The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2007 Season Preview: Overall Outlook
2/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 12, 2007
For the past four weeks, UABsports.com has been previewing the 2007 UAB Blazers. Today, in our final installment, we sit down with first-year head coach Brian Shoop and take an overall look on this year's club. Opening day is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. against Central Michigan.
OVERALL
A mix of new and old will suit up for UAB in 2007 as the team returns eight starting position players from last year's squad and welcomes in 15 newcomers, in addition to a new coaching staff.
Brian Shoop was announced as the new head coach of the Blazers on June 12, 2006 after 17 highly successful seasons at Birmingham-Southern in which he compiled an overall record of 692-307-1.
One major challenge facing Shoop and the Blazers in his first season at the helm is the task of bringing a team together that includes 21 returning letterwinners, four transfers from Birmingham-Southern and 11 other newcomers from the junior college and high school ranks.
"We have returning players, players recruited by the past (UAB) staff that are coming into a situation that is different than they were expecting and then we have a few transfers from Birmingham-Southern and we have kids that didn't know the guys at (Birmingham) Southern but had signed with us there," Shoop said. "I think the level of unity has been amazing up to this point and we've really worked hard to cultivate an environment of that but we haven't played a game yet, we haven't had failure yet and we haven't had people sitting on the bench yet."
Shoop is quick to point out that following fall practice there is no certainty as to who would be starting on opening day and that the team's spring camp would be used to determine the starting line-up for opening day but said he could see the line-up changing a great deal throughout the season.
With so many positions remaining in doubt and being so tightly contested, Shoop points to the ups and downs of the season and different players playing and sitting out being the true test of the strength of the UAB baseball family.
"Those things will challenge the cohesiveness and whether or not the unity is strong enough to get through the inevitable advirsity of a season," Shoop said. "Again, I think time will tell and I'm optimistic and hopeful. I've been doing this long enough that you really don't know until you're put through the test."
With nine seniors and 14 juniors, the challenge of bringing a team together and maintaining that unity throughout the course of the season could prove to be the strength this year's team.
"I think the unity and comradery really has a chance to be a strength of this team, if it will weather the storm," Shoop said. "I'm actually anxious for all those things to happen because it will either thrust us forward as a program, or it will shake us where we have to make some adjustments."
One other factor Shoop believes the Blazers will gain positive energy from this season is the desire of the upperclassmen. UAB has made the Conference USA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. However, has won just two games in the postseason during that time.
"We have some guys that are hungry which is a good thing and they have faced Conference USA pitching so that is a huge plus," Shoop said. "I'm more focused on attitude, unity and mental toughness right now. How they carry their body posture and how confident they are has been a goal for us more so than number of wins."
UAB returns the majority of its offensive output from last season as only shortstop Ryan Metcalf departed last season after signing a free agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers following his graduation. In all, the Blazers return a handful of experience that has UAB optimistic heading into opening day with Central Michigan on Feb. 17.
