Baseball Preview: Diamonds In The Rough

It’s definitely an understatement to suggest that coaches, players and fans were a little disappointed with the way the 2007 Razorback Baseball season ended.

Even with a 43-21 record and a Western Division title, expectations of going to the College World Series were set early on by senior leaders Danny Hamblin and Jake Dugger.  And with the powerful starting rotation of Nick Schmidt, Jess Todd and Duke Welker, the chances of returning to Omaha for the first time since 2004 looked promising.

It wasn’t to be, though, as Oklahoma State’s bats ‘flattened‘ the Hogs in the Fayetteville Regional.  Coach Dave Van Horn described his sentiments well at a recent Bentonville / Bella Vista Razorback Club meeting:

“We didn’t finish it like we wanted to.  We were disappointed.  We didn’t swing the bats like we had been up to then.  That disappointment left us just last month.”

Though not projected to be a powerhouse in 2008, the Razorbacks should field a young, but promising team.  Led by junior returning starters Logan Forsythe (3B), Casey Coon (OF) and Ben Tschepikow (IF), the Hogs were recently picked to finish third in the West by the SEC Coaches.  No national publications, however, currently list them in their preseason top 25 polls.

So with the college baseball season beginning this week, here’s a few questions you may be asking about this year’s Diamond Hogs:

With Hamblin, Dugger, and Brian Walker gone, where’s the offensive production going to come from?  Well, from listening to hitting coach Todd Butler, the Hogs appear to be trying to move away from their ‘all-or-nothing, strike-out-happy’ ways of 2007.  Coach Van Horn craves consistent contact — ‘doubles and triples’ style hitters — who might hit fewer home runs, but should have higher on-base percentages, stolen bases and (hopefully) score more runs.

With the loss of Brian Walker to the MLB Draft, who will be the Hogs catcher in 2008?  Senior Jeff Nutt is back this year, but he was primarily used as a designated hitter last season.  Nutt is pretty good behind the plate, but was more in the lineup for his bat.  Look for junior college transfer Ryan Cisterna to get plenty of time behind the dish as the year progresses.  Cisterna has drawn high praise from the coaches for his catching abilities and strong throwing arm.

Coming off “Tommy John” surgery, can Shaun Seibert be in the starting rotation in 2008?  After losing three of the best starters in the SEC, let’s hope so.  The normal recovery time for that type of elbow surgery is 18 months.  But Seibert is making remarkable progress after only 12 months.  In fact, renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews has given the right-hander the green light to cut it loose.  But he will most likely be on a pitch count until SEC play begins in March.  Seibert is 9-4 with a 3.27 ERA in his Arkansas career.

Speaking of starters, who the heck is going to fill Nick Schmidt’s shoes?  Well, that’s a good one.  We’re not even sure if the coaches know yet.  Coach Van Horn seems to like the 11-12 pitchers he has, but cautions that most of them are young and have little experience.  Other than Seibert, sophomore left-hander Dallas Keuchel (6-3 in 2007) may be the best candidate to be a weekend starter.  “Bell cow” starters, however, may not emerge quickly.  So look for everyone to get plenty of innings early, as the Hogs will play 15 games in the next three weeks.

Now that veteran starter Danny Hamblin has graduated, who will be the everyday first baseman for the Hogs?  Here’s the best kept secret on The Hill this season.  Those who were lucky enough to see some of the ‘Fall Ball’ practices came away raving about incoming Broken Arrow (Okla.) freshman Andy Wilkins.  Wilkins was one of the premier hitters coming out of Oklahoma last season and may have the sweetest swing of all of the position players.  Look for him to become the everyday starter at first.

As Forsythe rehabs from off-season foot surgery, and Tim Smalling recovers from a non-throwing shoulder injury, who fills the void at third base and shortstop for now?  Coach Van Horn has highly rated junior college transfer Scott Lyons penciled in if either Forsythe or Smalling can’t go.  Lyons, who started for Cal State Northridge as a freshman, has been described as “one of the best defensive shortstops in college baseball…a line-drive hitter with gap to gap power.”  Look for Lyons to be that utility infielder who can play third, short or second this season.

All in all, 2008 is shaping up to be another fun season.  The SEC is loaded as always, but don’t be surprised if these young Hogs make a little noise this season.

The Razorbacks open the season at home this Friday against Wright State, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m.  We’ll see you at the Baum!