Baseball HL Previews

[jetz]

Here's the 2014 version of the national websites' HL previews.  Like last year, Baseball America didn't do their research and has us nowhere on the radar.  Perfect Game is better, as they were last year.  We placed four players on the PG Presason All-HL Team and Mahoney is mentioned as a MLB draft choice projected in the 12-18th rounds.  Lundeen is listed as a top 2015 prospect as well.  I like it when the team is flying under the radar in the preseason--makes getting that ring a lot sweeter.  I posted the BA link below, but the PG link was subscriber only.  I wasn't sure if the hyperlink would be readable by all, so I copied the entire article below.  Sorry for the lengthy post...

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-college-previews-horizon-league/

The Perfect Game article:

Conference preview: Horizon League

Kendall Rogers         
Published: Thursday, February 06, 2014

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Overall/conference won-loss records from 2013 indicated
* Projected conference automatic bid


No.    Team    W    L    W    L
1    Illinois-Chicago*    13    11    27    28
2    Valparaiso    13    11    32    28
3    Wright State    9    12    25    30
4    UW-Milwaukee    14    7    29    21
5    Oakland    15    13    20    35
6    Youngstown State    8    16    14    43



PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Pos.    Name    Class    School    Stats/Notes
C    Mitch Ghelfi    So.    UW-Milwaukee    .322-3-19, had a very good freshman campaign
1B    Andrew Bynum    Sr.    Valparaiso    .313-1-14, .400 OBP, very good control of zone
2B    Mike Porcaro    Jr.    UW-Milwaukee    .367-1-43, 14 doubles, 8 stolen bases last year
3B    Sam Koenig    Sr.    UW-Milwaukee    .286-2-24, 17 walks, 11 doubles last season
SS    Spencer Mahoney    Jr.    Valparaiso    .271-1-19, drew over 30 walks last season
OF    Kieston Greene    Sr.    Wright State    .335-4-23, 11 doubles, 19 walks last season
OF    Derek Peake    Jr.    UW-Milwaukee    .327-0-17, 16 stolen bases last season
OF    Chris Manning    Sr.    Valparaiso    .304-3-34, 14 stolen bases in '13, low K total
DH    Mark Fowler    Sr.    Wright State    .308-1-32, lots of potential in his bat
UT    Ryan Solberg    Sr.    UW-Milwaukee    .288-4-24, 8 doubles, 44 hits
SP    Tomas Michelson    Jr.    Illinois-Chicago    3.08, 102.1 IP, 65K/26BB
SP    Travis Hissong    Jr.    Wright State    2.39, 37.2 IP, 52K/19BB, .176 OPP BA
SP    Jason Hager    Sr.    Oakland    3.35, 95.1 IP, 73K/21BB, .260 OPP BA
RP    Karch Kowalczyk    Sr.    Valparaiso    1.73, 26 IP, 13 saves, 18K/7BB

Player of the year: Kieston Greene, of, Wright State

Pitcher of the year: Travis Hissong, rhp, Wright State

Top freshman: Sean Murphy, c, Wright State

Top newcomer: Jake Nath, of, Illinois-Chicago




PROSPECT WATCH
Projected round drafted in ()
-Lists compiled by Allan Simpson



2014—Top 5

1 Jake Paulson, rhp, Oakland (Rounds 8-12)

2 Spencer Mahoney, ss, Valparaiso (12-18)

3 Brendan Shoemake, rhp, Youngstown State (12-18)

4 Joe Perricone, of, Illinois-Chicago (15-25)

5 Nic Manuppelli, rhp, Youngstown State (15-25)

2015—Top 3

1 Robbie Sexton, lhp, Wright State (Rounds 20-30)

2 Michael Brosseau, ss, Oakland (20-30)

3 Dalton Lundeen, lhp, Valparaiso (30-40)

2016—Top 1

1 Sean Murphy, c, Wright State (Rounds 10-15)


HORIZON LEAGUE NOTEBOOK

Wisconsin-Milwaukee: The Panthers won the Horizon League regular season title by 2 1/2 games last season, but failed short of reaching the NCAA postseason after Valparaiso won the conference tournament title and notched a Regional appearance. With that said, the Panthers have a chance to capture the crown again with Illinois-Chicago, Valparaiso and Wright State the main competition. UWM welcomes back a solid starting pitcher in Mike Schneider, who finished last year with a 3.64 ERA in 71 2/3 innings of work, while at the plate, catcher Mitch Ghelfi once again is an all-conference selection after hitting .322 last season ... Also keep an eye on solid hitters such as Sam Koenig, Derek Peake, Mike Porcaro and Ryan Solberg.

Illinois-Chicago: The Flames are the conference favorite this spring with the return of several quality players, including a trio of good starting pitchers in junior righthander Tomas Michelson, senior Mike McKinley and sophomore righty Ian Lewandowski. Michelson is a big-time arm with a fastball up to 93, while he also sits 89-91, and settles in at 86-90 as the game progresses. His secondary stuff continues to improve with a slider replacing a curveball as his wipeout pitch. Meanwhile, keep an eye on sophomore hurler Joe Perricone. Perricone sits 89-92 with his fastball, along with good secondary stuff. Also keep an eye on senior pitcher Charlie Weinberg, who sits 87-90, but has the ability to touch 92 or 93 at times, along with a good curveball. He sat out last season because of Tommy John surgery, but should be healthy this spring ... Positionally, keep an eye on junior college transfer Jake Nath, who has very good speed with a 6.65 60-yard-dash. Meanwhile, also watch for freshman Mickey McDonald, who's polished and has a good swing from both sides of the plate. Slugger Alex Jurich is someone else to watch, while Collin Weyer could miss the season because of a shoulder injury.

Valparaiso: Even without departed head coach Tracy Woodson, who left for the University of Richmond during the offseason, the Crusaders should be just fine with former assistant coach Brian Schmack taking over the post. Valparaiso will have an OK offensive lineup with the return of outfielder Chris Manning, first baseman Andrew Bynum and shortstop Spencer Mahoney, and others, while the pitching staff is the most impressive aspect of this club ... Senior reliever Karch Kowalczyk leads the charge on the mound with a fastball in the lower-90s, while starting pitcher Cole Webb is coming off a respectable 2013 season.

Wright State: The Raiders lost long-time head coach Rob Cooper to Penn State University in the offseason, but good news? They welcome new head coach and previous assistant Greg Lovelady, who has a very good reputation in the region. Lovelady inherits what should be an outstanding ace starting pitcher in righthander Travis Hissong. Hissong has a fastball anywhere from 91-95 and will start after closing last season. He showed a plus slider during the fall, and also continues to develop his changeup as a solid secondary offering. Meanwhile, also keep an eye on senior pitcher Joey Hoelzel, who was 89-91 during the fall with a hard slider and some good sink on his fastball. He includes a deceptive delivery. Lastly, some good injury news on the horizon, as the Raiders welcome back former setup guy Jack Van Horn and Andrew Elliott ... Offensively, keep an eye on talented Mark Fowler, who also has good speed, while sophomore John Brodner and Michael Timm are expected to have solid campaigns ... Freshman catcher Sean Murphy is the main freshman to watch in this league. Murphy has a plus arm and is an excellent defensive catcher. Now, he just needs to make the final adjustments from an offensive standpoint.

Oakland: Head coach John Musachio's club should make a rather smooth transition to the Horizon League this spring. Musachio's OU club welcomes back quite a solid weekend rotation with the return of junior lefthanded pitcher Jason Hager, senior righthander Tim Koons and junior righty Jake Paulson. Paulson is the most heralded prospect on this club with a large frame — 6-foot-7 — along with a fastball up to 94 at times. Meanwhile, Koons has an 8792 FB with a swing and miss slider. Also keep an eye on 6-foot-7 freshman pitcher Connor Fannon, who sits 84-88 with good life on his fastball, while also encompassing a plus breaking ball as part of his repertoire ... Sophomore shortstop Mike Brosseau continues to impress with much improved speed, while catcher Jake Morton is a good athlete with good skills behind the plate ... Injury-wise, the Grizzlies welcome back Jake Morton, Ian Yetsko, Nate Lewis and Lucas Scocchia.

Youngstown State: After not exactly having a good 2013 season, the Penguins hope to finally rise up and make a statement in '14. That won't be so easy, but there's some talent on this roster, specifically from a pitching standpoint. Junior righthanded pitcher Brendon Shoemake sits 88-92 with his fastball, but also touched 94 during the fall. Interestingly, the YSU coaching staff feels like he has even more velocity to gain in his fastball before he stops growing. Meanwhile, keep an eye on talented freshman pitcher Kevin Yarabinec, who sits upper-80s, low-90s with a plus plus slider, while sophomore Jared Wright is a mid-80s pitcher, who, too, has a significant velocity jump soon coming ... Offensively speaking, senior catcher Josh White has good gap-to-gap power and is expected to have a strong season, while Matt Sullivan is a versatile position player, and shortstop Shane Willoughby is a plus defender who will play shortstop each day ... In other news, the Penguins welcome back senior outfielder Kris Moules, who missed half of last season with a wrist injury.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Awesome--thanks for posting.

No draft for Karch though?

[valpotx]

It is impressive how realistic Perfect Game's analysis is.  It is going to be a conference dominated by Valpo, UIC, and WSU for years to come.  Milwaukee has a good team every so often (going back 15 years), but isn't consistently a threat each year.

[jetz]

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/8380

[jetz]

Now this is impressive.  All 302 teams in D1 ranked with a write up.  Note that at #163 we come in ahead of Purdue, Northwestern and some other decent teams (with far bigger budgets)...

http://www.collegebaseballtoday.com/2014/02/07/the-top-302-teams-of-2014/

[valpotx]

Kind of odd that CSM doesn't list Paulson from Oakland on either of the all-conference teams, when another publication lists him as an MLB pick between the 8th-12th rounds.

[jetz]

Nice honor for Karch on the baseball site.  The team opens in Samford this Friday.  Video looks like it's available from the Samford baseball site--go to their schedule and click the video link.  All three games will be on video, but not sure if it's free or not.  One of the parents will also be tweeting.  Follow @RJMahoney01 to get the feed.  First pitch is at 6p CST Friday night.

http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/news/2013-14/13379/kowalczyk-named-to-ncbwa-preseason-stopper-of-the-year-watch-list/

[jetz]

This one includes a feature and interview with Coach Schmack.

http://www.collegebaseballinsider.com/14Preseason/14HorizonFeature.html

[historyman]

This one includes a feature and interview with Coach Schmack. http://www.collegebaseballinsider.com/14Preseason/14HorizonFeature.html

They could call the former Wright State men's basketball head coach (now at Clemson) Littleburnt. If his name is truly "Brownwell." The current WSU head basketball coach would probably be more remembered if his name was Billy "Not Donovan" Donlon.

"It wasn't a situation where it was a slam dunk and 'If he leaves, you're going to take over and we're going to do this,'" Schmack said.

I do remember someone on this board mentioning they thought Schmack was pretty much a shoe in for the head coaching job if Woodson left.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

man, i don't know what you put in your coffee last night, but you were en fuego.

also i don't think anyone at Valpo thinks shoeing Schmack is a good idea.

[valpotx]

I like Schmack's attitude in his responses, in not being happy to get to the Regional, but to win one.  If IU and Kent State can get to a CWS, there isn't anything preventing us from doing it with the right mentality.  We have shown in the last few years that we can play with and beat top teams.  This is actually a similar philosophy that Coach Twenge often spoke about years ago, especially when Rice went to the CWS.  He would often say that if they can do it, we can do the same, as they are a similar-sized school (though in TX).  Many on the team essentially laughed that off as unrealistic, so it is good to see that the mentality has changed among the players.  Granted, we did have the ORU buzzsaw in our conference, which made an NCAA trip very unlikely for any other teams in conference, since they were a top 20 team each year, hard to beat twice in a tournament.

[historyman]

I like Schmack's attitude in his responses, in not being happy to get to the Regional, but to win one.  If IU and Kent State can get to a CWS, there isn't anything preventing us from doing it with the right mentality.  We have shown in the last few years that we can play with and beat top teams.  This is actually a similar philosophy that Coach Twenge often spoke about years ago, especially when Rice went to the CWS.  He would often say that if they can do it, we can do the same, as they are a similar-sized school (though in TX).  Many on the team essentially laughed that off as unrealistic, so it is good to see that the mentality has changed among the players.  Granted, we did have the ORU buzzsaw in our conference, which made an NCAA trip very unlikely for any other teams in conference, since they were a top 20 team each year, hard to beat twice in a tournament.

Some wise people might say that beating ORU twice in the conference tourney was similar or less difficult than making in to the CWS. So by saying winning the conference tournament was near impossible is it not similar to disbelieving your team is capable of making it to the CWS? (Darn, ended it in a question again.)

[jetz]

Well, here's what the rest of the league thinks.  If I remember right, we were picked third or fourth last year as well.  Thanks for the bulletin board fuel, fellas! 

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/milwaukee-picked-to-win-2014-horizon-league-baseball-title.html

BTW, they mention that Milwaukee has the longest home winning streak in the nation at 16.  They technically don't even have a home.  They play at Henry Aaron Park, a city lot that is used by everyone else in town as well.  If you were ranking facilities in D1, "The Hank" would NOT be in anyone's top half...except mine.  They sell brats and beer (since it's a city park that's AOK with the NCAA), so I think it's great.  (I know, Valpo's field wouldn't be right up at the top, either.  Save your hate mail.)

[jetz]

Thoughts of mine after reading the Valpo "Things We Need to Know" article on the baseball site from earlier today...

Weather.  It's always the bane of a northern team's existence, but this year our outfielder's haven't seen a fly ball since 2013.  In the past we could use Brown Field for some outside work, but not this winter.  The coaching staff has a "no excuses" policy and has emphasized a fast start this year.  How will the team come out of the gate?

Mark Johnson will start in CF.  Hara is said to be nursing some injuries, but who will start when Hara is 100%?

Morman is back and healthy in LF after two seasons on the DL.  Can he stay that way through the season?  Power bat if so...

Nate Palace will start at 3B.  He will be the only freshman to start the season opener.  I was there when he went yard in the Fall--nice pop in his bat! 

Bynum will start at 1B.  A converted catcher, he has plus power and I look forward to seeing him get lots of ABs.  I assume he'll be fine defensively, but he (like Morman) needs to prove that he can stay healthy all year...

Andy Burns will slide to 2B from 3B last year.  Slick fielder should be in a more natural position at 2B.  Lefty with a sweet swing, and will look for a higher OBP this year...

Mahoney looks like he will lead off this year.  He hasn't done that consistently at Valpo, but I think it will be a good move.  He sees a lot of pitches.  Last year looked at too many third strikes early, then improved on that late.  A top 20 prospect out of the Alaskan summer league...

Jake Hanson replaces Cribbs behind the plate.  Hit well in his limited ABs last year.  Can he stop the running game in the way we have been used to for the past two years?  This is the teams "youngest" position, with a FR backup in Bartolomucci.

Webb-Hasler-Losi is the weekend pitching lineup.  Webb should be solid.  Hasler throws strikes and steps in for lefty Dalton Lundeen, who is out up to six weeks with mono.  This will be a huge spot for the 6'6" soph.  Need quality starts from him, or we will be searching for a #2 from the pen.  Losi is a true freshman stepping into the weekend rotation.  His right pitching arm means that opponents will see three RHPs from Valpo in Lundeen's absence.

Pen:  Lots of experience, led by Karch.  The problem:  only one LHP--senior Sean Kennedy.  Mahar, Walsh, Haas, and Bryce Yoder lead the RHP parade with lots of HL experience.  Condit, a transfer, is another RHP.  Overlooked in all the previews, I thought Jerge looked good in the Fall as well.  These guys may see lots of innings, and they should be able to handle a big workload.

Will we run more?  I hope so.  We gave away a lot of outs with the sac bunt in the past.  I think we'll still bunt some, but I'd love to see some of our guys test the HL catchers a bit more this year.  Who can do it?  I know that Hara, Manning, Johnson definitely can.  Mahoney and Burns could pick their spots, I think.  I'm sure there's a few new faces who can run as well...

Go get 'em, boys.  Let's play ball!   

[valpotx]

I like Schmack's attitude in his responses, in not being happy to get to the Regional, but to win one.  If IU and Kent State can get to a CWS, there isn't anything preventing us from doing it with the right mentality.  We have shown in the last few years that we can play with and beat top teams.  This is actually a similar philosophy that Coach Twenge often spoke about years ago, especially when Rice went to the CWS.  He would often say that if they can do it, we can do the same, as they are a similar-sized school (though in TX).  Many on the team essentially laughed that off as unrealistic, so it is good to see that the mentality has changed among the players.  Granted, we did have the ORU buzzsaw in our conference, which made an NCAA trip very unlikely for any other teams in conference, since they were a top 20 team each year, hard to beat twice in a tournament.

Some wise people might say that beating ORU twice in the conference tourney was similar or less difficult than making in to the CWS. So by saying winning the conference tournament was near impossible is it not similar to disbelieving your team is capable of making it to the CWS? (Darn, ended it in a question again.)

Twenge didn't say that it was very unlikely for anyone but ORU to win the conference tournament, that was just a fact lol