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▲ Outfielder Zach Cone led the Diamond Doga in RBIs (S3) and home
runs (10) last season and expects more of himself this season.
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Finals Edition
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SPORTS
Junior striving to improve
to get Dogs back on track
By DAVID MITCHELL
The Red & Buck
Zach Cone is just a little
bit different.
Not because of his gaudy
statistics as an outfielder
for the Georgia baseball
team, nor for the fact that
he’s a Bulldog in a family of
Georgia Tech Yellow
Jackets.
Cone is different because
he’s willing to learn and,
according to head coach
David Pemo, that makes
all the difference.
Despite being picked in
the third round of the 2008
Major League Draft and an
instant success in college,
Pemo said Cone is commit
ted to doing whatever it
takes to get better.
“He’s a tremendous ath
lete,” Pemo said. “He’s got
the skills, he’s learned and—
most importantly he’s
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still willing to learn- He’s
coachable, and I think
that’s very important and
unique in players of his cal
iber."
In 2010, a season in
which the Bulldogs floun
dered to a 18-37 record,
Cone was a rare
bright spot, hitting
.363 with 10 home
runs and S3 RBIs.
But Cone, a
junior, said this year
is all about improv
ing Individually and
as a team.
“I had a good
year last year, but as
a team we still didn’t
do real well,” Cone
said. “This year is all about
finding areas I can improve
my game and help the team
turn it around. I hope I can
put up the numbers, but
winning ballgames is what’s
most important.”
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Pemo stressed this point
as well.
“I think the moat impor
tant thing for Zach and his
teammates is to learn how
to win again,” Pemo said.
“I don’t care what type of
numbers he puts up. Our
focus going forward
needs to be winning.
We’re going to find
out what type pf
leader he is this
year, and I’m sure
he won’t let us
down.”
If Cone’s first two
years are any indi
cation, that is a safe
bds
Aside from the
HSKST”
PERNO
numbers he put up in his
first two years in Athens,
Cone points to his positive
leadership as one of his
best characteristics as an
athlete.
“I’m always smiling,”
Cone said —with a laugh,
of course. “I think trying to
always be positive is a big
thing even if things aren’t
going so great. Sometimes
Coach will ask me what I’m
smiling about —but that’s
just me.”
Despite his constantly
encouraging attitude
toward his teammates,
Pemo noted that one of
Cone’s biggest weaknesses
is setting very high expec
tations for himself.
For somebody that
expects the best, Pemo
said, anything short is a
disappointment.
“He wants to do so much
and tries to do so much
that sometimes he gets
himself in trouble,” he said.
“Sometimes learning to fail
is the most important thing
a great athlete can do.
Everyone here has experi
enced success. They
haven’t experienced as
much failure.”
Cone didn’t disagree.
“I am hard on myself,”
he said. “No one likes mess
ing up, but you just have to
be confident in yourself
and your teammates. I’m
trying to fix that this year.”
And judging by Cone’s
opinions on this new
Bulldogs team, he’s going
to have some help.
This year, Cone said he
expects to see a lot of
improvement out of the
entire team.
“I know we’re going to
be good this year,” he said.
“There’s such a positive
atmosphere and every
body's improved. I know
that when I’m not doing
well, the guys behind me
are going to pick me up.”
With the improvement
he sees in himself and the
rest of his team, this sea
son’s goal is clear.
“We want to win the SEC
and we want to get to
Omaha,” Cone said. “That’s
our expectation. It won’t
be easy, but we’re going to
be ready.”
And after that?
“Who knows?” Pemo
said. “I think he’s a guy
that could play profession
ally down the road —but
let’s worry about this sea
son first.”
WINTER BREAK
BASKETBALL
SCHEDULE
Man’s Basketball
• 12/16 vs, Arkansas
State at noon, Mt to air
on CSS
• 12/21 vt. High Point at
7 p.m., set to ah-on CSS
• 12/23 at Mercer ad 7 p.m.,
set to air on CSS
• 12/28 vs. Charleston
Southern at 7 p.m., set to
air on CSS
• 12/31 vs. Eastern
Ktnfc'Hrv eipm ♦♦*
air on Fox Sports South
• 1/8 vs. Kentucky at
4 p.m., set to Mr on SEC
network
rieiwwi vik
Women’s Basketball
• 12/18 vs. High Point at
2 pm
• 12/22 at TCU at 7:30
p.m., set to air on CSS
•FIU Fun & Sun Classic in
Miami, Fla. (Dec. 29-30)
• 12/29 vs, Louisiana Tech
at 8 p.m.
•12/30 vs. FiU/Marquette
at2or4p.m.
• 1/2 v*. South Carolina at
2 p.m.
■WoiWflwttaH*!
