Northwestern University Athletics
2005 Baseball Outlook
2/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 9, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - People say a lot can change in a year. In Northwestern's case, it couldn't be more true.
At this same time one year ago, Northwestern head coach Paul Stevens was telling everyone who would listen about his pitching staff. And why wouldn't he, he had four returning starters, three of them earning All-Big Ten distinctions and a plethora of arms in the bullpen.
Things have changed.
With the loss of left-hander J.A. Happ to the Major League baseball draft (third round to Philadelphia), offseason arm surgery for junior lefty Dan Brauer and the graduation of Dan Konecny, the NU pitching staff has only three players with more than 50 innings of experience under their belts.
POSITION ANALYSIS
Catcher
Junior Pat McMahon and sophomore Geoff Dietz will compete for the everyday catching position this season, replacing the graduated Dan Pohlman.
"The catching position is a spot on the field that we (the coaching staff) have a lot of confidence in," says Stevens. "We will miss Dan's (Pohlman) offense, but Pat and Geoff are very accomplished catchers and I have every bit of confidence in their abilities to call a game."
McMahon missed the 2004 season due to Tommy John surgery, but made a full recovery and is ready to assume the catching duties. Dietz on the other hand, played substantial innings (22 games, 11 starts) as a true freshman.
Infield
The 2005 infield will see significant changes this season, as three-year starter Jon Mikrut will move from shortstop to third and sophomore Caleb Fields makes the change from second base to shortstop.
"Mikrut's move to third will give him a chance to pitch more," says Stevens. "The way he performed in the fall, he's as good a third baseman that we've had in some time.
"Mikrut is a player who can make a difference in a game," continued Stevens. "He swings the bat well (.316 batting average in 2004 with 43 RBI.) He can play outstanding defense (just eight errors in 145 chances), and can come in and close out a game on the mound."
Mikrut needs just one more save to tie Chris Nichitng for the all-time saves record with 17.
Fields, just a sophomore, started 46 games last year, making significant strides throughout the season.
"Caleb is a player who impressed us all fall with his ability to play shortstop on the run," says Stevens.
"He is definitely a person who we believe is going to handle the position with no trouble. His defense up the middle reminds me of former Wildcat Mark Loretta."
Junior first baseman Mark Ori is coming off one of NU's most productive offensive seasons in recent history.
The Maine South product led the team with 73 hits, putting him in a tie for eighth on the single-season hits list with Bob Dainton (2000). He led the Big Ten (conference games only) with a .412 batting average and finished third in the conference overall, hitting .382 in 191 at-bats. Ori also led the team with 23 base-on-balls.
"The way his swings the bat and the strides he's made on defense, makes him second-to-none at first base in my opinion," said Stevens.
Newcomer Jake Owens seems slotted to take over second base duties. After a productive fall campaign, Owens will get his chance.
Owens was a three-time Wisconsin all-state honoree in baseball. He also received all-state honors in football and basketball.
"Defensively Jake turns the double play as good as anyone I've seen here at Northwestern," says Stevens. "He's a kid who has the ability to solidify our infield and make them as a group, one of the best I've been around."
With Mikrut and Ori pulling double duty in the field and on the mound, Stevens will look for the versatile Mike Phelps to fill numerous spots.
"Mike possesses the ability to play all four spots in the infield," says Stevens. "He is a key player if we want to be successful."
Senior Luke Sundheim is another player with excellent defensive skills who will compete for time at first base.
Freshman Rob Campbell had an excellent fall season and will vie for time at first base as well.
Campbell's classmate, Mark Bennett, is a viable option in the middle infield with his quick hands and great range.
Sophomore Michael Kalina has impressed coaches with his offense over the offseason and will be in position to compete for playing time at a number of different positions.
Senior Julian Romero continues to swing the bat well and is slated to find time in the designated hitter's role.
Outfield
Junior Anthony Wycklendt leads a group of outfielders that Coach Stevens says "is a group of awfully talented athletes."
Wycklendt comes into the 2005 season after finishing fourth on the team with a .304 batting average and leading the team with four triples. Along with Ori and Mikrut, Wycklendt is one of three top returning hitters on this year's squad.
In two seasons of collegiate baseball, Wycklendt is a .337 career hitter with 57 RBI and 12 home runs.
"Anthony needs to be more consistent at the plate," says Stevens. "But the way he has worked this past offseason and the amount of dedication he has shown, I expect Anthony to be one of our major contributors."
Wycklendt started 32 games in left field and 21 as the designated hitter in 2004.
Stanley Finch, who missed last season because of Tommy John surgery, will start in center field.
"There is not a person on our team that works harder than Stan Finch," says Stevens. "Between his speed and his ability to make contact on a consistent basis, he's a guy that we're going to need to get things done."
Freshman Aaron Newman is also ready to roam center field for NU. Newman hit .435 and stole 48 bases his senior year at Palatine High School.
Sophomore Anthony Mulé began the 2004 season as NU's starting rightfielder. Just four outs into his collegiate career he suffered a season-ending leg injury. After offseason surgery and countless months of rehab, Mulé is slated to begin right where he left off, starting in right field.
"Mulé is a player I'm comfortable putting in right or left field," says Stevens.
Freshman outfielder Max Mann has made an impression on coaches.
"Max will play substantial innings this season," says Stevens. "It may be in the outfield or as the DH (designated hitter), that's up to him."
Mann hails from Los Angeles, Calif., where he was first-team All-CIF and a four-time all-league representative.
Pitching
With the loss of Happ, Brauer and Konecny, NU lost 59 percent of its pitching. They threw 257 of NU's 460 innings in 2004. Happ and Brauer alone pitched 183.1 innings (40 percent).
"We have the guys to step up and do the job," says Stevens when asked about his pitching staff. "There isn't a lot of experience this year, but every guy on our staff can contribute."
With Brauer on the shelf, senior Evan Blesoff becomes the staff's innings pitched leader with 62.0.
"Evan has been coming out of the bullpen the last three years," says Stevens. "He's going to get his shot this season as a starter."
Rounding out the starting four will be a trio of returning sophomores, George Kontos, Ryan Myers and Andrew Smith.
"George, Ryan and Andrew all showed glimpses of greatness last season," said Stevens. "The key to their success is consistently competing at a high level."
Transfer left-hander Dan Schwartz has impressed coaches since his arrival on campus and could be used as NU's fifth starter.
Senior Chris Hayes, who led the team with 23 appearances in 2004, returns as one of the Big Ten's premier relievers.
Along with Hayes, Stevens has a bevy of talent to choose from when making the call to the pen.
Ori, who threw just two innings in 2004, started eight games as a freshman and threw 53.1 innings.
Senior left-hander Chris Davidson, who came on strong at the end of last season, is primed and ready to take on a more significant role.
Junior Julio Siberio pitched 28.2 innings last season, getting NU out of countless jams late in games.
Sophomore Bobby Ferla had a frustrating freshman campaign but has gotten better over the offseason and is ready to contribute.
Freshman Bo Schultz comes from a successful high school program out of Dallas, Texas and has the arm to throw right away.
"We have some awfully good options with the amount of pitchers we have," said Stevens. "Those options give us some flexibility on who and when we want to use guys."
As a team in 2004, NU hit .299, 32 points higher than its 2003 total. With three of its top average and RBI players returning, Stevens sees no reason they can't do better.
"We have the players to compete at the highest level of baseball," says Stevens. "It's up to us to go out there and prove to everyone else that we are for real. I like our players, I like out attitude, I like what we've done up until this point. Now it's time to play."
