The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2011 UAB Baseball Season Preview: Infielders
2/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 15, 2011
With the 2011 UAB baseball season just days away, uabsports.com provides a look at this year's Blazer team.
This is the second in a three-part series of previews and features the UAB infield. Monday's preview focused on the Blazer outfield. Check back Wednesday for a look at the UAB pitchers and catchers.
UAB opens its season Friday in Auburn, Ala., with a 2 p.m. contest against 13th-ranked Virginia. It is the first of three games for the Blazers at the Auburn Tournament.
Infielders
After two straight seasons with the same infield from first to third, UAB will experience some changes in 2011.
The loss of all-conference players Luke Stewart at first base and Jonathan Merritt at shortstop means there will be some shifting.
Luckily for the Blazers, Merritt's replacement has already established himself as one of the top defensive players in Conference USA. Nick Crawford, who has started for three years at second base, will make the move to short this spring.
Crawford is a career .982 fielder who has been at his best in conference play. Through 71 career league games, the Cordova, Tenn., product has committed just three errors for a .991 fielding percentage.
Nearly a .300 hitter for his career, Crawford ranks in the top 10 all-time at UAB in sacrifice bunts (1st, 48), walks (5th, 103), runs scored (8th, 138) and stolen bases (9th, 39). His 48 career sac bunts are the most of any active player in the country and the seventh-most in NCAA Division I history.
"Nick is a very skilled player, so we are covered pretty well at shortstop," Shoop said. "He'll be near the top of the order in some capacity. Nick grasps what it is to be who he is; he gets his role. He's willing to take pitches, bunt and move runners. He's the consummate team player and a great guy to have on your team."
UAB also has experienced options at the corner infield positions. Senior Andrew Manning is a two-year starter at third base and can play either there or across the diamond at first. Despite a down year offensively, Manning still posted six home runs and 33 RBI last year. He demonstrated his ability at the plate two years ago when he led UAB with a .365 batting average in conference play.
Another pair of returners, John Frost and Harry Clark, is also in the mix at first base. Frost was a C-USA All-Freshman Team performer last year and spent most of the season as the team's designated hitter, posting a .338 batting average with 50 RBI. Clark is a fellow sophomore, who spent his freshman year splitting time behind the plate but can also play first.
"I would be very surprised if John Frost is not in the middle of our lineup in some capacity," Shoop said. "He's a player that we count on very much. He's a right-handed hitter who can literally use the whole field. He walks around out there like a senior even though he's only a sophomore. He has a presence about him."
In addition to those returning players, UAB also welcomes freshman Sam Kelley from Southern Academy in Greensboro, Ala. Kelley can both pitch and play first base.
Another newcomer will compete for playing time back across the diamond at third base in junior college transfer Patrick Palmeiro. A 22nd round draft pick out of high school, Palmeiro played last season at Howard College in Texas. He will look to make an impact with his strong defense and ability to hit for power.
Crawford's move to shortstop will leave a hole at second base, where a number of players are in the mix, including Keith DePew, Michael Busby, Matt Morse and Ryan Nance.
DePew, a junior, has experience with 19 starts and 45 games played as both an infielder and outfielder in his two years at UAB. He has shown an ability to produce offensively, hitting .353 in limited action as a freshman two years ago.
The other three are all new to the Blazer program. Junior college transfers Busby and Nance teamed together at Hinds Community College, where they won a Mississippi state championship in 2010. Both are versatile players, who can also pitch and play in the outfield.
Morse, a freshman, completed his prep career at Sandwich High School in Illinois as a two-time all-state selection. He hit better than .400 all four years of high school and was ranked among the top prospects in the 2010 signing class by PGCrosschecker.com, a service of Perfect Game USA.
Additionally, freshmen Tyler Hamby and Edwin Reyes will add depth and compete for playing time on the infield. Hamby was a two-time All-St. Clair County selection at Moody High School in Alabama, while Reyes was a standout both in the infield and on the mound at Bob Jones High School in Alabama.
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