Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Take a look at the 2007 Saluki Baseball team
01/26/2007 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
Jan. 26, 2007
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
Download the 2007 Baseball Media Guide
It's hard to predict what lies ahead for the Southern Illinois University baseball team in 2007.
After losing 13 players from a team that went 33-25 and finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference at 12-12, SIU enters the year with 16 newcomers.
The 2007 roster is dominated by 16 underclassmen, including seven sophomores and nine freshmen. The Salukis also welcome seven junior college transfers, who team up with only nine upperclassmen from a year ago.
"We know that we will have to count on some new faces in the lineup this year," said head coach Dan Callahan. "I think we will be an interesting team offensively and I'm hoping we can sneak up on some people and maybe become the surprise of the Valley."
CATCHING
 Mark Kelly  | |
Catching appears to be the biggest question mark of this year's team.
Sophomore Mark Kelly (Hanover Park, Ill.) is likely to fill the gap left by departing catchers Hunter Harrigan and Brendan Lutz.
Kelly played in 20 games and made 11 starts (nine as DH, two as catcher) as a freshman. He scored six runs, had two doubles, posted seven RBI and threw out a pair of baserunners.
Freshman Tom Cerven (Minooka, Ill.) and junior Chris Crank (Harrisburg, Ill.) are also in the mix.
Cerven was an all-conference and all-area selection at Minooka High School. He hit .370 with four home runs, 20 doubles and 40 RBI as a senior.
Cerven was a big part of a MHS program that went a combined 68-12 over his junior and senior seasons.
Crank comes to SIU from Rend Lake College. Although he did not catch at the junior college level, Callahan feels, "he has the ability to help behind the plate and on the infield."
At the plate, Crank hit over .300 in both of his junior college seasons. As a prep, he was named the Southern Illinoisan Player-of-the-Year at nearby Harrisburg High School.
Rounding out the catching corps is junior walk-on Chris Engele (Nashville, Ill./Kaskaskia College).
INFIELD
 Scott Elmendorf | |
Sophomore Scott Elmendorf (Newburgh, Ind.) is the staple of this year's infield. He enters the year looking to build on an impressive freshman campaign.
Elmendorf is projected to be SIU's starting second baseman. He also has the ability to play shortstop and third base.
A Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and honorable mention all-MVC pick, Elmendorf made 55 starts, including 11 at second base, 15 at shortstop and 29 at third.
He led the Dawgs with both a .353 batting average and .442 on-base percentage, marks that were good for fourth and fifth in the league, respectively.
Elmendorf also registered 54 runs scored, nine doubles, 23 RBI, seven stolen bases and a team-high 23 multiple-hit games.
"Scott brings plenty of experience to the table and hopefully he can build on the success he had a year ago," stated Callahan.
In 2006, Elmendorf began the season at second base, but was later moved to the left side of the infield.
Sophomore Bret Maugeri (Worth, Ill.) could also see time at second base.
As a freshman, Maugeri hit .296 with 27 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs, 29 RBI and three stolen bases. He had the most home runs and RBI of the freshmen on last year's squad.
Freshman Michael Finigan (Springfield, Ill.) could have the early season advantage at shortstop.
The younger brother of former Saluki shortstop and 2005 MVC Player-of-the-Year P.J. Finigan, Finigan earned Central State Eight all-conference honors in each of his four prep seasons at Lanphier High School. He also hit .370 or better all four years and set the school's record for most games played.
Finigan is SIU's first switch-hitter since Jay Mansavage (1994-96).
"Michael consistently made routine plays in the fall, and that's what we're looking for," said Callahan. "The fact he's a switch-hitter gives him another advantage."
Meanwhile, junior Tyler Lairson (Richmond, Ind.) will also vye for playing time at short.
Lairson started 33 games at shortstop last season. Offensively, he hit .239 with 19 runs scored, a double, two triples and 13 RBI.
While the middle of the infield appears to be in good shape, the two corner positions are wide open.
Juniors Ryan Enata (Bloomington, Ill.), Adam Hills (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colby CC) and Crank, along with freshman Tyler Choate (Carmi, Ill.), will battle at first base.
Enata, who has seen considerable playing time there the last two seasons, hit .233 in 27 games a year ago.
Hills attended Colby Community College, where he was second-team all-Jayhawk Conference, hitting .332 with five home runs and 34 RBI in 2006.
Crank, in addition to helping behind the plate, also has experience at both corner infield spots.
Choate, a four-time all-conference selection and an all-state pick as a senior at Carmi-White County High School, could potentially be a valuable left-handed hitter in the lineup.
Lou Johanns (Naperville, Ill.) is the leading candidate at third.
He joins the Salukis from Class AA State Champion Naperville Central High School, where he hit .375 and .380 as a junior and senior, respectively. He was a two-time all-conference honoree.
OUTFIELD
 Kevin Koski | |
The outfield might very well be the strongest part of the club this season.
Senior center fielder Kevin Koski (Schaumburg, Ill.) and junior left fielder Dean Cademartori (Norridge, Ill.) are the Dawgs' returning outfield starters.
Defensively, only four errors were committed between Koski and Cademartori in 2006. With their return, the Saluki outfield should be exciting to watch again this year.
A team captain, Koski was named to the Brooks Wallace Watch List (College Player of the Year) for the second-straight season.
One of the most exciting leadoff hitters in the Valley, he hit .300 with 56 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, one home run, 29 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 58 starts. Koski was named honorable mention all-MVC for his efforts.
Academically, he was a MVC Scholar-Athlete and CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V selection.
"We feel Kevin takes a backseat to no one as far as his ability to run down balls," stated Callahan.
Like Koski, Cademartori also started all 58 games for the Dawgs.
He enters his third year as a starter after hitting .273 with 35 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, four home runs, 33 RBI and seven stolen bases.
"Dean has proven the past two seasons he is a factor in the MVC. This could be a breakout year for him at the plate," added Callahan.
Freshman Aaron Roberts (Chatham, Ill.) is the frontrunner in right field.
Roberts, a Chicago Tribune and Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state pick, was a four-year starter at Chatham-Glenwood High School. He capped off a strong prep career by hitting .544 with 46 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 49 RBI.
Other options along the wall include Hills and freshman Thomas Lieto (Monroe, Mich.).
Lieto was named all-conference and all-state at St. Mary Catholic Central High School, where he set single-season records in stolen bases (48) and batting average (.511) as a senior.
PITCHING
 Jordan Powell | |
First-year pitching coach Tim Dixon will have his work cut out for him, as eight of the 17 pitchers on the team are first-year players.
Senior right-hander Jordan Powell (Danville, Ill./Danville CC) is the lone returning starter from a year ago, and he will aim to be the ace of the staff again this season.
A team captain, Powell went 6-6 and struck out 58 in 101.2 innings over 17 appearances and 16 starts last year.
An honorable mention all-MVC pick, he ranked third in the league in innings pitched and tied for second in starts.
"Jordan has plenty of Division I experience and is a great leader," said Callahan.
Sophomore Cody Adams (Viola, Ill.) and junior transfers Shawn Joy (Topeka, Kan./Cloud County CC) and Brad Lawrence (Blytheville, Ark./Three Rivers CC) could also be viable weekend starters.
A right-hander, Adams began the 2006 campaign among the starting rotation, making six starts in his first 10 appearances. However, he finished the season as a reliever.
Adams was 4-4 with 32 strikeouts in 58.2 innings in 27 appearances, 21 of which came in relief.
Joy and Lawrence are the top choices for the number three spot.
Joy, a left-hander with good command, spent the last two seasons at Cloud County Community College. He ended his junior college career with a 3.59 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
Lawrence, a right-hander out of Three Rivers Community College, is a late addition, transferring in January.
He led the Raiders with two saves and ranked second on the team with 23 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work a year ago.
Junior right-hander Dusty Baker (Olney, Ill./Olney CC), redshirt-sophomore left-hander Daniel Wells (Plainfield, Ill.) freshman right-hander Bryant George (DuQuoin, Ill.) and junior right-hander Ian Reinhart (Holland, Ind./Vincennes College) highlight the Saluki bullpen.
Baker and Wells are SIU's top relievers back from last season.
Baker underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season, but is expected to be ready by the season-opener.
He earned honorable mention all-MVC honors after leading SIU with a 6-1 record in 29 relief appearances.
Baker, who also struck out 22 and walked eight in 29.1 innings, held the best record of any pitcher on the team who appeared in 14 or more games.
"Dusty has the stuff to be a closer, however, he did not throw an inning this past fall," said Callahan. "We will have to wait to evaluate his early season progress."
Wells tied a Saluki single-season record 32 appearances in 2006. He went 1-1 with two saves as the league leader in relief appearances.
George, whose fastball has been clocked in the low 90s on occasion, has, "a closer type mentality," according to Dixon.
A four-time all-conference pick at DuQuoin High School, he went 10-3 with a 1.89 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 80 innings as a senior.
Reinhart, the first submarine pitcher to hit the Saluki scene since Scott Lucht (2000-01), could be a valuable setup man.
He capped a two-year stint at Vincennes College by going 5-2 with a 1.46 ERA in 14 games, including a complete game no-hitter. Reinhart also struck out 47 and walked 11 in 55.1 innings.
"Although Ian's velocity is not overpowering, he proved during the fall that he can be tough to hit," said Callahan. "He gets a lot of groundballs and appears not to be intimidated by too many situations."
As far as midweek games go, Callahan says it's a little too early to designate a starter.
Redshirt-sophomore right-hander Ryan Terry (Palmyra, Mich.) could return after missing the entire 2006 season due to a frayed labrum.
Terry was a perfect 5-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 43 innings as SIU's midweek starter in 2005.
"We're hoping that in time, Ryan can become 100 percent and turn into our midweek guy," said Callahan. "He was outstanding in that role as a freshman."
Choate (RHP) and senior right-handers Shane Garner (Sesser, Ill./Rend Lake College) and Kyle Catto (Anderson, Ind./John A. Logan College) are other capable arms.
Choate had a nice fall, Garner might be the most improved pitcher on the staff, and Catto showed at times he is worthy of some quality innings.
Senior left-hander Jordan Garner (Pittsburg, Kan./Cowley County CC), freshman right-hander Tom Danahy (Billings, Mont.), freshman right-hander Daniel Etienne (Eldorado, Ill.) sophomore walk-on Michael Kane (RHP, New Lenox, Ill.) and junior walk-on Michael Brown (RHP, Eldorado, Ill./Southeastern Illinois College) also look to contibute on the mound this year.
SIU opens its 2007 season with a three-game series at Stetson, beginning Friday, Feb. 9.
