2016 Season Preview
February 19, 2016 12:14 AM | Baseball
There’s a certain level of excitement around the West Virginia University baseball team this season, and a lot of it has to do with what’s coming back.
As the Mountaineers get set to begin their 121st season on Friday at Charleston Southern, those both within the program and outside it are eager for the 2016 season to commence.
Fans are looking forward to a second season in Monongalia County Ballpark. After record-breaking crowds filled the Mountaineers’ new home in 2015, fans are excited for more.
With 19 letterwinners returning from last year’s squad, including 26 of 27 wins and 90.2% of the innings pitched from a season ago, the team is excited to see what they can do with plenty of experience mixed in with a talented crop of freshmen.
The experience of the 2016 Mountaineers goes beyond just the returning players though. The team has now had a full fall and winter to get familiar with Monongalia County Ballpark and how the field plays. A clubhouse and team area provide added amenities for the team that they did not have last season. When the home opener comes on March 11, WVU can turn its new park into a true home field advantage.
Additionally, the 2016 season is the fourth year for West Virginia in the Big 12 Conference and the fourth season with coach Randy Mazey at the helm. That, along with a strong cast of veterans, brings familiarity.
As the season begins on Friday, take a position-by-position look at the 2016 Mountaineers:
Pitching
Pitching is the biggest area where the Mountaineers return the most amount of talent from last year’s squad. In total, WVU returns 11 of 16 pitchers from last year’s roster.
Twenty-six of WVU’s 27 wins and 435.1 of 482.2 innings pitched return from last season. Six of the seven pitchers who made at least one start last year are back with the Mountaineers in 2016.
Headlining the returning pitchers is senior left-hander Ross Vance and junior righty Chad Donato, who made 15 and 14 starts, respectively, in 2015 and won seven games each. Sophomore right-hander BJ Myers also returns after making nine starts last year and earning Freshman All-America accolades.
“We returned I think nine percent of our pitching last year, which had to have led the nation. This year we return 90 percent of our innings from last year, so it’s a whole different deal,” Mazey said. “If you’re going to have experience, on the mound is a good place to have it. Guys like Chad Donato, Ross Vance, BJ Myers, Connor Dotson and the rest of the guys, they’ve been through the ringer, this isn’t their first rodeo. Each rodeo you play, you’re supposed to get better, so hopefully the experience of travel, adversity and distractions that get to the young guys won’t affect us as much.”
Donato, Vance and Myers have been pegged the starters for the opening weekend of the season. Along with Dotson, a sophomore, the foursome combined for 45 of 54 starts in 2015. Vance and Donato also bring back 12 and 10 career quality starts, respectively.
The bullpen is just as strong as the starting staff, and it’s led by senior closer Blake Smith, who posted a 4-1 mark with five saves in 2015.
“I think that’s the biggest difference this year,” Mazey said of the bullpens’ strength. “Last year, Donato would be in the sixth or seventh inning and his pitch count was getting up, but we felt like when he was tired, he was still better than our next best fresh option in the bullpen. I don’t think that’s the case this year, we’ve got some options out there and some new guys have stepped up and pitched really well. I think early on, everybody’s going to get an opportunity, and by the time we get 15-20 games in, I think we’ll know who the guys are that we can count on out there.”
Smith, along with six more returning pitchers, provide depth and stability in the bullpen.
In total, the 11 returning arms on the pitching staff will be joined by seven freshmen.
Infield
The infield is a mix of veterans and newcomers. Veterans Jackson Cramer and Kyle Davis will play the corners, while Jimmy Galusky and Cole Austin are expected to patrol the middle infield. Cramer, a junior, started 44 games at first base last season, while Davis had a breakout freshman campaign and will start at third in 2016.
“It’s a pretty neat combination we have,” Mazey said of the infield. “Kyle Davis has been waiting to play third base ever since he got here, after we played him at second base, left field and at designated hitter last year. Kyle’s going to hold down the hot corner at third, and Jackson Cramer will be at first base. We have two veteran guys in the lineup that can help the two freshmen that will play the middle infield. Jimmy Galusky, a local guy from Arthurdale, West Virginia, and Cole Austin, a freshman that looks like he’ll be a really good player, will be at shortstop and second base. We’re excited about those guys, but it’s good to have two veterans at the corners. We feel good about the infield.”
A Preseason All-American, Davis made 52 starts at four different positions last year as a freshman. The mix of positions didn’t bother him though, as he was named to five Freshman All-America teams.
Davis led the Mountaineers with a .353 batting average and 17 doubles. He had four home runs, 31 RBIs and one triple. Davis ranked third in the Big 12 Conference in batting and in doubles, fifth in hits and total bases and eighth in slugging percentage.
Cramer brings veteran leadership to first base after he was second on the team with a .291 average with 51 starts in 2015. He was first on the team with a .520 slugging percentage and fourth with 52 hits. In the field, he made just seven errors and had a .980 fielding percentage.
Outfield
Anchored by senior KC Huth in centerfield, the outfield is where Mazey sees several freshmen getting an opportunity to play.
WVU has seven outfielders on the roster. Only three played in more than 13 games last year, and three are freshmen.
Huth played in 52 games with 45 starts in 2015 as a junior, his first season at WVU. He batted .260 with 40 hits and 22 RBIs. With the glove, Huth made several highlight-reel catches and recorded a .967 fielding percentage.
There are several options for the corner outfield positions, and those two spots in the lineup could be filled by whoever is swinging the hot bat.
“Last year we had to make some adjustments, we put some infielders in the outfield to try and get the best lineup on the field,” Mazey said. “I think we’ve changed that now, I think we have some young guys out there that have played really well this spring, and they’ll get a chance to play out there. Our philosophy, and our team knows this, is that if you hit, you’re going to play. There are going to be a lot of guys with different opportunities in the outfield, and positions are still open to be won. They’re going to be won in the first 10-15 games, so it’s a wide-open race. KC Huth is in center field, any time the ball goes in the air you have visions of him making a great play.”
Huth could see several different players next to him in the outfield. It could be junior Shaun Wood, who started 44 games in the outfield last year and hit .176 with 29 hits a year ago. Or sophomores Caleb Potter and Kyle Casserly, who saw limited action in the outfield in 2015, could emerge.
But a cast of freshmen, Darius Hill, TJ Lake and Braden Zarbnisky, have also made a strong case in preseason workouts to get a shot in the starting lineup. The answer will begin to unfold on Friday against Charleston Southern.
Catcher
As strong as the pitching staff could be in 2016, the catching position could be equally strong.
Junior Ray Guerrini is expected to get the majority of the starts this year, but freshman Ivan Vera has had a strong preseason. Both will play a vital role in the success of the WVU pitching staff.
Guerrini started 34 games behind the plate in 2015. He hit .205 with 25 hits and 21 RBIs. In the field, Guerrini only had four errors and posted a .967 fielding percentage.
While hitting is important, Guerrini and Vera’s primary role will be to work with the pitcher on the mound and control the game.
“Our catching philosophy is ‘if the pitcher has a good day, the catcher has a good day,’ ” Mazey said. “We need our catchers to make sure the pitchers throw well. If you can hit on top of that, that’s a bonus. Ray does an unbelievable job with the pitchers. They like throwing to him, he calms them down, he knows how to talk to them and he’s had a pretty good spring with the bat. He’s going to hold it down back there and control the running game, control the young guys.
“We do have a freshman, Ivan Vera, that’s really pushing Ray. He’s played well lately, and he’s going to get some time at catcher. It’s hard to expect your starter to play all 56 games. Ivan is going to be a really good player in the future, so we need to get his feet wet a little bit too. Regardless of who’s back there though, I feel really good about both of them.”
Mazey is confident in both Guerrini, the veteran, and Vera, the freshman. For the catching position, and the WVU pitchers, that is a good sign entering the 2016 season.
Season and single game tickets for the 2016 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and contribute to the home field advantage at Monongalia County Ballpark by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. More information on season tickets and the 30-game home schedule can be found at WVUsports.com, while single game ticket information is available here.
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