Air Force Baseball 2010 Season Outlook
2/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 8, 2010
With the return of six seniors and six starters, Air Force baseball enters the 2010 season with its most veteran team in the six years under head coach Mike Hutcheon. Led by returning first-team All-American senior Matt Alexander and senior right-hander Alex Truesdale, the Air Force baseball coaching staff regards this team as one of the most talented groups to come through the Academy in recent years.
Air Force returns three players that have started three years. Complementing a strong veteran core is a talented freshman class that will immediately contribute both in the field and on the mound.
"The leadership shown by our six seniors has been a valuable asset as we gear up for the 2010 season," Hutcheon said. "They are determined to make their final season a successful one and have been excellent role models in guiding our underclassman on how to approach the game both on and off the field."
A trio of seniors, Alexander, Truesdale and K.J. Randhawa will captain the team. All three have been integral contributors as Alexander and Randhawa have combined to start 277 games and Truesdale having made 35 starts and logging 247 innings over his career. In addition, fellow seniors Ben Ausbun, Addison Gentry and Michael Ruvolo help round out the senior class.
"Our seniors, especially our captains, have instilled a competitive mindset and focus towards success," Hutcheon said. "They have kept the team motivated and driven to reach our full potential. The staff is confident they will maintain the intensity and hunger to win they showed during fall ball."
Below is a quick breakdown of the 2010 Air Force baseball team.
Infield:
Several starters and some new faces enter the fray for the Falcon infield. Three-year starters Randhawa and Gentry anchor the Falcon infield on the right side. After three years spent primarily at short, Randhawa is slated to make the switch to second base. Gentry enters his fourth year as the starting first baseman.
A pair of freshmen are slated to start at shortstop and third base. Freshman Matthew Roberts showed off his athleticism during fall ball and the coaching staff is excited about the added range he brings to the shortstop position. Freshman Ethan Loosen, possessing the strongest infield arm, has the early nod to start at third.
"Matthew Roberts is very quick and can get to grounders deep in the hole and Loosen is a prototypical third baseman with a strong arm and the ability to give us a power bat in the lineup," Hutcheon said.
Sophomore Blair Roberts, who started 38 games and batted .303 as a freshman, will also get plenty of playing time and has the ability to play at second, third and short. Sophomore Adam Hill and freshman Caleb Spengler will also contribute at second and third.
"Despite the relative youth on the left side, we have upgraded our infield in terms of athleticsm, Hutcheon said. "Our infield has the chance to be very good this year."
Catchers
Three freshmen, Alex Bast, Garrett Custons and Travis Lane will assume catching duties in 2010. Both Custons and Lane will share starting duties. Lane has the early nod to start most games as Custons, a multi-position player, will start in the outfield.
"Travis and Garrett both possess above-average arms behind the plate," Hutcheon said. "In addition to Alex, our catchers have done a good job of developing a good rapport with our pitchers and we are excited about their ability to keep the run game in check."
Outfield
The Air Force outfield features a pair of returning starters and some new talented faces.
Ausbun and junior Nathan Carter return as starting outfielders. Carter will man center or right field and Ausbun will start in left. Freshmen Johnathon Bramble and Garrett Custons are two fleet-footed newcomers that can both play center and right. In additon, power-hitting sophomore Blair Kessler and freshman Alex Bast will get looks in the outfield as well.
"We have some good speed in the outfield in Nathan, Garrett and Johnathon," Hutcheon said. "Those guys can cover ground in a hurry and have shown the ability to throw guys out when the situation calls."
Pitching
Air Force's pitching staff will be anchored by a pair of veteran seniors, but otherwise, will be young and untested as nine freshmen join the group with four sophomores. Truesdale and Ruvolo have been Air Force's most dependable pitchers over the last three years. Truesdale has led the Falcons in innings pitched each of the last three years and in strikeouts the last two. Ruvolo has 85 career appearances to his resume and is six games shy of becoming Air Force's all-time leader in appearances.
"Alex will be our Friday guy and we look for him to set the tone for the weekend," Hutcheon said. "Michael has been a gritty competitor for us out of the pen and he will be active in both setup and closing duties."
Sophomore right-hander Evan Abrecht and freshmen right-handers Alex Baker and Sean Carley have the inside track to start on Saturdays and Sundays. Abrecht earned nine starts for the Falcons as a freshman and both Baker and Carley come to the Academy after solid high school careers.
"Evan has all the tools to be a special pitcher and both Alex and Sean showed in fall ball that they are ready to pitch for us," Hutcheon said.
Ruvolo and freshman righthander Stephen Colangelo will handle the closer and setup duties.
The Falcons have beefed up their middle-relief corps featuring seven pitchers, four being left-handed. Freshman Kincaid Koehler gives Air Force a big 6-foot-5 left-hander that will also get looks as a starter. Sophomore left-handers Michael Ceci and Andrew Loyd and freshman Ben Bertelson will give Air Force some good matchup looks. On the right-hand side, sophomore Mike Kazakoff and freshmen Matt Zettler, Jack Hourin, Todd Del Toro and Alex Lerda-Plog will be utilized.
"Our pitching staff has a lot more flexibility in terms of depth and ability to match up against left and right-handers," Hutcheon said. "Our added bullpen depth will allow our starting pitching to focus on quality innings over quantity of innings."
Projected Batting Lineup
Air Force projects to have an improved offense from an already solid 2009 season, featuring speed at the top and power in the middle. The Falcons will be especially strong in the middle of the lineup with Alexander, Gentry and Carter having started every year at the Academy.
Custons is slated to hit out of the leadoff spot and gives Air Force a strong bat and speed right out the gates. The Falcons' next three hitters all bat from the left side. Randhawa will bat second and is the prototypical number two hitter with his ability to work pitches and sacrifice bunt effectively.
Alexander, who batted .383 with 15 homers and 65 RBIs as a junior, will hit third. He will be backed up by cleanup hitter Gentry who batted .347 with nine homers and 40 RBIs as a junior. In the fifth slot will be Carter, a do-it-all hitter coming off a scorching hot fall ball. Carter hit seven homers, scored 39 runs and stole 15 bases for the Falcons as a sophomore.
Ausbun gives Air Force a solid number six hitter. The senior began to show his potential last year, having a breakout season, batting .301 with six homers and 25 RBIs.
"Matt, Addison and Nathan, in addition to Ben, give us an experienced and solid group of hitters in the middle of our order," Hutcheon said. "Our offense is our team strength and we look for this middle core to have a great year for us."
Lane projects to hit seventh in the order out of the catcher slot. Loosen gives the Falcons another power bat deep in the lineup and Matt Roberts gives Air Force leadoff-type speed at the back end.
Blair Roberts will also provide Air Force with another solid bat in both starting and pinch-hitting situations.
"We have a solid lineup from top to bottom," Hutcheon said. "There won't be an easy out anywhere."
