Northwestern University Athletics
2003 Baseball Season Outlook
2/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 11, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Coming off a late-season surge that elevated Northwestern into the 2002 Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcat baseball program is hungry for more in 2003-and with all eight starters back from last year, there is no better time than now.
After trudging to a 3-8 start in Big Ten play, it seemed that history might repeat itself-again. In 2001, a slow start kept NU from the annual postseason tournament by a single game. But in 2002, the 'Cats reeled off 11 wins in their final 17 conference contests to make the postseason for the second time in three years. NU made the most of their postseason experience, upsetting the No. 3 and No. 1 seed on its way to the second-best showing in school history at 2-2. The 1984 squad went 3-2.
"It certainly showed the individuals were buying into a lot of the things that the coaches were preaching," said NU head coach Paul Stevens about the team's late run in 2002. "The guys did some pretty awesome things at the end of the season, and that gives them the confidence to play at the level the coaching staff has been talking about."
Eight returning starters certainly helps out the team's confidence as NU enters 2003. Seniors Ken Padgett, Travis Tharp and Brandon Ackley headline the Wildcat attack after a strong 2002 season. Ackley batted a team-best .305 and belted five homers and drove in 29 runs.
Key Returnees
| Pitchers | Key Stats |
| J.A. Happ | Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, 2.10 ERA, 51.1 innings |
| Dan Konecny | Started six games, missed second half of season with mono |
| Jon Mikrut | 6-for-6 in save opportunities, 14 appearances--0.00 ERA |
| Infielders | |
| Travis Tharp (1B) | Third-team All-Big Ten, .338 conference batting average |
| Ken Padgett (C) | .304 batting average, started 55 games, Threw out 29 runners |
| Jon Mikrut (SS) | Turned 35 of team's 45 double plays, Hit six homers with 30 RBI |
| Eric Roeder (2B) | Started 50 games, led team with 10 stolen bases, 15 multi-hit games |
| Outfielders | |
| Brandon Ackley | Hit .305 with 29 RBI, including five home runs and 11 doubles in 210 at-bats |
| David Gresky | Started 51 games, led team with 15 doubles and 31 RBI |
| Dan Pohlman | Hit .299 in conference action, hit eight doubles and two home runs |
Padgett, a catcher that started 51-of-54 games, tied for the team lead with six home runs while batting .304. He also threw out a Big Ten-leading 29 base stealers. Tharp cranked six home runs en route to his third-team All-Big Ten selection.
"I think we have great continuity out in the field," said Stevens, who enters his 16th season at the Northwestern helm. "We're pretty good from first to third, and the outfield is as strong as anybody in the league. We're really comfortable with (Ken) Padgett behind the plate. He's caught more games than a lot of guys we've had come through here."
Stevens also expects big things out of Eric Roeder. The senior led NU with 10 stolen bases and batted .337 over the last 25 games of 2002. Roeder gets the nod as the team's ironman, as he has started 138 of 145 career games.
David Gresky, Jason Krynski and Dan Pohlman made big strides last season as sophomores. Krynski hit six round trippers and Gresky led the team with 31 RBI. Pohlman, who Stevens says, improved tremendously in the offseason, gained some experience as an outfielder and pitcher.
Jon Mikrut had an impressive freshman campaign in more ways than one. As NU's shortstop, he turned 35 of the team's 45 double plays, hit six home runs and drove in 30 RBI. On the mound, Mikrut picked up a team-best six saves (in six attempts).
If there is any unknown about the 2003 Wildcats, it is the pitching staff, which graduated four hurlers last year, including aces Ryan Bos, Gabe Ribas and Zach Schara. Northwestern returns only one starter to the mound in junior Dan Konecny, who made only six starts after missing much of the last half of 2002 due to mononucleosis.
"Who's on the hill is obviously our biggest question, but I have great confidence in Dan Konecny," Stevens said. "There's no doubt that losing those three guys is going to make an impact, but I'm confident Dan will come out and lead this staff."
J.A. Happ, an honorable mention Collegiate Baseball All-American, made the adjustment to college baseball without missing a beat. Happ, who also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, led the team with 21 appearances and was fourth with 51 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. After posting a 2.10 ERA, the ninth-best single season mark in NU history, and making three starts last year, Happ is slated to start for the 'Cats this year.
Sophomores Evan Blesoff and Stanley Finch figure to be in the mix out of the bullpen. Blesoff posted a 3.97 ERA in 14 appearances. Finch, who made nine appearances, came on against Ohio State in NU's first Big Ten series of last season and struck out five. Besides playing in the field, Pohlman and Mikrut will likely step on the rubber again at some point.
Some of the incoming freshmen will help provide depth on the mound. Mark Ori and Dan Brauer could get some early experience. Ori was the 2002 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, and Brauer became only the third pitcher in Illinois High School Association history to post a 0.00 ERA during his junior. He followed that up with a 0.89 ERA as a senior.
"(Mark) Ori and (Dan) Brauer are going to fit right in," Stevens said. "They're just tremendous athletes as well as competitors. They'll be welcome additions to the staff."
Infielder Anthony Wycklendt earned second-team all-state accolades his junior and senior seasons and team MVP honors his senior year.
"Wycklendt, Ori and Brauer all showed they can play the field at this level," Stevens said. "I'm not sure how it will all work out, but these guys are going to play."
Freshman Julio Siberio figures to be a part of the mix as an option out of the bullpen. Sophomore Julian Romero brings another left-handed bat to the plate.
Northwestern begins the season Feb. 13 with its usual extended road trip, as the 'Cats are away from Evanston for the first 23 games. NU kicks off the 2003 campaign at the Arizona Invitational where it will face Brigham Young, Missouri (twice) and Cal Poly. The Wildcats then head to Alabama for the Southern Alabama Coca-Cola Tournament and the Troy State Wire Graph Classic. In early March, Northwestern heads west to the New Mexico Tournament in early March before heading south to Bradenton, Fla., where it will play three nonconference games and its first three Big Ten contests against Ohio State. NU then travels to Michigan State and Valparaiso before taking the field at Rocky Miller Park on April 11, when the team plays its first of 16 home games.
"I see the road trip as a positive," Stevens said. "We have the opportunity to go out and see people that we read about. I see it as a positive both athletically and academically. Getting away allows our guys to focus better on what we need to accomplish on and off the field."
After reaching the Big Ten Tournament last year, the Wildcats are looking to accomplish bigger and better things in 2003.
"Until you experience it, it's difficult to get to the top of that wave and ride it home," Stevens said. "But I think our guys understand that a little more after last season. Our team chemistry is better than it's been in a long time, and players' work ethic is great and their focus is phenomenal. We have very capable guys who are zoned in on what we want to accomplish as a group."
