Baseball 1/28/2013 7:35:00 PM

2013 TAMIU Baseball Season Preview

After a fast start to the 2012 season, the TAMIU Baseball team couldn’t hold on to their early season momentum and ultimately fell just a few games shy of reaching their second consecutive Heartland Conference Tournament in 2013. The Dustdevils finished the year with an overall record of 23-24 and a league record of 13-20, taking fifth in the conference standings.

The Dustdevils have been picked to finish fifth once again according to the conference preseason poll, which is voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

St. Mary’s topped the poll finishing with 98 total votes, 15 ahead of St. Edward’s University (83). UA Fort Smith (71) was picked third, while Newman (50) finished fourth. Rounding out the preseason poll were TAMIU (42), UT-Permian Basin (33), and Panhandle State (15).

The Dustdevils will get a huge boost entering their 2013 campaign, as they are slated to play 16 of their 26 home games in the recently finished Unitrade Stadium located just 2.4 miles away from campus. The $18-million dollar stadium was designed by the Dallas based company HKS, which was the architect of record for Cowboys Stadium in Irving. The 6,000 capacity complex includes nine luxury suites, grass berm, state of the art LED video board, private picnic areas, and a stadium club located on the suite level.

21 players return from last year’s squad including 13 seniors, but the Dustdevils will have to make up for the losses of their only two all-conference selections Austin Voros and Will Wurth. Voros led the team and was ranked fifth in the conference with a .333 batting average. He was second on the team in hits, RBI, and doubles (54-27-10), led the team in home run (2), on base percentage (.433), and slugging percentage (.444). Wurth finished the season with a .295 batting average and led the team in hits (56) and RBI (32).

“Anytime you lose two, two-time all conference guys, its big,” said Coach Porter. “Those guys both had incredible runs here and filling those holes has been something we have been searching for since the end of last season.”

On the mound Coach Porter will have to deal with the losses of senior hurlers Danny Navarro and Chris Villa. Last season Navarro set the TAMIU single season record with a 2.13 ERA and ranks eighth all-time in the TAMIU record books with a 4.60 career ERA. Villa led the team last season with five saves and ranked first all-time with 11 total saves.

“It’s tough to lose Villa and Navarro who were two very consistent and very good players. We need to identify two guys who can come in and fill those spots and help us close the door when we have leads late in games.”

Pitching:

Headlining this year’s group of returning players on the pitching staff are seniors Jerry Hawkins and Manolo Mendoza. Hawkins led the team in innings pitched (67) and strikeouts (44). He finished with a record of 3-8 and an ERA of 3.49. Mendoza ranked third on the team with 49.1 innings pitched with a 4.56 ERA, 23 strikeouts, and a 1-4 record. Junior transfer Abdel Rivera (Gateway Community College) will battle for a spot on the starting rotation alongside newcomers Dino Cristiani (Jr. – College of Marin) and Baylr Bickerton (Jr. – UT Brownsville). Sophomore Stephen Dickerson and Javier Sanchez are solid candidates to grab the top spot coming out of the bullpen. Dickerson tallied 27.1 innings in 2012 finishing with a 4.94 ERA and fifteen strikeouts, while Sanchez finished with a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched. Additional pitchers in the TAMIU rotation include returners Julio Velez, Ryan Williams, Donald Fennell, Abraham Almonte, and Fernando Garza. Newcomers Jared Curnel and Gordie Taggert will be looking to make a name for themselves as the season progresses.

CATCHER:

Senior Sean Smedley is the likely starter behind the plate for the Dustdevils after totaling 174 put outs and a .985 fielding percentage last season. Smedley hit just .208 as a junior, but showed flashes of brilliance as a junior in 2011 hitting .330 with an on base percentage of .415. Grant Garrett, one of the team’s most versatile players, will back Smedley up with division-I transfer Alex McKeon (So. – Northeastern University) and Abel Martinez waiting in the wings.

INFIELD:

Senior second baseman Jaron Shimmel returns for his senior campaign, after a stellar junior season. Shimmel recorded the second best batting average on the team (.330) as well as one of the team’s top fielding percentages (.951). Second year starter Alex Salas returns to his post at third base, with Grant Garrett ready to step in when called upon. Sophomore Hector Gonzalez had a great fall and will battle junior transfer Alvaro Rondon (Laredo Community College) for the starting nod at shortstop, but can also hold his own at second base. At first base the starting job is still up for grabs with Alex McKeon and Rick Alaniz looking like the top two candidates, with freshman Joel Hinojosa looking to show he can step in and get the job done. Bud Accardo and Michael Colorado will compete for time around the infield and are available to play multiple positions.

OUTFIELD:

Senior Jeff Anderson will anchor the TAMIU outfield returning to centerfield will likely lead off. Anderson, the fastest man on the roster, led the Dustdevils with 13 stolen bases on 14 attempts and is a major catalyst for TAMIU’s offense. Fernando Garza has the capability to start in right field joining Matt Garcia in left, who led his region in doubles last season at Laredo Community College. Senior captain Ramon Sandoval will likely start as the designated hitter, but will log minutes in the outfield on occasion. Ryan Jozwiak, Mark Mitchell, and Alex Zykoff will provide plenty of depth as the season draws on.

SCHEDULE:

“Hands down, this is one of the toughest conferences in the country,” said Coach Porter. “The old saying is to be the best you have to beat the best and that holds especially true in the Heartland. We have to beat some good teams this season, but I don’t think that anybody can discount the fact that this team is solid top to bottom.”

The Dustdevils open their 50-game season with eight straight at home, including series’ against conference foes UT-Permian Basin and Oklahoma Panhandle State. TAMIU will face tough tests in nationally ranked St. Mary's University, fresh off a trip to the College World Series, and St. Edward’s who received an at large bid to the NCAA regional tournament. Conference mainstays Arkansas–Fort Smith and Newman will now be joined by McMurry University as the league continues to add quality programs to the fold.

FINAL NOTES:

The Dustdevils had a significant loss in production at the plate in 2012 after leading the conference in batting in 2011. The team batting average dropped from .322 in 2011 to .258 in 2012. It’s an issue Coach Porter and his staff have worked to address.

“I think losing Ray Alvarez and Chris Collazo, two all conference and all region guys, was huge,” said Coach Porter. “Batting averages were down in general across the conference. The pitching has gotten better and we play teams six times a year so people figured out our guys a little bit through scouting reports. We just didn’t hit - we’ve tried to dissect it and go back to square one in our approach for this season.”

On the flip side, the Dustdevils performance from the mound took a significant step in a positive direction. Following what was statistically one of the worst seasons in program history in 2011 (6.88 ERA), the team revved up their arms in 2012 turning in the lowest ERA in team history (4.14).

“At the end of the 2011 season we looked at ourselves and said we have great hitters coming back but we need to sure up our pitching rotation,” said Coach Porter. “We brought in Jerry Hawkins and Manolo Mendoza and they gave us a big lift.”

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