Season Preview 2014

Diamond Hogs Poised for Start of Season

                The 2014 college baseball season begins this week and it looks like fans will be getting decent weather to enjoy while watching the Arkansas Razorbacks begin another run at a conference and national championship.  The last several years have seen the hogs be forced to take their efforts on the road for regional tournaments, but this year they will be looking to seal up a regional at home with a more solid performance during the regular season.  However, they will have to do it after losing 9 pitchers on a staff that had the best ERA (1.89) in the nation, and the lowest that college baseball has seen since 1976.  Although the cupboard looks bare, the diamond hogs have a good stock of young arms coming back along with a few incoming freshmen and transfers to help an experienced lineup make some noise while playing through a rough conference schedule this year.  Seven out of the ten conference series will be played against preseason top 25 opponents with four of them coming against top 10 teams.  Needless to say, the number 25 ranked hogs have their work cut out for them.  But hopefully head coach Dave Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn, along with new hitting coach Tony Vitello, can guide this group of young talent well enough to be in the conversation come June.

                A year ago Arkansas began the season with a number one ranking penciled next to their name but quickly dropped out of the top 10 with a 0 and 4 showing in the prophetic city of Surprise, Arizona.  They were able to rebound, however, and sweep a four game series with San Diego State and make a great push in conference play finishing 18-11 while winning seven out of ten series including victories over ranked South Carolina, Mississippi State and Kentucky.  It was most definitely the troublesome non conference series that cost the hogs a regional host.  This season they will seemingly be challenged even more, both inside and outside of conference play.  The biggest questions lie in their inexperienced pitching staff and whether or not a new hitting coach and experienced lineup will make an immediate impact on a team batting average that has hovered around .260 the past few seasons.  Success this year will be determined by how well this young team plays together, using each of its strengths to its full potential.  Here is my projection of how the season will play out.

Pitching

                Despite the staff being gutted by the draft and graduation ceremonies, the 2014 staff has the makings to produce what we have expected out of Razorback pitching staffs over the last two years.  The most experienced arm from a year ago is junior captain LHP Jalen Beeks who threw 41.0 innings while going 6-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 28 strikeouts out of the bullpen.  He will most likely assume the same role late in games unless there is a need for another weekend starter in which he should have no problem adjusting.  Sophomore RHP Trey Killian (3-3, 3.19, 34) began the season with a bang last year, mowing down non conference opponents before running into trouble in league play and being relegated to the bullpen.  Killian will get a chance to prove himself once again as a weekend starter.  Although he may be slowed by arm soreness to start the season, sophomore LHP Colin Poche (3-0, 1.37, 23) looks to be a mainstay in the middle of the weekend rotation for the next two years.  A 5^th round draft pick out of high school, Poche brings a skill set to the staff which can be found in many AA and AAA rotations.  Another returning hurler who could either be made into a starter or, more ideally, a closer is junior RHP Chris Oliver (2-2, 2.25, 21).  Oliver possess a mid 90s fastball that tops out at 97 and a slider that sits in the mid 80s which is reason why most writers are ranking him among the top 100 prospects this season.  Two other experienced hog pitchers that will contribute this year are redshirt sophomore RHP Landon Simpson (1-1, 1.88, 20) and junior LHP Michael Gunn (1-1, 1.21, 35).
                This season’s success could also depend heavily on new comers to the staff.  The biggest name added to the roster this season was freshman Dominic Taccolini, a 6’3”, 230 pound RHP who was projected to be drafted high last year but was passed up due to his strong commitment to the Razorbacks.  He could step in and contribute to the rotation at some point this year, or at least provide long relief.  Other freshmen arms that will likely contribute and potentially stand out in the future are RHP James Teauge (Bartelsville, Oklahoma), RHP Zach Jackson (Berryhill, Oklahoma), RHP Andrew Kelley (Spring, Texas), and RHP Alex Phillips (Nacogdoches, Texas). 

Infield

                After losing only one infielder to the draft in Dominic Ficociello, Arkansas will return a very experienced infield and fill the few holes with upperclassmen which have transferred in this season.  Returning a senior catcher is always a plus, and captain Jake Wise (.212, 3HR, 23RBI) looks to be ready to go after having Tommy John surgery over the offseason and another surgery for a sports hernia suffered in December.  If he can hold together he will start behind the plate and hit around the middle of the order while also being able to help at first base if needed.  Should Wise be called upon to make the move to first, redshirt freshman Blake Baxendale (brother of former Arkansas pitcher D.J. Baxendale) has impressed with his defensive catching skills and could also garner some beneficial experience this season as the DH.  Junior Brian Anderson (.325, 4, 36) will move over to second base this season after trying his hand at third, shortstop and outfield.  Although his defense was suspect a year ago, his bat led the team in average and earned him preseason second team All American honors.  He will be a key component in this lineup and relied upon to generate a lot of offensive production.  Junior shortstop Brett McAfee (.263, 1, 18) had his own struggles last season defensively but came on strong toward the end to prove he is the man for the job.  Any offense the hogs receive from him will be an added bonus to a plus arm and good range in the field.
                Junior Eric Fisher (.238, 2, 13) was highly regarded this time last season as the offensive and defensive answer to the question at first base.  While he started off hot, he cooled down quickly and yielded the duty to Ficociello.  However, as we have seen year in and year out in college baseball, an off season can make a lot of difference in terms of how much a player contributes to a team (see Matt Vinson).  Third base will be manned by a new face this year no matter who wins the job.  Redshirt sophomore transfer Michael Bernal of New Mexico JC looks to have the upper hand on sophomore transfer Bobby Wernes of Neosho CC and freshman Matt Brown of St. Louis, Missouri, but expect all three to get time early on to prove who deserves the conference season starting job.  While there is a lot of experience in the infield there is not a lot of depth, so the hogs can ill afford many long term injuries this season.  Freshman Clark Eagan of Appleton, Wisconsin and redshirt freshman Josh Alberius of Little Rock, Arkansas are back up infielders who will give relief to those with injuries or needing rest.

Outfield

                Last season Tyler Spoon proved that anyone can step up and contribute to a team any given year.  The redshirt sophomore captain right fielder (.288, 4, 49) jumped out to a terrific start with the bat, leading the SEC in RBI until late in the season.  He may have found his kryptonite in a gruelingly long schedule, but he fueled hog fans’ cheers of SPOOOOOON and looks to add upon his success this season in the middle of the lineup.  Junior Joe Serrano (.295, 1, 18) has lived up to his hype out of high school over the last two seasons and will be the starting left fielder to begin the 2014 season.  He doesn’t possess an arm like Spoon but can run and hit well enough to establish a spot at the top of the lineup.  Arkansas has not had an outstanding center fielder since Brett Eibner’s name was called in the 2010 draft, but they could change that beginning this year.  Andrew Benintendi of Cincinnati, Ohio has found his way down south to start in center field as a true freshman and fill in one of the top spots in the order with great speed and a surprisingly powerful bat at 5’10”, 170lbs.  The left hander set the high school state record for most hits in a career and it will be an exciting three years watching him roam the outfield.  While the rest of the outfield from last year has graduated or been drafted, there are some new faces on this squad that will be able to step in and show off the depth that Van Horn has brought on campus this season. 

                Redshirt freshman Garrett Rucker of Arkadelphia, Arkansas will help out in center field and could see some time at DH with his left handed bat.  Another new face to add to the group is junior transfer Krisjon (K.J.) Wilkerson of Pearl River CC where he was named JUCO All American after hitting .341 with 11 home runs and driving in 58 as a sophomore.  Possessing a strong arm, he will get a look at one of the corner outfield spots or he could also contribute in the middle of the lineup at DH with a powerful 6’2”, 220lbs frame.  He also has experience catching and could be one of the most versatile, athletic players on this team.  Freshman infielder/outfielder Dominic Todarello of Hartland, Wisconsin is a natural shortstop but it looks like Van Horn has plans for his above average speed in the outfield as well.    

Projected Rotation

Starters

1.  Colin Poche (LHP)

2.  Trey Killian (RHP)

3.  Dominic Taccolini (RHP)/ Zach Jackson (RHP)

Bullpen

1.  Jalen Beeks (LHP)

2.  Andrew Kelley (RHP)

3.  Alex Phillips (RHP)

4.  James Teague (RHP)

5.  Landon Simpson (RHP)

6.  Michael Gunn (LHP)

7.  Chris Oliver (CL) (RHP)

Projected Lineup

1.  Andrew Benintendi L/L, CF

2.  Joe Serrano R/R, LF

3.  Tyler Spoon R/R, RF

4.  Brian Anderson R/R, 2B

5.  Jake Wise R/R, C

6.  K.J. Wilkerson R/R, DH

7.  Eric Fisher L/L, 1B

8.  Michael Bernal R/R, 3B

9.  Brett McAfee R/R, SS

Projected Finish

Overall:  41-15

SEC:  19-11

Notable series wins:  at Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

Notable series losses:  Alabama, Texas A&M, at Ole Miss

Player of the year:  Brian Anderson

Pitcher of the year:  Colin Poche

Freshman of the year:  Andrew Benintendi