Gameday Magazine July

timing was a little bit off towards the end of the first half, so I just tried to see the ball and let it get deep.” Siri, the hard throwing right-hander, hit 101 mph on the stadium gun during his one inning of work at the All-Star Game. “I’ve been waiting for that,” Siri said. “I had hit 100 before, but that was the first time I threw 101. It just happened. I do the same thing; go out and play baseball hard.” Hentges, who shared a hotel room with Siri over the All-Star break, enjoyed the bonding experience with his teammate. “It was nice to get a little bit closer with him,” Hentges said. “He’s going to go far in this sport. He’s smart with his pitching and he knows what he’s doing.” Hillcats Hitting Coach, Justin Toole, made the 2011 Carolina League All-Star team as a player. He said going to the All-Star game as a coach was a totally different experience. “As a player, you’ve earned the right to go there. You’ve performed so it’s fun to play with the guys you compete against.,” Toole said. “As a coach it’s different. Obviously with Lynchburg winning the championship last year and

us not being here, it’s kind of bittersweet to be able to represent the team and organization that won last year. As a hitting coach, I think it’s kind of fun to hear the different hitting philosophies that the guys are working on.” While coaching the game, Tool said he was able to learn from the All-Stars. “They always say that by coaching, you can teach a lot in terms of what you teach players,” he said. “But I also think as a coach, you can learn a lot from the player. It’s a fun situation where you can pick their brain and see how that matches up with your philosophy and things you teach your guys. Maybe find a drill here or there that maybe they explain in a different way that you can use. It’s fun to sit back and have them on your side for one game.” Going to the All-Star game with three players from the Hillcats made the entire experience even more rewarding. “Hats off to them for the first half that they had, definitely deserving to go,” Toole said. “We probably had some other guys that were just as deserving that didn’t get a nod. Anytime you can represent an organization at an affiliate at an All-Star game it’s always special.”