BASEBALL 2008 SEASON PREVIEW...
CLEVELAND, OH (January 31, 2008) - Despite the winter chill in Cleveland, spring is almost here, and under second year Head Coach Matt Englander, the Case Western Reserve University baseball team is gearing up for a successful season.
The team returns six players from last year's 12-20 squad, including senior captains Mike Robinson (Cleveland, OH), Kevin Haley (Kent, OH), and junior Kevin Carney (University Heights, OH).
Robinson and Haley will start up the middle for the Spartans at second base and short-stop, respectively, while Carney will be out in left field in his third year at Case. Haley earned 2nd team All-UAA honors last season after hitting .283 and was fourth on the team in total bases (35). He also won two games in nine appearances on the mound for the Spartans last season and will likely see time there again this season.
“Kevin is the vocal leader of the team and the guys really respond to him that way,” Englander said. “He's going to be a big part of what we do on the field and from a leadership standpoint.”
Robinson, played in nine games and started two last season and will see some big at-bats this season for the Spartans.
“Nobody works harder than Mike,” Englander said. “If you give him something to do, he goes and he does it 1,000-miles-per-hour. He continues to get better at everything and he really epitomizes the team-first attitude.”
Also returning for Case will be junior outfielder Ben Faber (Fostoria, OH), sophomore outfielder Phil Keefe (Newtonville, MA), and first baseman/pitcher Chip Dean (Lexington, VA).
Faber started 31 games last season, compiling 25 hits and scoring 13 runs to go along with a homer and 12 RBI, while Keefe started 27 games and hit .260 with 11 runs for the Spartans last season.
“Ben did a lot of things for us last year and he's a do-it-all kind of guy,” Englander said. “He played everywhere for us and he's going to do the same for us this year. Phil will play a lot in the outfield and he has really worked hard both offensively and defensively and he's gotten much stronger this year.”
Dean led the team with a 4.50 earned-run-average in six games on the mound last season and will get some innings for the team this season, while also hitting .268.
“Chip swings the bat pretty well and as only a sophomore he is only getting better,” Englander said.
Out of the 26 players taking the field for the Spartans this season, the team will have 17 newcomers, including freshmen infielders Zach Fry (Colorado Springs, CO), Steve Crilley (Glenshaw, PA), Matt Viau (Brampton, MI), Kevin Train (Mechanicsburg, PA), Cory Pecoraro (Strongsville, OH), and outfielders Zach Hall (Germantown, MD), Clay Hurley (Connellsville, PA), and Tim Coan (Solon, OH).
“We have a young team and it's going to be like that for a year or two,” Englander said. “We have a talented group and adapting these guys to the grind of the college game of practicing every day and getting stronger has been a challenge they've embraced.”
The Spartans also have a young and talented group of pitchers and catchers, including pitchers Aron Kale (Northridge, CA), Kyle Silk (Hudson, OH), Simon Weaver (Bethesda, PA), and Devin Dye (Canton, OH). Seeing time behind the plate will be freshmen Matt Johnson (Cranberry Township, PA), Steve Bills (Greensburg, PA), and Chad Mullins (Fredericksburg, OH).
“Pitching wise we're really young and it's been difficult to build an entire pitching staff in one recruiting class, but it something we've had to do this year,” Englander said. “I really anticipate every guy on the team filling multiple roles early on until we figure out what the rotation will be and where everyone is comfortable. We have a talented group of kids that are working to refine their raw talent into skill.”
The Spartans have a total of nine players from the Northeast Ohio area, while the remaining players have come from out of state to attend Case Western Reserve and play for the Spartans at Nobby's Ballpark, a state-of-the-art facility on the north-end of the Case Western Reserve campus that was dedicated late last spring.
“Case is a place you can recruit nationally, but I really believe in order to be successful you need to good in your own backyard,” Englander said. “We did really well locally with some guys from Cleveland and the new guys are excited to play at such a great facility.”
The Spartans will start their 2008 season on the road on Mar. 1 when they head to West Virginia to play Bethany College, and from there, the team will head south to Georgia on Mar. 8-9 for two games against LaGrange College and to Sanford, Fla. for the University Athletic Association Championships from Mar. 11-15. Case plays its home opener Mar. 21 against NCAA Division I Cleveland State University.
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