University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Gets Visit from Alan Cockrell
November 19, 2009 | Baseball
Nov. 19, 2009
By Kaleb Center
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -Seattle Mariners Batting Coach and University of Tennessee alum Alan Cockrell was on campus Thursday to pay a visit to the Volunteer baseball team. Cockrell had a chance to scope out the squad in advance of the 2010 campaign, and his outlook for the future of the Tennessee program is optimistic.
"I think this program is headed in an upward direction," Cockrell said. "There's no question about that. They are going to be great offensive team again this season and I'm a hitting guy, so that gets me excited. Just like every other Tennessee Volunteer baseball fan, I'm excited to see what takes place on the field. Coach Raleigh and his staff definitely have it headed the right way."
Remembering Tennessee Baseball as it looked 25 years ago, Cockrell is impressed with the progress made in that span.
"The only thing that is the same about the stadium now as when I played is that it is in the same location. This is an absolutely phenomenal facility. When the indoor batting cages and the rest of the renovations are finished, I think it's going to be on par with the best in the country, which is so important to what Coach Raleigh is trying to accomplish here."
Cockrell, an All-American center fielder at UT in 1984, also starred in football while at Tennessee, as starting quarterback for the 1982 and 1983 squads. Cockrell was drafted ninth overall by the San Francisco Giants in 1984, and made the Colorado Rockies lineup in 1996. He has spent the last three years in the major leagues as hitting coach for the Rockies and the Seattle Mariners. In a way, the experience of playing big-time college football in the SEC helped with the development of Cockrell's lengthy pro baseball career.
"For me, the football background was big because of the exposure to 97,000-100,000 fans every week. That is similar to what you experience at the big league level on a daily basis and was a nice prelude to what I've been fortunate enough to do for the past 27 years."
