Friday, February 17
Davidson, N.C.
6:00 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
vs
Niagara
Senior captains Drew Gadaire (L) and Seth Freeman (R) will lead the 'Cats in 2012
2012 Davidson Baseball Season Preview
2/16/2012 9:07:00 AM | Baseball
Live Stats
Twitter Updates
DAVIDSON, N.C. - With another season of baseball commencing in the confines of Wilson Field, the Davidson Wildcats will look to build off the positives from 2011.
Last season's 'Cats earned a win over nationally-ranked College of Charleston, improved their conference record by three games and a winning record at home.
In a bizarre conclusion to the season against Clemson, they even garnered national attention (and, to date, nearly 750,000 views on YouTube) with hilarious rain delay antics.
One of the biggest adjustments Davidson will need to make in 2012 is adapting to the absence of bullpen stalwart Mike Frongello. The reliable, righty-reliever concluded his stellar four-year career by breaking Davidson's all-time appearance record in the 2011 season finale, taking the ball for the 136th time. He appeared in 39 of 48 games last season, throwing 67.1 innings (second on the team) and posted a team low 2.54 ERA. Also missing from the bullpen will be flamethrower Andy Bass, who graduated and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 18th round.
The Davidson defense may also get some additional work without strikeout king Chris Lamb. The 'Cats' top starter twice earned double-digit strikeouts in SoCon contests and finished the season second in the league with 85 K's in 81.2 innings of work. The talented lefty elected to forego his senior season after the Oakland A's selected him in the 11th round, the highest selection ever for a Davidson pitcher.
To achieve success, Davidson will need to rely on young arms and an aggressive offense that returns all but one starter, albeit an important one in slugger Danny Weiss.
“There's some experience in our lineup this year,” said head coach Dick Cooke. “We did not hit well with runners in scoring position last year, so hopefully the experience will help amend that. We have guys that have been through the rigors of a Southern Conference schedule and freshmen that could see time too.”
Fans may need to write especially small on their scorecards as position players such as freshman Ryan Lowe, juniors Bryan DaCanal and Michael Zeblo and senior James Cerbie could all see some time on the mound in relief.
“That's going to change our lineup a little bit because we will have to move guys around to adapt to that,” said Cooke. “It will impact our DH scenarios, and we are going to have to have guys step off the bench and be viable candidates in those spots.”
Davidson will begin the season with three weekend series before hitting the road for the first time in early March against ACC powers North Carolina and NC State. The SoCon schedule commences in Boone on March 9 with a three-game set against Appalachian State. The 'Cats will take on the likes of Duke, Virginia Tech and two-time defending national champions South Carolina in mid-week tilts.
At The Plate
With a versatile group of players defensively, the 'Cats will have several options when juggling the lineup as situations dictate.
Davidson will enjoy great depth at catcher with options in senior Seth Freeman and sophomores Daniel Gerow and Chris Dyer. Gerow saw the majority of the action behind the plate in 2011 as a freshman, drawing 35 starts in 36 appearances. The versatile Freeman, a team captain this season, spent most of 2011 starting in center field and batting leadoff, but started 11 times behind the plate. Dyer was effective when called upon with a .625 on-base percentage in his five appearances. Sophomore Adrian Muoio also returns and will provide depth.
The battle for the starting nod at first base is wide open and could depend on how the outfield battles shape up. Senior Matt Ray, freshman Ryan Lowe and junior Bryan DaCanal will all compete for the spot. Ray made 14 starts at first base last season. Leading hitter Drew Gadaire ended up with the majority of the starts there in 2011, but the 'Cats would prefer to use his glove in center field.
At second base, Cerbie and freshman David Daniels will compete for the starting nod. Cerbie appeared in 29 games last season with 24 starts, and got hot late with an eight-game hitting streak. Daniels, a local product from East Mecklenburg H.S., could be called upon especially if Cerbie sees time on the mound. Senior Calvin Sigelbaum, a strong defender, will also see time at both middle infield positions.
The left side of the infield will look the same as it has the past two seasons with juniors Michael Zeblo and Andrew Barna starting at shortstop and third base, respectively. Zeblo continued to be reliable on defense last season and posted the fifth-best on-base percentage on the squad at .357. Barna saw his offensive production dip as a sophomore after garnering Freshman All-America honors the season before, but he will look to rebound this season. His sophomore campaign was not without highlights though, as he led the team with 10 multi-RBI games, assembled multiple hitting streaks and went 8-for-14 with four RBI in a series against The Citadel.
The 'Cats have plenty of outfield options in Gadaire, Freeman, Forrest Brandt, Kelly Myers, Jake Berman and freshman Ty Middlebrooks. Despite new NCAA regulations deadening the bats, Gadaire enjoyed a career year last season, raising his batting average 16 points from the previous season to .362, and also saw a rise in his slugging percentage from .453 to .569. He joins Freeman as a team captain in 2011.
Brandt turned in a spectacular rookie campaign, batting .300 with 15 doubles and 21 RBI to earn 2011 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors. He started all 48 games in left field and led the team with 19 multi-hit games and eight stolen bases. Myers enjoyed a solid freshman season with 25 starts split between center and right field. His speed will prove valuable to the Wildcats' aggressive approach on the bases this season, and he was the lone starter without an error all season.
Berman, a senior, will look to vie for a spot in the starting lineup returning from a season-ending injury that limited him to just one game in 2011. Middlebrooks will be a strong candidate to fill the designated hitter slot if he is squeezed out of the outfield. Nathan Becker also joins the team as a sophomore.
On the Mound
The biggest question marks for Davidson loom on the mound with the departure of nearly 68 percent of last year's innings pitched.
Most certain is the ascension of Ryan Overcash to the top of the rotation. He thrived in the No. 2 slot last season, making 10 starts and posting a career-best 4.03 ERA. Overcash threw 6.1 innings of shutout ball against Western Carolina and turned the tide in an eventual series victory against UNCG, allowing just one run and three hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings of work to earn the win.
Senior Brian Russell, sophomore Danny Mooney and freshmen Henry Sisson and Clark Beeker will compete for the remaining spots in the rotation.
“The rest of the rotation is up in the air,” said Cooke. “Russell, Mooney, Sisson and Beeker are all guys who could battle for those other spots. I would say those first three guys (Overcash, Russell, Mooney) probably have the edge right now, but you have to be four or five starters deep.”
Russell went 2-4 last season in nine starts and struck out 28 batters in 29.1 innings of work. He went a season-high six innings with nine strikeouts in an early season contest against Radford, but did not receive the decision. Mooney posted nearly a strikeout per inning, earning 23 K's in 26.2 innings of work. He went 2-3 and drew four starts plus eight relief appearances, and his top performance came against NC Central where he earned seven strikeouts.
If Sisson and Beeker are not in the rotation, they will see action out of the bullpen along with Nick Neitzel and Matt Saeta. Classmates Rob Bain, Ryan Wood and infielder/pitcher Ben Arkin will also look to factor in.
“They're all going to have to get some time without a doubt on the mound,” said Cooke.
Sophomore Jip Richards is essentially the lone regular reliever to return. Richards struck out 17 batters in 13.2 innings and threw a shutout inning of relief in appearances against NC State, College of Charleston, UNCG, NC Central and Elon in a solid rookie campaign.
Senior Michael Loeb and sophomore Justin Charles did not make an appearance in 2011, but will look to join the mix this season.
The 'Cats could also juggle the lineup using position players Zeblo and Cerbie in late game roles. Lowe and DaCanal could be used in a variety of situations.
In the Dugout
The winningest coach in the history of the Davidson baseball program, Dick Cooke, is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Wildcats. With the picks of Lamb and Bass in the Major League Baseball draft last summer, Cooke has now seen 10 of his former student-athletes get selected.
Tod Gross returns to the staff for his third season. Following five seasons as an assistant coach, Mike Zandler was named as the new head baseball coach at the University of Illinois Springfield. A familiar face in 2010 graduate Tommy Piacenza will fill the void after serving as a volunteer assistant last season.
Twitter Updates
DAVIDSON, N.C. - With another season of baseball commencing in the confines of Wilson Field, the Davidson Wildcats will look to build off the positives from 2011.
Last season's 'Cats earned a win over nationally-ranked College of Charleston, improved their conference record by three games and a winning record at home.
In a bizarre conclusion to the season against Clemson, they even garnered national attention (and, to date, nearly 750,000 views on YouTube) with hilarious rain delay antics.
One of the biggest adjustments Davidson will need to make in 2012 is adapting to the absence of bullpen stalwart Mike Frongello. The reliable, righty-reliever concluded his stellar four-year career by breaking Davidson's all-time appearance record in the 2011 season finale, taking the ball for the 136th time. He appeared in 39 of 48 games last season, throwing 67.1 innings (second on the team) and posted a team low 2.54 ERA. Also missing from the bullpen will be flamethrower Andy Bass, who graduated and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 18th round.
The Davidson defense may also get some additional work without strikeout king Chris Lamb. The 'Cats' top starter twice earned double-digit strikeouts in SoCon contests and finished the season second in the league with 85 K's in 81.2 innings of work. The talented lefty elected to forego his senior season after the Oakland A's selected him in the 11th round, the highest selection ever for a Davidson pitcher.
To achieve success, Davidson will need to rely on young arms and an aggressive offense that returns all but one starter, albeit an important one in slugger Danny Weiss.
“There's some experience in our lineup this year,” said head coach Dick Cooke. “We did not hit well with runners in scoring position last year, so hopefully the experience will help amend that. We have guys that have been through the rigors of a Southern Conference schedule and freshmen that could see time too.”
Fans may need to write especially small on their scorecards as position players such as freshman Ryan Lowe, juniors Bryan DaCanal and Michael Zeblo and senior James Cerbie could all see some time on the mound in relief.
“That's going to change our lineup a little bit because we will have to move guys around to adapt to that,” said Cooke. “It will impact our DH scenarios, and we are going to have to have guys step off the bench and be viable candidates in those spots.”
Davidson will begin the season with three weekend series before hitting the road for the first time in early March against ACC powers North Carolina and NC State. The SoCon schedule commences in Boone on March 9 with a three-game set against Appalachian State. The 'Cats will take on the likes of Duke, Virginia Tech and two-time defending national champions South Carolina in mid-week tilts.
At The Plate
With a versatile group of players defensively, the 'Cats will have several options when juggling the lineup as situations dictate.
Davidson will enjoy great depth at catcher with options in senior Seth Freeman and sophomores Daniel Gerow and Chris Dyer. Gerow saw the majority of the action behind the plate in 2011 as a freshman, drawing 35 starts in 36 appearances. The versatile Freeman, a team captain this season, spent most of 2011 starting in center field and batting leadoff, but started 11 times behind the plate. Dyer was effective when called upon with a .625 on-base percentage in his five appearances. Sophomore Adrian Muoio also returns and will provide depth.
The battle for the starting nod at first base is wide open and could depend on how the outfield battles shape up. Senior Matt Ray, freshman Ryan Lowe and junior Bryan DaCanal will all compete for the spot. Ray made 14 starts at first base last season. Leading hitter Drew Gadaire ended up with the majority of the starts there in 2011, but the 'Cats would prefer to use his glove in center field.
At second base, Cerbie and freshman David Daniels will compete for the starting nod. Cerbie appeared in 29 games last season with 24 starts, and got hot late with an eight-game hitting streak. Daniels, a local product from East Mecklenburg H.S., could be called upon especially if Cerbie sees time on the mound. Senior Calvin Sigelbaum, a strong defender, will also see time at both middle infield positions.
The left side of the infield will look the same as it has the past two seasons with juniors Michael Zeblo and Andrew Barna starting at shortstop and third base, respectively. Zeblo continued to be reliable on defense last season and posted the fifth-best on-base percentage on the squad at .357. Barna saw his offensive production dip as a sophomore after garnering Freshman All-America honors the season before, but he will look to rebound this season. His sophomore campaign was not without highlights though, as he led the team with 10 multi-RBI games, assembled multiple hitting streaks and went 8-for-14 with four RBI in a series against The Citadel.
The 'Cats have plenty of outfield options in Gadaire, Freeman, Forrest Brandt, Kelly Myers, Jake Berman and freshman Ty Middlebrooks. Despite new NCAA regulations deadening the bats, Gadaire enjoyed a career year last season, raising his batting average 16 points from the previous season to .362, and also saw a rise in his slugging percentage from .453 to .569. He joins Freeman as a team captain in 2011.
Brandt turned in a spectacular rookie campaign, batting .300 with 15 doubles and 21 RBI to earn 2011 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors. He started all 48 games in left field and led the team with 19 multi-hit games and eight stolen bases. Myers enjoyed a solid freshman season with 25 starts split between center and right field. His speed will prove valuable to the Wildcats' aggressive approach on the bases this season, and he was the lone starter without an error all season.
Berman, a senior, will look to vie for a spot in the starting lineup returning from a season-ending injury that limited him to just one game in 2011. Middlebrooks will be a strong candidate to fill the designated hitter slot if he is squeezed out of the outfield. Nathan Becker also joins the team as a sophomore.
On the Mound
The biggest question marks for Davidson loom on the mound with the departure of nearly 68 percent of last year's innings pitched.
Most certain is the ascension of Ryan Overcash to the top of the rotation. He thrived in the No. 2 slot last season, making 10 starts and posting a career-best 4.03 ERA. Overcash threw 6.1 innings of shutout ball against Western Carolina and turned the tide in an eventual series victory against UNCG, allowing just one run and three hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings of work to earn the win.
Senior Brian Russell, sophomore Danny Mooney and freshmen Henry Sisson and Clark Beeker will compete for the remaining spots in the rotation.
“The rest of the rotation is up in the air,” said Cooke. “Russell, Mooney, Sisson and Beeker are all guys who could battle for those other spots. I would say those first three guys (Overcash, Russell, Mooney) probably have the edge right now, but you have to be four or five starters deep.”
Russell went 2-4 last season in nine starts and struck out 28 batters in 29.1 innings of work. He went a season-high six innings with nine strikeouts in an early season contest against Radford, but did not receive the decision. Mooney posted nearly a strikeout per inning, earning 23 K's in 26.2 innings of work. He went 2-3 and drew four starts plus eight relief appearances, and his top performance came against NC Central where he earned seven strikeouts.
If Sisson and Beeker are not in the rotation, they will see action out of the bullpen along with Nick Neitzel and Matt Saeta. Classmates Rob Bain, Ryan Wood and infielder/pitcher Ben Arkin will also look to factor in.
“They're all going to have to get some time without a doubt on the mound,” said Cooke.
Sophomore Jip Richards is essentially the lone regular reliever to return. Richards struck out 17 batters in 13.2 innings and threw a shutout inning of relief in appearances against NC State, College of Charleston, UNCG, NC Central and Elon in a solid rookie campaign.
Senior Michael Loeb and sophomore Justin Charles did not make an appearance in 2011, but will look to join the mix this season.
The 'Cats could also juggle the lineup using position players Zeblo and Cerbie in late game roles. Lowe and DaCanal could be used in a variety of situations.
In the Dugout
The winningest coach in the history of the Davidson baseball program, Dick Cooke, is in his 22nd season at the helm of the Wildcats. With the picks of Lamb and Bass in the Major League Baseball draft last summer, Cooke has now seen 10 of his former student-athletes get selected.
Tod Gross returns to the staff for his third season. Following five seasons as an assistant coach, Mike Zandler was named as the new head baseball coach at the University of Illinois Springfield. A familiar face in 2010 graduate Tommy Piacenza will fill the void after serving as a volunteer assistant last season.
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