After two seasons in the infield and as the designated hitter, Chris Duffy will likely see a lot of time in left field in 2009.
ORLANDO (UCFAthletics.com) – The 2009 UCF baseball season preview officially wraps up today as UCFAthletics.com spends time on the Knights’ outfield. With this nine-part feature coming to a close, keep checking UCF’s official website for updates on the Black and Gold practices, which kick off Sunday afternoon.
Outfield
Colin Arnold – Sr. – .325, 57 GP, 56 GS, 231 AB, 47 R, 75 H, 17 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 37 RBI, 14-16 SB
Chris Duffy – Jr. – .282, 53 GP, 41 GS, 149 AB, 27 R, 42 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 31 RBI, .483 SLG%
Alex Friedrich – Fr. – Hit .371 as a four-year letterwinner for University H.S.
Chadd Hartman – Sr. – .254, 37 GP, 12 GS, 59 AB, 11 R, 15 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 1.000 FLD%
Austin Smith – Fr. – Batted .387 with a 1.113 OPS as a senior at Winter Springs H.S.
B.J. Zimmerman – Fr. – Drafted in the 49th round by Washington after going .508 at the plate as a senior
The outfield will receive an overhaul due to the loss of four-year starting center fielder Tyson Auer and right fielder Ryan Richardson. Both displayed some very reliable bats in the lineup while also making highlight-reel plays in the field. UCF’s remaining starter, left fielder Colin Arnold will actually move over to right field, but it should not affect him. A senior for 2009, Arnold collected a .325 average with 14 stolen bases en route to earning a spot on the All-C-USA Second Team.
After starting his career as UCF’s third baseman, Chris Duffy had the opportunity to learn left field over the summer and took advantage. He will now take over in the Knights’ outfield, and will be joined by freshman Austin Smith in center field.
“Our outfield has the chance to be very good, and one of the interesting things is that the majority of them are left-handed bats,” said head coach Terry Rooney. “One of the challenges for us will be to get a balance of right- and left-handed hitters, along with a balance of speed and power.
“Going into the year, Chris Duffy will move from third base to left field. Chris has improved throughout the entire fall and winter out there. It’s a new position for him, he just needs to go out and make the routine plays for us. Offensively, we anticipate him to hit in the middle of the lineup and he could be another player who may have a breakout year. He’s got a lot more confidence and is a lot stronger. I think he has the chance to be one of the better hitters in C-USA.
“Austin Smith is a freshman who is going to start in center field for us. Austin plays the game how I want it to be played. When you look at a center fielder, you want somebody that can run, plays hard and is relentless and fearless in his approach, and he is that type of player. He really covers the outfield very well and does a good job with his short game.
“Right field will be Colin Arnold, who had a very good year last season in his first year at UCF. He battled some injuries through the fall, so his playing time will be determined somewhat by his health. But as he is coming back, he has got a great swing, is very short to the ball and can use all fields.
“We also have several players who will provide us very good depth. Chadd Hartman is a senior with a left-handed bat who can drive the balls out of the park. Freshman B.J. Zimmerman is also a lefty who we are hoping that as he gets older, will be able to develop a lot more power, and Alex Friedrich showed in the fall that he could provide a solid bat off the bench. The key to the outfield is that we need to gain some right-handed hitting depth out there. A lot of it is still up in the air, but some guys like Evan Stobbs or Jake Huxtable who are righties, may have the opportunity to help us in that respect.”
