The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2010 Baseball Preview: Infielders And Outfielders
2/19/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
Feb. 19, 2010
The UAB baseball team is four days away from its 2010 season opener, a Feb. 23 road contest at SEC foe Mississippi State. The Blazers will then open their home slate Feb. 26-28 with a four-game series at Young Memorial Field against Ball State.
With the season almost here, uabsports.com provides a look at the 2010 Blazer baseball team this week with a series of previews. Check the site throughout the week as we feature the following:
Monday - 2010 Season Overview
Wednesday - Pitchers and Catchers
Friday - Infielders and Outfielders
Infielders
From a personnel standpoint, the 2010 UAB infield will look much the same as it did in 2009. That's because the Blazers return starters at all four positions.
Up the middle, UAB welcomes back the double-play tandem of shortstop Jonathan Merritt and second baseman Nick Crawford.
Merritt, who has already started to leave his mark on the UAB record book, is entering his fourth-year as a starter. A preseason all-conference selection, Merritt hit .317 with 18 doubles and 20 stolen bases in 2009. He already ranks in the top 10 at UAB in seven career statistical categories.
Crawford is coming off a solid summer as an All-Cape performer in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Entering his third year as UAB's starting second baseman, Crawford has committed just seven errors in his collegiate career. He is also a threat offensively with a career .308 batting average and 22 stolen bases in his two years.
"We love our middle infield, and we feel like it's a strength," Shoop said. "I thought (Merritt) was great in fall practice. If he plays the spring the way he played in the fall, we have a very good college shortstop on both sides of the baseball.
"Nick is so solid on defense. He makes play after play and just never beats you. He's just a steady, solid player, and when he plays his role, he's special."
At first base, Luke Stewart opens his senior campaign as one of the top power hitters in Conference USA. Stewart owns 28 home runs and 103 RBI in his two years with the Blazers after transferring from Georgia. He moved to first base in 2009 after playing third in 2008.
His replacement at third was Andrew Manning, who turned into one of C-USA's top hitters during conference play last year. Manning, now a junior, hit .365 in league play a year ago with a .676 slugging percentage and a .515 on-base percentage. Each of those numbers ranked in the top 10 in the conference.
Behind those starters, UAB also features infielders Devin Hamilton, a first baseman, along with Keith DePew and Trey Early. All three played in at least 12 games as freshmen last season. Freshman John Frost will also compete for playing time on the Blazer infield this spring.
Outfielders
Last year's UAB outfield featured three all-conference performers. Two of those - Brint Hardy (first team) and Cody McMurry (second team) -- have departed. But the third, 2009 C-USA All-Freshman performer Jamal Austin, is back to anchor things in center field.
Austin started 46 games a season ago, hitting .297 and stealing 20 bases in 23 attempts. He picked things up offensively during conference play when he was second on the team with a .337 average. In his rookie campaign, Austin's speed proved to be a game-changer both offensively and defensively.
On either side of Austin, the corner outfield positions are up for grabs with a variety of talented young players fighting for time.
Bradley Hicks and Danny Volk each saw limited action in the outfield in 2009, while DePew and Early both saw time on infield last year and could make contributions this season in the outfield, as well. Mikael Saway, a member of the Blazer pitching staff, can also play in the outfield.
In addition to that group, UAB's 2010 roster features a trio of freshman outfielders in Patrick Barr, Charles DiBella and Ryan Ussery.
"There's a lot of guys in that mix," Shoop said. "I can't tell you who's going to man those spots, and it may be that instead of running Brint and Cody out there every day, we're running a bunch of guys out there. But the only outfield spot that's nailed down is Jamal in center, and that's a good one to start with."
