Air Force Baseball 2004 Season Preview
1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 26, 2004
Spring is always a time of rebirth and renewal, a time when things begin anew. And for the Air Force baseball team, the spring of 2004 could not be more the case.
With the loss of 15 players to graduation--including eight position starters off the 2003 squad that went 15-39, newly hired head coach Mike Hutcheon looks to lay the foundation for success at the Academy with the help of 21 newcomers and a promising young pitching staff.
"This is one of those bittersweet moments." Hutcheon said. "You hate to lose 15 seniors, eight of whom were regular starters, that have experience and have been in the program for four years. Yet, it is exciting to work with a lot of inexperience but a lot of heart. We are building a foundation and it will take some time. But it is nice to start a foundation with young guys that have the same vision and heart that I have for this program."
Gone are All-American Josh Phifer and all-Mountain West Conference selections Derck Kasel and Dan Petro, who spearheaded a Falcon offense that ranked 14th in the nation with a .327 team batting average. Senior outfielder Mike Rose is the lone returning regular starter from the 2003 lineup, leaving plenty of starting spots to be filled as the season begins.
The pitching staff, which was young and inexperienced in 2003, looks for a group of sophomore hurlers to build on solid freshman campaigns. New pitching coach Ryan Thompson will also look to 11 new arms to help improve the pitching staff, which had the highest earned run average in the Mountain West Conference a year ago.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2004 Air Force Falcon team.
Pitching
Anchoring the pitching staff will be the sophomore duo of righties Clayton Couch and Paul Vignola. Vignola, a hard-throwing 6-4, 235-pounder, led the Falcons as a freshman with a 5-8 record and 36 strikeouts. Couch made eight starts as a freshman, going 1-4 in 51.1 innings of work. Two more sophomores, Jeff Tetrault (1-0, 7.39) and Jason Brown (1-3 in six starts in 2003), along with junior Ken Hodgson.(0-4, 11.95) will also see starting pitching time. Senior Michael Chapados, one of three three-year letterwinners will also see action in relief. Joining the six returning pitchers is a talented group of 11 newcomers. Two sophomores--Kyle DePierre and John Meyers--move up from the junior varsity squad, while nine freshmen--Mitch Brown, Jackson Edwards, William Goss, Tyson Graham, Nathan Lowry, Blake Nixon, JT Schroeder, Ryan Shaub and Aaron Timmermann look to add depth to a very young and untested pitching staff.
"We have a talented group of young pitchers and it will be exciting to watch them develop and improve throughout the course of the season," pitching coach Ryan Thompson said.
Catching
Like the pitching staff, the Falcon catchers are a young and untested bunch, returning just one player from 2003, while welcoming three newcomers. Early on, starting catching duties will most likely go to either sophomore Josh Oakley, a newcomer from the junior varsity squad, or to Jon Polston, a freshman who also played this fall for the Air Force football program. Sophomore Jackson Ranes (14 games, five starts in 2003), the lone returning full-time catcher and freshman Billy Adams may also see action. Although slated to play third base this year, senior Ryan Fitzgerald could also see time behind the plate if need arises.
"Catching is key to any team," Hutcheon said. "Our catchers are the quarterbacks, the generals on the field, and I think we have the guys that can do that."
Infield
With the entire 2003 infield gone to graduation, a bunch of new faces will be vying for starting spots at nearly every position. Senior co-captain Ryan Fitzgerald will start at third base to start the season, as will junior Nathan DeRohan at shortstop. Fitzgerald batted .294 as a junior, appearing in 23 games and starting in 11. DeRohan batted .319 a season ago, appearing in 36 games, starting in 19. Junior Colton Walter and freshman Geno Salazar will battle for the second base spot. Walter and sophomore Dustin Smith will also play both middle-infield positions. First base duties will go to either senior co-captain Bryan Zumbro, junior Brent Tittle, or freshman Karl Bolt. Bolt will also backup Fitzgerald at third and freshman Jonathan Stralka will also be utilized at first base.
"I feel the infield play is the strongest part of our club," Hutcheon said. "Although they are extremely young, they are very athletic."
Outfield
The outfield, which lost two starters in Josh Phifer and Tony Shockley, will look to break-in a good mix of returners, transfers and newcomers. Senior Mike Rose, who is the Falcons' leading returning hitter (.371 AVG in 2003), will start in right field. Sophomore transfer Josh Wolfram (Southern Idaho) will get the early starting nod in center field. A trio of juniors--Travis Fugler (.242 AVG), Reid Lamson (.270 AVG), and Dale Kasel--will battle for the left field position, as will sophomore transfer Matt Musser (New Mexico Military Institute) and freshman Zach Reimer.
"The outfield positions are going to be very competitive coming into the season," Hutcheon said. "Anyone could come out on top as our three best."
Schedule
Like every season, the 2004 schedule is packed with plenty of solid opponents, four of whom saw action in the 2003 NCAA postseason.
The Falcons open the season Feb. 7-8 with a three game set at New Mexico State. AFA opens its home schedule with a three-way series with Creighton and Southern Utah April 14-15.
Air Force again participates in the Service Academy Classic, where they take on Kentucky, Navy and Murray State. The Falcons also make trips to Lubbock, Texas, to take on host Texas Tech and Harvard, and later to Norman, Okla., to take on Western Illinois and host Oklahoma.
AFA also plays Northern Colorado, which is in their inaugural season as a Division I team, eight times.
The Falcons open their conference slate on March 19 against San Diego State as part of a 10-day, nine-game spring break trip, that culminates with a three game set at 2003 MWC Tournament Champion UNLV.
"The schedule will be a march to see where we are and where we need to go for the future," Hutcheon said. "I have always believed in playing competitive schedules to keep us in check with the rest of the country. I feel the caliber of teams we play now will help our program in the years to come."
