Express' Cole steams onto PCL scene

Hunter Cole has a knack for first impressions.
Two months ago in his Texas organization debut with Double-A Frisco, the outfield prospect knocked a solo homer on his first swing for the RoughRiders. Tuesday night, he treated Triple-A Round Rock to one better.

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Cole smacked a pair of home runs and plated three runs in his Triple-A debut as Round Rock beat Salt Lake, 10-5, at Smith's Ballpark.
The two long balls capped off a hectic 24 hours for Cole. After learning of his promotion following the RoughRiders' 5-4 home win over Arkansas on Sunday night, Cole quickly packed his things Monday and drove more than 200 miles to his new home. After a brief introduction with his Triple-A teammates Tuesday morning, Cole hopped on a plane headed for Salt Lake.
"All I wanted to do tonight was put a few good swings," he said.
They didn't come right away this time. The Express scored two runs in the first inning and Cole came to the plate with one out and runners on first and second, then grounded into a double play.
"I felt like I just totally killed the rally," Cole said. "I felt like I just blinked and I was up at the plate. I was a little anxious and swung at a ball a little off the plate."
The 25-year-old walked in the fourth. He was looking for a slider from Bees starting pitcher Parker Bridwell after seeing several in his first two at-bats, when he got to the plate in the fifth.
"He threw one on the first pitch and I just put a good swing on it," he said.

The ball soared over the wall in left, scoring 30th-ranked Andy Ibáñez to give Round Rock a 6-5 lead. Cole batted again in the seventh, having just witnessed Tony Sanchez knock a two-run shot off Salt Lake reliever Ivan Pineyro on his second pitch. The University of Georgia native watched two pitches go by -- both balls -- to get a feel for the right-hander. Then Cole turned on a heater up and out for his 10th homer of the season.
"I was trying not to get bit and wanted to see some pitches," he said. "I let him get behind and just let the ball get to me, and then I found one right over the plate."
Cole grounded out to third in the ninth.
The Spartanburg, South Carolina native now hitting .333 in 2018, a marked improvement over his prior two seasons with Double-A Richmond. After finishing 2017 with a .249 average and seven homers with the Flying Squirrels, the Giants traded Cole to the Rangers in November. It was a welcomed change of scenery, Cole admitted.

"I went to mini-camp with the hitting coordinators and I worked on my mechanics to shorten my swing and give me more time at the plate to utilize all fields," he said. "It helped me start to recognize pitches better and that all continued into Spring Training. The whole organization welcomed me and it's been a lot of fun so far."
Cole planned to enjoy the influx of congratulatory phone calls and texts Tuesday night and then put the debut behind him.
"I just have to continue to take things day by day. You don't want to get ahead of yourself," he said. "I just want to hit it hard and let the rest take care of itself, one pitch at a time."
The 2014 26th-round pick found it easier to do Tuesday with the Express lineup hitting on all cylinders. Ibanez and Sanchez both recorded three hits and scored twice.