By FullertonBaseballFan
Saturday – San Diego Toreros (8-7)
USD entered last season with high expectations but had their hopes derailed by several season ending injuries to key players and ended up going 29-25 and finishing in 5th place in the WCC at 11-10 after being the pre-season favorites to win the conference. The Toreros once again entered this season with high expectations as the conference favorites.
USD opened the season by winning their first three games against Indiana before losing the final game of the series. Starting with that loss to Indiana, the Toreros lost seven out of eight games including an 11-4 midweek loss at Fullerton and losses in two out of three games against cross-town rival San Diego State and bottomed out when they were shutout by Kentucky last weekend. Since then, USD has won four out of five games including the first two games of the tournament against San Francisco 15-7 and UAB 5-2.
USD expected to be carried by their pitching staff this season with several pitchers who are expected to be high draft picks on the roster. But, the Toreros have struggled on the mound and have allowed 5+ R’s in 9 of 15 games. The USD pitchers have started to right the ship in their last five games and have allowed 13 R’s in their four wins.
USD returns an experienced lineup that lost only one player from last season. After getting off to a hot start and scoring 34 runs in their first three games the Toreros bats went cold and they scored only 22 runs in their next eight games. USD has started to heat up again and they have scored 32 runs in their last four games. The Toreros have solid power with 14 HR’s and a .449 SLG % but do not have a patient approach at the plate and are walking just over three times per game. USD didn’t run much last season with 51 SB’s (19 by one player) but are running more this season and are 21-30 on SB attempts. Despite having so many experienced players USD has been playing poor defense and has committed 27 errors for a .951 FLD %.
Lineup
C – SR Nick McCoy (RH). .260/.377/.360, 1-6-0. Baserunners are 15-19 on SB attempts. .270-6-28-3 in '09.
1B – JR Victor Sanchez (RH). .262/.326/.381, 1-4-0. .263-5-23-0 in 23 games before a season ending injury that he is struggling to return from (torn labrum). 12 HR's as a FR.
2B – JR Tony Strazzara (RH). .400/.472/.567, 1-10-1. .321-0-18-0 in ’09.
SS – Soph Bryan Haar (RH). .275/.356/.451, 2-9-5. Has already made 8 errors. .298-5-38-0 in '09.
3B – SR Steven Chatwood (RH). .311/.404/.533, 2-11-2. .327-1-20-0 in '09.
LF – FR Matt Moynihan (LH). 9-18 (all singles), 1 BB, 0 RBI.
CF – SR James Meador (RH). .321/.415/.500, 2-13-4. 2009 WCC Player of the Year. .376-6-45-7.
RF – FR Kalei Hanawahine (LH). .387/.412/.419, 0-7-1.
DH – JR Mike Ferraro (LH). .464/.500/.714, 1-5-0. Redshirted last season.
Reserves
All three of these players have been regulars and have been in and out of the lineup due to minor injuries.
CF Kevin Muno (RH). .244/.352/.444, 2-4-5. Pre-season all-WCC selection. Hit .305 with 9 SB's in 17 games in ‘09 before a season ending injury. Hit .326 with 21 SB's in '08.
2B Chris Engell (RH). .231/.302/.333, 0-4-1. .358-3-37-3 in '09.
SS Zach Walters (LH). .281/.273/.469, 1-7-0. All-WCC in 2009. .377-1-24-4
Pitching
Starting Pitcher
RHP Kyle Blair. 1-0, 3.12 ERA. Expected to be drafted in the first round and was drafted in the fifth round out of HS. Fastball sits in the low 90’s with one of the best sliders in the country. Only made 8 starts last season due to injuries (3-2, 3.12, 55 IP, 47 H, 18 BB, 62 K). Allowed 1 R on 4 H and 4 BB in 4 IP with 8 K against Indiana, 3 R on 3 H and 6 BB in 6 IP with 11 K against San Diego State and 2 R on 3 H and 1 BB in 7 IP with 5 K against Monmouth in his three starts.
Relievers
All RHP's because the only LHP on the staff is SP Sammy Solis. The most likely relievers to see action are closer Matt Thompson (0-1, 2.61 ERA, 7 apps, 2 saves, 15 K's in 10 IP in 7 apps), Matt Hauser (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 2 saves, 12 IP in 6 apps), Andrew Walter (3.38 ERA, 5 IP in 4 apps) and Mike Dedrick (7.00 ERA, 9 IP in 7 apps). Hauser had a two inning save in Friday’s game against UAB. Thompson threw three innings against USF on Thursday.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
San Diego Tournament Preview (San Diego State)
By FullertonBaseballFan
Friday – San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State had their most successful season in 2009 in nearly twenty years by qualifying for a regional for the first time since 1991 and went 1-2 at the Irvine regional. The Aztecs were 41-23 and led by national player of the year Steven Strasburg and a solid pitching staff that finished in the top 25 in all four major pitching stats that the NCAA keeps track of (ERA, H/9 IP, K/9 IP, BB/9 IP). They lost most of the major contributors from that pitching staff except for All-American closer Addison Reed, who has been moved into the starting rotation, but the Aztecs do return most of the starting position players from last season except for All-MWC catcher Erik Castro, who led the team in AVG, HR, RBI, OBP and SLG, and they were picked to finish 3rd in the MWC by the conference coaches.
San Diego State got off to a slow start this season by losing all four games in their opening series at home with Oklahoma. The Sooners outscored the Aztecs 38-16 and won every game by at least three runs. The stats were a little skewed in the second game when the bullpen gave up sixteen runs in a 17-5 loss. The Aztecs have bounced back from their tough opening weekend to go 5-3, including a series win against their local rivals the USD Toreros, heading into the tournament. San Diego State has squared away most of their pitching issues by allowing 4 R’s or less in six of the last eight games. The Aztecs have also started to hit the ball better and have scored 5 R’s or more in six of the last eight games.
San Diego State’s offensive philosophy is to take a patient approach at the plate and work counts. The Aztecs were in the top 50 in the country in BB’s last season and are walking nearly six times a game but they are also striking out nearly ten times a game. They don’t have much power in their lineup with 7 HR’s and a .360 SLG % and have gotten off to a slow start with a .261 AVG. San Diego State doesn’t bunt much but they will hit and run and steal bases (16-25 SB’s). The Aztecs were a solid defensive team last season with 61 E’s and a .974 fielding % but have had a few issues on defense and have made 17 E’s for a .963 fielding %.
San Diego State’s pitching staff carried the team to a regional last year with a 3.86 ERA but they are starting from scratch in the starting rotation. Their pitching has been better than expected with a 3.94 ERA considering how many pitchers they lost from last season and not having Ryan O’Sullivan available, who was expected to be one of their weekend SP’s but injured his arm in the first inning of his first start. After getting knocked around by Oklahoma the pitching staff has put together some solid outings.
Lineup
C – JR Matt Parker (RH – .286 BA/.375 OBP/.429 SLG, 1 HR-11 RBI-0 SB) was able to see a decent amount of action behind the plate last season (.247 in 93 AB’s) despite being the backup to Castro. He has hit 5th or 6th most of the time and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s. Parker has done a good job of shutting down the running game and has held opponents to 10-19 on SB attempts.
1B – Soph Jomel Torres (LH – .344/.512/.469, 1-6-3) doesn’t have much power for a 1B (.295 with 1 HR in 95 AB’s last year) but has been an on base machine and leads the team in AVG and OBP. He has usually hit 2nd to help set the table for the middle of the order.
2B – SR Mitch Blackburn (LH – .256/.411/.279, 0-7-0) is the leadoff hitter and has gotten off to a slow start after hitting .306 last season. He doesn’t have much power but is very patient at the plate and was 2nd on the team in BB’s last year and leads the team this season. Blackburn is a good defensive player who has also started three games at SS and made only three errors last year with a .988 FLD %. He was an All MWC pre-season pick by the conference coaches.
SS – SR Brandon Decker (RH – .125/.300/.125, 0-0-1) has been playing SS with O’Sullivan out (O’Sullivan was the SS last season on weekends and the midweek SP). Decker has done a solid job defensively and hasn’t made an error in the eight games he has started but has struggled at the plate again this year after hitting only .250 last season.
3B – Soph Chris Wilson (RH – .241/.371/.310, 0-4-0) has been starting at 3B most of the time the last two weekends. He is also the backup C and has started twice behind the plate. Wilson was solid in a part-time role last season (.298-4-22) and usually hits 7th. FR Corey Black (RH – 1-12) has also gotten some starts at SS and 3B.
LF – Soph Brandon Meredith (RH – .302/.456/.512, 2-11-1) and FR Van Hoosier (RH – .333/.478/.361, 0-5-7) have both played all over the diamond. Meredith has also made starts at RF and 1B and Van Hoosier has also made starts at 3B and more recently 2B. Meredith has batted 3rd every game and gotten off to a good start after losing 20 lbs since last season and is tied for the team lead in HR’s and RBI’s and leads the team in SLG. He does have trouble with making contact after striking out 46 times last year and leads the team with 15 K’s. Meredith was 2nd team All MWC last season after hitting .315 with 41 RBI’s. Van Hoosier has hit all over the lower part of the batting order and has very good speed and easily leads the team in SB’s.
CF – JR Cory Vaughn (RH – .302/.400/.488, 2-8-1) is the best prospect among the position players and is projected to be drafted in the first 5-6 rounds in June. He was 1st team All MWC last season after hitting .329 with 10 HR’s and 51 RBI’s and led the team with 15 SB’s. Vaughn is the cleanup hitter and has gotten off to a solid start but has had trouble making contact after leading the team with 57 K’s last season and has K’d 14 times this year.
RF – SR Josh Chasse (RH – .227/.419/.409, 1-5-2) is a good defensive outfielder but doesn’t have much pop with the bat (.197 in 79 AB’s) and usually hits at the bottom of the order.
DH – FR Blair Moore (LH – .306/.324/.417, 0-7-0) has gotten off to a solid start and has been the DH most of the time and usually hits 6th.
Pitching
Starting Pitchers
JR Addison Reed (RHP – 2-1, 3.20 ERA, 3 starts, 20 IP, 14 H, 5 BB, 23 K, .203 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP) is a big power pitcher with a fastball in the mid 90’s who was the national leader in saves last season. He started for the Aztecs in their first game of the tournament against UAB. Reed struggled in his first start against Oklahoma (4 R in 4 2/3 IP) before two dominant starts against San Diego and Kentucky when he allowed 3 R on 9 H in 15 IP with 2 BB and 17 K. He is projected to go in the first two rounds of the draft in June.
FR Bryan Crabb (RHP – 1-1, 1.72 ERA, 3 starts, 16 IP, 12 H, 8 BB, 16 K, .214 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 2 WP) is only 5’10” so he relies on good movement on his off-speed pitches to get batters out, resulting in some walks but him being very tough to hit. He will be starting against Fullerton. Crabb didn’t get out of the 5th inning in his first two starts but allowed only 3 R’s in those starts before throwing seven scoreless innings against Monmouth.
The other SP’s for the Aztecs are SR Andrew Leary (RHP – 0-1, 7.71 ERA, 3 apps, 1 start, 9 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 11 K, .326 BA, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP), JR Craig Rasmussen (LHP – 0-2, 11.05 ERA, 3 apps, 2 starts, 7 IP, 14 H, 0 BB, 6 K, .378 BA, 4 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP) and midweek SP JC transfer Steven Moranda (RHP – 1-0, 4.97 ERA, 5 apps, 2 starts, 13 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 9 K, .260 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 2 WP), who will be available out of the bullpen this weekend.
Relief Pitchers
San Diego State is still working on sorting out the closer spot and the other roles in the bullpen with Reed being moved into the starting rotation. Here are the relievers most likely to see action this weekend.
Soph John Pecoraro (RHP – 0-0, 1.59 ERA, 5 apps, 11 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 8 K, .211 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP).
JC transfer Shawn Sanford (LHP – 0-0, 2.45 ERA, 3 apps, 4 IP, 10 H, 6 unearned R, 2 BB, 1 K, .556 BA, 2 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP).
FR Matthew McDaniel (LHP – 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3 apps, 3 IP, 5 H, 4 unearned R, 3 BB, 1 K, .313 BA, 1 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP).
SR Kegan Sharp (RHP – 1-1, 4.91 ERA, 5 apps, 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K, .115 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP).
JC transfer Ryan Wynveen (LHP – 0-1, 4.91 ERA, 6 apps, 7 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 6 K, .269 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 WP).
Friday – San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State had their most successful season in 2009 in nearly twenty years by qualifying for a regional for the first time since 1991 and went 1-2 at the Irvine regional. The Aztecs were 41-23 and led by national player of the year Steven Strasburg and a solid pitching staff that finished in the top 25 in all four major pitching stats that the NCAA keeps track of (ERA, H/9 IP, K/9 IP, BB/9 IP). They lost most of the major contributors from that pitching staff except for All-American closer Addison Reed, who has been moved into the starting rotation, but the Aztecs do return most of the starting position players from last season except for All-MWC catcher Erik Castro, who led the team in AVG, HR, RBI, OBP and SLG, and they were picked to finish 3rd in the MWC by the conference coaches.
San Diego State got off to a slow start this season by losing all four games in their opening series at home with Oklahoma. The Sooners outscored the Aztecs 38-16 and won every game by at least three runs. The stats were a little skewed in the second game when the bullpen gave up sixteen runs in a 17-5 loss. The Aztecs have bounced back from their tough opening weekend to go 5-3, including a series win against their local rivals the USD Toreros, heading into the tournament. San Diego State has squared away most of their pitching issues by allowing 4 R’s or less in six of the last eight games. The Aztecs have also started to hit the ball better and have scored 5 R’s or more in six of the last eight games.
San Diego State’s offensive philosophy is to take a patient approach at the plate and work counts. The Aztecs were in the top 50 in the country in BB’s last season and are walking nearly six times a game but they are also striking out nearly ten times a game. They don’t have much power in their lineup with 7 HR’s and a .360 SLG % and have gotten off to a slow start with a .261 AVG. San Diego State doesn’t bunt much but they will hit and run and steal bases (16-25 SB’s). The Aztecs were a solid defensive team last season with 61 E’s and a .974 fielding % but have had a few issues on defense and have made 17 E’s for a .963 fielding %.
San Diego State’s pitching staff carried the team to a regional last year with a 3.86 ERA but they are starting from scratch in the starting rotation. Their pitching has been better than expected with a 3.94 ERA considering how many pitchers they lost from last season and not having Ryan O’Sullivan available, who was expected to be one of their weekend SP’s but injured his arm in the first inning of his first start. After getting knocked around by Oklahoma the pitching staff has put together some solid outings.
Lineup
C – JR Matt Parker (RH – .286 BA/.375 OBP/.429 SLG, 1 HR-11 RBI-0 SB) was able to see a decent amount of action behind the plate last season (.247 in 93 AB’s) despite being the backup to Castro. He has hit 5th or 6th most of the time and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s. Parker has done a good job of shutting down the running game and has held opponents to 10-19 on SB attempts.
1B – Soph Jomel Torres (LH – .344/.512/.469, 1-6-3) doesn’t have much power for a 1B (.295 with 1 HR in 95 AB’s last year) but has been an on base machine and leads the team in AVG and OBP. He has usually hit 2nd to help set the table for the middle of the order.
2B – SR Mitch Blackburn (LH – .256/.411/.279, 0-7-0) is the leadoff hitter and has gotten off to a slow start after hitting .306 last season. He doesn’t have much power but is very patient at the plate and was 2nd on the team in BB’s last year and leads the team this season. Blackburn is a good defensive player who has also started three games at SS and made only three errors last year with a .988 FLD %. He was an All MWC pre-season pick by the conference coaches.
SS – SR Brandon Decker (RH – .125/.300/.125, 0-0-1) has been playing SS with O’Sullivan out (O’Sullivan was the SS last season on weekends and the midweek SP). Decker has done a solid job defensively and hasn’t made an error in the eight games he has started but has struggled at the plate again this year after hitting only .250 last season.
3B – Soph Chris Wilson (RH – .241/.371/.310, 0-4-0) has been starting at 3B most of the time the last two weekends. He is also the backup C and has started twice behind the plate. Wilson was solid in a part-time role last season (.298-4-22) and usually hits 7th. FR Corey Black (RH – 1-12) has also gotten some starts at SS and 3B.
LF – Soph Brandon Meredith (RH – .302/.456/.512, 2-11-1) and FR Van Hoosier (RH – .333/.478/.361, 0-5-7) have both played all over the diamond. Meredith has also made starts at RF and 1B and Van Hoosier has also made starts at 3B and more recently 2B. Meredith has batted 3rd every game and gotten off to a good start after losing 20 lbs since last season and is tied for the team lead in HR’s and RBI’s and leads the team in SLG. He does have trouble with making contact after striking out 46 times last year and leads the team with 15 K’s. Meredith was 2nd team All MWC last season after hitting .315 with 41 RBI’s. Van Hoosier has hit all over the lower part of the batting order and has very good speed and easily leads the team in SB’s.
CF – JR Cory Vaughn (RH – .302/.400/.488, 2-8-1) is the best prospect among the position players and is projected to be drafted in the first 5-6 rounds in June. He was 1st team All MWC last season after hitting .329 with 10 HR’s and 51 RBI’s and led the team with 15 SB’s. Vaughn is the cleanup hitter and has gotten off to a solid start but has had trouble making contact after leading the team with 57 K’s last season and has K’d 14 times this year.
RF – SR Josh Chasse (RH – .227/.419/.409, 1-5-2) is a good defensive outfielder but doesn’t have much pop with the bat (.197 in 79 AB’s) and usually hits at the bottom of the order.
DH – FR Blair Moore (LH – .306/.324/.417, 0-7-0) has gotten off to a solid start and has been the DH most of the time and usually hits 6th.
Pitching
Starting Pitchers
JR Addison Reed (RHP – 2-1, 3.20 ERA, 3 starts, 20 IP, 14 H, 5 BB, 23 K, .203 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP) is a big power pitcher with a fastball in the mid 90’s who was the national leader in saves last season. He started for the Aztecs in their first game of the tournament against UAB. Reed struggled in his first start against Oklahoma (4 R in 4 2/3 IP) before two dominant starts against San Diego and Kentucky when he allowed 3 R on 9 H in 15 IP with 2 BB and 17 K. He is projected to go in the first two rounds of the draft in June.
FR Bryan Crabb (RHP – 1-1, 1.72 ERA, 3 starts, 16 IP, 12 H, 8 BB, 16 K, .214 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 2 WP) is only 5’10” so he relies on good movement on his off-speed pitches to get batters out, resulting in some walks but him being very tough to hit. He will be starting against Fullerton. Crabb didn’t get out of the 5th inning in his first two starts but allowed only 3 R’s in those starts before throwing seven scoreless innings against Monmouth.
The other SP’s for the Aztecs are SR Andrew Leary (RHP – 0-1, 7.71 ERA, 3 apps, 1 start, 9 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 11 K, .326 BA, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP), JR Craig Rasmussen (LHP – 0-2, 11.05 ERA, 3 apps, 2 starts, 7 IP, 14 H, 0 BB, 6 K, .378 BA, 4 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP) and midweek SP JC transfer Steven Moranda (RHP – 1-0, 4.97 ERA, 5 apps, 2 starts, 13 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 9 K, .260 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 2 WP), who will be available out of the bullpen this weekend.
Relief Pitchers
San Diego State is still working on sorting out the closer spot and the other roles in the bullpen with Reed being moved into the starting rotation. Here are the relievers most likely to see action this weekend.
Soph John Pecoraro (RHP – 0-0, 1.59 ERA, 5 apps, 11 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 8 K, .211 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP).
JC transfer Shawn Sanford (LHP – 0-0, 2.45 ERA, 3 apps, 4 IP, 10 H, 6 unearned R, 2 BB, 1 K, .556 BA, 2 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP).
FR Matthew McDaniel (LHP – 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3 apps, 3 IP, 5 H, 4 unearned R, 3 BB, 1 K, .313 BA, 1 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP).
SR Kegan Sharp (RHP – 1-1, 4.91 ERA, 5 apps, 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K, .115 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP).
JC transfer Ryan Wynveen (LHP – 0-1, 4.91 ERA, 6 apps, 7 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 6 K, .269 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 WP).
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
San Diego Tournament Preview (Fresno State)
By FullertonBaseballFan
Thursday – Fresno State Bulldogs (6-6)
Fresno State has qualified for four straight regionals and is predicted to make it five in a row after being picked by the WAC coaches to win the conference. The Bulldogs struggled last season to live up to the expectations of being the defending national champions after losing almost every pitcher who contributed to their run to the national title in 2008 and had to win the WAC tournament to get into a regional and they went 0-2 at Irvine. Fresno State brought an experienced team into this season and lost only one pitcher from last year and a few position players although one of them was one of the heroes in their national title run, 3B Tom Mendonca (3rd in the country with 27 HR’s in 2009).
Fresno State got off to a good start this season by winning three of four games in their opening series with Nebraska and followed that up by winning two out of three games at Washington. The Bulldogs hit .327 with 12 HR’s and a .538 SLG % in bludgeoning their way to five wins in those seven games and scored 39 R’s in their 5 wins and 10 R’s in one of their losses but their offense came to a screeching halt when George Horton brought his Oregon Ducks to town last weekend. Fresno State scored only 11 runs while being swept in a four game series as Horton improved his record against Fresno State to 25-3 in his last 28 games against them. The Bulldogs rebounded on Tuesday with a 10-9 win at home against Santa Clara and got a solid outing from their SP before the bullpen gave up 8 R’s. The pitching staff has been fairly consistent for Fresno State with an ERA in the high 4’s before Tuesday’s slugfest but the defense has been porous and has committed 26 errors, 11 against Oregon.
Fresno State’s offensive philosophy is to play grip and rip it baseball. The Bulldogs will take a patient approach at the plate and wait for their pitch and tag it when they get it. Fresno State finished fifth in the country in BB’s and was in the top 25 in HR’s and top 50 in runs scored. The Bulldogs rarely bunt (29 SAC’s last season, 3 this year) and don’t run much (44 SB’s last year, 8 this season). Fresno State has had a pretty consistent lineup with seven of their regulars starting in every game except for one start by the backup catcher. The Bulldogs were a below average defensive team last season with 86 E’s and a .964 fielding % and that has carried over to this season.
Fresno State’s pitching staff took its lumps last season with the departure of so many pitchers after their 2008 title run. The staff had an ERA of 5.61 and allowed teams to hit .283. Two areas that the Bulldogs pitching staff was adequate in was not walking batters and for the most part keeping the ball in the ballpark by not giving up HR’s. Fresno State figured to have an improved pitching staff and the ERA is better but not as good as expected. The Bulldogs got three solid starts in four games against Nebraska but the SP’s struggled in the first two games against Washington and were ok in the last three games against Oregon but weren’t done any favors by the poor defense. Fresno State has gone to their bullpen often with no starter going longer than 6 1/3 IP in any start and the relievers have usually done a solid job of keeping the Bulldogs in the game.
Lineup
C – Soph Trent Garrison (LH – .375 BA/.405 OBP/.719 SLG, 3 HR-11 RBI-0 SB) started 25 games last season and hit .219 in 96 AB’s but has flourished at the plate as the regular catcher. He usually hits 8th and gives Fresno power at the bottom of the lineup. Garrison has struggled some defensively and allowed 13-15 SB’s and 11 WP’s/PB’s.
1B – JR Jordan Ribera (LH – .333/.412/.778, 6-11-0) had some big hits in Omaha in 2008 but struggled at the plate last season (.189 in 74 AB’s, K’d 30% of the time) before getting hot in the WAC tournament and hitting a couple of key HR’s. He started out scorching hot in the first two series and hit .429 with 6 HR’s and 10 RBI’s in seven games before he cooled off against Oregon when he went 2-13. Ribera usually hits 6th.
2B – JR Danny Muno (Both – .333/.444/.489, 1-4-0) was the SS the last two seasons but is a poor defensive player and made 28 errors last season and has already made 6 errors this year. However, at the plate it is a different story because Muno does an outstanding job of getting on base. Muno was the leadoff hitter last year but has been hitting 3rd this season. He led the team with a .379 AVG, .525 OBP and 13 SB’s last season and was in the top ten nationally in BB’s and 2B’s. He was 1st team all WAC last season and was chosen by the WAC coaches as the pre-season MVP. FR Justin Charles (LH – 2-8) has played in the last four games with Muno usually playing SS and Charles batted 9th in three of those games.
SS – SR Isacc Vivas (RH – .250/.286/.375, 1-3-0) is a better defensive player than Muno and only made four errors last season in 32 starts but has already matched that total this year. He only hit .225 last season and has usually been a liability at the plate before he hit a walk-off HR on Tuesday. Vivas has started in 8 of 11 games and will hit 9th when he is in the lineup.
3B – JC transfer Garrett Weber (LH – .298/.340/.319, 0-6-2) had the unenviable task of replacing Mendonca in the lineup. He started out well going 11-30 with 6 RBI in the first two series before struggling against Oregon when he went 3-16 with 0 RBI. Weber hit 2nd in the first ten games. He has struggled some defensively and has made three errors.
LF – JR Bobby Coyle (LH – .296/.321/.370, 1-8-1) transferred from Arizona (’09 stats – .316/.345/.483, 3-37-6) and received a hardship waiver in order to be eligible to play without having to sit out a season. He has been a solid hitter at the top of the lineup and led off the first ten games before hitting 2nd and 3rd the past two games.
CF – Soph Dusty Robinson (RH – .327/.365/.469, 1-8-2) doesn’t have the best range in CF but more than makes up for it at the plate and has been the cleanup hitter in every game. He had an outstanding FR season (‘09 stats –.319/.394/.604, 15-45-7) and was 1st team all WAC last year and was chosen by the coaches to be 1st team all WAC again this season.
RF – Soph Brennan Gowens (LH – .356/.431/.467, 0-3-2) had a solid FR season (‘09 stats – .280/.404/.423, 5-27-6) and has gotten off to a good start this year. He has batted 5th in 11 of 12 starts.
DH – Soph Kenny Wise (LH – .429/.538/.810, 2-9-0) didn’t start the first five games of the season but has been in the lineup since then and usually hits 7th. He is another player who had a solid FR season (‘09 stats –.291/.368/.551, 6-28-6 in 102 AB’s).
Pitching
Starting Pitchers
Soph Derek Benny (RHP – 0-0, 6.59 ERA, 4 apps, 3 starts, 14 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 11 K, .345 BA, 0 HR, 6 HBP, 2 WP) came into this season as the Fri SP and was picked by the coaches as the pre-season WAC pitcher of the year after a solid FR season (4-4, 5.09 ERA, 16 apps, 12 starts, 87 IP). Benny got roughed up by both Nebraska and Washington and wasn’t in the rotation against Oregon and pitched better against Santa Clara on Tuesday when he allowed 1 R on 8 H in 5 2/3 IP. He has a good sinking fastball in the low 90’s and a solid slider.
Soph Cody Kendall (RHP – 0-2, 5.74 ERA, 1 save, 4 apps, 2 starts, 16 IP, 20 H, 4 BB, 13 K, .317 BA, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP) started last Friday and could be in line to get the start against Fullerton. He had a solid outing against Nebraska when he allowed 3 R on 8 H with 0 BB and 6 K in 6 IP but was roughed up by Oregon when he allowed 6 R on 10 H in 4 IP. Kendall pitched mostly in relief last season (2-1, 9.21 ERA, 18 apps, 6 starts, 43 IP).
SR Matt Morse (RHP – 0-2, 5.74 ERA, 4 apps, 2 starts, 16 IP, 20 H, 4 BB, 13 K, .317 BA, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP) has had two solid outings in three starts (2 R allowed in 5 IP vs. Nebraska, 9 R allowed in 5 IP at Washington, 3 ER allowed in 6 1/3 IP vs. Oregon) but pitched last Sat and it would be doubtful that he would be brought back on short rest with Fresno having four games in four days. He has a fastball in the upper 80’s with a good changeup and good command. Mores was one of the SP’s for most of last season (4-3, 4.72 ERA, 19 apps, 11 starts, 80 IP).
Soph Charlie Robertson (RHP – 0-1, 3.75 ERA, 3 apps, 1 start, 12 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 6 K, .295 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP) has taken on a bigger role on the pitching staff after throwing only seven innings last year. He started last Sat against Oregon (5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H) with Benny moved to the bullpen.
Soph Josh Poytress (LHP – 1-1, 4.15 ERA, 4 apps, 3 starts, 17 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 11 K, .271 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP) is the only lefty in the rotation and has started all three Sunday games. He pitched poorly vs. Nebraska but has had solid outings in his last two starts against Washington and Oregon. Poytress was one of the SP’s last season (2-2, 4.25, 20 apps, 8 starts, 42 IP).
Relief Pitchers
Fresno State doesn’t have an established closer so they have been mixing and matching in middle relief and to finish games. Here are the relievers most likely to see action this weekend. All of them saw action out of the bullpen last season except for Gonzalez, who is the only reliever with a save besides Kendall who is now in the rotation.
JR Gene Escat (RHP – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 apps, 7 IP, 5 H, 6 BB, 2 K, .263 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 WP).
SR Sean Bonesteele (RHP – 0-0, 2.70 ERA, 3 apps, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K, .250 BA, 1 HR, 0 HBP, 1 WP).
Soph Tom Harlan (LHP – 0-0, 4.15 ERA, 7 apps, 4 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K, .267 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP).
Soph Taylor Garrison (RHP – 1-1, 6.35 ERA, 4 apps, 6 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 K, .400 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 WP).
JC transfer Greg Gonzalez (RHP – 1-0, 10.50 ERA, 1 save, 5 apps, 6 IP, 15 H, 6 BB, 8 K, .455 BA, 2 HR, 0 HBP, 2 WP).
SR Zac Bishcoff (RHP – 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 4 apps, 3 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 K, .438 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP).
Thursday – Fresno State Bulldogs (6-6)
Fresno State has qualified for four straight regionals and is predicted to make it five in a row after being picked by the WAC coaches to win the conference. The Bulldogs struggled last season to live up to the expectations of being the defending national champions after losing almost every pitcher who contributed to their run to the national title in 2008 and had to win the WAC tournament to get into a regional and they went 0-2 at Irvine. Fresno State brought an experienced team into this season and lost only one pitcher from last year and a few position players although one of them was one of the heroes in their national title run, 3B Tom Mendonca (3rd in the country with 27 HR’s in 2009).
Fresno State got off to a good start this season by winning three of four games in their opening series with Nebraska and followed that up by winning two out of three games at Washington. The Bulldogs hit .327 with 12 HR’s and a .538 SLG % in bludgeoning their way to five wins in those seven games and scored 39 R’s in their 5 wins and 10 R’s in one of their losses but their offense came to a screeching halt when George Horton brought his Oregon Ducks to town last weekend. Fresno State scored only 11 runs while being swept in a four game series as Horton improved his record against Fresno State to 25-3 in his last 28 games against them. The Bulldogs rebounded on Tuesday with a 10-9 win at home against Santa Clara and got a solid outing from their SP before the bullpen gave up 8 R’s. The pitching staff has been fairly consistent for Fresno State with an ERA in the high 4’s before Tuesday’s slugfest but the defense has been porous and has committed 26 errors, 11 against Oregon.
Fresno State’s offensive philosophy is to play grip and rip it baseball. The Bulldogs will take a patient approach at the plate and wait for their pitch and tag it when they get it. Fresno State finished fifth in the country in BB’s and was in the top 25 in HR’s and top 50 in runs scored. The Bulldogs rarely bunt (29 SAC’s last season, 3 this year) and don’t run much (44 SB’s last year, 8 this season). Fresno State has had a pretty consistent lineup with seven of their regulars starting in every game except for one start by the backup catcher. The Bulldogs were a below average defensive team last season with 86 E’s and a .964 fielding % and that has carried over to this season.
Fresno State’s pitching staff took its lumps last season with the departure of so many pitchers after their 2008 title run. The staff had an ERA of 5.61 and allowed teams to hit .283. Two areas that the Bulldogs pitching staff was adequate in was not walking batters and for the most part keeping the ball in the ballpark by not giving up HR’s. Fresno State figured to have an improved pitching staff and the ERA is better but not as good as expected. The Bulldogs got three solid starts in four games against Nebraska but the SP’s struggled in the first two games against Washington and were ok in the last three games against Oregon but weren’t done any favors by the poor defense. Fresno State has gone to their bullpen often with no starter going longer than 6 1/3 IP in any start and the relievers have usually done a solid job of keeping the Bulldogs in the game.
Lineup
C – Soph Trent Garrison (LH – .375 BA/.405 OBP/.719 SLG, 3 HR-11 RBI-0 SB) started 25 games last season and hit .219 in 96 AB’s but has flourished at the plate as the regular catcher. He usually hits 8th and gives Fresno power at the bottom of the lineup. Garrison has struggled some defensively and allowed 13-15 SB’s and 11 WP’s/PB’s.
1B – JR Jordan Ribera (LH – .333/.412/.778, 6-11-0) had some big hits in Omaha in 2008 but struggled at the plate last season (.189 in 74 AB’s, K’d 30% of the time) before getting hot in the WAC tournament and hitting a couple of key HR’s. He started out scorching hot in the first two series and hit .429 with 6 HR’s and 10 RBI’s in seven games before he cooled off against Oregon when he went 2-13. Ribera usually hits 6th.
2B – JR Danny Muno (Both – .333/.444/.489, 1-4-0) was the SS the last two seasons but is a poor defensive player and made 28 errors last season and has already made 6 errors this year. However, at the plate it is a different story because Muno does an outstanding job of getting on base. Muno was the leadoff hitter last year but has been hitting 3rd this season. He led the team with a .379 AVG, .525 OBP and 13 SB’s last season and was in the top ten nationally in BB’s and 2B’s. He was 1st team all WAC last season and was chosen by the WAC coaches as the pre-season MVP. FR Justin Charles (LH – 2-8) has played in the last four games with Muno usually playing SS and Charles batted 9th in three of those games.
SS – SR Isacc Vivas (RH – .250/.286/.375, 1-3-0) is a better defensive player than Muno and only made four errors last season in 32 starts but has already matched that total this year. He only hit .225 last season and has usually been a liability at the plate before he hit a walk-off HR on Tuesday. Vivas has started in 8 of 11 games and will hit 9th when he is in the lineup.
3B – JC transfer Garrett Weber (LH – .298/.340/.319, 0-6-2) had the unenviable task of replacing Mendonca in the lineup. He started out well going 11-30 with 6 RBI in the first two series before struggling against Oregon when he went 3-16 with 0 RBI. Weber hit 2nd in the first ten games. He has struggled some defensively and has made three errors.
LF – JR Bobby Coyle (LH – .296/.321/.370, 1-8-1) transferred from Arizona (’09 stats – .316/.345/.483, 3-37-6) and received a hardship waiver in order to be eligible to play without having to sit out a season. He has been a solid hitter at the top of the lineup and led off the first ten games before hitting 2nd and 3rd the past two games.
CF – Soph Dusty Robinson (RH – .327/.365/.469, 1-8-2) doesn’t have the best range in CF but more than makes up for it at the plate and has been the cleanup hitter in every game. He had an outstanding FR season (‘09 stats –.319/.394/.604, 15-45-7) and was 1st team all WAC last year and was chosen by the coaches to be 1st team all WAC again this season.
RF – Soph Brennan Gowens (LH – .356/.431/.467, 0-3-2) had a solid FR season (‘09 stats – .280/.404/.423, 5-27-6) and has gotten off to a good start this year. He has batted 5th in 11 of 12 starts.
DH – Soph Kenny Wise (LH – .429/.538/.810, 2-9-0) didn’t start the first five games of the season but has been in the lineup since then and usually hits 7th. He is another player who had a solid FR season (‘09 stats –.291/.368/.551, 6-28-6 in 102 AB’s).
Pitching
Starting Pitchers
Soph Derek Benny (RHP – 0-0, 6.59 ERA, 4 apps, 3 starts, 14 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 11 K, .345 BA, 0 HR, 6 HBP, 2 WP) came into this season as the Fri SP and was picked by the coaches as the pre-season WAC pitcher of the year after a solid FR season (4-4, 5.09 ERA, 16 apps, 12 starts, 87 IP). Benny got roughed up by both Nebraska and Washington and wasn’t in the rotation against Oregon and pitched better against Santa Clara on Tuesday when he allowed 1 R on 8 H in 5 2/3 IP. He has a good sinking fastball in the low 90’s and a solid slider.
Soph Cody Kendall (RHP – 0-2, 5.74 ERA, 1 save, 4 apps, 2 starts, 16 IP, 20 H, 4 BB, 13 K, .317 BA, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP) started last Friday and could be in line to get the start against Fullerton. He had a solid outing against Nebraska when he allowed 3 R on 8 H with 0 BB and 6 K in 6 IP but was roughed up by Oregon when he allowed 6 R on 10 H in 4 IP. Kendall pitched mostly in relief last season (2-1, 9.21 ERA, 18 apps, 6 starts, 43 IP).
SR Matt Morse (RHP – 0-2, 5.74 ERA, 4 apps, 2 starts, 16 IP, 20 H, 4 BB, 13 K, .317 BA, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP) has had two solid outings in three starts (2 R allowed in 5 IP vs. Nebraska, 9 R allowed in 5 IP at Washington, 3 ER allowed in 6 1/3 IP vs. Oregon) but pitched last Sat and it would be doubtful that he would be brought back on short rest with Fresno having four games in four days. He has a fastball in the upper 80’s with a good changeup and good command. Mores was one of the SP’s for most of last season (4-3, 4.72 ERA, 19 apps, 11 starts, 80 IP).
Soph Charlie Robertson (RHP – 0-1, 3.75 ERA, 3 apps, 1 start, 12 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 6 K, .295 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP) has taken on a bigger role on the pitching staff after throwing only seven innings last year. He started last Sat against Oregon (5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H) with Benny moved to the bullpen.
Soph Josh Poytress (LHP – 1-1, 4.15 ERA, 4 apps, 3 starts, 17 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 11 K, .271 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP) is the only lefty in the rotation and has started all three Sunday games. He pitched poorly vs. Nebraska but has had solid outings in his last two starts against Washington and Oregon. Poytress was one of the SP’s last season (2-2, 4.25, 20 apps, 8 starts, 42 IP).
Relief Pitchers
Fresno State doesn’t have an established closer so they have been mixing and matching in middle relief and to finish games. Here are the relievers most likely to see action this weekend. All of them saw action out of the bullpen last season except for Gonzalez, who is the only reliever with a save besides Kendall who is now in the rotation.
JR Gene Escat (RHP – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 apps, 7 IP, 5 H, 6 BB, 2 K, .263 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 WP).
SR Sean Bonesteele (RHP – 0-0, 2.70 ERA, 3 apps, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K, .250 BA, 1 HR, 0 HBP, 1 WP).
Soph Tom Harlan (LHP – 0-0, 4.15 ERA, 7 apps, 4 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K, .267 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP).
Soph Taylor Garrison (RHP – 1-1, 6.35 ERA, 4 apps, 6 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 K, .400 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 WP).
JC transfer Greg Gonzalez (RHP – 1-0, 10.50 ERA, 1 save, 5 apps, 6 IP, 15 H, 6 BB, 8 K, .455 BA, 2 HR, 0 HBP, 2 WP).
SR Zac Bishcoff (RHP – 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 4 apps, 3 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 K, .438 BA, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 WP).
Friday, March 5, 2010
Arizona Series Preview
By FullertonBaseballFan
Cal State Fullerton’s slow start continued against TCU as the Titans lost two out of three games for the second weekend in a row and lost the series to the Horned Frogs at Goodwin Field for the second straight season. Fullerton lost the first game 5-2 as their bats were throttled by Steven Maxwell and he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. After Saturday’s game was rained out, the teams split a doubleheader on Sunday with the Titans winning the first game 6-4 behind the hitting and pitching of Nick Ramirez before TCU came back to win the second game 8-1 when the Horned Frogs broke open the game with a five run sixth inning while Kyle Winkler shut down the Fullerton offense. The Titans rebounded against San Diego with an 11-4 midweek win and this weekend Fullerton hits the road for the first time season and will be traveling down to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats.
Andy Lopez led Arizona to the College World Series in 2004 and had the Wildcats in regionals in five out of six years and in a super regional in 2008 before a mediocre 30-25, 13-14 season in 2009. Things were pretty miserable for Arizona both on and off the field and Lopez cleaned house after the season with fifteen players leaving the program who had eligibility remaining in addition to having seven players leave the program after being drafted and/or graduating. With that type of attrition the result is the Wildcats have one of the youngest teams on the west coast with seventeen freshmen in the program. Arizona returns only four position players who saw regular playing time and four pitchers with pitched at least 35 innings last season. The expectations for the Wildcats are fairly low and they are being predicted to finish anywhere between fifth and eighth place in the Pac 10 and are expected to miss post-season play for the second straight season.
Arizona is 4-3 after getting their season off to a fast start by winning all three games at home against Utah Valley State, one of the lower level teams in the western region, by the scores of 8-1, 18-1 and 8-7. The Wildcats struggled last weekend while facing a better team when they lost both games to Long Beach with the third game of the series rained out. Arizona blew a late lead to lose 8-7 in the first game before losing 10-3 in the second game. The Wildcats faced UNLV in a midweek series and lost 12-10 in the first game before rebounding to win the second game 5-4 in 13 innings.
LINEUP
Arizona had one of the better lineups in the Pac 10 in 2009 and led the conference in BA, 2B’s, 3B’s and were 2nd in R’s, SLG % and SB’s. Unfortunately for the Wildcats most of the leaders of that offense have moved on and they have only a few contributors back from last season. Arizona has come out swinging the bats this season and are hitting .318 with five players hitting over .350, three of them returners from last season. The Wildcats did most of their damage against Utah Valley State when they hit .358 and scored 34 runs in that series and have hit .289 and scored 25 runs in their last four games against Long Beach and UNLV. Arizona will play little ball with by using the hit and run, stealing bases (13 in 7 games) and bunting (8 in the last 4 games). The Wildcats are also being patient at the plate and are averaging around five walks per game and doing a solid job of making contact and are striking out about five times per game.
The dimensions at Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium are spacious down the lines (360 ft), relatively short to the power alleys (378 ft) and standard (400 ft) to CF which means there tend to be lots of 2B’s and 3B’s hit there. Due to the ballpark dimensions and Tucson’s elevation (over 2000 feet above sea level) according to Boyd’s World the park factor is 126, which means the ballpark increases offense by 26% and significantly favor hitters, especially when the weather warms up and the ball travels well.
Arizona was a poor fielding team last season and made 76 errors and was eighth in the Pac 10 with a .965 fielding %. The Wildcats have shored things up some this year and are fielding better with a .972 fielding %.
Infield
Arizona had a pretty experienced infield last season but didn’t field well. This year the Wildcats have three players returning but only one of them played the same position last season and the defense has improved some.
C – Soph Jett Bandy (RH – .485/.514/.848, 3-11-1; ’09 – .299/.397/.500, 4-39-1) was the 3B last season and has moved to C and done a solid job against the running game (3-5 SB’s) but has struggled some at blocking pitches (8 WP’s/PB’s). He has been on fire to start the season and will hit either 4th or 5th as one of the power bats in the lineup with 3 of the team’s 5 HR’s, including a walk off grand slam in the third game of the Utah Valley State series, and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s. He went 2-7 in last year’s midweek series at Fullerton. Bandy’s backup is JC transfer Jacob Meskin, who is 0-4 in two starts.
1B – SR Rafael Valenzuela (LH – .375/.484/.583, 0-8-1; ’09 – .277/.331/.411, 0-14-4) split time at 1B and DH last season and is doing that again this season but is limited defensively. Valenzuela went 7-13 against Utah Valley State and 2-11 the last four games. Bandy has started twice at 1B when Valenzuela has been the DH. Valenzuela does a good job of getting on base and bats 2nd.
2B – JR Bryce Ortega (RH – .143/.324/,143, 0-3-3; ’09 – .324/.429/.438, 3-33-16) was the starting SS last season but has been moved to 2B, which has helped improve Arizona’s infield defense. Ortega was predicted to contend for all-conf honors after leading the team in SB’s last season but he has gotten off to a very slow start. He has been the leadoff hitter every game and will work counts and leads the team with seven walks. Ortega went 0-8 in last year’s midweek series at Fullerton.
SS – FR Alex Mejia (RH – .192/.300/.269, 0-4-0) is a good athlete in the middle infield but he has struggled at the plate with making the adjustment to D1 pitching. Mejia has batted 9th in every game.
3B – FR Seth Mejias-Brean (RH – .133/.278/.200, 0-2-0) and FR Robert Refsnyder (RH – .423/.483/.423, 0-6-1) have been splitting time at 3B with Mejia-Brean getting most of the starts and usually batting 8th. Refsnyder is a versatile player and a good athlete who was the QB on his HS football team. He has also been playing in the OF and has often switched over to 3B during games and usually hits 5th or 6th. Refsnyder went 8-17 the last four games.
Outfield and DH
Arizona returned only one OF from last season so they have been relying on incoming players to take over and the newcomers have been playing well.
LF – Soph Bobby Brown (LH – .333/.385/.583, 0-2-1) and Refsnyder have been splitting time in LF with Brown going 4-8 over the last four games. Brown usually hits in the lower part of the lineup and is the only other LH bat along with Valenzuela.
CF – FR Joey Rickard (RH – .367/.406/.667. 2-11-4) was the most heralded newcomer in the large recruiting class and he has delivered. He has hit 2 of the team’s 5 HR’s and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s. Rickard went 7-12 against Utah Valley State but is 4-18 over the last four games. Rickard is a good athlete in CF and leads the team in SB’s and has been hitting 6th or 7th.
RF – Soph Steve Selsky (RH – .424/.472/.485, 0-6-0; ’09 – .318/.386/.541, 7-21-2) is the only returning player in the OF. He went 8-14 against Utah Valley State and has gone 6-19 the past four games. Selsky usually hits 3rd and has good power, which is why he is projected to be drafted around the 10th round in June as a draft eligible soph. He went 3-6 in last year’s midweek series at Fullerton.
DH – JC transfer Josh Garcia (RH – .200 in 10 AB’s) is one of several players who will see time at DH, including Valenzuela, Brown and Refsnyder as Arizona rotates players at this position.
PITCHING
A major reason why Arizona ended up under .500 in conf games despite having a potent lineup was a pitching staff that ended up 9th in team ERA at 5.46 and allowed opponents to hit a conference worst .293. The pitchers also allowed the most 2B’s and 3B’s in the conference. Arizona lost their Friday SP, top middle reliever and closer to the draft after last season. The Wildcats allowed only one run in each of their first two games before allowing 41 runs in their next five games.
Starters
FRI – FR Kurt Heyer (RHP – 1-0, 3.86 ERA, 2 starts, 12 IP, 14 H, 1 BB, 20 K, .304 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP) had an outstanding start against Utah Valley State when he allowed 1 R on 3 H in 6 IP with 13 K’s but struggled against Long Beach when he allowed 4 R on 11 H in 5 2/3 IP last Friday. Heyer has good stuff with very good control. He is the best pitching prospect in the recruiting class and helped lead Edison HS to the CIF D1 final, losing a 1-0 game to Capo Valley and 1st round draft pick Tyler Matzek.
SAT – Soph Kyle Simon (RHP – 1-1, 3.55 ERA, 2 starts, 13 IP, 11 H. 6 BB, 8 K, .239 BA, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 3 WP) is the most experienced pitcher returning from last season (’09 stats – 3-5, 6.03 ERA, 19 apps, 11 starts, 75 IP, 106 H, 26 BB, 42 K, 2 HR, .305 BA, 12 HBP, 6 WP). He doesn’t have overpowering stuff but is a battler. Simon was very effective against Utah Valley State and allowed 1 R on 5 H and 1 BB in 8 IP but didn’t pitch well against Long Beach when he gave up 5 R on 6 H and 4 BB in 5 IP. In his midweek start at Fullerton last year he allowed 5 R on 7 H in 2 1/3 IP.
SUN – TBA. The most likely SP’s would be either FR RHP Stephen Manthei or JR RHP Daniel Workman. Both made midweek starts this week against UNLV. Workman was one of the more effective returning pitchers for Arizona (’09 stats – 3-1, 3.86 ERA,15 apps, 6 starts, 42 IP, 45 H, 13 BB, 25 K, 5 HR, .271 BA, 5 HBP, 3 WP). He was shelled by Utah Valley State for 6 R and 7 H in 1 2/3 IP. Manthei allowed 0 R in 4 1/3 IP in relief of Workman in that game and was scheduled to start the Sun game against Long Beach that was rained out. Manthei started the Tues game against UNLV and allowed 5 R without retiring a batter. Workman was effective in his Wed start against UNLV and allowed 1 R on 2 H and 4 BB in 4 1/3 IP.
Relievers
Arizona has been scrambling for answers in the bullpen with so much roster turnover and the loss of their two most effective and experienced relievers from last season.
Soph Bryce Bandilla (LHP – ’09 stats – 3-3, 6.20 ERA, 26 apps, 6 starts, 49 IP, 51 H, 32 BB, 30 K, .280 BA, 2 HR, 11 HBP, 4 WP) was one of two experienced RP’s coming into the season and the projected closer due to his power arm although he has struggled with wildness. He blew the save against Long Beach when he allowed 3 R on 4 H in 2 IP. Bandilla struggled in his next outing on Tues against UNLV when he allowed 5 R on 5 H in 5 IP but did have 8 K’s.
JR Joe Allison (RHP – ’09 stats – 5-1, 4.66 ERA, 21 apps, 3 starts, 39 IP, 41 H, 11 BB, 21 K, .272 BA, 9 HR, 4 HBP, 1 WP) is the other experienced RP but has been brought along slowly due to some minor injuries. He made his first appearance on Wed against UNLV and held the Rebels hitless in 1 2/3 IP in picking up the extra inning win. Allison has good control but his pitches tend to get too much of the zone and led allowed the most HR’s on the staff last season. He allowed 3 R on 5 H in 4 IP in his midweek start at Fullerton last year.
FR Nick Cunningham (RHP – 5 apps, 2.84 ERA, 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K) has been effective and earned the coaching staff’s confidence and leads the staff in appearances.
FR Tyler Hale (RHP – 4 apps, 6.48 ERA, 8 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 8 K) was projected to have a chance to be the closer due to his power arm but he has struggled out of the gate. He has allowed 2 R in each of his last 3 outings.
No other pitcher has made more than one appearance out of the bullpen and the only other LHP on the roster besides Bandilla is JR Matt Chaffee, who only threw nine innings last year.
OUTLOOK
Fullerton has gotten off to a slow start and is looking to get their first series win this weekend. It looked like the ballclub started to turn the corner in their midweek win vs. San Diego against a weekend SP who should be better than any of the SP’s that they will see this weekend, although he was very wild which helped out the Titan hitters.
Arizona is a very young team that got off to a fast start against an inferior opponent before having a bit of a reality check while going 1-3 when the level of competition improved.
Runs don’t figure to be hard to come by this weekend with the way that Arizona swings the bats at home and with the struggles that the Wildcat pitching staff has had in allowing over eight runs a game the past five games. The Titans should have the pitching advantage in this series if they don’t allow Arizona to gain confidence at home in a hitters ballpark.
Fullerton is a more well rounded club than Arizona and if the Titans pitchers are effective and the hitters are able to have a good approach at the plate and swing the bats the way that they did on Tuesday night then Fullerton should win two out of three games this weekend.
Cal State Fullerton’s slow start continued against TCU as the Titans lost two out of three games for the second weekend in a row and lost the series to the Horned Frogs at Goodwin Field for the second straight season. Fullerton lost the first game 5-2 as their bats were throttled by Steven Maxwell and he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. After Saturday’s game was rained out, the teams split a doubleheader on Sunday with the Titans winning the first game 6-4 behind the hitting and pitching of Nick Ramirez before TCU came back to win the second game 8-1 when the Horned Frogs broke open the game with a five run sixth inning while Kyle Winkler shut down the Fullerton offense. The Titans rebounded against San Diego with an 11-4 midweek win and this weekend Fullerton hits the road for the first time season and will be traveling down to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats.
Andy Lopez led Arizona to the College World Series in 2004 and had the Wildcats in regionals in five out of six years and in a super regional in 2008 before a mediocre 30-25, 13-14 season in 2009. Things were pretty miserable for Arizona both on and off the field and Lopez cleaned house after the season with fifteen players leaving the program who had eligibility remaining in addition to having seven players leave the program after being drafted and/or graduating. With that type of attrition the result is the Wildcats have one of the youngest teams on the west coast with seventeen freshmen in the program. Arizona returns only four position players who saw regular playing time and four pitchers with pitched at least 35 innings last season. The expectations for the Wildcats are fairly low and they are being predicted to finish anywhere between fifth and eighth place in the Pac 10 and are expected to miss post-season play for the second straight season.
Arizona is 4-3 after getting their season off to a fast start by winning all three games at home against Utah Valley State, one of the lower level teams in the western region, by the scores of 8-1, 18-1 and 8-7. The Wildcats struggled last weekend while facing a better team when they lost both games to Long Beach with the third game of the series rained out. Arizona blew a late lead to lose 8-7 in the first game before losing 10-3 in the second game. The Wildcats faced UNLV in a midweek series and lost 12-10 in the first game before rebounding to win the second game 5-4 in 13 innings.
LINEUP
Arizona had one of the better lineups in the Pac 10 in 2009 and led the conference in BA, 2B’s, 3B’s and were 2nd in R’s, SLG % and SB’s. Unfortunately for the Wildcats most of the leaders of that offense have moved on and they have only a few contributors back from last season. Arizona has come out swinging the bats this season and are hitting .318 with five players hitting over .350, three of them returners from last season. The Wildcats did most of their damage against Utah Valley State when they hit .358 and scored 34 runs in that series and have hit .289 and scored 25 runs in their last four games against Long Beach and UNLV. Arizona will play little ball with by using the hit and run, stealing bases (13 in 7 games) and bunting (8 in the last 4 games). The Wildcats are also being patient at the plate and are averaging around five walks per game and doing a solid job of making contact and are striking out about five times per game.
The dimensions at Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium are spacious down the lines (360 ft), relatively short to the power alleys (378 ft) and standard (400 ft) to CF which means there tend to be lots of 2B’s and 3B’s hit there. Due to the ballpark dimensions and Tucson’s elevation (over 2000 feet above sea level) according to Boyd’s World the park factor is 126, which means the ballpark increases offense by 26% and significantly favor hitters, especially when the weather warms up and the ball travels well.
Arizona was a poor fielding team last season and made 76 errors and was eighth in the Pac 10 with a .965 fielding %. The Wildcats have shored things up some this year and are fielding better with a .972 fielding %.
Infield
Arizona had a pretty experienced infield last season but didn’t field well. This year the Wildcats have three players returning but only one of them played the same position last season and the defense has improved some.
C – Soph Jett Bandy (RH – .485/.514/.848, 3-11-1; ’09 – .299/.397/.500, 4-39-1) was the 3B last season and has moved to C and done a solid job against the running game (3-5 SB’s) but has struggled some at blocking pitches (8 WP’s/PB’s). He has been on fire to start the season and will hit either 4th or 5th as one of the power bats in the lineup with 3 of the team’s 5 HR’s, including a walk off grand slam in the third game of the Utah Valley State series, and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s. He went 2-7 in last year’s midweek series at Fullerton. Bandy’s backup is JC transfer Jacob Meskin, who is 0-4 in two starts.
1B – SR Rafael Valenzuela (LH – .375/.484/.583, 0-8-1; ’09 – .277/.331/.411, 0-14-4) split time at 1B and DH last season and is doing that again this season but is limited defensively. Valenzuela went 7-13 against Utah Valley State and 2-11 the last four games. Bandy has started twice at 1B when Valenzuela has been the DH. Valenzuela does a good job of getting on base and bats 2nd.
2B – JR Bryce Ortega (RH – .143/.324/,143, 0-3-3; ’09 – .324/.429/.438, 3-33-16) was the starting SS last season but has been moved to 2B, which has helped improve Arizona’s infield defense. Ortega was predicted to contend for all-conf honors after leading the team in SB’s last season but he has gotten off to a very slow start. He has been the leadoff hitter every game and will work counts and leads the team with seven walks. Ortega went 0-8 in last year’s midweek series at Fullerton.
SS – FR Alex Mejia (RH – .192/.300/.269, 0-4-0) is a good athlete in the middle infield but he has struggled at the plate with making the adjustment to D1 pitching. Mejia has batted 9th in every game.
3B – FR Seth Mejias-Brean (RH – .133/.278/.200, 0-2-0) and FR Robert Refsnyder (RH – .423/.483/.423, 0-6-1) have been splitting time at 3B with Mejia-Brean getting most of the starts and usually batting 8th. Refsnyder is a versatile player and a good athlete who was the QB on his HS football team. He has also been playing in the OF and has often switched over to 3B during games and usually hits 5th or 6th. Refsnyder went 8-17 the last four games.
Outfield and DH
Arizona returned only one OF from last season so they have been relying on incoming players to take over and the newcomers have been playing well.
LF – Soph Bobby Brown (LH – .333/.385/.583, 0-2-1) and Refsnyder have been splitting time in LF with Brown going 4-8 over the last four games. Brown usually hits in the lower part of the lineup and is the only other LH bat along with Valenzuela.
CF – FR Joey Rickard (RH – .367/.406/.667. 2-11-4) was the most heralded newcomer in the large recruiting class and he has delivered. He has hit 2 of the team’s 5 HR’s and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s. Rickard went 7-12 against Utah Valley State but is 4-18 over the last four games. Rickard is a good athlete in CF and leads the team in SB’s and has been hitting 6th or 7th.
RF – Soph Steve Selsky (RH – .424/.472/.485, 0-6-0; ’09 – .318/.386/.541, 7-21-2) is the only returning player in the OF. He went 8-14 against Utah Valley State and has gone 6-19 the past four games. Selsky usually hits 3rd and has good power, which is why he is projected to be drafted around the 10th round in June as a draft eligible soph. He went 3-6 in last year’s midweek series at Fullerton.
DH – JC transfer Josh Garcia (RH – .200 in 10 AB’s) is one of several players who will see time at DH, including Valenzuela, Brown and Refsnyder as Arizona rotates players at this position.
PITCHING
A major reason why Arizona ended up under .500 in conf games despite having a potent lineup was a pitching staff that ended up 9th in team ERA at 5.46 and allowed opponents to hit a conference worst .293. The pitchers also allowed the most 2B’s and 3B’s in the conference. Arizona lost their Friday SP, top middle reliever and closer to the draft after last season. The Wildcats allowed only one run in each of their first two games before allowing 41 runs in their next five games.
Starters
FRI – FR Kurt Heyer (RHP – 1-0, 3.86 ERA, 2 starts, 12 IP, 14 H, 1 BB, 20 K, .304 BA, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 WP) had an outstanding start against Utah Valley State when he allowed 1 R on 3 H in 6 IP with 13 K’s but struggled against Long Beach when he allowed 4 R on 11 H in 5 2/3 IP last Friday. Heyer has good stuff with very good control. He is the best pitching prospect in the recruiting class and helped lead Edison HS to the CIF D1 final, losing a 1-0 game to Capo Valley and 1st round draft pick Tyler Matzek.
SAT – Soph Kyle Simon (RHP – 1-1, 3.55 ERA, 2 starts, 13 IP, 11 H. 6 BB, 8 K, .239 BA, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 3 WP) is the most experienced pitcher returning from last season (’09 stats – 3-5, 6.03 ERA, 19 apps, 11 starts, 75 IP, 106 H, 26 BB, 42 K, 2 HR, .305 BA, 12 HBP, 6 WP). He doesn’t have overpowering stuff but is a battler. Simon was very effective against Utah Valley State and allowed 1 R on 5 H and 1 BB in 8 IP but didn’t pitch well against Long Beach when he gave up 5 R on 6 H and 4 BB in 5 IP. In his midweek start at Fullerton last year he allowed 5 R on 7 H in 2 1/3 IP.
SUN – TBA. The most likely SP’s would be either FR RHP Stephen Manthei or JR RHP Daniel Workman. Both made midweek starts this week against UNLV. Workman was one of the more effective returning pitchers for Arizona (’09 stats – 3-1, 3.86 ERA,15 apps, 6 starts, 42 IP, 45 H, 13 BB, 25 K, 5 HR, .271 BA, 5 HBP, 3 WP). He was shelled by Utah Valley State for 6 R and 7 H in 1 2/3 IP. Manthei allowed 0 R in 4 1/3 IP in relief of Workman in that game and was scheduled to start the Sun game against Long Beach that was rained out. Manthei started the Tues game against UNLV and allowed 5 R without retiring a batter. Workman was effective in his Wed start against UNLV and allowed 1 R on 2 H and 4 BB in 4 1/3 IP.
Relievers
Arizona has been scrambling for answers in the bullpen with so much roster turnover and the loss of their two most effective and experienced relievers from last season.
Soph Bryce Bandilla (LHP – ’09 stats – 3-3, 6.20 ERA, 26 apps, 6 starts, 49 IP, 51 H, 32 BB, 30 K, .280 BA, 2 HR, 11 HBP, 4 WP) was one of two experienced RP’s coming into the season and the projected closer due to his power arm although he has struggled with wildness. He blew the save against Long Beach when he allowed 3 R on 4 H in 2 IP. Bandilla struggled in his next outing on Tues against UNLV when he allowed 5 R on 5 H in 5 IP but did have 8 K’s.
JR Joe Allison (RHP – ’09 stats – 5-1, 4.66 ERA, 21 apps, 3 starts, 39 IP, 41 H, 11 BB, 21 K, .272 BA, 9 HR, 4 HBP, 1 WP) is the other experienced RP but has been brought along slowly due to some minor injuries. He made his first appearance on Wed against UNLV and held the Rebels hitless in 1 2/3 IP in picking up the extra inning win. Allison has good control but his pitches tend to get too much of the zone and led allowed the most HR’s on the staff last season. He allowed 3 R on 5 H in 4 IP in his midweek start at Fullerton last year.
FR Nick Cunningham (RHP – 5 apps, 2.84 ERA, 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K) has been effective and earned the coaching staff’s confidence and leads the staff in appearances.
FR Tyler Hale (RHP – 4 apps, 6.48 ERA, 8 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 8 K) was projected to have a chance to be the closer due to his power arm but he has struggled out of the gate. He has allowed 2 R in each of his last 3 outings.
No other pitcher has made more than one appearance out of the bullpen and the only other LHP on the roster besides Bandilla is JR Matt Chaffee, who only threw nine innings last year.
OUTLOOK
Fullerton has gotten off to a slow start and is looking to get their first series win this weekend. It looked like the ballclub started to turn the corner in their midweek win vs. San Diego against a weekend SP who should be better than any of the SP’s that they will see this weekend, although he was very wild which helped out the Titan hitters.
Arizona is a very young team that got off to a fast start against an inferior opponent before having a bit of a reality check while going 1-3 when the level of competition improved.
Runs don’t figure to be hard to come by this weekend with the way that Arizona swings the bats at home and with the struggles that the Wildcat pitching staff has had in allowing over eight runs a game the past five games. The Titans should have the pitching advantage in this series if they don’t allow Arizona to gain confidence at home in a hitters ballpark.
Fullerton is a more well rounded club than Arizona and if the Titans pitchers are effective and the hitters are able to have a good approach at the plate and swing the bats the way that they did on Tuesday night then Fullerton should win two out of three games this weekend.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Diamond Club Newsletter (March 5, 2010)
CSF Baseball will continue to host and archive the Diamond Club newsletters throughout the 2010 season. Click on each page to enlarge:
Thursday, February 25, 2010
TCU Series Preview
By FullertonBaseballFan
Cal State Fullerton’s season got off to a slow start last weekend with only one win in three games. The Titans lost to Oregon in the much anticipated return of former head coach George Horton, were shut out by Pepperdine in an outstanding pitching performance by LHP Matt Bywater and beat Long Beach State, 8-1, with solid hitting and a good outing by Tyler Pill. Fullerton welcomes the TCU Horned Frogs to Goodwin Field in the only matchup this weekend of teams that are ranked in the top ten in at least one of the major polls.
TCU has appeared in regionals in all six seasons that Jim Schlossnagle has been in Fort Worth and look like they have an outstanding chance to once again play in a regional in June. The Horned Frogs were the Mountain West Conference regular season champions last year and their program took a step forward by both hosting and winning a regional for the first time before they were eliminated in a super regional by Texas. TCU is the unanimous choice to win the MWC on the strength of a deep pitching staff that returns almost every major contributor from last year and some strong recruiting classes that have infused the program with a high level of talent to overcome the departures of several seniors from the middle of their lineup.
TCU got their season off to a successful start with by winning all three games at home against Sam Houston State (who have qualified for three straight regionals as champions of the Southland Conference). The Horned Frogs opened up the season with a 4-0 win on Friday with three pitchers combining for a shutout before the bats woke up on Saturday and Sunday in 12-7 and 15-2 wins. It wasn’t much of a surprise that the staff ERA for the weekend was 2.88 and the TCU pitching staff held Sam Houston State to a .242 batting average. What was impressive was a lineup with five newcomers hit a scorching .392 with a .569 SLG % in the three game sweep.
LINEUP
TCU had an improved offense last season with a veteran laden lineup. The Horned Frogs went from hitting only 37 HR’s in 2008, which was easily the lowest total in Schlossnagle’s first five years at TCU, to hitting 67 HR’s last year. TCU would bunt with some of their lesser hitters but were pretty content to let the veterans swing the bats and it looks like they will have a similar approach at the plate with only one SAC bunt last weekend. The Horned Frogs didn’t run much last season and lost three of the four players with at least seven SB’s but ran wild last weekend with nine SB’s. TCU will take a patient approach at the plate and work counts to draw walks.
Infield
TCU had a very experienced infield last year with four returning starters and each of those starters was solid defensively. The Horned Frogs set school records for fielding % in 2007 and 2008 but slid back a little last year in that area while breaking in a new starter at SS. This year TCU is breaking in new starters at three positions after the graduation of SR’s at 1B, 2B and 3B.
C – SR Bryan Holaday (RH – .300/.351/.507, 10-48-2) is in his third year as a starter and is the team leader. He has been 1st or 2nd team all MWC the last two years. Holaday has good power and was 3rd on the team in HR and RBI last season and will hit 3rd. He is a very good defensive catcher and does a good job both blocking pitches (34 WP/PB) and against the running game and held runners to only 29-61 on SB attempts. Holaday went 5-12 with 1 HR and 4 RBI last weekend. He was 3-10 last year at Fullerton.
1B – SR Matt Curry (LH – .315/.421/.444, 3-31-2) came into TCU with a reputation for being a power hitter (20 HR, 90 RBI his Soph year in JC ball) and lived up to that prediction in the series at Fullerton with 2 HR and 4 RBI (5-12 in the series) but only hit one more HR the rest of the year. He will see lots of pitches and was among the team leaders in both BB’s and K’s last season. Curry has had some issues with his conditioning but lost 25 lbs in the offseason. He was the DH last season and will be playing 1B and hitting 6th. Curry went 5-10 with 1 HR and 5 RBI last weekend.
2B – JC Transfer Jerome Pena (Both) was drafted in the 40th round and is a solid defensive player who can also play SS and started there once last weekend. He has some pop in his bat (5-11 last weekend with 1 HR) for the #9 hitter in the lineup. Soph Aaron Schultz (RH – .254 in 71 AB’s) started the other game at 2B when Pena was at SS. He ended up playing CF at the end of last season due to some lineup shuffling to settle down the defense up the middle.
SS – Soph Taylor Featherston (RH – .322/.395/.461, 5-28-8) came into TCU with high expectations after being ranked among the top 30 players in Texas for the June ’08 draft. He lived up to those expectations at the plate and was 3rd on the team in H’s and R’s but struggled defensively and made 27 errors. Featherston ended up playing 2B for part of the season to make things easier for him on defense and to keep his bat in the lineup. He is predicted to contend for all MWC honors this season and went 3-8 last weekend. Featherston was 4-11 with 1 HR and 3 RBI last season at Fullerton.
3B – Redshirt FR Davy Wright (RH) is in the lineup for his glove and went 1-5 last weekend while batting 8th the first two games. Holaday played 3B on Sunday.
Outfield and DH
TCU’s OF looked like it would be a little unsettled going into the season with only one starter returning but they have been able to hit the ground running with two high impact FR stepping right into the lineup and giving the Horned Frogs an athletic OF.
LF – Soph Jason Coats (RH – .316/.393/.518, 6-32-2) stepped right into the lineup last season as a FR and was 3rd on the team in SLG %. He didn’t run much last year but stole three bases last weekend while going 4-11 and hitting 5th in all three games. Coats was 4-11 with 1 RBI last season at Fullerton.
CF – FR Kyle VonTungeln (LH) is the fastest runner on the team and was listed as one of the top 100 prospects in the draft last June in Texas. He went 3-12 and hit two 2B’s while leading off in all three games last weekend.
RF – FR Josh Elander (RH) is one of the best athletes on the team and has the potential to both hit for power (8-10 last weekend with 6 RBI) and run (4-5 SB’s last weekend) while hitting 7th. He has a good arm in RF because he is also the backup catcher and started behind the plate last Sunday.
DH – JC transfer Joe Weik (RH) is being looked at to provide power to the lineup and is hitting cleanup despite being a newcomer. He drove in 119 runs in two JC seasons. Weik was 4-10 with 5 RBI last weekend.
PITCHING
TCU should have another very good pitching staff this season and returns nine of their top ten pitchers from last year’s staff that ranked in the top 20 nationally in team ERA and H/9 IP. TCU also has the highest rated incoming recruit in the country to add to all of the depth that they have on their pitching staff.
Starters
FRI – JR Steven Maxwell (RHP – 3-2, 6.10 ERA, 12 apps, 10 starts, 38 IP, 49 H, 10 BB, 27 K, 5 HR, .331 BA, 3 HBP, 2 WP) has had a slow path back from TJ surgery in 2008 after making only three starts that season (one was a win against Fullerton – 7 IP, 2 R). He started to get healthier in the fall and has a fastball in the 92-94 range and a power curveball. Maxwell threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings last weekend with six K’s but struggled with his control and allowed five BB’s. He is projected to be drafted in the first ten rounds in June and could move up several rounds if he shows he is healthy this season.
SAT – FR Matt Purke (LHP) was the 1st round pick of the Texas Rangers last June but couldn’t agree to terms with them and ended up on campus in Fort Worth. He has a fastball in the mid 90’s and a solid changeup and curveball. He went five innings last weekend and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 7 H and 1 BB with 8 K’s.
SUN – Soph Kyle Winkler (RHP – 7-1, 4.15 ERA, 17 apps, 14 starts, 74 IP, 70 H, 35 BB, 48 K, 5 HR, .262 BA, 7 HBP, 4 WP) ended up being the best SP on TCU’s staff last year, not suffering his first loss until the super regional at Texas, and gives them an advantage over the Sunday SP of most teams that they will face this season. He has a fastball in the low 90’s, a power sinker and a solid curveball and changeup. Winkler has struggled at times with his control, including his start at Fullerton where he allowed 6 R (1 ER) on 2 H and 3 BB in 3 IP. He only threw three innings last weekend because TCU got out to a big lead in his start and turned it into a staff day to get other pitchers some work.
Relievers
TCU has a very deep bullpen with a good returning closer and several pitchers who have been SP’s during their careers.
SR Eric Marshall (RHP – 2-2, 1.48 ERA, 9 saves, 24 apps, 30 IP, 22 H, 5 BB, 20 K, 1 HR, .206 BA, 5 HBP, 1 WP) came out of nowhere to take over the closer’s role after only throwing 26 innings in middle relief in 2008. Marshall is a control specialist who keeps the ball down. He gave up the game winning run in the Friday night game his only appearance last year at Fullerton.
SR Tyler Lockwood (RHP – 4-2, 4.71 ERA, 17 apps, 9 starts, 71 IP, 75 H, 18 BB, 44 K, 6 HR’s, .281 BA, 11 HBP, 1 WP) was the Fri SP in 2008 and 1st team all MWC and one of the weekend SP’s last year. This season, Lockwood will be one of the middle relievers due to all of the pitching depth at TCU. He has very good control and does a good job of keeping the ball down. Lockwood allowed 1 R in 2 2/3 IP in two appearances last weekend. He has allowed 2 R in 8 1/3 IP in three appearances (one start) against Fullerton.
SR Paul Gerrish (RHP – 7-2, 3.84 ERA, 17 apps, 9 starts, 61 IP, 61 H, 16 BB, 59 K, 4 HR, .261 BA, 4 HBP, 1 WP) started out as a midweek SP and middle reliever last year and ended up the season as one of the weekend SP’s. He is a control specialist whose best pitch is a power sinker. Gerrish threw one scoreless inning in his only appearance last weekend.
JR Trent Appleby (RHP – 4-1, 3.61 ERA, 24 apps, 57 IP, 57 H, 20 BB, 47 K, 3 HR, .270 BA, 9 HBP, 2 WP) is another control specialist whose best pitch is a power sinker. He has been effective out of the bullpen for two years and hasn’t been a SP but and is capable of throwing several innings per outing. Appleby threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his only appearance last weekend.
JR Greg Holle (RHP – 5-2, 3.89 ERA, 12 apps, 9 starts, 42 IP, 43 H, 15 BB, 26 K, 2 HR, .269 BA, 3 HBP, 2 WP) was a weekend SP two years ago and a midweek SP last season. He was a high profile recruit coming into TCU and still projects to be drafted in the first 10-15 rounds despite not having a major role on the pitching staff. Holle allowed 3 R’s in 1 1/3 IP in his only appearance last weekend.
TCU also has several Sophs who were high profile recruits last year with Erik Miller (RHP – 0-2, 4.50 ERA, 22 apps, 26 IP, 3 saves), Kaleb Merck (RHP – 0-0, 5.94 ERA, 17 apps, 17 IP, 1 save) and Walker Kelly (LHP – 1-2, 7.71 ERA, 11 apps, 12 IP).
OUTLOOK
Fullerton played poorly in their first two games of the season before putting forth a much better effort in the final game last weekend. The Titans have to figure out which team is going to show up in order to win this series. Fullerton isn’t in a must win situation in this series but they are as close as you will find this early in the year because the Titans do not want to get off to a 2-4 or 1-5 start before playing the next three weekends on the road.
TCU rolled into Goodwin Field last year with a great deal of confidence and their experience lineup manhandled a relatively inexperienced Fullerton pitching staff. The Horned Frogs have quite a bit of turnover in their batting order this year but they didn’t hit like it in their opening series in the D1 debuts for five of their hitters.
Runs could be difficult to come by this weekend with the experienced and talented pitching staffs that both teams have. If it comes down to a battle of bullpens that would favor TCU because of the quality depth that the Horned Frogs have with their relievers. Fullerton has to score runs early and have their SP’s hold TCU down and work late into games. If the Titans are able to follow that formula Fullerton should win this series. If the Fullerton lineup is held down like it was the first two games last weekend or the SP’s for the Titans struggle then TCU will win this series.
Cal State Fullerton’s season got off to a slow start last weekend with only one win in three games. The Titans lost to Oregon in the much anticipated return of former head coach George Horton, were shut out by Pepperdine in an outstanding pitching performance by LHP Matt Bywater and beat Long Beach State, 8-1, with solid hitting and a good outing by Tyler Pill. Fullerton welcomes the TCU Horned Frogs to Goodwin Field in the only matchup this weekend of teams that are ranked in the top ten in at least one of the major polls.
TCU has appeared in regionals in all six seasons that Jim Schlossnagle has been in Fort Worth and look like they have an outstanding chance to once again play in a regional in June. The Horned Frogs were the Mountain West Conference regular season champions last year and their program took a step forward by both hosting and winning a regional for the first time before they were eliminated in a super regional by Texas. TCU is the unanimous choice to win the MWC on the strength of a deep pitching staff that returns almost every major contributor from last year and some strong recruiting classes that have infused the program with a high level of talent to overcome the departures of several seniors from the middle of their lineup.
TCU got their season off to a successful start with by winning all three games at home against Sam Houston State (who have qualified for three straight regionals as champions of the Southland Conference). The Horned Frogs opened up the season with a 4-0 win on Friday with three pitchers combining for a shutout before the bats woke up on Saturday and Sunday in 12-7 and 15-2 wins. It wasn’t much of a surprise that the staff ERA for the weekend was 2.88 and the TCU pitching staff held Sam Houston State to a .242 batting average. What was impressive was a lineup with five newcomers hit a scorching .392 with a .569 SLG % in the three game sweep.
LINEUP
TCU had an improved offense last season with a veteran laden lineup. The Horned Frogs went from hitting only 37 HR’s in 2008, which was easily the lowest total in Schlossnagle’s first five years at TCU, to hitting 67 HR’s last year. TCU would bunt with some of their lesser hitters but were pretty content to let the veterans swing the bats and it looks like they will have a similar approach at the plate with only one SAC bunt last weekend. The Horned Frogs didn’t run much last season and lost three of the four players with at least seven SB’s but ran wild last weekend with nine SB’s. TCU will take a patient approach at the plate and work counts to draw walks.
Infield
TCU had a very experienced infield last year with four returning starters and each of those starters was solid defensively. The Horned Frogs set school records for fielding % in 2007 and 2008 but slid back a little last year in that area while breaking in a new starter at SS. This year TCU is breaking in new starters at three positions after the graduation of SR’s at 1B, 2B and 3B.
C – SR Bryan Holaday (RH – .300/.351/.507, 10-48-2) is in his third year as a starter and is the team leader. He has been 1st or 2nd team all MWC the last two years. Holaday has good power and was 3rd on the team in HR and RBI last season and will hit 3rd. He is a very good defensive catcher and does a good job both blocking pitches (34 WP/PB) and against the running game and held runners to only 29-61 on SB attempts. Holaday went 5-12 with 1 HR and 4 RBI last weekend. He was 3-10 last year at Fullerton.
1B – SR Matt Curry (LH – .315/.421/.444, 3-31-2) came into TCU with a reputation for being a power hitter (20 HR, 90 RBI his Soph year in JC ball) and lived up to that prediction in the series at Fullerton with 2 HR and 4 RBI (5-12 in the series) but only hit one more HR the rest of the year. He will see lots of pitches and was among the team leaders in both BB’s and K’s last season. Curry has had some issues with his conditioning but lost 25 lbs in the offseason. He was the DH last season and will be playing 1B and hitting 6th. Curry went 5-10 with 1 HR and 5 RBI last weekend.
2B – JC Transfer Jerome Pena (Both) was drafted in the 40th round and is a solid defensive player who can also play SS and started there once last weekend. He has some pop in his bat (5-11 last weekend with 1 HR) for the #9 hitter in the lineup. Soph Aaron Schultz (RH – .254 in 71 AB’s) started the other game at 2B when Pena was at SS. He ended up playing CF at the end of last season due to some lineup shuffling to settle down the defense up the middle.
SS – Soph Taylor Featherston (RH – .322/.395/.461, 5-28-8) came into TCU with high expectations after being ranked among the top 30 players in Texas for the June ’08 draft. He lived up to those expectations at the plate and was 3rd on the team in H’s and R’s but struggled defensively and made 27 errors. Featherston ended up playing 2B for part of the season to make things easier for him on defense and to keep his bat in the lineup. He is predicted to contend for all MWC honors this season and went 3-8 last weekend. Featherston was 4-11 with 1 HR and 3 RBI last season at Fullerton.
3B – Redshirt FR Davy Wright (RH) is in the lineup for his glove and went 1-5 last weekend while batting 8th the first two games. Holaday played 3B on Sunday.
Outfield and DH
TCU’s OF looked like it would be a little unsettled going into the season with only one starter returning but they have been able to hit the ground running with two high impact FR stepping right into the lineup and giving the Horned Frogs an athletic OF.
LF – Soph Jason Coats (RH – .316/.393/.518, 6-32-2) stepped right into the lineup last season as a FR and was 3rd on the team in SLG %. He didn’t run much last year but stole three bases last weekend while going 4-11 and hitting 5th in all three games. Coats was 4-11 with 1 RBI last season at Fullerton.
CF – FR Kyle VonTungeln (LH) is the fastest runner on the team and was listed as one of the top 100 prospects in the draft last June in Texas. He went 3-12 and hit two 2B’s while leading off in all three games last weekend.
RF – FR Josh Elander (RH) is one of the best athletes on the team and has the potential to both hit for power (8-10 last weekend with 6 RBI) and run (4-5 SB’s last weekend) while hitting 7th. He has a good arm in RF because he is also the backup catcher and started behind the plate last Sunday.
DH – JC transfer Joe Weik (RH) is being looked at to provide power to the lineup and is hitting cleanup despite being a newcomer. He drove in 119 runs in two JC seasons. Weik was 4-10 with 5 RBI last weekend.
PITCHING
TCU should have another very good pitching staff this season and returns nine of their top ten pitchers from last year’s staff that ranked in the top 20 nationally in team ERA and H/9 IP. TCU also has the highest rated incoming recruit in the country to add to all of the depth that they have on their pitching staff.
Starters
FRI – JR Steven Maxwell (RHP – 3-2, 6.10 ERA, 12 apps, 10 starts, 38 IP, 49 H, 10 BB, 27 K, 5 HR, .331 BA, 3 HBP, 2 WP) has had a slow path back from TJ surgery in 2008 after making only three starts that season (one was a win against Fullerton – 7 IP, 2 R). He started to get healthier in the fall and has a fastball in the 92-94 range and a power curveball. Maxwell threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings last weekend with six K’s but struggled with his control and allowed five BB’s. He is projected to be drafted in the first ten rounds in June and could move up several rounds if he shows he is healthy this season.
SAT – FR Matt Purke (LHP) was the 1st round pick of the Texas Rangers last June but couldn’t agree to terms with them and ended up on campus in Fort Worth. He has a fastball in the mid 90’s and a solid changeup and curveball. He went five innings last weekend and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 7 H and 1 BB with 8 K’s.
SUN – Soph Kyle Winkler (RHP – 7-1, 4.15 ERA, 17 apps, 14 starts, 74 IP, 70 H, 35 BB, 48 K, 5 HR, .262 BA, 7 HBP, 4 WP) ended up being the best SP on TCU’s staff last year, not suffering his first loss until the super regional at Texas, and gives them an advantage over the Sunday SP of most teams that they will face this season. He has a fastball in the low 90’s, a power sinker and a solid curveball and changeup. Winkler has struggled at times with his control, including his start at Fullerton where he allowed 6 R (1 ER) on 2 H and 3 BB in 3 IP. He only threw three innings last weekend because TCU got out to a big lead in his start and turned it into a staff day to get other pitchers some work.
Relievers
TCU has a very deep bullpen with a good returning closer and several pitchers who have been SP’s during their careers.
SR Eric Marshall (RHP – 2-2, 1.48 ERA, 9 saves, 24 apps, 30 IP, 22 H, 5 BB, 20 K, 1 HR, .206 BA, 5 HBP, 1 WP) came out of nowhere to take over the closer’s role after only throwing 26 innings in middle relief in 2008. Marshall is a control specialist who keeps the ball down. He gave up the game winning run in the Friday night game his only appearance last year at Fullerton.
SR Tyler Lockwood (RHP – 4-2, 4.71 ERA, 17 apps, 9 starts, 71 IP, 75 H, 18 BB, 44 K, 6 HR’s, .281 BA, 11 HBP, 1 WP) was the Fri SP in 2008 and 1st team all MWC and one of the weekend SP’s last year. This season, Lockwood will be one of the middle relievers due to all of the pitching depth at TCU. He has very good control and does a good job of keeping the ball down. Lockwood allowed 1 R in 2 2/3 IP in two appearances last weekend. He has allowed 2 R in 8 1/3 IP in three appearances (one start) against Fullerton.
SR Paul Gerrish (RHP – 7-2, 3.84 ERA, 17 apps, 9 starts, 61 IP, 61 H, 16 BB, 59 K, 4 HR, .261 BA, 4 HBP, 1 WP) started out as a midweek SP and middle reliever last year and ended up the season as one of the weekend SP’s. He is a control specialist whose best pitch is a power sinker. Gerrish threw one scoreless inning in his only appearance last weekend.
JR Trent Appleby (RHP – 4-1, 3.61 ERA, 24 apps, 57 IP, 57 H, 20 BB, 47 K, 3 HR, .270 BA, 9 HBP, 2 WP) is another control specialist whose best pitch is a power sinker. He has been effective out of the bullpen for two years and hasn’t been a SP but and is capable of throwing several innings per outing. Appleby threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his only appearance last weekend.
JR Greg Holle (RHP – 5-2, 3.89 ERA, 12 apps, 9 starts, 42 IP, 43 H, 15 BB, 26 K, 2 HR, .269 BA, 3 HBP, 2 WP) was a weekend SP two years ago and a midweek SP last season. He was a high profile recruit coming into TCU and still projects to be drafted in the first 10-15 rounds despite not having a major role on the pitching staff. Holle allowed 3 R’s in 1 1/3 IP in his only appearance last weekend.
TCU also has several Sophs who were high profile recruits last year with Erik Miller (RHP – 0-2, 4.50 ERA, 22 apps, 26 IP, 3 saves), Kaleb Merck (RHP – 0-0, 5.94 ERA, 17 apps, 17 IP, 1 save) and Walker Kelly (LHP – 1-2, 7.71 ERA, 11 apps, 12 IP).
OUTLOOK
Fullerton played poorly in their first two games of the season before putting forth a much better effort in the final game last weekend. The Titans have to figure out which team is going to show up in order to win this series. Fullerton isn’t in a must win situation in this series but they are as close as you will find this early in the year because the Titans do not want to get off to a 2-4 or 1-5 start before playing the next three weekends on the road.
TCU rolled into Goodwin Field last year with a great deal of confidence and their experience lineup manhandled a relatively inexperienced Fullerton pitching staff. The Horned Frogs have quite a bit of turnover in their batting order this year but they didn’t hit like it in their opening series in the D1 debuts for five of their hitters.
Runs could be difficult to come by this weekend with the experienced and talented pitching staffs that both teams have. If it comes down to a battle of bullpens that would favor TCU because of the quality depth that the Horned Frogs have with their relievers. Fullerton has to score runs early and have their SP’s hold TCU down and work late into games. If the Titans are able to follow that formula Fullerton should win this series. If the Fullerton lineup is held down like it was the first two games last weekend or the SP’s for the Titans struggle then TCU will win this series.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Diamond Club Newsletter (February 2010)
CSF Baseball will continue to host and archive the Diamond Club newsletters throughout the 2010 season. Click on each page to enlarge:
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