The University of Akron Athletics
Baseball Looking to Hit Stride in 2007
February 19 | Baseball
Just two years removed from a trip to the Mid-American
Conference Tournament, there is much optimism surrounding the
University of Akron baseball team in head coach
Pat
Bangtson's second year at the helm.
In addition to the returning all six of the team's top offensive
performers and half of their pitching rotation, the Zips will bring
with them a mental toughness that was developed during a difficult
2006 season, during which UA fought through a 15-36 record.
"One of the areas myself and the coaching staff have worked on with
our players since coming here - beyond the skills and techniques of
playing the game of baseball - has been their mental approach and
creating an expectation of winning every game," Bangtson said. "But
the improvement we made especially during the last 15 or 20 games
of the season really said a lot about the character of the team
that we expect to build upon going into the season."
That mental toughness began to reveal itself midway through last
April after the Zips had lost 25 of their first 32 games. When a
lot of teams may have mailed in the rest of the season, Akron began
playing its best baseball and won eight of its next 15 contests,
despite three one-run defeats.
The turnaround was sparked by a landmark performance by first
baseman
Doug McNulty (Homer City,
Pa./Homer-Center), who became the first player in school history to
hit for the cycle on April 21. McNulty's three-run home run broke a
4-4 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning, capped off a perfect
5-for-5 day at the plate, and snapped a 10-game losing streak.
"Despite our record, I really enjoyed the challenge presented to me
as well as to my staff," said Bangtson, who was an assistant coach
at The Ohio State University for 13 years prior to becoming the
Zips' 15th head coach. "We definitely have a lot to improve on, but
with the nucleus of returning players, combined with the incoming
class, we should be able to succeed in obtaining our goal of
competing for a conference championship."
STARTING PITCHING
While the Zips will have the benefit of returning two
starting pitchers, in junior RHP
Tom
Farmer (2-10, 7.92) and sophomore RHP
Frank Turocy (1-6, 5.34),
they will have a large void to fill in departed staff ace
Ross Liersemann (6-5, 3.78) - an 18th-round
selection of the Florida Marlins in the 2006 Amateur Draft.
That void will be lessened however by the return of fifth-year
senior RHP
Billy McKinney (Loveland,
Ohio/Kings), who missed the 2006 season after undergoing Tommy John
surgery. McKinney, an eight-game winner in 2004 and a career .320
hitter as an outfielder, will provide experience to the relatively
young staff.
"Billy has had a great three years here prior to last year's
injury," Bangtson said. "He worked extremely hard during his rehab
and has established himself as one of the leaders of our pitching
staff with his performance during the fall."
Farmer (Berea, Ohio/Berea) finished second on the team with 87
strikeouts in 80.2 innings and threw two complete games last
season. This summer, the right-hander was named to the Cape Cod
League all-star team after posting an ERA of 1.75 in 46 innings
pitched with the Bourne Braves. Furthermore, Farmer was named the third-best
professional prospect in the MAC and was ranked the 74th-best
college prospect overall in the country by Baseball
America this preseason.
"Tom had an outstanding summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League,"
Bangtson said. "He has the ability to match up with anyone in the
country and we are looking for him to continue that success."
Turocy (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) made five starts in 2006 and 17
appearances overall.
"Frank worked his way up to being our No. 2 starter last year and
gained invaluable experience in doing so," Bangtson said. "He
continued that success with his performance during the summer and
continued to pitch with that confidence during the fall as
well."
Also vying for a starting role this season will be redshirt
freshman
Steven Zemanek II (Euclid,
Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph), who is returning from a nerve
injury. In game one of the team's Fall World Series, the
right-hander threw six strong innings en route to a 2-1
victory.
"Consistency from our starters should be a strength this year as
well as depth in the bullpen," Bangtson said.
BULLPEN
Senior
Pat
Gliha (Euclid, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) leads a bullpen
unit that features a strong mix of experienced players and youthful
talent. Gliha, the team's most consistent reliever in 2006, led the
club with 21 appearances while posting a 4-3 record with a 4.34 ERA
and the team's only save.
"Both on and off the field, Pat has established himself as a
leader," Bangtson said. "He has experience both as a starter and as
a reliever and will contribute to the success of our staff."
Junior LHP Garrett Knoll (0-2, 11.17)
(Amherst, Ohio/Amherst Steele) and sophomore LHP Jared
Patterson (2-1, 5.40 in 2005) (Coshocton, Ohio/Coshocton) will
provide experience to a group that will also feature freshmen LHP
Zach Yike (Kettering,
Ohio/Kettering Fairmont), RHP Bobby Simone (Silver Lake,
Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and LHP Jake Plata (Parma,
Ohio/Padua Franciscan). Sophomore Ryne Romick (Hannibal,
Ohio/Hannibal River), who appeared in 25 games last season -
including 18 starts at shortstop - will be used out of the bullpen
this spring after saving a pair of games during the Fall World
Series.
INFIELD
Four returning starters and three of the team's top
offensive performers headline Bangtson's infield group. Leading the
way will be second team All-Mid-American Conference honoree Kurt
Davidson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover). The junior catcher led
the team in nearly every offensive category last season including
batting average (.338), hits (70), home runs (12) and 47 RBI.
Additionally, he named the top
catcher in the conference by Baseball America last
month.
Davidson, who recorded 22 multiple-hit games and twice drove in
five or more runs, also led the team with a .418 batting average
with runners in scoring position. He was named to the Virginia
Valley League all-star team this past summer.
"Kurt has the ability to carry a team for an entire weekend,"
Bangtson said. "He works extremely hard and it pays off. He will be
in the lineup every day for us at catcher, first base or at
designated hitter."
Also seeing time at first base will be McNulty (.282, 4 HR, 28
RBI), who led the team with 40 runs scored and swiped eight bases
despite his bulky 6-4, 215-pound frame. McNulty finished with a
team-high .306 batting average in 26 conference contests.
Sophomore Ryan Frazee (.305, 5, 29)
(Gahanna, Ohio/Westerville) returns at second base looking to
improve upon an impressive freshman campaign. Frazee strung
together hits in 12 consecutive games in 2006, the longest hitting
streak on the team.
"Ryan plays the game hard and hit very well as a freshman,"
Bangtson said. "We're looking forward to him building on that
success and becoming a more sophisticated hitter as well as
continuing to be a reliable defensive player for us."
Sophomore and Ball State University transfer Phil Bednar (Monroe
Falls, Ohio/Ball State University/Stow) is expected to take over at
shortstop after a redshirt season in 2006.
"Phil proved during the fall that he has a great amount of talent
to play the middle infield position as well as be a
top-of-the-order hitter for us," Bangtson said.
Junior third baseman Vince Chiera (.316, 1, 29)
(Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) returns to the hot corner after a
break-through sophomore season that featured 20 multiple-hit and
seven multiple-RBI games and a respectable .911 fielding percentage
from one of college baseball's most demanding positions.
"We look forward to Vince continuing to play solid defense and add
pop to the middle of our lineup," Bangtson said.
Rounding out the infield unit will be reserve catchers redshirt
freshman Kyle Hallett (Orland Park,
Ill./Carl Sandburg), sophomores Jordan Tufts (Sagamore
Hills, Ohio/Nordonia) and Jeremy Goldizen (Perry,
Ohio/Perry) and true freshman John Turk (Kirtland,
Ohio/Kirtland).
"Kyle and Jordan both have experience and know how to handle a
pitching staff well," Bangtson said. "John is a good defensive
catcher with an outstanding arm and adds a left-handed bat to our
lineup."
OUTFIELD
Team co-captains Charlie Lenhard (.291, 4,
27) and Scott Gunn (.278, 6, 26)
headline a deep and experienced outfield unit. Lenhard (Columbus,
Ohio/Upper Arlington), who figures to be the starter in center
field and bat in the middle of the lineup, followed up his a strong
junior campaign by leading his summer league team (Cal Ripken Sr.
College Baseball League) to a championship and earned league co-MVP
honors.
"Charlie emerged as a team leader on and off the field as was
represented by him getting voted team captain," Bangtson said.
"He's a very mature kid and makes others around him better with his
enthusiasm."
Gunn (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) returns to right field
where he made 50 starts last season and will hit near the top of
the order. His six homers were second-most on the team and his
three outfield assists tied Lenhard for the lead.
"Scott is more of a quiet leader both with his performance and by
how he takes care of his teammates," Bangtson said.
Junior Rashard Graves (.250, 1,
16), (Indianapolis, Ind./Lincoln Trail JC/Lawrence Central) and
sophomores Matt Roberts (.115, 0, 1)
(Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus) and Brett Savage (.200, 0, 1)
(Massillon, Ohio/Perry) will compete for the final starting spot
while true freshmen Plata and Brian Kordal (Twinsburg,
Ohio/Twinsburg) will also vie for playing time.
SCHEDULE
The Zips open the season with 18 straight road games, including a
four-game set at the Service Academies Spring Classic in
Millington, Tenn., to kick off the season this weekend and a
five-game set in Bradenton, Fla. in March. In addition to its
challenging MAC schedule, which begins at Ball State on March 23,
Akron will face non-conference opponents from the Big Ten (Ohio
State), Big East (Georgetown and Pittsbugh), Big 12 (Missouri) and
Conference USA (Memphis).
"One of the goals of our staff was to make the pre-conference
season as challenging as possible," Bangtson said. "This will help
us get ready for the conference schedule and also allow us to play
our best baseball near the end of the season and compete for a MAC
championship."
UA will open its home schedule against Cleveland State on March 28
and is scheduled to play 17 games at Lee Jackson Field in 2007. The
Zips will also play at least one game (vs. Kent State, April 24) at
Canal Park, the home of Minor League Baseball's Akron Aeros.
"For us to be successful this year, we need our returning players
to accept their leadership roles and the responsibility that goes
along with that," Bangtson said. "We've added depth with our
position players as well as to our pitching staff, which will help
us succeed with our challenging schedule."
