Jan. 30, 2005
When talking about the 2005 San Diego State baseball team, words such as young, talented and potential come to mind....the term experienced does not.
Of the returning field players from a year ago, just six are back who played in at least half of the team's 64 contests, and only four of those saw action in as many as 40 games. In the pitching department, only two hurlers who saw any significant time on the mound in 2004 return this spring. Needless to say, a number of new faces will dot the lineup when the Aztecs open their 2005 campaign.
"Our strong suit this season will be athleticism," noted head coach Tony Gwynn. "This team will be very athletic, but at the same time, young in terms of collegiate experience. We're optimistic, but it's tough to tell how that combination will work out for us. You usually don't know what you're going to get until you play some games."
What is known is that SDSU will miss six all-Mountain West Conference players who either graduated or signed pro contracts at the end of the 2004 season. That number included four pitchers who accounted for 24 wins and 15 saves plus a starting first baseman and centerfielder who drove in just under 100 runs between them.
Countering those losses to some degree are the four all-MWC selections who return in 2005: catcher Jordan Swaydan, right fielder Jake McLintock, shortstop James Guerrero and designated hitter Brock Ungricht. In addition to that quartet, SDSU returns a pair of solid pitching veterans in Bruce Billings and Ben Coon. Those players give the SDSU coaching staff a foundation on which to build this spring.
"We've got some leadership coming back in guys like McLintock, Swaydan and Guerrero," said Gwynn. "We have four seniors, but only one of them has played for us prior to this season. It's obvious that a number the underclassmen are going to have to contribute right away. This year that we have the kind of club I like...very athletic with a number of players who can do a lot of different things for us. We've got some freshmen I really believe are going to have an impact on the program this spring."
Pitching
In terms of sheer numbers, the Aztecs count a total of 11 freshmen and nine sophomores on their preseason roster. It becomes readily apparent that the ability of several of newcomers to step up and produce will play a large part in the team's fortunes during the coming campaign.
San Diego State will enter the 2005 season with a pitching that is, for the most part, untested at the collegiate level. To be successful, the young staff will have to mature quickly as it will be tested early and often.
SDSU's biggest losses from last season come in the pitching staff where the league pitcher of the year (Scott Shoemaker, nine wins), one of the top relievers in the nation (Ryan Schroyer, 13 saves), and three other primary hurlers who were instrumental in the team's success in 2004 have all departed.
In addition, two pitchers who were expected to play a part during the coming season have been lost due to injury and are not expected to play in 2005. That duo includes redshirt sophomore Ronnie Lindsey and talented freshman Charles Nolte.
The good news here is that the Aztecs return a pair of veterans who established themselves with solid performances during the 2004 season. Of those two, sophomore Bruce Billings (6-1, 4.68) is expected to be the team's number-one starter when the 2005 campaign opens. As a freshman a year ago, he came on in the second half of the season to post impressive numbers, recording victories in each of his final six decisions and finishing 3-0 in league contests.
Experience in the pitching department will also come from third-year Aztec Ben Coon, who followed up an excellent freshman season with four wins and a save in 2004. He could move into in the starting rotation this year, but he has also proven highly effective out of the pen in his first two seasons at SDSU.
The only other pitchers who saw action 2004 are right-hander Brett Douglas and lefty Dan Bruckart, who between them combined to throw a total of just 13 innings. Douglas, who was drafted by Anaheim in the 23rd round out of high school, could make an impact this spring either as a starter or long reliever.
A pair of redshirts (Will Miller and Justin Suwyn) round out the holdovers from a year ago. Miller took the year off due to injury while Suwyn sat out his first season at San Diego State after concluding a prep career as one of the top hurlers in the San Diego area.
Of the seven new pitchers on the Aztecs roster, five are true freshmen while one is a four-year transfer and the other a junior college athlete. Of those seven, freshman James Scott is being looked at as a potential starter in his first season of Division I baseball. Scott is an all-state athlete out of San Bernardino who was a two-time league player of the year in high school.
Junior college transfer Shaun Burkle (Saddleback College) along with a pair of local freshmen in Andres Esquibel (Vista HS) and Joel Matthews (Christian HS) will be called upon out of the bullpen when the season begins. Sophomore Cody Campbell, who played last season at Cal State Northridge, will fill the role of closer.
"We don' have a lot of experience returning among the pitchers," said Gwynn. "Billings will probably be our number-one starter, and Coon has experience both as a starter and in relief, so he could do a little of both. Miller and Suwyn both sat out last year, but they've looked good in the preseason. We've got some good young arms in guys like Scott, Esquibel and Matthews. It's just a matter of settling them in at this level and seeing what they can do.
"Basically, with the injuries, we have one of the smaller staffs in terms of numbers that we've had here in a while. The quantity may be down, but the quality is still there. Each member of the staff is going to have to contribute from day one if we expect to have any success this season."
Catchers
San Diego State's strength up the middle begins at catcher, a position that will be manned by a pair of returning veterans, a redshirt senior and a talented freshman.
In 2004, the bulk of the duties behind the plate fell to sophomore Jordan Swaydan, and he returns this spring after earning all-Mountain West Conference honors in his second collegiate season. Swaydan hit .308 in conference play while fielding his position at a .989 clip.
Freshman Chris Anderson appears to be in line for playing time here as well, and he will have the opportunity to assume the number-two role at the position and provide relief for Swaydan. Anderson was an all-East County selection as a prep player last year and was a member of the team that won the USABF World Series title last August.
Also available at the catching position are sophomore Brock Ungricht and senior Kevin Howard. Ungricht caught in 13 games as a freshman, but is expected to make a move to first base as well as serve in a designated hitter role this spring. Howard redshirted in his first year at SDSU, serving as a bullpen catcher during the 2004 campaign.
"Swaydan and Anderson will be the main guys behind the plate, but we have Brock and Kevin if needed," said Gwynn. "I don't want to over-use Jordan every day like we had to do at times last year. I hope to be able to rotate these guys, and one of them may assume the DH role when not behind the plate."
Infield
The Aztecs return the middle half of their starting infield from a year ago, but those two athletes may be playing different positions when the season gets underway.
The primary losses in this area at first and third base, where two starters were lost to graduation. That duo includes all-conference first baseman Rielly Embrey (.353, team-leading 57 RBI) and third baseman Chad Corona, the team's top home run hitter.
Veteran shortstop James Guerrero, an all-conference selection as a sophomore, and second baseman Lance Zawadzki, who overcame numerous injuries to post solid numbers at the plate, are back to anchor the infield this season. However, with the new talent available, coach Gwynn has the option of moving Zawadzki to third and Guerrero to second in order to maximize SDSU's offensive and defensive potential in this area.
Should those moves be made, it appears that newcomer Clayton Carson could assume the starting role at shortstop. Carson is a transfer from Saddleback College where he was a preseason JC All-American and a first-team all-league selection for a team that won the state junior college title. Carson brings major college experience as well after spending two seasons at Brigham Young.
There are a number of other versatile infielders that the Aztecs can call upon to play second, third and short. The lone experienced member of that group is junior Sam Pepper, who played both second and third last season.
Among the newcomers, freshman Grant Desme, a two-time prep all-area selection out of Bakersfield, is the leading candidate to fill in on the left side of the infield. Junior Kevin Perry, who brings impressive credentials from two seasons of junior college ball, can play either second or shortstop. And freshman Joel Lollis is an experienced high school third baseman who was a consistent offensive threat as a prep player.
Filling the first base position is the most immediate issue when talking about the Aztec infield. It's almost certain a new face will fill this position as the only returnee who saw time here last season is Brian Kinsman (two games). He will get a look for playing time here, but he is a versatile athlete who can also play in the middle infield or the outfield if needed.
Sophomore Brock Ungricht, who led the team in hitting and was the number-two RBI man a year ago, could become SDSU's regular first baseman if he can make the adjustment to the position. Ungricht saw action at both the catcher and third base spots last season, but served primarily as the team's designated hitter.
Another player who could be part of the equation at first base is junior college transfer Tim O'Brien, who earned JC All-American honors at Fresno City College as a designated hitter
Other candidates here include a pair of first-year Aztecs in James Scott and Brent Spirnak. Scott could split time between the mound and first base if necessary while Spirnak is a walk-on junior college athlete who impressed the coaching staff in fall practice.
"We have a number of options around the infield, and that will help us as the season progresses," noted Gwynn. "As we head into the season, it looks like Guerrero will make the move from shortstop to second base and we'll shift Zawadzki over to third base. That opens up the shortstop position for Clayton Carson, who will add both offense and defense to the infield.
"We have a good variety of athletes for those three positions with a host of combinations. Guys like Grant Desme will get a chance to show what they can do. We're also trying to move Ungricht over to first base. We know about his offensive abilities, it's just a matter of how quickly he learns the position from a defensive stand point.
"Barring any setbacks, that's how we expect to open in the infield. It very well could change over the first couple weeks of the season, we'll just have to wait and see."
Outfield
Although two of the Aztecs' primary starters in the outfield are back in 2005, there is enough talent to make it difficult to project who will be starting where this spring. The main loss in this area is in center where all-MWC athlete Landon Burt (.321, 40 RBI) has been lost to graduation.
The left field position appears ready to be manned by junior Curt Mendoza, who has seen a majority of his playing time in that position in his first two seasons at SDSU. He was second on the team in home runs a year ago after finishing third in that category as a freshman in 2003.
The crucial center field starting spot appears ready to be filled by newcomer Quintin Berry, a defensive speedster who has shown the ability to produce offensively as well. Berry was a local prep standout who hit .425 and ranked among the county's stolen base leaders as a senior. He comes to San Diego State after one season at nearby Grossmont Junior College.
Three-year starter Jake McLintock, a fixture in right field since his arrival in 2002, figures to continue in that role in his senior season. An all-conference selection last season, he was playing his best ball of the season before illness sidelined him for the Aztec's final dozen games of the 2004 campaign.
Although this trio is tentatively set to comprise the starting outfield, there is talent in the wings that will press them for playing time. The leading contenders include senior transfer Garrick Evans (Clemson) along with juniors Kasey Perry and freshman Joseph Scaperotta.
Kasey Perry, twin brother of infielder Kevin Perry, can play either left or right field if called upon. Evans is an option in center or right after three years at Clemson where he compiled a career batting average over .300. Also in the mix is freshman Scaperotta, who hit over .400 with nine home runs as a high school senior. Another option in the outfield is Tim O'Brien, who is tentatively slated for first base duty.
"Heading into the season, the outfield is wide open," commented Gwynn. "Mendoza and McLintock are returning starters, so they have the inside track in left and right field. Quintin Berry appears to be the front runner in center because he can cover a lot of ground.
"However, we have some other talent in this area and the lineup is not written in stone. The players know that and it should help us improve as competition for jobs heats up. The makeup of the outfield can change at any time, and other guys will get opportunities for playing time out there as well."
Schedule
San Diego State opens its 2005 campaign with a three-game series against Texas, last year's College World Series runner-up and the ranked first in the nation entering the season. Other home opponents include defending national champion Cal State Fullerton and perennial national power USC. The schedule also features tough road trips to North Carolina State, South Alabama and Long Beach State.
In addition, the Aztecs have scheduled a three-game weekend series with cross-town rival University of San Diego for the first time ever. SDSU will also renew its exhibition series with the San Diego Padres, facing the local major league club in late March.
"I feel good about our schedule because from top to bottom there are no easy games," said Gwynn. "We're going to have to play our best baseball every day or we're going to get beat, pure and simple. It's a tough slate, but at the very least it's going to help us going into league play, no question. Our goal is to get into a regional, so we might as well play the type of teams that we could face later on."
Summary
Year three of the Tony Gwynn era will get underway with the San Diego State Aztecs looking to defend their regular-season conference title and achieve their goal of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Inexperience, especially in the pitching department, could cause problems early in the year as the schedule over the first six weeks of the season will be as tough as any faced previously by an Aztec squad.
"We have a number of good athletes who can play multiple positions, both in the infield and outfield, but there'll be athletes who haven't competed at this level in the lineup every day," commented Gwynn. "I think we can make up for some of that because we've got a very good defensive team and we're very athletic.
"Heading into the season, we're being very flexible in looking at our lineup because we know it could easily change. With our inexperienced pitching staff, it's important for us to be able to catch and throw the ball...to play well defensively. That's our number-one goal...we need to have good defenders to back up the young staff.
"We have a lot of guys on this roster I think can do different things for us as needed. We have some guys who can hit the ball out of the park, but we won't be a power-hitting team. We will be pretty good at putting the bat on the ball, which I like. We'll have a lot more speed this year and that will open up some things for us as we get into different situations during games. I count on us being able to put the ball in play and make things happen."
Gwynn and his staff face the task of transforming their young but athletic team into a contender in what looks to be another interesting season for the San Diego State baseball program.