Doss expects to see more time on the mound in 2009.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Senior catcher/right-handed pitcher David Doss enters his final season at USA as the Jags’ starting catcher and one of only two three-year letterwinners on the 2009 roster. Doss continued his climb up the Jaguar record books with a strong junior season in 2008, hitting .329 with 13 doubles and 10 home runs.
Following the 2008 season, Doss was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 44th round the of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but he elected to return to South Alabama for his senior season. Entering 2009, he ranks in the top-12 in six offensive categories of the USA career records book.
Doss ranks ninth in batting average (.362), 12th in at-bats (621), sixth in hits (225), second in doubles (52), 12th in home runs (25), and eighth in RBI (137). He needs two doubles, 46 RBI and 53 hits to tie the Jags’ all-time career records in those categories. He’s also on pace to break the Jags’ career record for at-bats.
Additionally, Doss is expected to see time on the mound this season. He worked 32.0 innings over 20 appearances in his freshman season. He posted a 5.34 ERA and allowed just two home runs on the season. As a sophomore, Doss posted a 2.45 ERA in 11.0 innings out of the bullpen. While making the transition from third base to catcher, Doss did not see any action on the mound as a junior.
A Cantonment, Fla. native, Doss sat down to talk about his life outside of baseball, the upcoming season, and his future beyond South Alabama.
Q: What baseball team did you root for as a child?
DD: I really don’t watch much baseball.
Q: What sports do you like other than baseball?
DD: I guess football, but I don’t really watch any sports. I’m more of a comedy movie guy. I like Happy Gilmore-type movies. Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, South Park, just stuff like that.
Q: What is something your teammates know about you that not a lot of other people know?
DD: I’m not as quiet as people think.
Q: Who are your best friends on the team?
DD: Greg Johnson and Sean Laird
Q: We’ve been told that when you call Papa John’s, they know you. Is that true?
DD: They did at one time. I haven’t called them in a while, but yeah, at one point last year they knew me when I called.
Q: What are you studying in school, and what are your plans for after graduation?
DD: Electrical Engineering. I’m really just baseball-oriented. I hope I don’t ever have to go back to school, and I don’t really have any aspiration to work a regular job.
Q: Have you lived in Cantonment, Fla. your entire life?
DD: I was born in Illinois, but I moved there when I was five years old.
Q: What is something you’d like to see improve at South Alabama:
DD: Fan support is a big thing. I’d like to see the younger generation of fans come out to games.
Q: What road trip do you most look forward to?
DD: Vanderbilt would probably be my favorite. They’ve been a top team lately. We played Arizona last year and didn’t play well, so it’s a chance to kind of redeem ourselves.
Q: Do you feel you have a leadership role as a senior?
DD: I do have a little bit of one. I just try to lead by example and don’t really say any other stuff.
Q: You’re moving up the South Alabama record books in a number of categories. What does it mean to you to see your name in with guys like Luis Gonzalez?
DD: That’d be kind of cool. It’s not really fair because some of those guys didn’t play here for four years, but it’s nice to be associated with those big names.
Q: You made five appearances on the mound this fall. How much work are you expecting to see on the other end of the pitcher-catcher battery?
DD: I expect to contribute. I really want to win this year, so I’m going to make sure I’m ready to throw. As far as a role, I don’t think we’ve really figured it out. There have been some talks about starting – either Sundays or in midweek games – but I’ve relieved in my career here, so I don’t think anyone really knows. We’ll see how everybody does in the spring.
Q: What are your expectations for this year?
DD: I think we’ll be good. The last few years we’ve had good players, but we didn’t really mesh as a team. We’ve bonded a lot better this fall than we have in the past. It feels like we’re good right now.
Q: What was it like being drafted in the 44th round by the Chicago Cubs?
DD: It was good. That’s the goal ever since you were really little, and it was hard to pass up, but this is a great place to come back to.
Q: You decided to come back to USA for your senior season. What went into that decision?
DD: It was the right place. I didn’t feel like leaving yet, and there just wasn’t enough incentive to leave.
