2009 USF Baseball Preview

[Da Bulls]

http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=3651902

Season Preview

As Head Coach Lelo Prado and his assistants Lazer Collazo, Bryant Ward and volunteer Tino Martinez enter their third season at the University of South Florida, the staff anticipates the 2009 campaign with high expectations and visions of championships.

"I want to win a BIG EAST championship," says Prado. "That is the short term, but the long term is to win a National Championship. We will not stop until we get it done. USF baseball has had some pretty good teams in the past, but nobody has ever been to Omaha. That is my ultimate goal, to get this university to the College World Series."

USF looks to make moves in the BIG EAST Conference after being predicted to finish second in the preseason polls. The Bulls, driven by back-to-back highly-regarded recruiting classes, are on the national radar again as they have received votes in preseason polls for the second consecutive season.

With the coaching staff intact since Prado's arrival, the Bulls will build off the continuity in teaching styles of the assistants, while welcoming former Bull Charles Cleveland to the staff as an undergraduate assistant.

"I have a great staff and they are a strength of this program. I couldn’t ask for a better group," said Prado. "They work their tails off, recruiting all of the time. Bryant is full of energy; he is going to do great things. I really believe that Lazer is the best pitching coach in the country. I have good people and they work hard. That is all I ask that they do."

The players work hard for Prado, as well.

"We have a lot of returning guys, although they are young as sophomores and juniors, we should definitely improve from last year," said Prado.

On the field, the Bulls return five major pieces of the 2008 team in sophomores Ryan Lockwood, Stephen Hunt, Randy Fontanez, Derrick Stultz and Jonathan Koscso, and expect a pair of newcomers – Sam Mende and Peter Brotons – to make an immediate impact in the middle infield.

The 2008 College Baseball News Freshman Player of the Year, Lockwood has earned spots on three preseason All-American teams and was selected for the preseason Wallace Watch List. Hunt was a freshman All-American in 2008 and will continue to be a utility player for the Bulls as a designated hitter, pitcher, outfielder and first baseman.

Fontanez and Stultz return to the weekend rotation as the team's one-two punch while Koscso, the only Bull from 2008 to start every game, moves from second to third base.

Mende will be USF's every day starter at shortstop as a rookie, and Brotons, a junior college transfer, takes over duties at second base.

The players will have to learn Prado's system early in spring practice as USF starts the season with three games against Big Ten teams – Michigan, Purdue and Indiana - then hosts the Netherlands National Baseball team before embarking on the rigorous BIG EAST Conference season. The team's midweek games should also provide a challenge as USF faces nine in-state foes.

"If we have 35 guys playing for the name on the front of that uniform, then we are going to be pretty good," concluded Prado.

The Schedule

USF’s 2009 schedule is a listing of 29 teams from 11 conferences, with 40 games played in the state of Florida, 25 of which will be at USF’s Red McEwen Field in Tampa. Five of USF’s 2009 opponents competed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Bulls will open the season with three tournaments in Florida, including the BIG EAST – Big Ten Challenge held in Clearwater, followed by the Florida Gulf Coast Challenge in Ft. Myers and the Bulls Baseball Classic in Tampa.

“Right off the bat, we play Michigan, FIU, FAU and Florida. Those teams are good, and Bethune-Cookman is a regional team every year. Then in conference we have Louisville, Notre Dame and Rutgers. Those are the three teams, along with St. John’s, that everyone is shooting for,†said Coach Lelo Prado.

The 2009 BIG EAST Championship will be held May 19-23 in Clearwater, Fla. at Bright House Networks Field. NCAA championships begin with Regionals (May 29-June 1) and Super Regionals (June 5-8) at campus sites, which lead to the College World Series held at Omaha’s Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium June 13-23/24 in Nebraska.

Returners

The Bulls return 18 players from 2008, including seven starting fielders and two of the team’s starting weekend pitchers.

Six of the team’s top eight batters will be back in the lineup, and five of the top six pitchers are available to take the mound.

Sophomore outfielder Ryan Lockwood, the nation’s freshman player of the year, led the offensive attack in 2008, batting .415 with 15 doubles and 12 stolen bases. Sophomore designated hitter Stephen Hunt posted the third-best average on the team last season at .331, and collected 38 RBI in 36 games. Sophomore infielder Jonathan Koscso, who batted .276 with six doubles and 24 RBI, played in every game as a rookie.

Sophomore pitchers Randy Fontanez and Derrick Stultz were weekend starters for the Bulls in 2008, and will return in 2009 as the top arms on the team. Fontanez won five games and had 58 strikeouts, while Stultz posted the team-low 3.08 ERA. Junior relievers Shawn Sanford (33 appearances, 11 saves) and Matt Quevedo (9 app., 35 Ks) will also see a lot of innings for the Bulls.

Newcomers

The 40th best recruiting class in the country, tabbed by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, is loaded with 15 new players, including five guys who redshirted last season.

The staff has recruited what looks to be one of the best-ever classes in USF history, a lineup that includes four players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, the Pasco County Pitcher of the Year and prospects ranked by Baseball America.

The coaching staff expects freshman Sam Mende and juniors Peter Brotons and Andrew Salgueiro to make an immediate impact this season. Mende, who was drafted in the 40th round of the 2008 MLB draft, will take over at shortstop, while Brotons, the Florida J.C. All-Star, will start the season at second base. Salgueiro, who redshirted last season after transferring from Louisville in 2008, will be the team’s closer.

Other players looking to slide into the starting lineup are infielder Sean Buckley, catcher Daniel Rockhold, pitcher/outfielder Alex Mendez and left handed pitchers Kyle Parker and Trey Dahl. Buckley and Mendez were both drafted in 2008, Parker and Rockhold were all-state players and Dahl was the county pitcher of the year in high school.

Pitchers

USF’s returning weekend starters – sophomores Randy Fontanez and Derrick Stultz – combined for 111 strikeouts in 145.2 innings last season. Sophomore Matt Stull (5-2, 25 Ks) and junior Shawn Sanford (5-5, 46 Ks, 11 saves) will battle for the third weekend spot.

Junior Matt Quevedo will switch roles this season, moving from a mid-week starter to a long reliever.

Stephen Hunt, a freshman All-American last season, and junior Andrew Salgueiro will share closing duties this season. Hunt, who made 24 appearances, earned a pair of saves last year while Salgueiro was forced to sit out the 2008 season due to his transfer from Louisville.

On the Roster:  LHP: Junior Carlin, Trey Dahl, Stephen Hunt, Teddy Kaufman, Alex Mendez, Kyle Parker, Matt Reed.

RHP: Joe Cole, Kyle Eastham, Randy Fontanez, Zach Pietrzyk, Adrian Puig, Kevin Quackenbush, Matt Quevedo, Andrew Salgueiro, Shawn Sanford, Derrick Stultz, Matt Stull, Doug Wagner.

Catchers

Senior Trey Manz and freshman Daniel Rockhold will vie for starting duties this season, while redshirt freshman Andrew Longley and sophomore Ryan Garcia will battle as reserves.

Manz started 46 games in 2008, driving in 26 runs while connecting on 21 hits, including 13 doubles and a home run. Rockhold comes to USF from Lakeland High (Fla.) where he was an all-county and all-state catcher.

Both Longley and Garcia redshirted the 2008 season and will look to make moves into the starting lineup in their second year with the program. Longley, who has a strong arm behind the plate, batted .320 and posted a .992 fielding percentage at Sickles High his senior season. Garcia came to USF from Brevard Community College, where he batted .349 with 21 RBI in his rookie season.

On the Roster: Ryan Garcia, Andrew Longley, Trey Manz, Daniel Rockhold.

Corner Infielders

USF’s corners will have a new look in 2009 as sophomore Jonathan Koscso moves from second base to third and senior Brandon Smith shifts across the field from third to first. Koscso, who started all 58 games in 2008, batted .276 with 53 hits and six doubles. Last season Smith had 34 hits and 22 RBI in 37 games, before sustaining a season-ending arm injury.

Sophomores Todd Brazeal and Ryan Garcia, both redshirts in 2008, will be backups at first base while freshman Sean Buckley should see time at the corners as well. Brazeal batted .419 with 26 RBI his senior year of high school and Buckley was selected in the 29th round of the 2008 MLB draft. Garcia will also battle for innings at catcher and as the designated hitter.

On the Roster: Todd Brazeal, Sean Buckley, Ryan Garcia, Stephen Hunt, Jonathan Koscso, Brandon Smith.

Middle Infielders

A pair of newcomers will take over vacated roles in the middle infield as freshman Sam Mende will be the Bulls’ shortstop and junior Peter Brotons steps into the lineup at second base.

Mende, a 40th round draft pick last spring, was a four-time all-state and all-county player for Clearwater Central Catholic. Brotons, a transfer from Daytona State College, batted .330 his sophomore season and played in the Florida J.C. All-Star Game.

Reserves in the middle infield include sophomore Jonathan Koscso, who played in all 58 games at second base or shortstop last season, and Jordy McGillis, a redshirt in 2008.

On the Roster: Peter Brotons, Jonathan Koscso, Jordy McGillis, Sam Mende.

Outfielders

Three guys return to the Bulls’ outfield, including 2008 National Freshman Player of the Year Ryan Lockwood and seniors Mike Consolmagno and Chris Rey. Those returners combined for 87 percent of the starts in the outfield last season.

Lockwood, who is currently on a 30-game hitting streak, was a consensus Freshman All-American although he missed the final nine games of the season due to a broken finger. He led the conference in batting average (.454) in league games and had the best overall average (.415) on the team.

Consolmagno batted .284 with five doubles and tallied nine stolen bases, while Rey collected 17 extra base hits – nine doubles, six home runs and two triples – and drove in 35 runs.

Sophomore Junior Carlin and freshmen Todd Brazeal and Alex Mendez will battle for time in the outfield. Carlin and Mendez will also appear on the mound and Brazeal should see innings at first base.

On the Roster: Todd Brazeal, Junior Carlin, Mike Consolmagno, Stephen Hunt, Ryan Lockwood, Alex Mendez, Chris Rey.

Designated Hitters

Sophomores Stephen Hunt and Ryan Garcia will serve as designated hitters this spring for the Bulls.

A Freshman All-American last season, Hunt played in only 36 games in 2008, but posted the third-best batting average (.331) and slugging percentage (.500) on the team, and was second on the team with 38 RBI.  He was selected to the BIG EAST Championships All-Tournament Team and was on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and was the College Baseball Blog-StatStud.com Player of the Week on April 28.

Garcia, who utilized a redshirt last season, batted .349 at Brevard Community College in 2007, and hit .357 as a senior at Miami Sunset High.

On the Roster: Ryan Garcia, Stephen Hunt.

[JoeB]

My Prediction......................PAIN!

For all you Clubber Lang/Rocky III fans out there.