Indiana University Athletics
A Look at the 2006 Indiana Baseball Hoosiers
2/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 10, 2006
Head coach Tracy Smith opens his first season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program with optimism and high expectations. After compiling a 317-220-1 record, two NCAA Tournament trips and two Mid-American Conference championships in nine seasons at Miami (Ohio), Smith is anxious to build Indiana into a Big Ten power and a national contender.
"We are excited to get this season underway," Smith said. "Our expectations are to get better every single day. We want to instill program values and lay a solid foundation for the future. We want to get into the Big Ten Tournament. We want to make postseason play a consistent part of our program. I expect nothing less, and I do not see any reason why this cannot happen."
The Hoosiers return five starters and eight pitchers from the 2005 campaign while welcoming 15 newcomers in 2006. Seniors Jay Brant, Josh Lewis, Ryan Parker and Reggie Watson will serve as the team's four captains. Below is a position-by-position look at the 2006 Indiana baseball team:
OUTFIELD
Despite losing right fielder Joe Kemp, who signed a contract with the Texas Rangers upon graduating, Indiana returns its trio of All-Big Ten selections to the outfield this season. Watson and Brant are locked in at center and right field, respectively, with senior Zach Boswell, freshman Andrew Means and junior Keith Haas battling for the starting nod in left.
Watson, the catalyst for the Hoosier offense the past two seasons in the leadoff spot, gets the starting spot in center field for the third straight season. He earned his second consecutive spot as a third team All-Big Ten member in 2005, finishing the year with a .340 batting average, 80 hits, 60 runs and 20 stolen bases. Watson led the squad with five triples and 28 walks while closing the campaign second to Brant in runs, hits and steals. The Cincinnati product also led the Big Ten with 34 runs scored in conference games and sat in the top 10 in seven offensive categories in overall games.
Brant capped his best season in a Hoosier uniform earning a spot on the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Rawlings All-Mideast Region second team. Also a second team All-Big Ten selection, he became the fifth Hoosier to earn All-Mideast honors. The Indianapolis product led the team in batting average (.365), runs (71), hits (81), doubles (16), stolen bases (26) and on-base percentage (.441) and ranked among the top 10 in 11 Big Ten offensive categories, including leading the league in runs.
In left field, Boswell adds a strong, left-handed bat to the lineup. If he does not get the call in left, Boswell more than likely will see time at designated hitter, where he garnered third team All-Big Ten honors last season. A .359 batter, ninth in the Big Ten, Boswell concluded 2005 with eight home runs, 53 RBI, 12 doubles and a team-leading .561 slugging percentage.
Means, also a wide receiver for the IU football team, has the speed and all-around game to play immediately. At Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio, Means earned first team all-conference, All-Lorain County and all-district honors his junior and senior seasons. He stole 35 bases in 35 attempts, posted a .431 batting average and committed zero errors in center field his senior campaign.
Haas, a transfer from Lakeland (Ohio) Community College, captured first team all-region and All-OCCAC honors during the 2005 season. He posted a .370 batting average with 38 stolen bases and 12 doubles en route to the honors.
Additionally, talented freshmen Chris Hervey and Trevor McConnell will battle for playing time. Hervey impressed the coaching staff with his play during the fall and availed himself to an opportunity this season. A St. James, N.Y., native, Hervey collected All-Long Island, all-state and all-county honors in 2005. McConnell remains in Bloomington after captaining Bloomington South his junior and senior seasons.
"I think the outfield is going to be our strength," Smith said. "We have the most experience, depth and quality out there. This group definitely is the most talented and athletic position we have entering the year."
INFIELD
With the outfield pretty well laid out, the infield is not so clear-cut. Players will try new positions and no one spot is set in stone. Seven return from last year's club, but the loss of Corby Heckman, a 32nd-round selection by the Seattle Mariners in the 2005 MLB Draft, leaves a big void not only in the field but in the lineup.
Parker will get the call at first base, if healthy. An ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America the past two seasons, Parker provides a steady glove and on-field leadership. He started 55 of the team's 56 games and tied for third on the squad with a .340 batting average while playing nearly flawless defense with a .992 fielding percentage.
In the event Parker cannot perform due to medical concerns, Ben Greenspan will compete for the starting spot after an impressive fall. A two-year member of the UConn baseball team, Greenspan transferred to IU this season and is moving from catcher to first base.
Junior Michael Nilles also will see his first action at first base this season. Playing third base his first two campaigns, Nilles owns a .290 career batting average, highlighted by a .349 mark last season.
Moving to the middle infield, Josh Richardson is the most experienced returnee in a group bolstered by two transfers after the fall semester. The junior started 44 games and appeared in 53, primarily at shortstop and second base. He batted .321 on the season and .343 in Big Ten games, which ranked second on the team.
Tad Reida and Brett Sager arrived in Bloomington after transferring from two of the top programs in the country, Wichita State and LSU, respectively. Reida, a sophomore out of Kokomo, Ind., played in 52 games with 35 starts in 2005. He hit .279 with 23 RBI, 19 runs, 38 hits, five doubles, one triple, one home run and two stolen bases.
Sager redshirted last season in Baton Rouge. A Davie, Fla., native, Sager earned 2004 all-county and all-state selections while posting a .380 batting average at Nova High School.
As well as battling for time in the outfield, the versatile Haas also figures to be thrown into the middle infield mix along with returning sophomores David Trager and Tyler Cox. Trager played in 30 games with 14 starts, while Cox participated in 25 contests and started 19.
At third base, junior Steve Head enters the season as the front-runner, although Reida might get an opportunity to see some time at the hot corner. Head saw action in 21 games and started seven times in 2005 coming off a redshirt season in 2004.
Additionally, sophomore Arden McWilliams and Jon David, a freshman out of Naperville, Ill., (Neuqua Valley H.S.), add more depth to the Hoosier infield.
"The infield is going to be very interesting," Smith said. "We are going to spend the first few games of the season seeing who can and cannot play. I like the potential options we now have. It is going to be very competitive, and that does nothing but help push everyone and make this team stronger."
BEHIND THE PLATE
Indiana enters the 2006 campaign with four catchers, led by sophomore Jon Fixler and freshman Billy O'Conner. The tandem turned in solid efforts in the fall, and Smith is pleased with his backstops heading into the season.
"Jon and Billy both did a fine job this fall and will compete for playing time all season long," Smith said. "I think they will continue to progress and improve throughout the year."
In his first season as a Hoosier, Fixler compiled a .289 batting average in 29 games (15 starts). He spent the year as the primary backup to departed starter Kurt Weigle.
O'Conner started his last two seasons at Elder High School in Cincinnati. During the 2005 season, he co-captained Elder to a 28-1 record, the best mark in school history, and its 12th Division I state championship. In the postseason, O'Conner posted a .391 batting average as he earned second team GCL and honorable mention all-city honors for the second consecutive season.
Joining Fixler and O'Conner are junior Bobby Segal and freshman Jason Dew. Segal appeared in nine games last season and brings an energy and unmatched work ethic to the ballpark everyday. Dew was all-county, a team captain, and an all-state tournament champion during his high school career at Walton in Marietta, Ga.
PITCHING STAFF
Clearly the cloudiest area for the Hoosiers is the pitching staff. Lewis enters the season as the No. 1 starter with eight to 10 guys battling to round out the rotation and snatch the closer duties.
A four-year Big Ten starter, Lewis led the team with seven wins, 13 starts, 82 2/3 innings pitched and 65 strikeouts in 2005. He finished the year with a 7-5 record, a 4.03 ERA, tied for seventh in the Big Ten in victories and 10th in the league in innings pitched. Additionally, his 13 starts tied for seventh on the school's single-season list, and his 38 career starts are eighth in school history.
Behind Lewis, five pitchers return from last year's roster, including seniors Clint Crosier, Chris Hynes and Adam Poole, junior Matt Saba, and sophomores Brad Davidson and Chris McCombs. Sophomore Doug Fleenor, a redshirt in 2005, also joins the group.
Saba and Davidson are leading candidates to help fill out the rotation. The team's ERA leader his first two seasons, Saba posted a 3.24 ERA overall and a 3.25 ERA in Big Ten action. Saba finished second on the team with five victories (5-2 overall) in 41 2/3 innings (17 appearances) while holding the opposition to only 48 hits and five walks.
Davidson went 4-2, the third-best win total on the team, in 14 appearances (11 starts). The southpaw also tossed 48 2/3 innings, tied for the third-highest total on the club, and his 30 Ks were the third most on the team.
Poole, a lefty from Orleans, Ind., added 46 1/3 innings of work, while McCombs went 2-2 in 16 appearances (37 innings). Crosier provided a reliable left-handed arm out of the bullpen (15 games, 20 2/3 innings), and Hynes made a couple appearances, his first since suffering an injury in the opening series of 2004.
In addition to his infield duties, Trager also will see time on the mound, adding another right-handed arm into the mix.
Tyler Tufts leads a crop of four newcomers to the IU staff. Tufts, a 6-3 right-hander hailing from Sagamore Hills, Ohio, is the early favorite for the second spot in the rotation. A first team all-conference selection as a junior and senior at Nordonia High School, Tufts posted an 11-1 record over the two-year period and played in the Eastern Ohio All-Star Game.
Joining Tufts, 6-6 Andy Casper comes to Indiana after spending one year at Monterey Peninsula (Calif.) Community College, where he earned second team All-Coast League honors.
Joe Vicini (Rural Valley, Pa./West Shamokin), a southpaw who recorded a 2.60 ERA as a senior, and Eric Wagner (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), a 6-4 righty who netted all-conference, all-city and all-area selections throughout his high school career, round out the Hoosiers' pitching staff.
"Josh has clearly defined himself as our No. 1 guy," Smith said. "Tyler, Matt and Brad pitched well in the fall, but the rotation is a huge question mark. There are eight to 10 guys who are battling for three spots and the closer role. We are going to give guys innings during the non-conference season and see who emerges. The goal is to have everyone's role defined entering the Big Ten season."
SCHEDULE
Smith has always believed in scheduling the top teams in the country, and he has brought that philosophy to the 2006 Indiana schedule. The ledger features three teams that made trips to the NCAA Tournament last year, including four-time national champion Miami (Fla.), along with a mix of national and in-state flavor as the Hoosiers face off against five Indiana foes.
"The schedule is something we wanted to address," Smith said. "We think with the addition of Miami (Fla.) and some other changes we made to our mid-week opponents, we have taken steps in the right direction. We will always try and play the best teams in the nation during the non-conference portion of our schedule to better prepare us for Big Ten play and beyond."
Charlotte will be Smith's first opponent as IU skipper when the Hoosiers and 49ers face off in a three-game series in North Carolina (Feb. 24-26) to open the campaign. The following weekend (March 3-5), the Hoosiers take on the Hurricanes for the first time in the program's history in Coral Gables, Fla.
Indiana's final non-conference trip is to Bradenton, Fla., (March 10-19) for its annual spring break trip before returning home for its closing non-conference series against Hartford (March 24-26).
The Hoosiers open their Big Ten season with two straight road series against Michigan State (March 31-April 2) and Northwestern (April 7-9). Additionally, IU will travel to Penn State (April 28-30) and will conclude its regular season in Minneapolis against Minnesota (May 19-21).
Intrastate rival Purdue (April 14-16) kicks off Indiana's conference season at Sembower Field followed by a trip from the 2005 Big Ten Tournament champion Ohio State Buckeyes (April 21-23).
Iowa heads to Bloomington May 6-8, and the Hoosiers close out their conference slate at home against Illinois, the defending Big Ten regular-season champion, May 12-14.
IU opens its home season against Xavier on March 8, and its final regular-season game at Sembower Field will take place on May 16 versus Ball State.
In addition to Ohio State and Miami (Fla.), the Hoosiers will host Smith's former club and 2005 NCAA participant Miami (Ohio) on April 25. Hoosier state rivals Indiana State (March 7, April 18), Valparaiso (March 21, May 10), Butler (March 29), Evansville (April 4) and Ball State (May 16) appear on the schedule as well.
