playing everyday] is where everyone wants to be," Latura said. "It's good to hear the fans and parents say they enjoy watching me play, especially the ones who know I haven't gotten as much playing time until now."
Before this season, Latura's goals didn't include the gaudy numbers he has posted thus far. He just wanted to be an everyday player for the Rams. With that in mind, Latura honed his skills last summer in the wooden-bat Clark Griffith League in Northern Virginia, where he took batting practice nearly everyday with a wooden bat. "It helped so much to swing every day, and the wood bats force you to get the barrel on the ball more than an aluminum bat," he said. "I played close to 40 games, and I was away from home where I could stay out of trouble. There was nothing else to do but focus on my game, and it has carried through to this season."
Latura's time observing from the bench also has contributed to his success this season. "My approach is much slower now," he said. "At the plate before this season, I was just jumping at balls. I didn't know how to hit at this level. After watching and learning from Matt and some of the better hitters, I've learned to slow it down and let the game come to you. And in the field, it's easier to take it slow and smooth."
With his new role as a starter and contributor comes additional responsibilities as a team leader and, for those teammates who now occupy the spot on the bench where Latura once sat, an example of perseverance and hard work. "We have a few younger guys who haven't gotten in to many games due to our depth," Latura said. "I'm an example for those guys to look at and see that if they hang in there, their time will come. I just tell them to watch the game, pay attention to everything out there and learn as much as they can."
As a reserve player on two teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, Latura is motivated by what he experienced at Louisiana State and South Carolina. "The regional at LSU was probably the best baseball experience in my life, even though I didn't get into a game," he said. "Last year at South Carolina was great too. That's why I want to get to a regional and win it this time. I want to be there at the end and be the team that wins it all.
"We have the pitching staff that can lead us to a lot of wins this year. Our offense isn't quite there yet, but when we're all contributing and playing like we can, we can win the CAA again and possibly win a regional."