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Heath Quinn
Heath Quinn rounds third base after hitting a home run against Auburn University.
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Heath Quinn
Heath Quinn hits a home run. Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
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Richard Greene
Junior catcher Richard Greene has been a surprise contributor offensively for the Bulldogs.
Even when you’re a stud high school baseball player in a program as outstanding as Oak Mountain’s, there’s going to be a little bit of a transition when you move up to the next level.
It’s been an exciting one to watch if you’re Samford baseball coach Casey Dunn, as he’s seen sure-fire pro prospect Heath Quinn and Bulldogs teammate — and former Eagle teammate — Richard Greene grow and mature on and off the field.
After his senior season at Oak Mountain, Quinn was drafted in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft by the Cleveland Indians. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound sophomore outfielder passed on the offer to go to Samford. He will be draft-eligible after his junior year, and of course Samford fans are thrilled he’ll be around at least another season after this one.
“Heath’s been an impact guy since he got here and is probably one of the top three or four more-talented kids we’ve had here,” Dunn said. “From the draft out of high school to the opportunity he’s had coming to school and the year and a half he’s been here, he’s done nothing but improve his status from a professional standpoint. Academically he’s been a great student for us. I think through college from a maturity standpoint has been good, but mainly baseball-wise he’s just been a special player for us.”
Quinn was named a Freshman All-American and second team All-Southern Conference after hitting .319 with nine home runs and 48 runs batted in his freshman season.
About two-thirds through this season, in late April, Quinn was batting .316 with six homers and 23 RBIs.
He’s not entirely happy with his numbers at this point, but stresses it’s about the team anyway.
“We played some tough competition early, but we’re starting to play some better baseball. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re trying to be the best team we can be in May at conference tournament time.”
On his own numbers, Quinn said, “It’s not quite what I would’ve liked, but all I can do is keep working, trying to get better. Last year, I started off a little bit better and this year I’ve kind of struggled early. I’m hitting a little better now, but there are still some pitches I’m missing – just miss or not get all of it.”
Asked about his strengths, he immediately instead wants to talk about what he needs to improve on.
“I know what I have to work on. I need to become a better defender, work on accuracy of my throws and just my approach to hitting in general, determining what to watch off each pitcher and not missing pitches.”
Greene, a junior catcher, isn’t surprised with what his former and current teammate says.
“I’d say his biggest attribute is he’s humble,” Greene said. “He’ll work just as hard if he’s hitting .400 or .200, you could never tell a difference. He’s always in the weight room.
“He’s definitely got a bright future. He’s got all his skill set – power, speed, great arm, takes great reads in the outfield. He’s definitely the main guy in our lineup, hits 3-hole for us. I plan to see him pretty high on the draft boards when he’s draft-eligible after next season.”
But if there’s been a surprise contributor to this year’s Bulldogs to this point, it’s the 6-5, 208-pound Greene.
With great size for a catcher, he got thrown into the fire as a freshman due to injuries, starting 22 games. He held his own, batting .279 with 10 RBIs. But slugging redshirt catcher Drew McWhorter returned and took the starting job back, and Greene was relegated to limited play, batting .115 in just 26 at-bats.
“Richard was a guy that was kind of thrust into action as a freshman, probably before he was ready,” Dunn said. “He did an admirable job in Year 1. Last year we had a guy come back healthy, and he didn’t play much. And I think it showed maturity on his part to take a year in which he played a lot as a freshman he didn’t get a lot of opportunities as a sophomore yet he kept a positive attitude.
“He worked extremely, hard and this year he took the job and has just run with it.”
Through 32 starts, Greene is batting .331 with six home runs and 29 RBIs.
“He has just done what we’d hoped he would do from a defensive standpoint — he’s caught real well, he’s thrown the ball real well — but he’s exceeded what we had had hoped for offensively. As a coach, when you have a guy of that character of that work ethic, it’s always a lot of fun to watch when they get the results that they deserve for what they’ve put into it.”
Greene said the big difference for him at the plate is in his approach.
“It’s absolutely a mental approach,” he said on his improvement at the plate. “I’d say my swing is probably the same. It’s really definitely just seeing the ball better. I didn’t realize how big the approach mattered. It is seeing the ball and hitting the ball, but it’s also definitely what count are you in and I’ve been able to hunt the fastball more.
“I would say everything in college is ramped up, the pitchers can spot up. [In] high school, you can let your talents take you where you want to be to a certain extent. But in college it’s much more of an approach, which I’ve really come to learn this year. I feel like I’m more comfortable up there, I feel like it doesn’t matter who we play, I don’t get as nervous. I’m more calm and collected, and I know what I can and can’t do.
“I’m actually able to enjoy the game more.”
Quinn said it’s been fun watching his teammate have a big season.
“He’s hitting all these home runs, and we’re having a little joke that every time he hit one I’d hit one after him it was fun. He’s a great hitter and we’re blessed to have him.”
