Athletics > Baseball > Outlook

Central College baseball2008 preseason information

2007 overall record: 19-20
Conference record/finish: 12-10/4th
Letterwinners lost: 1
Letterwinners returning: 19
Position starters lost/returning: 0/9
Pitchers lost/returning: 0/8

2008 season outlook
            Even before enough snow melts to start taking ground balls in the dirt, coach Adam Stevens knows his Central College baseball team has something that was missing from last year’s club: experience.
            Designated hitter Tom Sheehan did an admirable job as a team leader last year but he was the lone senior on the roster. The Dutch clawed their way to a fourth-place finish in the Iowa Conference, but struggled with consistency in posting a 19-20 record and a 12-10 league mark.
            “Last year we were as good as anybody we played at times,” Stevens said. “At other times, we were not a very good baseball team. I think that had a lot to do with how young we were. But that’s not the case this year. We’ve got a lot of experience.
            “I’ve seen a huge difference in attitude. We’ve got nine seniors and we’ve got some great juniors as well. They’ve been outstanding. I think they learned a lot about what it takes to be good leaders and they’re starting to apply those lessons from last year. That’s exciting.”
            Stevens also likes his roster.
            “We’ve got a lot of good guys we can use off the bench who can do a variety of things,” he said. “We’re a lot deeper than we’ve ever been in my time here.”
           
Pitchers
            Nowhere is Central’s depth and experience more evident than on the pitching mound.
            Senior Brett Mahan, 5-5 last year, has already shattered the school career strikeouts record (162) and is tied for the career wins lead (17) while posting a career earned run average of 2.79. He had a 2.93 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 15 walks in 73.2 innings last year and was a second-team all-Iowa Conference pick after being tabbed for first-team honors in 2006.
            “Brett’s been one of the best pitchers in the conference for his entire career,” Stevens said. “We’re anticipating another outstanding season from him.”
            The other half of Central’s top pitching tandem is senior Mike Luce, who was 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA last year, striking out 46 and walking 36 in 67.2 innings. He’s a team co-captain.
            “Mike has really improved,” Stevens said. “He’s got a ton of experience now. He’s a great competitor who gives us a chance to win every time he pitches.”
            Junior Adam Squires made strides with a 3-4 record and 3.71 ERA in 43.2 innings.
            “At times he was one of our best pitchers,” Stevens said. “He’s got a great arm and his ball moves a lot. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him and think he will continue to improve.”           
Sophomore Trevor Talbott made a big impression as a freshman with a 3-2 record and a 4.71 ERA over 42 innings.
            “Trevor’s a great competitor as well,” Stevens said “He has great command of his pitches. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do this year.”
            The Dutch have the luxury of additional experienced arms with seniors Kyle Fuerstenberg and Ben Gander. Fuerstenberg has filled a variety of roles, pitching in the rotation but also as a spot starter and a reliever. He was 0-3 with a 4.76 ERA last year, throwing 28.1 innings and starting four games with nine overall appearances. Gander is a left-handed reliever who was 3-1 with a 5.85 ERA over 20 innings in 11 games.
            “They’re both very important to us,” Stevens said. “You need guys who can step in at key times.”
            Sophomore Doug Eisenman appeared in seven games with a 1-1 record and 5.06 ERA.
            “Doug got some valuable experience and we have confidence in him as well,” Stevens said.
            But the Dutch also have some newcomers pushing for innings. Freshman Kristofer Ozga of Hawthorn Woods, Ill. caught Stevens’ eye early in the recruiting process.
            “Kris is a very talented young guy,” Stevens said. “He still has some improvements to make but will make a significant impact. We’re looking forward to seeing how he develops.”
            Freshman Dayton Glasgow of Burlington could see action as well.
            “I like Dayton a lot,” Stevens said. “He’s got good command and is continuing to develop. He’s got a chance to help.”
            The Dutch also picked up a promising sophomore transfer, Josh Nalan.
            “Josh has a very high ceiling,” Stevens said. “He’s still working hard to develop his game. But he could help us this year and definitely will in the future.”
            Juniors Chris Tibbals and Eric Speer will bolster the bullpen, Stevens said.

Catcher
            An injury prevented junior Derek Knutson from contending for the starting job at catcher last year. But he took over at third base and was Central’s second-leading hitter with a .315 average. Knutson led the Dutch with six home runs while knocking in 21 runs. The two-time letterwinner has a .323 career average. He’s moved back to his preferred position behind the plate.
            “Derek has really improved defensively,” Stevens said. “He has an outstanding arm and will do a great job.”
            Central has other experienced catchers with senior Charlie Eastlund, junior Quinn O’Brien and sophomore Blake Smith. Eastlund started 21 games and drove in 10 runs while O’Brien started 19 games, knocking in six.
            “They all have their strengths,” Stevens said. “It will be interesting to see what happens. They’re all great kids.”

Infield
            Senior Jeremy Kippley anchors the infield as a three-time letterwinner at first base. A two-time second-team all-conference pick, Kippley was also a second-team all-region choice in 2006. He hit .311 with 11 doubles and 26 RBI last year while compiling a .988 fielding percentage. Kippley is tied for ninth on Central’s career hits list with 118 and tied for fifth in career triples with five. Yet Stevens thinks there may be even better things ahead for the hard-hitting infielder.
            “Jeremy hasn’t quite reached his ceiling yet,” Stevens said. “He’s continuing to work hard and could really have a break-out season in the middle of our lineup.”
            The Dutch have a three-year starter at second base as well with senior Justin Owens. He hit .200 with 19 RBI last year but more than anything, Stevens values his glove.
            “Justin is one of the best defensive second basemen in the league,” he said. “He can really turn it well. But I think he also has potential at the plate. He’s our best bunter but is capable of doing other things, too.”
            Sophomore Joel Hugunin was a standout at second on the junior varsity squad last year.
            “He’s really developing fast,” Stevens said.
            Entering his third year as a starter, junior Jake Jadlowski is back at shortstop and is a team co-captain. He hit .293 last year with six doubles and recorded a .939 fielding percentage.
            “Being named a team captain as a junior tells you the guys really respect him,” Stevens said. “Jake would tell you he didn’t perform up to his potential last year but he had a really good summer and a great fall. I’m excited to see him have a breakout season.”
            Bidding to be the backup is freshman David Lakin of Clinton.
            “Dave has a very good chance to be a great player here down the road,” Stevens said.
            With Knutson returning to catcher, the Dutch have an opening at third base. Stevens is looking at moving sophomore Ben Tressel to third from right field, where he started last season, hitting .270 with seven doubles and 17 RBI.
            “Ben was a high school infielder,” Stevens said. “He did a great job as an outfielder but we think has a lot of potential to be a great defensive third baseman. He’s also got potential to be a good offensive player. He runs well and we hope will continue to develop as he gains experience.”
            Stevens said the Dutch have three other contenders at third in junior B.J. Pilling, sophomore Brad Arends and freshman Anthony Miller. Pilling appeared in 20 games last year.
            “B.J. is a very good leader and a great team guy,” Stevens said. “He will do whatever we ask him to do.
            “Brad (Arends) is very solid defensively and he can hit. He’s got a good chance to play for us this year, either as a third baseman or DH.
            “Anthony (Miller) is showing a lot of promise. He’s got a bright future.”

Outfield
            The outfield anchor could be sophomore Anthony Bazant in center field, who posted some robust numbers as a freshman with a .280 batting average, a team-high six stolen bases and a .986 fielding percentage.
            “Anthony started as a freshman and has a chance to be an outstanding player,” Stevens said. “He really came on at the end of the year. He’s great defensively and can really run the ball down. As he develops offensively, he could become a game-changing player at the top of the lineup.”
            Bringing the team’s biggest bat to left field is senior two-time co-captain Michael Edwards. Last year’s team MVP, Edwards was a second-team all-conference honoree and a third-team all-region choice. He hit .376 with four homers and 32 RBI. He also had 19 doubles and threatened the season record of 22 set by his father, Dutch associate athletics director John Edwards, in 1970. He ranks 13th in career hits (114) and is tied for ninth in career doubles (27) with Kippley. Edwards also had a .978 fielding percentage.
            “Michael had a tremendous season,” Stevens said. “But it didn’t happen overnight. He has one of the best work ethics I’ve ever seen as a coach. He continues to improve and we’re excited to have him in the middle of the lineup.”
            Senior Aaron Heffernan also returns after appearing in 23 games, primarily as a defensive replacement, playing errorless ball the entire season.
            “Aaron’s got a lot of good experience,” Stevens said. “He’s one of our best defensive outfielders and also one of the fastest players on the team. We can certainly use him in a variety of spots.”
            Stevens is excited about a pair of freshman outfielders, one of whom will likely start in right field, although either could play in left as well.
Caleb Rangel of Rock Island, Ill. was an all-Metro and all-conference center fielder for Alleman High School.
            “He can swing it,” Stevens said. “He had one of the best fall seasons on the team and has a great work ethic. He still needs to improve in some areas, but as long as he knows there are going to be some ups and downs along the way, he can become a great player.”
            Freshman Jarred Lackey of Somerton, Ariz. entered the spring as a bit of an unknown since he played football for the Dutch in the fall. But he quickly caught Stevens’ attention.
            “Jarred was a pleasant surprise in our early practices,” Stevens said. “He can play a lot of positions. He can hit and throw and can do it all. He has a chance to be a good player.”

Designated hitter
            Stevens feels fortunate to face a difficult decision in filling the designated hitter spot.
            “Several guys have a chance,” he said. “We’re still trying to figure out who can help us the most.”
            Sophomores Jason Hassman, Blake Smith and Arends are coming off productive JV seasons. If Lackey doesn’t start in the outfield, he’ll be near the top of the list. And Stevens could call on O’Brien or even Edwards. The best hitter in the bunch won’t necessarily be the choice because of what the position requires.
            “It’s a tough position,” Stevens said. “Sometimes you have to sit for an hour and if you just had a bad at-bat, it can get in your head a little bit. You’ve got to be mentally tough.”
            Making choices like that without the benefit of an outdoor practice before the March 1 season opener in the Metrodome is a challenge.
            “It’s difficult when you’re inside,” Stevens said. “We’re going to have to make some really tough decisions just from seeing things in the batting cage. The starting lineup we have for our first game may not be the starting lineup we use in our first conference game. But we’ll try our best and hope it’s close.

The season
            Stevens is enthused about fielding a veteran team but the bad news is, most of the Iowa Conference contenders are experienced as well.
            “The league is going to be tough,” Stevens said. “We battled to fourth place last year, but the three teams in front of us didn’t lose many guys, either. The league is probably as good as it’s been in a long time, especially on the mound. Every team has two or three pitchers who can beat anybody.  
“But we have a lot of time to prepare before our conference season begins, and if our guys continue to prepare well, I think that we will have a chance to contend once again.”
            Wartburg and Luther, last year’s co-champs, are the likely favorites, he said.
            The non-conference schedule is equally challenging, with a liberal dose of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponents, including three games with Hamline Univ. (Minn.). On the spring break trip to Arizona the Dutch also see NCAA Division III tourney contenders Bowdoin (Maine) and Washington-St. Louis (Mo.).
            “We want to see where we’re at and get ready for the conference season,” Stevens said. “The schedule will certainly help us do that.”
            Getting through the conference battles is the primary focus, but Stevens wants his players to start thinking beyond the league as well. The Dutch have never been selected for the NCAA Division III tournament, a distinction Stevens would like to erase.
            “As a program, that’s certainly our next goal,” he said. “We were close in 2006.
            “But I have a lot of confidence in our players and a key for us is for the guys to have that confidence in themselves. We’ve got a great group of guys that have a lot of experience now. I hope they understand the kind of team that they can be.”