Tweet
It’s time to get excited about Jacks Baseball. They are going to face some top ranked teams this spring according to Rival.com. We will have early season matchups against Arkansas #7, Minnesota #21 and DBU #39. Other tough opponents will be Nebraska, Creighton, and Iowa. These early games should really help the team in getting prepped for Summit League battles, especially with ORU and Centenary. Below is a recent article posted Jun 7th on Rivals.com about the Summit League. I bet the Jacks will surprise everyone.
Snapshot: Centenary primed to overtake ORU?
By Kendall Rogers
The season is drawing closer and it is time to set the stage for our 2010 preview, which is slated to begin in mid-January. We take an inside look at the Summit League in one of many of our conference snapshots.
Centenary
2009 record: 33-19
Top returning player: P Boone Whiting
What needs to improve: The Gentleman compiled a solid record last season, but failed to make an NCAA regional. Now they hope to finish the job this season. The Gents welcome back only a few key hitters from a lineup that finished last season with a .312 batting average. Offense could be a concern as the season progresses. The pitching staff, though, is in fantastic shape with the return of three starting pitchers and a plethora of talented relievers. Defense, meanwhile, could be a concern after the Gents finished last season with a .959 fielding percentage.
IUPU-Fort Wayne
2009 record: 13-38
Top returning player: P Samuel Walker
What needs to improve: The Mastodons know what must change to take a step forward this spring. They finished at the bottom of the Summit League last season for a reason. They finished last season with a dismal .261 batting average. The pitching staff also failed to impress with a horrendous 8.10 ERA. Defense also was an issue as IUPUFW ended the '09 campaign with a .952 fielding percentage. The Mastodons must head back to the drawing board to get things turned around.
North Dakota State
2009 record: 16-28
Top returning player: P John Straka
What needs to improve: The Bison finished in the middle of the pack last season and must change a few things to take a step forward this season. The offense finished last season with a .296 batting average. However, the Bison ended the season with just 16 homers. NDSU's power production must improve. The pitching staff also must improve after tallying a 6.71 ERA last season. Defense, meanwhile, also must improve after tallying a dismal .952 fielding percentage last season.
Oakland
2009 record: 22-34
Top returning player: P Matt LaMothe
What needs to improve: The Golden Grizzlies have some work to do this season to make some marked improvements. They finished last season with a somewhat decent .299 batting average, but must find a way to replace their top four hitters. That certainly won't be an easy task to accomplish. The pitching staff also must improve after finishing last season with a horrendous 8.00 ERA. It'll be interesting to see if the Grizzlies can show some improvement in league play.
Oral Roberts
2009 record: 33-15
Top returning player: C Seth Furmanek
What needs to improve: The Golden Eagles will find a way to reload and dominate the Summit League this season, but there is at least one big concern. It's the weekend rotation. The Eagles must find a way to adequately replace a trio of weekend starters. That won't be easy. They also must replace key reliever T.J. Kelly, who finished last season with 20 starts and a 3.69 ERA. The offense should once again be fine, but the pitching staff is the concern.
South Dakota State
2009 record: 26-30
Top returning player: 3B Jesse Sawyer
What needs to improve: The Jackrabbits finished near the top of the Summit League last season, but could improve on the mound to take a step forward. They finished last season with a solid .315 batting average. Defense wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either, as they ended the campaign with a .963 fielding percentage. Pitching is the big concern, though. The Jackrabbits finished last season with a 6.80 ERA and lacked quality depth. That needs to change overtake teams such as Oral Roberts and Centenary.
Southern Utah
2009 record: 27-24
Top returning player: UT Matt Sanford
What needs to improve: The Thunderbirds finished last season second in conference behind ORU, but could take a step back this spring. They have several key hitters to replace at the plate from a lineup that ended '09 with a solid .318 batting average. The pitching staff also must develop some front-line arms. The Thunderbirds finished last season with a 5.85 ERA and welcome back just one pitcher that had an ERA below five. Defense also could improve after ending last season with a .957 fielding percentage.
Western Illinois
2009 record: 13-33
Top returning player: OF Andrew Hagins
What needs to improve: The Leathernecks had a tough offseason and hope to move forward this spring. They have much work to do, though. They finished last season with a .297 batting average and must replace several hitters from that lineup. The pitching staff is the biggest area of concern. The Leathernecks ended last season with a 10.27 ERA and don't welcome back a pitcher that ended '09 with an ERA below seven. It'll be interesting to see how the Leathernecks respond this season.
Snapshot: Centenary primed to overtake ORU?
By Kendall Rogers
The season is drawing closer and it is time to set the stage for our 2010 preview, which is slated to begin in mid-January. We take an inside look at the Summit League in one of many of our conference snapshots.
Centenary
2009 record: 33-19
Top returning player: P Boone Whiting
What needs to improve: The Gentleman compiled a solid record last season, but failed to make an NCAA regional. Now they hope to finish the job this season. The Gents welcome back only a few key hitters from a lineup that finished last season with a .312 batting average. Offense could be a concern as the season progresses. The pitching staff, though, is in fantastic shape with the return of three starting pitchers and a plethora of talented relievers. Defense, meanwhile, could be a concern after the Gents finished last season with a .959 fielding percentage.
IUPU-Fort Wayne
2009 record: 13-38
Top returning player: P Samuel Walker
What needs to improve: The Mastodons know what must change to take a step forward this spring. They finished at the bottom of the Summit League last season for a reason. They finished last season with a dismal .261 batting average. The pitching staff also failed to impress with a horrendous 8.10 ERA. Defense also was an issue as IUPUFW ended the '09 campaign with a .952 fielding percentage. The Mastodons must head back to the drawing board to get things turned around.
North Dakota State
2009 record: 16-28
Top returning player: P John Straka
What needs to improve: The Bison finished in the middle of the pack last season and must change a few things to take a step forward this season. The offense finished last season with a .296 batting average. However, the Bison ended the season with just 16 homers. NDSU's power production must improve. The pitching staff also must improve after tallying a 6.71 ERA last season. Defense, meanwhile, also must improve after tallying a dismal .952 fielding percentage last season.
Oakland
2009 record: 22-34
Top returning player: P Matt LaMothe
What needs to improve: The Golden Grizzlies have some work to do this season to make some marked improvements. They finished last season with a somewhat decent .299 batting average, but must find a way to replace their top four hitters. That certainly won't be an easy task to accomplish. The pitching staff also must improve after finishing last season with a horrendous 8.00 ERA. It'll be interesting to see if the Grizzlies can show some improvement in league play.
Oral Roberts
2009 record: 33-15
Top returning player: C Seth Furmanek
What needs to improve: The Golden Eagles will find a way to reload and dominate the Summit League this season, but there is at least one big concern. It's the weekend rotation. The Eagles must find a way to adequately replace a trio of weekend starters. That won't be easy. They also must replace key reliever T.J. Kelly, who finished last season with 20 starts and a 3.69 ERA. The offense should once again be fine, but the pitching staff is the concern.
South Dakota State
2009 record: 26-30
Top returning player: 3B Jesse Sawyer
What needs to improve: The Jackrabbits finished near the top of the Summit League last season, but could improve on the mound to take a step forward. They finished last season with a solid .315 batting average. Defense wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either, as they ended the campaign with a .963 fielding percentage. Pitching is the big concern, though. The Jackrabbits finished last season with a 6.80 ERA and lacked quality depth. That needs to change overtake teams such as Oral Roberts and Centenary.
Southern Utah
2009 record: 27-24
Top returning player: UT Matt Sanford
What needs to improve: The Thunderbirds finished last season second in conference behind ORU, but could take a step back this spring. They have several key hitters to replace at the plate from a lineup that ended '09 with a solid .318 batting average. The pitching staff also must develop some front-line arms. The Thunderbirds finished last season with a 5.85 ERA and welcome back just one pitcher that had an ERA below five. Defense also could improve after ending last season with a .957 fielding percentage.
Western Illinois
2009 record: 13-33
Top returning player: OF Andrew Hagins
What needs to improve: The Leathernecks had a tough offseason and hope to move forward this spring. They have much work to do, though. They finished last season with a .297 batting average and must replace several hitters from that lineup. The pitching staff is the biggest area of concern. The Leathernecks ended last season with a 10.27 ERA and don't welcome back a pitcher that ended '09 with an ERA below seven. It'll be interesting to see how the Leathernecks respond this season.
Comment