The Pastime

It’s hard to believe, but one month from now, the Nebraska baseball team will open their season. They travel to Arlington, Texas to take on New Mexico in the UTA Classic on February 16. That’s just 33 days from now.

That really snuck up on me…

Coincidentally, Feb. 16 is the same day pitchers and catchers report to Oakland’s Spring Training camp, so my little countdown meter on the left-hand sidebar can do double duty.

So how will Nebraska follow up their disappointing early loss in the Regionals last season? How will they come back from the huge losses of Joba Chamberlain, Brett Jensen, Brandon Buckman and Luke Gorsett?

Well, NU is ranked #9 in the pre-season Collegiate Baseball poll, so they must have replenished their losses fairly well.

Texas is the only Big 12 school ranked above Nebraska, at #7. Though, it should be noted, the Big 12 will be strong this year, with Baylor (#21), Oklahoma State (#24) and Oklahoma (#34) also ranked. I’d tend to think that Baylor will be a force next year, if not now, since they did easily have Baseball America’s #1 ranked recruiting class this year.

Here’s my take on the lineup that the ‘Skers will probably trot out there this season. I based it on playing time last year, games started in the Red/White series, and talent coming in.

C - Jeff Lanning

Lanning is a sophomore, and has been waiting to take over the starting job for a year. Jeff Christy has now graduated, so the job is seemingly Lanning’s for the taking. Junior Mark Hightower is an excellent defender, but his bat is only average for a catcher. I’d like to see Hightower get a shot, but that’s probably jsut because I went to high school and church with him. Lanning is the pick. Newcomers Mitch Abeita and Dominic Piazza may also see some playing time at catcher, but it won’t be much.

1B - Andrew Brown

The void left by Brandon Buckman will be hard to fill. Buckman was second on the team in home runs last year, and his moonshots to right field will be missed. Brown played some first and some corner outfield last season, but he’ll likely play first base and DH this year. Look for juco transfer Thad Weber to put pressure on Brown; he’s talented.

2B - Jake Opitz

Opitz returns to the Huskers as a veteran second-sacker, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Opitz is a great defender, and can turn two as smoothly as any I’ve seen. His job is safe, barring injury.

3B - Jake Mort

Third base may be a parade of faces this year. Mort will probably get the start, but Steve Edlefsen will see some significant time there as well. That is, when Edlefsen isn’t pitching. Last season he had to give it up, because of Tommy John surgery, but he returned to the mound this summer in the Northwoods league, putting up excellent numbers (2.16 ERA, 8.1 IP, 5 H 4 BB 8 K). Jeff Tezak, a mid-semester transfer, could also come out of nowhere to grab the job.

SS - Ryan Wehrle

Wehrle decided against joining the Cincinnati Reds as an 18th-rounder, got healthy, and came back to the Huskers. He’s a good defensive presence, and works extremely well with fellow middle-infielder Jake Opitz. Wehrle also has a very good bat, earning first-team Big 12 honors last year on the strength of his team-leading .367 batting average. Look for Wehrle to have a huge year. He’s already been named a pre-season All-American.

LF - Andy Gerch

Gerch is another player who should be back at full strength in 2007. I’m uncertain of whether he’ll play left or right, but I’m leaning towards left field. He played very well as a freshman, but was hurt last year. Look for his to build upon the form he set in 2005 by hitting .364. Nick Sullivan could also be the left fielder, if Gerch plays in right.

CF - Bryce Nimmo

Nimmo plays a good defensive center field. His bat is prone to massive slumps, though. Most of 2006 was a slump for Nimmo, as he hit just .259. Nimmo will begin the season at CF, but look for newcomer DJ Belfonte to challenge for the job. Belfonte comes in with a good reputation, and a lot of speed.

RF - Nick Sullivan

Sullivan began to bloom late last year, showing a good bat and decent defense. As I said above, it’s possible that Sullivan and Gerch could switch spots in RF and LF, but early indications are that Gerch will be in left, leaving right to Sullivan. Sullivan had a good Red/White series, going 5/15 with 7 RBI and one home run.

DH - Thad Weber

Weber is likely the only starter that most Husker fans won’t recognize. Weber transferred to NU from Friend JuCo, where he managed to hit .464 with and slug .761, numbers that I’d gladly knock even a hundred points off of and slot into a DH role. Interestingly enough, bucking the stereotype of the DH being unathletic and possessing a single talent, Weber is also a very good pitcher, and could see some action out of the bullpen for the Huskers. It’s possible that Weber will also play 1B, and Andrew Brown could DH, although it appears Brown is being groomed for first.

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Here’s a possible depth chart that I formulated to help figure out where people would play, use it at your own risk:

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I’ll post a complete rundown of the pitching staff in a couple days, but here’s my best guess for the starting rotation: Tony Watson, Johnny Dorn and Charlie Shirek. Look for the pre-season All-American Watson to have a good season, Dorn to return to his freshman form if he can regain his control, and Shirek to surprise people with a 2.80-3.20 ERA and lots of strikeouts.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 13th, 2007 at 6:40 pm and is filed under Nebraska Baseball, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.