Bill Hass on the ACC: Patiently Waiting His Turn Pays Off for Clemson’s Hogan

May 14, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. – It’s one thing to wait your turn, quite another thing to make the most of it.

For two seasons, Doug Hogan of Clemson sat behind catcher Adrian Casanova, itching to contribute but rarely getting an opportunity. Although he was considered the frontrunner for the job when fall practice began, Hogan took nothing for granted.

“There was a lot of competition and the position was wide open,” he said. “I went into fall practice with something to prove.”

And he has done just that. Heading into this weekend’s series at Florida State, Hogan had started 47 of the Tigers’ 49 games. His average of .326 is second on the team and he has hit nine home runs and driven in 29 runs. Not bad for someone with a career average of .130 coming into the season.

“It’s been really nice, a lot of fun,” Hogan said. “It’s a lot different than sitting on the bench and watching somebody else.

“I’ve surprised myself a little bit on offense, especially when you look at the statistics from years past. Playing every day, you get into a rhythm and that’s different than getting one at-bat every two weeks.”

Hogan admitted to occasional frustration and brief thoughts of transferring, but he put his time watching to good use.

Click on the link to read the complete article written by Bill Hass for TheACC.com.