Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Open Season Feb. 10 at South Florida
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 3, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. - Potential. It's what every team has when a season begins. Northwestern's baseball team is no different. The Wildcats return eight position starters on defense and seven pitchers, which includes four starters. With a bevy of potential big bats in the lineup, the Wildcats' ability to get on base and get the opposing hitters out will be the key.
Getting on base will be up to the speedy duo of Aaron Newman and Jake Owens. Newman, NU's fastest player, stole 21 bases a season ago, the highest total at Northwestern since Jeremy Kurella stole 41 in 2000. Newman hit .276 as a freshman with an on-base percentage of .356. Owens started the first 29 games of the season, but missed the final 25 with a leg injury. Before the injury, Owens hit .274 in 113 at-bats with 13 RBI and seven stolen bases.
With Newman and Owens setting the table, sluggers Pat McMahon and Anthony Wycklendt will look to drive them in. All McMahon did in 2005 was set NU's single-season hit record (82) and become the first Wildcat since Major Leaguer Mark Loretta in 1993 to hit .400. The catcher finished second in the Big Ten with a .400 average and18 doubles. He scored 44 runs, knocked in 33, hit six home runs and had an on-base percentage of .452. Not bad for a guy who missed the 2004 season because of Tommy John surgery.
Wycklendt was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) preseason All-America team. The senior was tabbed a third-team selection in the NCBWA's seventh annual preseason Division I All-America release. His preseason accolades follow a junior season that produced 10 home runs, 52 RBI and the Wisconsin native did not commit one error in 70 chances from his left-field position. Wycklendt's 10 round-trippers moved him into a tie for seventh place on NU's career home runs list. The leader is Eric Mogentale (1981-84) with 36.
Junior Caleb Fields could have the most potential of all. The Illinois native hit .355 in 26 games a season ago, but was hampered by a leg injury the middle part of the season. One of the Wildcats' most athletic players, Fields returned from the injury and started the final five games of the year. In those five games, he hit .625 (10-for-16) with four runs scored and three RBI.
Not to be overlooked are outfielders Antonio Mulé and Max Mann. After receiving a medical hardship after breaking his leg just four outs into the 2004 season. Mulé stormed onto the scene with a .303 average that included six doubles and three home runs in 99 at-bats. Mulé played in 39 games, starting 32. Mann started 40 games as a freshman and hit .257 with six doubles, a team-leading four triples and four home runs. Both players will see time in the outfield and as the Wildcats' designated hitter.
Senior Stanley Finch will make the transition from outfield to first base with the departure of Mark Ori. Ori was a 14th-round selection by the Houston Astros in the Major League Baseball amateur draft.
Finch was NU's second-leading hitter a season ago, ending 2005 with a .316 batting average. In 47 games played, including 29 starts, Finch scored 19 runs and knocked in 14.
Helping Finch at first base will be sophomore Rob Campbell. In limited action as a freshman, Campbell hit .333 (2-for-6) and was walked three times. He played in five games.
The newest member to the defense projected to start at shortstop is Tommy Finn. Finn hails from Valparaiso, Ind., where he starred at Andrean High School. The multi-sport athlete excelled in both baseball and football as a prepster, finishing second as Mr. Indiana in both sports. He also received three letters in basketball.
Along with McMahon, junior Geoff Dietz will see considerable time behind the plate. Dietz started 20 games behind the dish in 2005 and hit a game-winning, extra-inning home run at Minnesota. McMahon and Dietz combined to throw out 32 base stealers in 2005.
With time behind the plate at catcher at a premium, freshmen Tony Vercelli and Keenan Long will do what they can to compete. Vercelli comes from Wilmington, Ill., and Long from Park Ridge, Ill.
With the offense ready to produce at maximum level, opposing hitters will have to face one of NU's biggest areas of potential, the pitching staff. With the return of Dan Brauer from arm surgery a season ago, NU will have four bonifide starters ready to take the mound. Right-hander George Kontos, who led the team in wins last year, enters his junior season as the fourth-rated prospect by Major League Baseball according to Baseball America. Kontos' big-game arm and undeniable competitiveness has the potential to lead the Wildcats to the top tier of the Big Ten. The return of Brauer--a junior eligibility--bolsters that statement. The Illinois native earned third-team All-Big Ten laurels as a sophomore, striking out 96 and walking only 26. He had a 3.02 ERA in 89.1 innings pitched that year.
Junior Andrew Smith led the team with a 5.03 ERA in his first season as a starting pitcher. Classmate Ryan Myers earned Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors for a relief appearance in which he struck out 15 batters, including the first eight he faced. Myers started 10 games in 2005 and pitched 54.2 innings.
With unlimited potential for the starters, the Wildcat bullpen is shaping up to be as strong as it has been in recent years. Junior left-hander Dan Schwartz was 4-0 with two saves last season, pitching in 23 games in his first year at the Division I level. All four wins came during Big Ten play. Schwartz, designated as this year's closer, has big shoes to fill with the graduation of Chris Hayes, the conference's saves leader (nine) in 2005. Another lefty, Chris Davidson, is back for his fifth year and pitched in 15 games a season ago. Davidson turned into a tough-out specialist, entering games in the toughest situations.
Not to be outdone, junior Bobby Ferla had a progressive sophomore campaign, winning a pair of games in 13 appearances. Ferla sported a 4.03 ERA in 22.1 innings. Senior Julio Siberio pitched in 10 games and also won two games. Siberio started a pair of contests and pitched a total of 30.2 innings.
The Wildcats also welcome four freshmen pitchers to the fold. All four hurlers are 6-3 or taller and all will compete for time on the mound. Lefty Eric Binder hails from Burr Ridge, Ill, while Mike Folan (Arlington Heights) and Matt Havey (Wilmette) are also from Illinois. Brian Morgan is from Eden Prairie, Minn., and is freshman eligibility.
With enourmous amounts of potential itching to take the field, Northwestern baseball finds itself ready to harness that potential and ride it to a postseason berth.
That journey, like most northern schools, begins on the road. NU will play the first one-third of its schedule--22 games to be exact--away from the friendly confines of Rocky Miller Park. Unlike past years, however, the Wildcats have six three-game series at opponents' home fields, rather than participating in tournaments in Arizona and Florida.
NU throws the first pitch in sunny Florida with a three-game series at South Florida in Tampa.
The Wildcats then travel to Richmond, Va., for a three-game stop at Virginia Commonwealth. This will be NU's first-ever meeting with the Rams.
Games 7-12 will take NU to the blue-grass state of Kentucky. A three-game set at Louisville (Feb. 25-27) will be followed by three more at Kentucky (March 3-5). Game three at Louisville--barring any cancellations or rain-outs--will be head coach Paul Stevens' 1,000 game as the Wildcat skipper.
Following finals, NU will depart on a nine-day, seven-game road trip to the Golden State of California.
NU will open the West Coast trip with a three-game set at Santa Clara followed by a nine-inning contest at Loyola Marymount.
Preseason nationally ranked Pepperdine is up next. The No. 13 (Collegiate Baseball) Waves boasted a 41-23 record in 2005 and return the West Coast Conference (WCC) Pitcher of the Year.
NU then travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to open the 32-game Big Ten schedule vs. the Wolverines.
Northwestern hosts its first home game the following weekend on Friday, April 7 vs. Indiana.
Along with Michigan, the Wildcats travel to Illinois, Iowa and Purdue. NU also hosts Penn State, Minnesota and Michigan State.
The eight-week conference schedule culminates with the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by the regular-season winning team on May 24-28.
