The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2008 Season Outlook: Infielders
2/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 7, 2008
Each Tuesday and Thursday leading up to UAB's first game of the season with Ball State on Feb. 22, UABsports.com will preview the 2008 Blazers. Today we take a look at the Blazer infielders and next Tuesday, the UAB outfield will be the topic of discussion.
As the Blazers look to continue to improve defensively they will fill the infield with both experienced and inexperienced talent.
Senior Ryan Keedy will start at first base where he started in 55 games last season. The southpaw hit .333 with four home runs and 33 RBI in 2007, while leading the team in walks (42) and on-base percentage (.457).
"Ryan is our guy at first," said UAB head coach Brian Shoop. "He's a guy that will hit third and we are really comfortable with him as our leader. He is a different guy this year. He has been the leader we want him to be and has just been everything we'd want out of him so I think we are better at first this year with the same guy."
Backing Keedy up at first will be senior Billy Lichtner and freshman Devin Hamilton. Lichtner played in 21 games last season and had an on-base percentage of .385. Hamilton, a standout from Harrison High School in Acworth, Ga., committed no errors in his senior season.
"We have a lot of depth at first," Shoop said. "Billy will have an opportunity to DH and be a pinch hitter. Devin is a freshman who could be really good. He needs some time to get stronger and play behind a guy who he can learn from so I think this year will be really good for him."
Second base was the least concrete position for the Blazers last season as both Tyler Rollin and junior Allen Aubin got more than 20 starts at the position. This season, the Blazers are excited about their young middle infield prospect Nick Crawford being their every day second baseman. At 5-7, 145 pounds, Crawford adds desirable speed and athleticism to the middle infield. A standout at Evangelical Christian in Cordova, Tenn., Crawford was a three-time West Tennessee All-Region selection.
"I think we are improved at second," Shoop said. "Nick is a really good player. Everybody liked him coming out of high school but passed on him because they thought he was too small. I think they all missed out and we've really benefited from that."
Returning at shortstop is sophomore Jonathan Merritt who hit .294 with 32 RBI and had 13 steals last season. Merritt led the team with a .364 average in Conference USA play to earn him C-USA All-Freshman Team recognition.
"Nick and Jonathan are two very gifted players who will start in the middle for us," Shoop said. "They are both small but very talented. We may have the smallest middle infield in the country."
Backing up Crawford and Merritt in the middle will be junior Ben Drust who hit .331 with 20 RBI last season at John A. Logan (Ill.) Community College.
"Ben will serve as the third middle infielder and we'll need him because you can't go through a season with just two guys in the middle. Ben wants to be a coach one day and he has that coach's mentality where he's a good leader."
Third base may be the biggest question mark for the Blazers heading into the season as sophomore Luke Stewart, a transfer from Georgia, and redshirt freshman Andrew Manning have both demonstrated the ability to start at the position. Stewart hit .274 with two home runs and 10 RBI for Georgia last season while playing primarily at first. Manning spent last summer playing with the Sanford River Cats and was selected to the Florida Collegiate League All-Star Game.
"Luke and Andrew will compete at third and we'll just have to wait and see who emerges as the front runner there," Shoop said.
