Akron Baseball Set to Start 2009 Season

February 10 | Baseball

With an overall record of 25-24, The University of Akron baseball program posted its first winning season in 11 years last season and is poised for a repeat performance in 2009. The two game improvement marks the first time Akron has finished above .500 since 1997. The Zips' marquee year also included a first team All-Conference selection in Kurt Davidson, an academic All-MAC selection in Kevin Haas in addition to a pair of Major League draftees. UA senior Tom Farmer was selected in the 47th round by the Minnesota Twins while Doug McNulty followed in the 49th round as the New York Mets drafted the first baseman.

Akron returns 23 letterwinners, including seven seniors for the 2009 season, with six starting position players and a stable of five returning pitchers. With three veterans on the pitching corps and a healthy group of hitters returning, there is no doubt that this Akron squad will continue making improvements on last year's achievements.

The 2008 campaign saw an upgrade in competition for the Zips. Akron faced opponents from several tough conferences facing off against teams from the Big East, Big Ten and Atlantic 10. The Zips picked up wins against teams such as Duquesne, Penn State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Despite dropping 24 contests last season, the Zips lost nine games by just one run.

Akron will look to make improvements within Mid-American Conference play in 2009. The Zips compiled an 8-13 record within the MAC East Division dropping four of the 13 losses by just one run. The Zips posted the highest team batting average in six years with a .309 clip, which was third-best within the MAC. Akron also notched a second-place finish within the MAC standings with team on base percentage (.394) also drawing the fifth-most walks in the conference with 214.

Head coach Pat Bangtson notes, "As a team, this group has grown and we will definitely look to improve upon the strides that we made last season. One of our main goals is to gain entrance into the conference tournament and compete for a MAC championship. The team has worked tirelessly in the off-season to make improvements which should help us compete better in 2009."

Infield
With the explosive bats of Doug McNulty and Kurt Davidson in addition to the steady hands of third baseman Vince Chiera now gone, Akron's infield will have big roles to fill in 2009. However, with an infield anchored by three returning players, two seniors and five juniors, it should not be a problem.

UA senior Phil Bednar (.252, 2, 39) will start at second base for the Zips in the upcoming season. Last year Bednar played and started in 43 games for Akron registering 36 starts at second and seven at short. The senior boasted an impressive .950 fielding percentage and turned the second-most double plays on the team with 34. Bednar will likely ignite the Akron offense as his 39 RBI last season paced this year's returning hitters.

Academic All-MAC selection and junior Kevin Haas (.347, 2, 30) was all business last season starting every game for Akron, making 42 starts at shortstop and seven at second base. Haas, a starter since his true-freshman season, has continued the trend of competing at a high level for this Akron program. Haas' team-high batting average of .347 earned him the Joe Thomas award, additionally, the then-sophomore led many offensive categories for Akron including at-bats (213), runs scored (52), hits (74) and triples (3) in just his second year with the program.

John Turk (.313, 3, 28) will likely handle full-time catching duties this season with the vacancy left by Davidson. Turk has established himself as a presence on the team both offensively and behind the plate. Turk managed a .986 fielding percentage, registering just three errors while throwing out eleven baserunners last season.

Dan Burant and Brandon White will also work their way into the lineup seeing time behind the plate for the Zips in 2009 as both players have extensive experience catching the current pitching staff. Bangtson adds, "Burant is an outstanding defensive catcher" while "White is solid offensively and defensively. His versatility will also get him time in the outfield." Freshman Ivory Alexander also plays the position of catcher and junior Kyle Hallett adds depth to the position but will see time at first base and as the team's designated hitter.

"This year's catchers, led by John Turk have done an outstanding job handling the pitching staff. We are very confident in John as our go-to guy but as well as the abilities in the rest of the catching unit," said Bangtson adding that, "The depth at this position gives our lineup some flexibility which is always helpful."

Senior Ryan Frazee (.268, 2, 10) looks to leave his mark on the UA program in the 2009 campaign improving on the five starts at third base for the Zips last year to becoming this year's primary starter. Juniors Brian Kordal (.264, 0, 12) and Jake Plata (.314, 1, 14) will split duties in the infield and outfield. Also expected to compete for spots on the diamond this season are Nick Solitario, Kyle Hallett, Jason Corzine, and Kurt Boyer.

"With the core of our infield led by two seniors- Phil Bednar and Ryan Frazee, we expect to play sound baseball defensively. Kevin Haas will play a big role in our success and along with Bednar, could go down in the record books as one of the best double play duos in Akron history" said Bangtson on this year's group of infielders.

Outfield
The UA program welcomes the return of senior and tri-captain Brett Savage following his return from injury. Savage had an outstanding sophomore campaign for the Zips in 2007 (.344, 2, 19) but played in just 14 games last season before suffering a broken arm. Savage returns to provide leadership to a solid outfield anchoring the crew in leftfield.
Senior Matt Roberts (.302, 0, 16) will compete for a more permanent outfield role in the 2009 season after starting 22 games for Akron in left and centerfield last year. The senior made 34 appearances for the Zips in 2008, allowing just one error in 62 putouts with a .984 fielding percentage.

Sophomores Brandon White (.329, 2, 12), Lawrence Penn (.333, 0, 2) and Keene Marstrell (.238, 0, 3) will each vie for a starting spot this spring while Jake Plata, Brian Kordal and Drew Turocy also add depth to the Akron outfield.

Bangtson adds, "Outfield is a position we have a great deal of depth and experience which grants us flexibility in creating different looks offensively. Defensively, with leadership from Savage and Roberts the outfield will be as good as the Zips have seen in recent history."

Pitching Staff
With senior tri-captains Tom Farmer and Frank Turocy at the helm of the arsenal of pitchers, the Akron Zips look to make a strong stand on the mound in 2009. This year's experienced staff looks to improve on last year's team ERA of 6.21 which ranked seventh within the conference while also welcoming a trio of freshmen to the roster. In 2008, the Akron bullpen combined for 14 saves, tying the conference lead.

Frank Turocy (6-3, 4.62 ERA) reprises his role as the Zips' ace this spring. In 2008, Turocy displayed poise on the mound, hurling one of two complete games for the Zips in a 9-7 win over Kent State (May 9). The right-hander paced the pitching corps with 51 strikeouts, fanning a career-high nine batters against West Virginia (Feb. 22). Turocy's leadership and resilience on the mound will set the pace for the rest of this Akron staff.

Senior right-hander, Tom Farmer (3-3, 6.69) made his comeback last season appearing in 21 games for the Zips last year while making two starts on the hill as a redshirt junior. Following the season, the hurler was selected by the Minnesota Twins as a draft-and-follow selection in the 47th round of last year's Major League Amateur Draft. In 2005, Farmer was named to the Cape Cod League all-star team.

In 2009, Zach Yike (5-4, 6.48) returns to reclaim a spot in the pitching rotation. Yike finished the season ranked second among many categories including innings pitched (66.2) and strikeouts (43). Furthermore, Yike holds the lone distinction of tossing the team's only complete game shutout in a 6-0 win over Ohio (April 19), while the left-hander also fanned an impressive eight batters in 7.0 innings of work against Eastern Michigan (April 5).

South-paw Drew Turocy (4-3, 5.88) emerged not only as a prominent force on the mound but also in the field, making 25 starts in the outfield for Akron in 2008. The true freshman made 12 starts on the hill for the Zips last year amassing 34 strikeouts in 64.1 innings of work. Despite his achievements in 2008, Turocy will likely sit out his sophomore year following Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm.
In 2009, sophomore Benjamin Danziger (4-5, 7.15) will look to fill the void in the rotation left by Drew Turocy. Last year as a redshirt freshman, the right-handed hurler fanned 33 batters in 61.2 innings of work. Danziger displayed composure on the mound for the Zips with a pair of big games on the line, throwing 6.0 innings for the 5-3 win over Penn State (April 15) and 7.0 innings in the 7-3 win over Ohio State (April 23).

When relief's concerned, senior Ryne Romick (0-0, 4.34) will be the Zips' likely man, serving as the team's primary closer. Romick registered 23 strikeouts in 29.0 innings of relief work last year in just his second year on the job.

As far as mid-week and relief duties go, the Akron bullpen will have a variety of options in the upcoming season. Juniors Steven Zemanek II and Kevin Kumazec will compete against sophomores Robert Huffman, James Podgorney and Bobby Simone for an array of responsibilities. Furthermore, redshirt sophomores Chris Bassitt, Scott Foster and Todd Fleming and redshirt freshman Danny Fawcett will add depth to the 2009 pitching corps. The Zips welcome freshmen Ryan Lavery, Alex Loftin and Andrew Brown to the staff. All three could compete for starting roles in the upcoming season.

"The goal of the coaching staff has been to add quality depth to the pitching unit. This year's staff led by seniors Frank Turocy, Tom Farmer and Ryne Romick, will be one of the deepest staffs in the conference. When you're competing for a conference championship I believe it starts on the mound, I am confident this year's staff will enable us to accomplish that goal."

Schedule
The Zips open the season with 15 straight road games starting with a four-game stint in Winston-Salem, N.C. before back-to-back trips to Florida.

Akron's non-conference schedule will feature games against Big Ten opponents including Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. The Zips square off with Big East competition in the University of Pittsburgh and face a trio of Horizon League members in Cleveland State, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Youngstown State. Conference USA is represented by Marshall University on the Zips' non-conference schedule.

For the first time in school history, Akron will face Old Dominion University of the Colonial Athletic Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference member Wake Forest University. Additionally, the Zips will take on the Jacksonville Dolphins of the Atlantic Sun Conference in their second trip to Florida this season.

The Zips open Mid-American Conference play at Ball State with a three game league series. Akron will also face Ohio, Kent State and Bowling Green on the road in 2009. UA opens its home schedule on March 18 against Youngstown State and is currently scheduled to play 16 games in the friendly confines of Lee Jackson Field in 2009.

Akron's home conference schedule will feature three game league series against Toledo, Northern Illinois, Buffalo, and Miami. The annual Diamond Classic for Kids against Kent State is set to take place on May 5 at Canal Park, home field to Minor League Baseball's Akron Aeros.

"The coaching staff and I have continued to upgrade the schedule year after year. The 2009 campaign should be no different, as our non-conference schedule is extremely competitive. We designed our schedule to prepare us for the tough conference competition we face, despite playing many road contests, which can be challenging. However, that fact should contribute to the mental and physical toughness of this team and should prove to be one of our strengths in 2009" notes Bangtson.