Southern Illinoise University Athletics
2016 Saluki Baseball preview
02/12/2016 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
The opening of the 2016 season will mark the 72nd year of Saluki baseball. Head coach Ken Henderson begins his sixth season at the helm of the program and 26th season overall at SIU.
The 2015 season saw the Salukis finish with an overall record of 12-46. Southern finished eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference, after going 6-15 in league play. The 2015 team was one of Southern's youngest teams ever, featuring 26 freshmen and sophomores and only seven upperclassmen.
This year, Southern returns 25 players from last season's team, including seven position players who played at least 40 games last season and seven pitchers who made 10 or more appearances. With a more experienced team heading into the 2016 season, Henderson is anxious to see how much improvement his team will make.
Catchers
Southern returns both catchers from last season while adding another catcher from the junior college ranks. Nick Hutchins (.241, 27 H, 3 HR), Taylor Martin (.211, 23 H, 109 AB), and Kenny King will compete for time behind the plate.
Hutchins and Taylor split time behind the plate last season, with Taylor earning 31 starts and Hutchins getting 29 starts. Hutchins had 15 RBI with a team-high three home runs. Martin was tied for second on the team with eight doubles. King joins SIU after hitting .244 with two home runs and 12 RBI at John A. Logan College and will also compete for the starting position.
"I feel very confident about our catching corps with Hutchins and Martin both returning who caught every inning last season," Henderson said. "Those two guys are both capable and good defensive guys who should also be able to help us on offense. King is a good addition whose biggest strength is his bat. He is a strong kid with power who will not only be in the mix behind the plate but could also spend time as our DH."
Infielders
The competition for a starting spot in the infield will be exciting, as the Saluki roster features nine players with a chance to find a way into the lineup. Chase Slone (.268, 64 H, 19 RBI) and Will Farmer (.216, 48 H, 18 RBI) were the only two Salukis to start every game last season.
It will be a three-player battle for the two starting spots in the middle infield. Connor Kopach is healthy after missing most of the 2015 season with an injury. Farmer, Kopach and Slone will all see playing time this season.
"We have three middle infielders who are as good as anybody around," Henderson said. "We're not sure exactly how we are going to fit them all in those spots. Kopach will more than likely play at second base most of the time after returning from injury last year. Will and Chase played very well for us last year and played in every game. Those three guys are extremely talented defensively and it might come down to who hits while continuing to make the routine play. Another scenario is that we could end up moving one of those guys somewhere else in the infield."
Southern will have plenty of talent to choose from at first base. Greg Lambert (.276, 61 H, 23 RBI) and Logan Blackfan (.244, 43 H, 19 2B) split time at the position last season. Blackfan was Southern's starting first baseman for the first half of the season, before moving into the designated hitter role for the second half. Lambert took over at first base and was SIU's RBI leader.
Hunter Anderson (.206, 13 H, 6 RBI) and Drew Curtis are two other players who will compete for time at first base. Anderson saw action in 26 games with 14 starts, mostly as a designated hitter. Curtis, a transfer who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, will be eligible to play this season.
"The first base position will be who is swinging the bat the best," said Henderson. "Right now Anderson and Blackfan are competing for the position. They are capable of swinging the bats well enough that we can get them both into the lineup with one at first base and the other as the DH. Greg and Drew are guys who could also see time at first base. They have defensive flexibility, can swing the bat, and should be on the field somewhere."
The competition at third base is a big question mark with several options. Ryan Sabo (.292, 40 H, 8 RBI), freshman Jared Schmidt, along with Lambert and Curtis are all possibilities. Sabo started 39 games at third last season and led the team in batting average. Schmidt is a freshman who possesses good offensive and defensive skills.
"Ryan played the majority of the season there last year and is certainly a capable option," Henderson said. "Jared is a big physical kid and as he gets more experience, he could fit in the equation. Greg and Drew will also be in the mix at the third base if we need to move one of them there to get more bats into the lineup."
Outfielders
The outfield is another position where the Salukis will have plenty of competition for a starting spot. Dyllin Mucha (.260, 32 H, 9 RBI), Braden Mosley (.254, 18 H, 12 RBI), Jake Hand (.231, 27 H, 13 RBI), and J.C. DeMuri (.220, 11 H, 7 RBI) all saw action in the outfield last season. Junior college transfer Ryan Smith is the only new addition to the outfield group, although Lambert and Curtis have proven they can play out there.
In center field, Mucha and Smith give the Salukis two speedy playmakers who will give Southern a strong defensive presence.
"Dyllin has played that position the majority of the time the last two years and will continue to get opportunities there," Henderson said. "Ryan had great success at the junior college level and is a really good defensive outfielder. They were both good offensively in the fall. The fact that Mucha is left-handed and Smith is right-handed gives us options as well."
Hand and DeMuri split time in right field last year and will both be in the mix this season.
The competition will be just as strong for the starting left fielder position for SIU. Mosley will compete against Lambert for the starting spot.
"Braden might be the best athlete on the team and has a ton of potential," said Henderson. "He can also play all three positions. Jake and J.C. are guys who are going to be in the mix in right field. Their playing time will be determined by how well they are swinging the bats. Greg is someone that can play multiple positions, which is one of the reasons why we may play him in left field. The other wild card in this situation is Curtis. Just like Lambert, he can play multiple positions. By potentially moving those two to the outfield, it creates a great deal of competition for the corner outfield spots. All of these guys are similar on defense, so it ultimately will come down to who is swinging the bat."
Pitchers
Southern returns 11 pitchers from last season's staff. The biggest change is the addition of four new left-handed pitchers to the roster, bringing the pitching staff to 15 players.
"The pitching staff is going to be very interesting this year," Henderson said. "Obviously, we have to pitch better than we did last year and we have guys that are capable of that. We have some question marks early in the season regarding roles."
The Saluki pitching staff brings back six players that started at least one game last season, making the battle for a spot on the weekend rotation fierce. Of the six pitchers that earned a start, Michael Baird, Alex Lesiak, Bryce Sablotny, and Chad Whitmer started a weekend game.
Sablotny returns after earning a sixth year of eligibility. He served as SIU's Saturday starter for most of the season, while compiling a 2-4 record with 33 strikeouts in 70.2 innings of work.
"Bryce got a sixth year of eligibility after missing two years dealing with the same injury and will play a big role for us," Henderson said. "He is a steady guy. You know what you are going to get every time he steps on the mound. He is going to give you a chance to win and he won't beat himself."
Whitmer started last year as a reliever before moving into the weekend rotation after an injury to Aaron Hauge. He made 18 appearances with four starts, with an ERA of 5.81. Baird had 18 appearances and made two starts last season. He finished the year with 44 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched.
"Chad proved at the end of last year that he can win on weekends as a starter and will get that opportunity again," said Henderson. "Michael is someone who has as much upside as anyone on the team. He has great stuff and will be in the mix as a weekend starter."
Connor McFadden, Austin McPheron, and Lesiak all split time as SIU's midweek starter. The trio of pitchers will once again have the opportunity to fill that role for the Salukis.
"Connor has one of the best arms on the club and had a really good fall practice," Henderson said. "He has made some adjustments and pounded the zone much better than in the past. Austin is much improved as well. He is a local guy with a great arm and whose off-speed stuff has gotten much better. Lesiak is coming off of surgery and is somewhat of a question mark. He came in last year and started some games before elbow issues ended his season. He is back now and will be in the mix."
Newcomer Joey Marciano is another pitcher that could make his way into the starting rotation. The left-handed pitcher earned several pitching accolades at the junior college level, including the Great Rivers Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and Region 24 All-Region Team honors.
"Joey is a guy that we are counting on heavily for us this year," Henderson said. "He is a big, strong left-hander who knows how to pitch, has experienced success in the past, and will certainly be in the mix for a weekend rotation spot."
Gavyn Ellet, Seth Hackett, and Mitch Townsend are left-handed pitchers that join the Salukis for the 2016 season. All three will be counted upon to provide quality innings out of the bullpen.
"Gavyn is a guy who we hope will give left-handed hitters fits," said Henderson. "He is a sidearm guy from the left side which is pretty unique. Seth and Mitch are two freshmen that we very excited about. They have a bright future and what role they play will be determined by how quickly they continue to develop."
The fifth left-handed pitcher on the SIU roster is redshirt freshman Austin Covers. Covers returns to the SIU bullpen after missing most of last season with an elbow injury that required surgery. In his lone appearance at TCU last year, Covers pitched one inning without allowing a hit.
"Austin is a guy who I think is going to be unbelievably crucial for us this year," Henderson said.
"As a freshman, he had a great fall and we were counting on him to contribute. He threw one inning on opening weekend, but ended up having elbow issues that ended his season early. He
is now healthy and capable of throwing extremely well."
Colten Selvey makes the move from closer to middle reliever this season. Selvey held a team-best 2.49 ERA last season in 17 appearances. He was 1-2 with four saves and 10 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.
"Colten is a guy with good stuff and is one of only four seniors," Henderson said. "He can fill a lot of roles for us depending on how he performs this spring."
Redshirt juniors Anthony Shimkus and Jacob Williams return and will provide SIU with options late in a game. Williams pitched in 15 games last year and earned a 2-1 record. Shimkus tied for a team-high 19 appearances last year and was a go-to option out of the bullpen.
"Anthony did a good job for us last year as a set-up guy and is an arm we have to count on," Henderson said. "There might also be a few times where he can close games if we need him to. Jacob has been a good reliever for us for a couple of years now. He is a guy that we know we can count on out of the bullpen."
Rounding out the Saluki pitching staff is sophomore Ryan Netemeyer. Netemeyer enters the 2016 season as the Saluki closer after taking over the role at the end of last season. In 19
appearances, Netemeyer had 28 strikeouts in 30.2 innings with one save.
"The closer position is pretty much the only role settled at this point," said Henderson. "Ryan has the stuff and makeup to do that. He likes that role and will be counted on to finish games."
SIU opens the 2016 season with a three-game series at McNeese State on Feb.19. The schedule is highlighted by 34 games to be played at Itchy Jones Stadium.
