Wednesday February 16, 2011

Baseball Preview

Baseball Preview
The Tigers went 45-25 last season and made it to the College World Series again in Jack Leggett's 17th season and the expectations are just as high for the upcoming season.

There are several major story lines for the Tigers in 2011. First is the new bats that all of college baseball will have to use this season. Some insiders say the ball travels about 10 percent less than the bats of a year ago. This will mean fewer home runs and a renewed emphasis on small ball across the sport this season.

The other major story line is the number of veteran players that return for the Tigers this season. This could be a special season for the Tigers based upon the returning talent.

Infield
TheTigers have one of the most experienced and highest rated infields in the country.

John Hinson returns at third base and is considered one of the best players a his position in the nation. Some were surprised the 13th round draft pick returned for his senior campaign. Last season he hit .351 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs

Brad Miller is back as the starter at shortstop. In 2010 he hit .357 with eight homers and 49 RBIs. The Team USA player struggled again last season with his defense which is still a major concern coming into this season.

Richie Shaffer returns at first base after a terrific true freshman season. He hit.323 with home runs and 36 RBIs. Shaffer missed 17 games with a hamstring injury but returned to finish up strong. I also think he is a very underrated defensive first baseman and a big target at first.

Jason Stolz has played shortstop and third base in his career but may be the starting second baseman this season. He struggled with a .222 average last season but I expect a big improvement in his junior season. Also there is an adjustment to second base but Stolz was a terrific defensive player at his previous two positions.

Freshman Jon McGibbon may get some time at first base and in the outfield. Freshman Steve Wilkerson is a very talented switch hitting middle infielder who was the highest rated member of the freshman class.

With Shaffer and Henson in the middle of the lineup and Miller setting the table at the top of the lineup, this could be an exciting group to watch in 2011.

Outfield
The Tigers return experience in the outfield as well with Jeff Schaus, Addison Johnson, Chris Epps and Will Lamb.

Schaus hit .320 with 15 home runs and 8 RBIs last season. He turned down the Cleveland Indians after being picked in the 27th round last season. The left fielder should be a key run producer again in his senior season.

Johnson returns after starting in center fielder as a fifth-year senior. He will also see action out of the bull pen this season for the first time in his career.

Epps has spent most of is time as a designated hitter and as a center fielder but could play right field this spring. He has a good on base percentage due to his good eye at the plate.

Lamb saw action in centerfield, first base, designated hitter and as a pitcher last season. He hit .289 wit four homers and 36 RBIs last season. He has tremendous size and runs as well as any player on this team.

Catcher
One of the biggest surprises last season was the late season emergence of true freshman, Spencer Kieboom. He was inserted into the lineup in the ACC tournament and the Tigers went on to play very well with him behind the plate. Kieboom hit .263 for the season. He impressed the staff with the way he handled the pictures and has a very good arm.

I am a big Phil Pohl fan. He is a terrific leader that has the respect of his teammates and the staff. Pohl is also is a good defensive catcher. Last season he only hit .212 but I expect a better offensive year for the junior.

Pitching
Pitching staffs take a few weeks or even half of the season to figure out. This is true for even the top staffs in the country. It just takes time to see where each pitcher fits in and who the coaches can trust in different roles. This staff looks like it has some power arms like Scott Weismann, Dominic Leone, Kevin Brady and Will Lamb and a few off-speed guys like Alex Frederick and Addison Johnson.

Junior right-hander Weismann was in the weekend rotation in 2011 when he was 9-2 with a 4.90 ERA in 97.1 innings pitched and 18 starts. Weismann goes into the season as the Tigers Friday starter and ave of the staff.

Sophomore right-hander Leone was 3-2 with a 4.78 ERA in 22 appearances. He had 10 starts including an impressive performance in the Super Regional clincher against Alabama's ace. Leone will begin the season as the Saturday starter for the Tigers.

Sophomore righty Brady has electric stuff but has battled inconsistency. I think he is a key as he will begin the season as the Sunday starter. He has closer stuff as well and some think if he does not pitch well as the third starter then he may be the answer at closer.

Lef-thander Lamb was 4-4 with two saves in 52.0 innings pitched over 18 appearances (10 starts) in 2010. This is a versatile guy that can start or may end up as a key lefty in the bullpen. In either case, Lamb has great stuff an electric fast ball.

Sophomore righty Scott Firth started four games last year and had 12 relief appearances. He was 2-1 wit a 3.58 ERA. He may be a mid-week starter or could work himself into a bigger role based upon the first two or three weeks of the season.

Junior right-hander David Haselden saw action as both a starter and a reliever a year ago. He got off to a great start including some big innings against arch rival South Carolina in the regular season. Haselden's role has not been defined but you could see him as a starter at some point as well.

Justin Sarratt has pitched 112.1 innings in his 62 appearances in his career. The Gaffney native could become the first Tiger in history to letter five times. He is coming off of an injury plagued season but looks healthy heading into the season.

Senior right-hander Frederick was 7-2 with a team-high four saves, and a 3.75 ERA in his team-high 33 appearances last season. Frederick could be the closer to start out the 2011 campaign and has outstanding off-speed pitches.

Johnson has never pitched at Clemson and is in his fifth season in Tigertown but the left-hander could also see time out of the bullpen due to his off-speed stuff.

Sophomore right-hander Jonathan Meyer had 20 relief appearances last season when he went 2-1 with two saves a year ago. Righty Mike Kent and lefty Joseph Moorefield should see more action in 2011. Moorefield impressed in the post season last year.

The one freshman who has stepped out ahead of the others at this point has been Kevin Pohle. He is a right hander who has had better command than the other freshman at this point and could see more innings based upon that command.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer ListWe have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:

If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.

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Those who need our prayers include:Finn Brookover, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Richard Crawford, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas Family, Linda Wiggs, Emary Claire Young, Dr. Wallace Honeycutt, Stacy Fowler, Kitty Bowers,Julie and Austin Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Joyce Bussey, Stacey McKeown, Laura Ashleigh Smith, Daniel M. Hayes, Mary Priester, Dale Childs.