The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2005 UAB Baseball Season Preview
1/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 31, 2005
The 2005 UAB baseball team looks to build on an exciting 2004 season which saw the team win 30 games and advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament for just the third time since entering the league in 1996. In addition, the Blazers notched four wins against nationally-ranked opponents in 2004, including three victories over Tulane in four contests. The Blazers' 30 victories last season was also the highest win total for the team since 1997.
But sixth-year head coach Larry Giangrosso knows the Blazers have their work cut out for them to continue their rise in the fiercely competitive Conference USA. Gone are five starters from last year's squad, including first baseman Daniel Hill and catcher Eugene Rodriguez who combined for 140 hits, 20 home runs and 92 RBIs in 2004.
The Blazers return 10 seniors and Conference USA All-Freshman team selection Zac Ward in 2005. Picking up the slack offensively will be seniors Nathan McCorkle, Cole Helms and Seth Rollin, who all enter the season with the potential for breakout years.
On the mound, UAB will rely on the leadership and experience of 11 returning hurlers, including seniors Jeff Brown, Adam Price, Ryan Huffman, Eric Roberts and Helms. Brown and Price each recorded six victories in 2004 while Roberts led the league with 37 appearances out of the bullpen.
The Blazers will once again face a challenging schedule which not only includes C-USA heavyweights such as preseason No. 1 Tulane, No. 21 TCU, Southern Miss and East Carolina, but also features a three-game series at second-ranked LSU.
Giangrosso sat down prior to the season to discuss the 2005 Blazers, and here is some of what he had to say:
On the pitching staff:
"We're very fortunate with our pitching staff to have so many guys returning who have experience in the conference and in the conference tournament. It starts with Jeff Brown who has proven himself to be solid, so he'll be a weekend starter. Obviously, we're very fortunate to have a guy like Eric Roberts, who can come out of the bullpen and pitch so many innings. He had over 80 innings and some really good numbers last year. Then we've got guys like Adam Price who did really well in relief and as a starter last year."
"We weren't able to use Cole Helms as much last year because he was starting in right field and was leading us in RBIs at one point. That was a very difficult situation because we needed him in the lineup, but this year we're going to use him some as a starter. Coming out of the fall, Randy Mills was outstanding, so he's got a chance to start conference games for us. And we still have guys like Grant Addison who won some big games down the stretch for us last year. Ryan Huffman is so valuable to us because he can do so many things. We're not sure how we'll use him. He could be a starter, but he's also done such a great job out of the bullpen, so that's an option."
"We need to get quality innings out of Jacob Legg and Lyle Northington, our only two lefthanders. We also need to get Chandler Miller and Allen West going after coming off injuries. Justin Telotte had a good fall and contributed. He's got the makeup and pitches that allow him to come out and be a situational-type pitcher."
"I think overall, the biggest factor for our pitching staff is experience. We're fortunate to have this many guys back who could be weekend starters. The pitching is one of the strong points of this team because of that experience. In this day and age in college baseball, you need to have solid pitching. Your staff needs to go out every day and give you a chance to win."
On the offense:
"The biggest concern for us this year is filling the two offensive holes left with Daniel Hill and Eugene Rodriguez graduating. They provided a lot of punch, a lot of RBIs and a lot of big hits last season. The key is being able to replace them. We feel like Nathan McCorkle is that guy along with Zac Ward and Cole Helms. Seth Rollin has been in the league for three years, so he'll help us. Dan Stucky also had a great fall for us swinging the bat as a switch hitter. It is very important for him to be in the lineup somewhere. What you'll find with our offense this year is that we do not have as much home run power as we did last year, but we'll have more gap power and doubles hitters to go along with more speed throughout the lineup. Speed really hurts defenses because we can go from first to third base very easily now."
"The next most important thing after replacing Hill and Rodriguez is to find a solid leadoff batter. Levi Patmon, possibly Ryan Metcalf and maybe even Clint Toomey or Phillip Bell could be in that one, two or nine hole which require some speed and on-base percentage guys. We're really excited about our offense because we're not one-dimensional. We can go with the short game, but we can also hit the ball out of the park once in a while. The thing that we can consistently do is hit a lot of doubles. That excites us because it puts our running game in motion."
On the infield:
"Our infield will be anchored by Rollin at second base but we've also got Zac Ward at third base who played every inning there for us last year. We've got a senior shortstop back in Stucky and a solid junior college shortstop also in Metcalf. We feel very comfortable with McCorkle replacing Hill at first base because Nathan has played third base before so it won't be a big transition for him."
"Defensively, I think we'll be solid this season. We have versatility with the infield, so no matter what combination we look at, I feel we'll be solid. Anchored by McCorkle, Rollin and Ward, that gives us some offensive punch plus solid defense."
On the outfield:
"In the outfield, we've got two returning starters. Levi Patmon started the last third of the season in center field for us after Sam Clark got hurt. Patmon and Helms play almost every day in their positions and put up some very good numbers. Defensively, we'll have solid arms and speed out there. The third outfield spot is up for grabs right now. J.R. Bond really came on and had a good fall. Bell and Toomey, the two freshmen, have done well out there also. And of course, we have the option of moving Stucky or Rollin to the outfield as well."
"Our goal is to have enough versatility where when we make a change, we're not limited. If we have to make a switch in the late innings, we don't want just a defensive replacement. We want a defensive player who can swing the bat up there at the plate as well. And we feel like some of our young guys will be able to do that. I'm just very comfortable with our whole defensive scheme and the versatility we have moving players in and out of the game."
On the designated hitter spot:
"The designated hitter position is up in the air since we have so many capable hitters. If we want to go with more of a speed lineup, we might use Toomey or Bell there. If we want a little more power, we might use Billy Lichtner who can hit some tape measure home runs. Plus he hits from the left side which is always good. We've also got the option to put one of our catchers in there. Even though the designated hitter role isn't defined yet, we're not concerned about it because we have enough left and right balance to choose from."
On the catcher position:
"It is definitely a battle and fun to see those guys work. Rush Knight came out in the fall a little bit ahead but Ben McCullars does a great job receiving. And then there's Donny Muth, who has really matured and made a lot of progress. It is very healthy to have a situation where one of the guys needs to step up and win the job. I would feel very comfortable with any of these guys back there for us."
On the UAB coaching staff:
"We're very fortunate to have the coaching staff we've assembled here. First of all, they're good people who genuinely care for our players. They're great coaches who pay great attention to detail. Frank Walton brings 13 seasons of experience at UAB while Nick Dumas is a younger coach whose experience and abilities are well beyond his years. Jon Renfro was coaching at a junior college and we were fortunate to get him as a volunteer. Most of the workload is on these guys and UAB is very fortunate to have them represent the university."
On the schedule:
"We play in a very difficult conference. I think Conference USA is one of the best in the country. And when you mix in non-conference opponents like Alabama and LSU, we've got a very difficult schedule. But I think we match up well because of our experience. There aren't any easy games on the schedule and we'll definitely be challenged every time out. But I think this team is ready for that. In the past we may have been a little bit intimidated, but now we look forward to the challenge. The players know they have their work cut out for them, but we believe that we can get in there and play with teams like TCU and Tulane who we knocked off last year. Some teams out there will want to pay us back for last year."
"One of the things about having players who have been here for a few years is that we eliminate the fear of the unknown. That's a big plus in college baseball because we won't be distracted by the environment or the name on our opponent's uniform. This year we have to go to Houston, Tulane, Southern Miss, Louisville and South Florida in conference, as well as traveling to places such as LSU. These are very difficult places to win games, but being put in tough environments like that will help us in the future and especially later in the season."
On the seniors and team character:
"This senior class is a very fun bunch of guys to be around. Some of them have been with us for a very long time. It's a quiet group of guys who are very intense and headstrong. They've taken some shots in the past and suffered some difficult losses but that's made them stronger. We believe in them and they believe in what we're doing. We're glad that at this stage in our program, this is the group of seniors we have to lead our team."
