Hoyman ready to face challenges of pro ball

He made his professional debut for the Scrappers on Tuesday night.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Justin Hoyman didn't get overly excited about his professional debut with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Hoyman, the Southeastern Conference pitcher of the year this season for the University of Florida, is quite the realist.
He's aware of the challenge that lies ahead in the pro game.
"It's just another step, and it's going to be a long journey," said Hoyman, the Cleveland Indians' second-round draft pick. "It's not that glamorous yet. It's still just bus rides and fast food."
Getting started
Hoyman, a 6-foot-3 right-hander from Melbourne, Fla., started and pitched two innings Tuesday night in the Scrappers' 5-0 victory over Jamestown. In 23 pitches, he allowed two singles and one walk.
"With all the hype, it was what we expected," Scrappers manager Mike Sarbaugh said of Hoyman's outing. "He came in and did what we thought he would."
Hoyman wasn't as sharp as he'd like to be, but he came away with some positive signs.
"I was happy because I got a lot of first-pitch strikes and drew some early contact," he said. "I just did some of the things I need to do to be successful, as far as getting guys to put it in play."
That's Hoyman's game -- allowing batters to make contact and having his defense execute behind him.
"I'm not really a strikeout guy; most of the time I just let the defense work," he said. "Keeping pitch counts down and working deep into games is what I did in college."
And that's what he hopes to do as a professional -- just not yet and especially not after throwing 139 innings for the Gators, for whom he was 11-2 with a 2.71 ERA this season.
Reporting for duty
The 22-year-old Hoyman joined the Scrappers nearly three weeks ago and has spent time throwing on the side.
What has he noticed most in his time at the professional level?
"Wooden bats. It changes the entire game," he said.
Hoyman feels that pitching with his fastball is a strength at this level. Because he succeeded with it in college, he feels he should do the same here.
"If I was able to get ground balls in college [with the fastball], I felt like I could still be able to do it once I came out to face wooden bats because the sweet spot's a lot smaller," he said.
While at Brevard Community College in 2002, Hoyman was drafted by the Colorado Rockies, but he felt he wasn't physically ready to be a professional yet.
So he took advantage of an opportunity at Florida, and it paid off.
"I needed structure; I never had any structure, so I went to college and felt that I could gain an advantage by doing that -- put some weight on and get stronger," Hoyman said. "It all worked out for me."