Southern Illinoise University Athletics
2008 Saluki Baseball Preseason Notebook
02/06/2008 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
Feb. 6, 2008
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
 Head Coach Dan Callahan sets to begin his 14th year at SIU  | |
A lot of preseason hype is swirling around the Southern Illinois University baseball team as it sets to begin the 2008 season. SIU was ranked in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Fabulous 40 Preseason Poll for the first time since 1991. The Salukis, picked 33rd, return eight position starters and two starting pitchers from a team that went 34-22 overall and tied for third in the Missouri Valley Conference last season.
 Junior catcher Mark Kelly | |
Catching
2008 Brooks Wallace Award (National Player of the Year) candidate and preseason all-MVC junior Mark Kelly (Hanover Park, Ill.) returns as the Salukis' starting catcher after a remarkable run in 2007. A first-team all-MVC and American Baseball Coaches Association all-region selection, Kelly hit .379 as the only Saluki who started all 56 games. He led the MVC in RBI (63) and ranked second in batting average. Kelly went on to finish the year ranked 37th in the nation in RBI. Defensively, he was equally impressive, gunning down 26 runners on the basepaths. Kelly stormed onto the scene after playing only 20 games behind the dish as a freshman. Sophomore Tyler Bullock (DuQuoin, Ill.) will share time with Kelly. Bullock joins the Salukis from Austin Peay University, where he hit .243 with four home runs and 16 RBI on a Governor team that went 40-22 and made the NCAA Tournament last season. Bullock possesses power at the plate and could be a strong middle of the lineup type hitter for the Dawgs this year. Sophomore Tom Cerven (Minooka, Ill.) rounds out the catching corps. Cerven saw limited action, playing in seven games as a freshman.
 Junior infielder Scott Elmendorf | |
 Senior utility player Adam Hills | |
Infield
Adam Hills (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.), Tyler Choate (So., Carmi, Ill.), Scott Elmendorf (Jr., Newburgh, Ind.) and Lou Johanns (So., Naperville, Ill.) will look to anchor the infield this season. At first base, the Salukis will have several options. Hills and Choate are expected to share starting duties. A first-team all-conference utility player, Hills was one of only three Salukis to hit over .300 (.319) and drew a team-high 41 walks in his Saluki debut. Choate tied for second on the team among true freshmen with a .263 batting average. Senior Chris Crank (Harrisburg, Ill.) could also see time at first, especially against left-handed pitching. Crank hit .267 with a team-high four home runs, primarily serving as SIU's designated hitter last season. Elmendorf, who enters his third year as a starting infielder, looks to return to his natural position at second base. He hit .281 and led the Salukis with 16 doubles in 2007. He has been the staple of SIU's infield each of the last two seasons. Johanns, SIU's most improved player since last spring, is the lead candidate at third base. He made 23 starts at the hot corner as a freshman. Sophomore Michael Finigan (Springfield, Ill.) and senior Tyler Lairson (Richmond, Ind.) may also see time there, although both will be in the mix at short. Shortstop is the biggest question mark of this year's team. Transfer Owen Mackedon (Sr., Fallon, Nev.), Finigan and Lairson will duke it out for the starting job. Mackedon will be with the Salukis for only one season after spending two years at Feather River College and one at Nevada-Reno. He signed with the Dawgs in January. A two-time all-Golden Valley Conference shortstop, Mackedon hit .341 with 14 doubles, 12 stolen bases and 20 RBI at FRC. Finigan hit .263 in 39 starts on the infield as a true freshman in 2007. Lairson hit .280 and led the team with three triples in 44 starts. Other infielders include freshman John Brennan (Grayslake, Ill.) and junior Ryan Bittle (Anna, Ill.).
 Senior left fielder Dean Cademartori | |
 Sophomore right fielder Aaron Roberts | |
Outfield
Sparked by the return of starters Dean Cademartori (Sr., Norridge, Ill.) and Aaron Roberts (Chatham, Ill.), the Saluki outfield should again be a strong suit. Cademartori, the only four-year starter on the club, looks to have a breakout year in 2008. He hit .242 with 25 runs, 10 doubles, four home runs and 37 RBI last season. Cademartori has been the Dawgs' everyday left fielder each of the last three years. Roberts is back in right field following an impressive freshman campaign. A preseason all-MVC pick, Roberts hit .349 and led the Salukis with 52 runs and 13 stolen bases en route to Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors in 2007. A second-team all-MVC selection, he also landed a spot on the Ping!Baseball All-Freshman Team. After the departure of Kevin Koski, one of the best outfielders in school history, SIU will work to fill a huge gap in center. Freshman Chris Murphy (Sewickley, Pa.) is expected to be Koski's successor. Murphy started all four of his prep seasons at Fox Chapel High School, earning numerous honors. As one of the best athletes on the team, freshman Chase Sanford (Catlin, Ill.) will also look to contribute. Junior Bret Maugeri (Worth, Ill.) moved from the infield last fall and could see time along the wall as well. Maugeri played in 34 games and made 16 starts in 2007. Hills is another possibility when he's not at first base.
 Junior right-handed pitcher Cody Adams | |
Starting Pitching
SIU's rotation appears to be in great shape with two starters returning. Junior RHP Cody Adams (Viola, Ill.) is back as the Salukis' ace. Adams, projected to be a top-five round draft pick, fell one win shy of tying the school's single-season record in pitching wins a year ago. He went undefeated in his first seven starts before ending the year at 11-5. An honorable mention all-MVC pick, Adams fashioned a 3.01 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 22 walks in 107.2 innings. He also tossed one shutout and three complete games. Adams spent the 2007 season as SIU's game two starter, but will move to the front of the rotation this year. Senior LHP Shawn Joy (Topeka, Kan.) will take over the pivotal role as SIU's game two starter. Joy went 5-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 16 starts. He recorded 56 strikeouts in 96.2 innings of work, while walking only 22. Junior RHP David Kington (Coquitlam, B.C., Canada) is preparing to take over as the Dawgs' Sunday starter. Kington, who has been pitching for only two years, transferred to SIU from Feather River College. As far as the midweek goes, Choate (RHP) could be a viable starter. He held a 2-2 record with 18 strikeouts in 32.2 innings over the course of 16 appearances and six starts during his rookie campaign. Freshman LHP Nick Rice (Kenosha, Wis.) is another potential midweek starter.
 Sophomore right-handed pitcher Bryant George | |
Relief Pitching
2008 Brooks Wallace Award candidate Bryant George (RHP, DuQuoin, Ill.) enters his second year as the Salukis' closer. George ranked 23rd in the nation in saves last season. His 11 saves tied for the most among all freshmen in the country. An honorable mention all-MVC pick and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, George went 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 27 relief appearances. Senior submarine-style pitcher Ian Reinhart (RHP, Holland, Ind.) should again be the Dawgs' set-up man. Reinhart broke SIU's single-season record with 36 appearances last season. He ranked second in the Valley in that category, finishing with a 1-1 record and 2.90 ERA. Reinhart struck out 27 and walked 10 in 40.1 innings. Redshirt-junior Daniel Wells (Plainfield, Ill.) also logged some quality innings out of the Saluki bullpen. Wells made 57 relief appearances in his first two years at SIU. In 2007, he struck out 12 in 26 innings over 26 trips to the mound. Completing this year's pitching staff are LHP Jimmy Cornell (So., Broseley, Mo.), RHP Kevin Cover (So., Pueblo, Colo.), RHP Adam Curynski (Jr., Webster, N.Y.), RHP Tom Danahy (So., Billings, Mont.), RHP Andrew Dunn (Jr., Marion, Ill.) and RHP Daniel Etienne (RS-Fr., Eldorado, Ill.).
MVC Preview
SIU enters its 2008 campaign ranked second in Collegiate Baseball's MVC preseason poll and third in the league's preseason coaches poll. Defending MVC champion Wichita State is heavily favored to win the league. The Shockers garnered eight of nine possible first-place votes. Creighton was picked second with one first-place vote. Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Evansville, Bradley, Indiana State and Illinois State round out this year's MVC Coaches poll. The Salukis open a 24-game conference slate at home against Indiana State (Mar. 21-23). The remainder of the league schedule includes home series against Bradley (Apr. 11-13), Creighton (May 2-4) and Evansville (May 15-17), and away series at Missouri State (Mar. 28-30), Wichita State (Apr. 18-20), Northern Iowa (Apr. 25-27) and Illinois State (May 9-11). The State Farm MVC Tournament, which takes on a new format in 2008, will be held at Eck Stadium-Tyler Field in Wichita, Kan., on May 21-24. View the 2008 MVC Tournament format
Non-Conference Schedule
SIU will play 12 of its first 13 games at home to start the 2008 season. Records dating back to the late 1960s indicate SIU has never opened a season at home. The Salukis have a total of 30 scheduled home games. The Salukis will open their 2008 season February 22, as per new NCAA scheduling guidelines.. The Salukis host Western Michigan in a four-game series, Feb. 22-24. After visiting Tennessee-Martin for a midweek game on Feb. 27, the Salukis return to Carbondale for eight-straight games. SIU plays Northern Illinois (Feb. 29-Mar. 2), Middle Tennessee State (Mar. 4-5) and Xavier (Mar. 7-9) during that stretch. Then, it's off to San Antonio, Texas for spring break. The Salukis will spend a week in the Lonestar State facing Buffalo (Mar. 12, Mar. 15), Prairie View A&M (Mar. 13), Texas-Pan American (Mar. 14) and Notre Dame (Mar. 15). Other non-conference opponents include Murray State (Mar. 18, Apr. 30), Eastern Illinois (Mar. 25), Illinois (Apr. 1, Apr. 29), Arkansas State (Apr. 2), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Apr. 4-6), SE Missouri State (Apr. 8, Apr. 15), Missouri (Apr. 23) and Saint Louis (May 13).
