2015 Baseball Season Preview

February 10 | Baseball

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AKRON, Ohio -- In his fourth year at the helm of the University of Akron baseball program, head coach Rick Rembielak will rely on his veteran roster to carry the momentum from last year's postseason run into the 2015 campaign.

The 2015 Zips' roster has a small incoming class as it includes eight returning seniors and eight returning juniors.

"We are pretty much junior and senior dominant. The expectation is to be better than we were last year because of the experience that our team went through. They understand what needs to take place to end up being successful, and I expect them to handle situations a lot better," Rembielak said.

Coming off a 28-29 overall record, an appearance in the Mid-American Conferece Championship game, and a fifth-place finish in the MAC East (12-15), the Zips will take to the diamond to open the 2015 season on Friday, Feb. 13, at Furman.

THE ROTATION

The growth of the program is expected to begin on the mound, as Rembielak is armed with veteran pitchers John Valek III, JT Brubaker, and Pat Dyer in the starting rotation.

"We have the same rotation, which is encouraging," he said. "It's nice to have experienced starters coming back and a couple capable guys in the wings. We are going to turn the ball over to the guys who went through it last year and we will continue to put the best guys out there."

Valek, a junior, returns as the Friday starter where the lefty spent 91 innings on the mound to notch the eighth-highest inning pitched mark in program history last season. The southpaw accumulated a 2.77 ERA for a 6-4 record throughout 15 games and 14 starts. The Parkland, Fla., native tossed two complete games, one of which was a shutout against MAC foe Ohio.

Brubaker worked the mound as a Saturday starter throughout the 2014 season as a sophomore, making 13 starts and registering a 4.02 ERA throughout 71.2 innings. He issued strong starts against Ball State (7.0 IP, 5 SO) and Ohio (6.0 IP, one hit, one ER).

Dyer, a senior, brings experience to the mound, as he has been a staple in the Zips' rotation since his sophomore year. Dyer is hot off a strong showing in the 2014 MAC Championship game where he pitched 7.1 innings against crosstown rival Kent State, giving up just one earned run. On the season, he posted a 4.04 ERA and led the team in strikeouts with 48, averaging 6.68 per game throughout 64.2 innings pitched.

THE BULLPEN

Akron has strong bookends at the front of its rotation and at the backend of the bullpen with senior Matt LaRocca serving as the Zips' relief ace. LaRocca threw 24.1 innings out of the bullpen and recorded a 1-2 record with a 3.33 ERA and team-high five saves.

"I feel comfortable with the pitching staff. We have depth and some bullpen help. The backend of the bullpen is going to be very important going through the season," Rembielak said.

Junior Zach Beaver and sophomore Masashi Sakamoto return to the bullpen after providing consistency as long relievers last season. Beaver collected a 4.73 ERA and posted a 5-0 record with one save after tossing 32.1 innings across 18 appearances. Sakamoto twirled 33 innings and posted the lowest ERA of the pitching staff at 1.91 en route to a 3-2 record with one save.

Second-year pitching coach Kyle Smith will also look to senior Andrew Fanning, sophomore Evan Jensen, and junior Daulton Mosbarger to lead the bullpen.

INFIELD

The Zips suffered a key loss up the middle with the conclusion of last season as they graduated James Sheltrown, who started in 53 of the Zips' 57 games. He collected 45 base hits and accounted for 38 runs scored while posing a defensive threat with 160 assists and 118 putouts.

Sophomore Dom Iero is expected to get the starting nod at second.

"[Sheltrown] added a lot, especially on a defensive side. His offense picked us up too, and that was huge for the success that we had," Rembielak said. "I think a guy like Dom will end up doing very well; he's a good athlete. We tried to get younger guys ready so they can get out there and not miss a beat."

Two seniors will take to the infield dirt with LaRocca and Matt Rembielak at first and shortstop, respectively.

LaRocca, a two-way player, is productive defensively as well as offensively. He made 35 starts at first base, leading the team in homeruns with five while posting 319 putouts to just two errors last season. Rembielak made 42 starts at shortstop and clubbed seven doubles and drove in 21 batters, the fourth-highest on the team.

Sophomore James Meeker III joins the veteran duo to cover the hot corner, where he made 46 starts last season. As a freshman, Meeker batted .275 and ended the 2014 campaign on a season-high six-game hitting streak, concluding his rookie season by reaching safely in 13-straight games.

OUTFIELD

Despite the loss of Devan Ahart, who was drafted in the 16th round to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the Zips' outfield will be bolstered by three returning seniors. Ahart created havoc with his speed, posting 27 stolen bases in 33 attempts while registering a .311 batting average with a team-leading 70 base hits.

"We have depth in the outfield. We have a lot of returning guys and a lot of guys that can vie for the three positions," Rembielak sad. "We are going to look for consistency at the plate with the guys out there."

Senior Kris Simonton, a corner outfielder, offers consistency as he led the team with a .320 batting average last season and followed Ahart with the second-most RBI on the team at 23 while posting 23 multi-hit games in 50 appearances. He finished the season with a .404 on-base percentage.

Joey Havrilak earned MAC East Player of the Week honors after a strong weekend against Toledo in which the outfielder posted a .461 batting average in the three-game series win over the Rockets. He posted a .285 batting average on the season with 35 hits coming in 33 games.

Darius Washington will see action in right field after redshirting last season.

BEHIND THE PLATE

With Brady Stewart lost to graduation, the Zips will look to the other half of last season's catching duo- sophomore Brian Lees.

Lees enters the season with 27 starts under his belt, while junior Derek Carmichael will provide backup.