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2008 Bulldog Baseball Season Outlook
Feb. 20, 2008
It's been a while since the outlook for a Louisiana Tech baseball season has been quite this ambitious. The last two Bulldog teams have come oh-so-close to getting over the hump and into the NCAA Tournament, but have faltered down the stretch. But a solid core of returning players, an experienced pitching staff and the potential for an explosive offense have coach Wade Simoneaux extremely excited about the prospects for the 2008 season. "We've lived the last couple of years letting these guys grow up," he said. "Now they're all grown up. It's time for them to step up and get it done." Simoneaux said that the likely rotation would be, in no particular order, Luke Burnett, Dylan Moseley, Jericho Jones and Alan Knotts, all juniors and seniors with plenty of experience. "I think those guys can give us five to seven good innings every night," he said. "Going to these four-game series in conference play, it's going to be interesting to see what happens to a pitching staff over 36 innings." Offensively, the Bulldogs lost some power with the departure of 2007 WAC Player of the Year Brian Rike (20 home runs, 66 RBI), All-WAC utilityman Brandon Hudson and third baseman Courtney Jones. But with returnees Albie Goulder and Adam Cobb headlining an offense that batted .310 last season, Simoneaux said that Tech could adapt their offensive style of play to their opponent and the conditions. "We can play the short game or we can be a set-and-hit team," the sixth-year coach said. "Our lineup is capable of being very versatile. We have several young guys that have blossomed into solid ballplayers." The Bulldogs, now 21 years removed from their last NCAA Tournament appearance, appear ready to turn the corner this season. A favorable schedule with some RPI-building non-conference games and being the host of this year's WAC Tournament definitely play into Tech's favor. "The two things I like the most about this season are that we're hosting the tournament and we don't have to travel to Hawai'i," Simoneaux said. "The last two years we were leading the conference before going on a couple of long road trips and we fell off late in the season. We won't have to worry about some of those 20-hour travel days." The Western Athletic Conference looks to be strong as always, with the Bulldog skipper confident, if things fall into place, that the WAC could be a three-bid league for the NCAA Tournament. "We've got several teams playing quality non-conference games," he said. "We're playing in an outstanding tournament at Texas A&M and then two games at Baylor, which is an outstanding road RPI opportunity for us. Nevada is playing (two-time defending College World Series champion) Oregon State the week before we go to Reno. Fresno State goes on the road to play the UCLAs and the Stanfords. I'll always pull for those guys to get those wins to boost the conference RPI." J.C. Love Field, the nearly 40-year-old ballpark on Tech's campus, is also getting a facelift in preparation for the upcoming season. Approximately 400 new chairback seats have been installed in addition to a new scoreboard and a new press box (which will be ready by mid-season). The team dressing room and the coaches' office at the ballpark have also gotten a facelift, as have the dugouts and the area surrounding home plate. "We're very appreciative of everyone that made this possible," Simoneaux said. "It is our goal to have a first-class ballpark that is capable of hosting conference tournaments and NCAA Regionals." The first part is certain - the 2008 WAC Tournament is coming to Ruston. The second part...well, that's up to the Bulldogs. Pitchers The Bulldog rotation is solid with two of its three weekend starters from 2007 - Luke Burnett and Dylan Moseley - returning for another season, including an All-WAC honoree and the conference strikeout leader a year ago. With the new conference format including four-game weekend series this season, though, the Bulldogs must find not one but two more weekend starters. Luke Burnett - a towering 6-9 junior righthander - continues to get stronger as he looks to be an early All-America candidate. He led the WAC with 115 strikeouts in 2007, and his size and overpowering fastball can be intimidating to hitters in a Randy Johnson-type fashion as evidenced by opposing batters only managing a .221 average against him (also a league-best). He finished with a 5-8 record (one save) and a 4.93 ERA, misleading numbers for a dominant pitcher. Burnett is joined by junior Dylan Moseley, who earned second-team All-WAC honors a year ago. Moseley led the Bulldog starters with a 4.07 ERA and a 7-4 record on the season. He pitched two complete games on the season, a team-best, and struck out 41 batters while only walking 28. Jericho Jones and Alan Knotts appear to be the frontrunners for the other two weekend starting spots. Jones began last season as the Saturday starter, but various injuries forced him to give way to senior Ryan Rupert by the start of the conference season. Jones' most impressive outing came against fourth-ranked Arkansas in the season-opening series in Ruston as he shut the Razorbacks down in five innings of work, allowing only two runs on four hits while striking out six. Senior Alan Knotts looks to be the fourth starter for Tech heading into the season. The 6-4 righthander from Shreveport appeared in 16 games last season, all out of the bullpen. He finished with a 1-1 record (one save) and a 5.04 ERA, and had the best strikeouts per nine innings ratio on the team as he fanned 35 batters in 25 innings of work while surrendering only nine walks. The bullpen looks to be solid as well with Aaron Lorio firmly entrenched as the closer. The senior from Baton Rouge tied a school record with 30 appearances last season, earning a 3-0 record with five saves while posting a 4.62 ERA. He struck out 34 batters in 39.0 innings of work. But his development over the summer - he set a team record with 17 saves for the Thomasville Hi-Toms in the Carolina Coastal Plains League, one short of the league mark - has the Tech coaching staff believing he can do even bigger things this year. Landon Braud (1-1, 3.52), Andrew Lassere (2-0, 4.30) and Jamey Bradshaw (0-1, 7.23) bring a wealth of experience back to the bullpen and will be invaluable in the set-up role and a few weekday starts. They will be joined by sophomore Alex Richard, who saw time in four games last season, and newcomers Mike LeBreton, Casey Jones, John Anderson, and Clint Helms. Catchers Junior Matt Combs returns for his second season as the regular starter behind the plate. His defensive prowess was invaluable to the Bulldogs last year as he finished with a .986 fielding percentage (only six errors in 356 chances) and gunned down 17 would-be base-stealers, tied for second-best in the WAC. Combs will share time with freshman Clint Ewing of Shreveport and junior Drew Thomas of Monroe, who started 14 games last season. Infielders The good news is that All-WAC first baseman Albie Goulder, a three-year starter, returns for his senior season. However, both starters on the left side of the infield - shortstop Dennis Winn (team-leading .351 average) and third baseman Courtney Jones (.322, 10 HR, 40 RBI) - must be replaced. But the projected starters for both spots - Nick Grunenwald and Chris Kersten - have plenty of experience with each appearing in 45 games or more last season. Goulder is the cornerstone of the infield and the Bulldog offense. The senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., is the leading returning hitter (min. 150 AB) with a .323 average, 14 home runs and 51 RBI a year ago. His .986 fielding percentage also gives the Bulldogs a rock at first base. Sophomore Jonathan Mire (.273 avg.) could also see some playing time at first base. It was second-base-by-committee most of last season as four different players earned at least five starts at that position. But with two of the other candidates likely to fill vacancies at short and third, it appears that the starting second base position will fall to Kevin Winn. A junior from Bowling Green, Ky., Winn had the most starts at second with 22 and batted .243 on the season with a home run and 12 RBI. One remnant of the second base platoon, Nick Grunenwald, will fill the open spot at shortstop. Grunenwald started 15 games at second and nine at short last season, amassing a .246 average with a home run and 17 RBI. His speed on the basepaths will be a big weapon for Tech as he swiped 12 bases in 15 attempts last season. The other committee member at second base last year, Drew Bunting, who batted a sizzling .411 in 33 starts last year, will likely begin the season with several starts as the designated hitter, but will also see some action at second and third base. Chris Kersten looks to be the frontrunner for the third base starting job. The 6-4 junior got bigger and stronger in the offseason, and he looks to improve on his already impressive .395 average from a year ago. Sophomore Chris Juneau could see some playing time at second. Outfielders It's no secret that the Bulldogs will miss five-tool player Brian Rike, the 2007 WAC Player of the Year who was drafted in the second round by the Colorado Rockies. But two of the three outfield starters return, and a third started 30 games last season. Three-year starter Adam Cobb returns for his senior season in center field after starting 44 games last season. He batted .284 with three dingers and 29 RBI, but his greatest value was his glove as he managed a .981 fielding percentage (just two errors in 106 chances). Jericho Jones hit what many thought to be a sophomore slump in 2007 after a phenomenal rookie season that saw him named WAC Freshman of the Year. But a later-discovered injury turned out to be the culprit that led to his dropoff in production. Still, he managed a respectable .297 average, five home runs and 36 RBI, and was named WAC Hitter of the Week for his efforts against McNeese State in the early part of the season. Fully healthy again, the junior is bigger and stronger than ever before and looks for a breakout season this year in right field. The heir apparent in left field looks to be Patrick Thomas. The junior from Monroe started 30 games last season (22 in left, 8 in center) and tore the cover off the ball, batting .366 with three home runs and 28 RBI. A transfer from Texas should also earn plenty of innings in the outfield. Sophomore Clint Stubbs, who played in 12 games for the Longhorns as a freshman, is a speedy left-handed hitter who will provide a boost defensively and on the basepaths. Also vying for time in the outfield will be sophomore Alex Richard, who appeared in 15 games last season. Sophomores Chris Bohannan and Clay Alexander round out the outfield roster. Schedule Overview The Bulldogs' 56-game schedule will be one of the more demanding slates the team has faced in several years. Included are 11 games against six opponents that advanced to the 2007 NCAA Tournament (Arkansas, Baylor, Fresno State, UL-Lafayette, Ohio State and Texas A&M), and a 32-game WAC schedule, the most extensive conference slate for Tech since a 32-game Sun Belt schedule in 1999. Tech opens with three games at home against McNeese State Feb. 22-24. A doubleheader against UT-Arlington the following Tuesday and a short trip down Interstate 20 to UL-Monroe will serve as warmups for the main event of the non-conference season. The Bulldogs then travel to College Station, Texas, for the Domino's Pizza Classic where they will face 2007 NCAA Regional participants Arkansas, Ohio State and Texas A&M in succession. Two days later, Tech heads to Waco to face Baylor for the first time since 1988. The Bulldogs will then return home for three-game series with Central Arkansas and Tennessee-Martin with a single game against nationally-ranked UL-Lafayette in between. A short trip to Grambling State precedes the first conference series of the season, a four-game, Thursday-Saturday set at Nevada on Easter weekend. Following that, Tech plays two consecutive home conference series against San Jose State and Sacramento State, respectively, with a short trek to Natchitoches to face Northwestern State squeezed in. The Bulldogs will then embark on a 12-day road trip to California where they will face Fresno State and San Jose State on successive weekends. Tech is then home for 10 straight as they play non-conference games against Northwestern State and Grambling State prior to WAC series with Hawai'i and Nevada. Getting a break from conference play the following week, the Bulldogs will play a single game at UL-Lafayette and host UL-Monroe in the home finale before traveling to Las Cruces, N.M., to close out the season at New Mexico State. For the first time ever, Tech will be playing host to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at J.C. Love Field, which runs May 22-25. The top six teams in the conference will converge on North Louisiana to compete for one automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. And if all goes according to plan, Louisiana Tech's season won't end on its home field. |
