Jedd Gyorko hit .409 with eight home runs as a freshman in 2008. All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With official practice underway, the 2009 West Virginia University baseball season is just around the corner as the Mountaineers prepare for the Big East/Big Ten Challenge on Feb. 20-22 in St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla.
The 2009 WVU baseball team features a cast of proven players who have the ability to lead the Mountaineers to another successful campaign.
Returning eight of its nine position players and carrying a potent pitching staff, WVU is poised to become a force in the Big East as it looks to rely on a combination of experience and youth in surpassing last season’s seventh-place finish in the conference.
“This year is a separate year from last year,” 15th-year Coach Greg Van Zant said. “If we duplicate anything from last year, I would want it to be our maximum preparation and maximum effort. We don’t get too caught up on numerical goals, we just want to be prepared and give our best effort.”
The 2009 WVU squad brings back a talented infield full of interchangeable players who can hit for power and average. Aside from the departure of former shortstop Tyler Kuhn, the Mountaineers boast a group of defensive playmakers that carried an impressive .973 fielding percentage last season.
Heading into his sophomore season, catcher Tobias Streich is poised for another successful year. The Ridgway, Pa., resident recorded 18 doubles in 2008, second-best on the team, while throwing out nearly 28 percent of his runners who attempted to steal.
Like many positions on this year’s squad, depth is a factor at the catching corps. Utility player and returning All-Big East Second Team member Justin Parks is a quality backup, while talented receivers Michael Knight and Andrew Scherer round out the catching unit.
“(Tobias) Streich will be the starter,” Van Zant noted. “We’ve got good depth at catcher, and we have one of the best catchers in the country in Tobias. We’ve got three really good backups, which is rare to have this much catching depth. Justin Parks caught the entire season in 2007 and came here as a catcher. Andrew Scherer and Michael Knight are two third-year college students who are good catch-and-throw guys.”
Returning All-Big East Third Team player Joe Agreste enters his second season in the Old Gold and Blue at first base. The Chesapeake, Va., native batted .369 with six home runs, 45 RBI, 15 doubles and an impressive six triples. He carried a .620 slugging percentage with his left-handed power stroke, and is highly regarded for being one of the conference’s best defensive first basemen.
Also, Agreste may have to show off his versatility by performing on the mound this season. Playing behind the junior college transfer will be Justin Ellis and Chris Enourato, who both play a host of other positions as well.
“Joe (Agreste) is just a real smooth defender. He makes a lot of plays that other guys can’t make. He starts the double play well, he catches a lot of pop-ups in foul territory and he’s very good defensively. With him being a left-handed power hitter, you have an excellent defensive first baseman who can hit the ball out of the park once in a while,” Van Zant added.
“Joe is going to pitch some, so when he comes in to pitch, we can put (Justin) Ellis or (Chris) Enourato at first base. We’ve been working real hard to develop a guy behind Joe.”
The middle infield undergoes a switch this season as former third baseman and All-Big East Third Team player Vince Belnome heads to second base, while Pro-Line Athletic/NCBWA Second Team All-American Jedd Gyorko is tagged with being the captain of the infield at shortstop heading into his sophomore campaign.
Belnome, a junior out of Coatesville, Pa., collected a team-best 66 RBI last season, good enough for second on the school’s all-time single-season list. He started every game in 2008 and batted .377 with three home runs, a team-leading 19 doubles, 83 hits and 117 total bases.
“When you watch him play, he looks like a natural second baseman. He turns the double play real well and makes the routine play,” Van Zant said of Belnome.
Gyorko, a Morgantown native who garnered eight different end-of-the-year accolades in his freshman year, boasted a .409 batting average with eight home runs, 63 RBI, 17 doubles and 95 hits in 2008. He acquired a .450 on-base percentage and comes off a successful year defensively as he swaps to the other side of the middle infield.
“Gyorko will go from second to shortstop, and we have a lot of confidence that Jedd will do a good job at that position for us. He played shortstop all the way up until this past year.”
Dan DiBartolomeo, a reliable defensive player who spent the majority of 2008 in left field, will play third. The Margate, N.J., resident tallied 26 RBI and 34 runs scored last season, and brings his outfield arm strength to the hot corner where he will be looked upon to make the difficult throws across the diamond.
“DiBartolomeo will probably play at third. He’s got real good feet and hands, a good arm and has plenty of arm strength playing at third base.”
A host of interchangeable players in Colin Durburow and Ellis also may see some time in the infield, serving as vital replacements in their backup roles.
“Colin Durburow is a very valuable player on our team. Even though he didn’t play much last year, he is an excellent defensive replacement,” Van Zant said. “His hitting has improved as well.
“Justin Ellis can play shortstop, but we may play him at first just to save his arm because he is going to pitch,” Van Zant added. “Justin is tall and lanky and has good hands and plenty of arm. This is as good of an infield as we’ve ever had here going into the season.”
Parks, 2008 All-Tournament Team member Austin Markel, and strong-armed Grant Buckner, round out the starting outfield. Parks can play any position on the field, but spent last season in the outfield while batting .378 with five home runs, 43 RBI, 58 runs scored and a team-high 17 hit-by-pitches.
The fifth-year senior from Columbus, Ohio, can be also be used anywhere in the batting order, ranging from a speedy leadoff hitter to a power hitter in the third, fourth or fifth spot.
“Parks is such a valuable utility player, he can play anywhere. If something happened to one of our infielders we might put him as our infielder and move someone into the outfield,” Van Zant said.
Markel starts the year in center field, where he is known to be effective at using his speed to track down fly balls. The Elizabethville, Pa., resident batted .313 and tied Kuhn with a team-best nine home runs. The senior standout also recorded 53 RBIs, 63 hits and 51 runs scored.
Right fielder Buckner is ready to become an everyday player, using his power at the plate and speed in the outfield to break through the starting lineup. The Elkview, W.Va., native played in 24 games in 2008 and batted .290 with six doubles.
Adding to a gifted group of outfielders is Mark Dvoroznak, a redshirt sophomore from Westlake, Ohio, who can contribute at the plate as well as in the outfield.
“All of our outfielders run well,” Van Zant said. Markel runs well, Parks runs well and Grant Buckner runs well. Then there is Mark Dvoroznak who can start on a vast majority of Division I teams. He might be our best defensive outfielder and as his hitting gets better, he will continue to get more at-bats and more playing time.”
The Mountaineer pitching staff includes four proven pitchers who were vital to last year’s success. Team MVP Billy Gross, a junior right-hander, was the team leader with a 3.01 ERA while showing a 5-2 mark with 74.2 innings pitched.
Left-hander Stephen Morrison, a junior from Coatesville, Pa., looks to prove his effectiveness in the starting rotation. Morrison carried a 6-3 mark with a 4.20 ERA while gaining big-game experience by beating Notre Dame twice last season.
Sophomore right-hander Jarryd Summers boasts plenty of potential, holding opposing hitters to just a .241 batting average in 2008. The Sharpsville, Pa., native looks to solidify a spot in this year’s starting rotation.
Enourato garnered six saves in 2008, leaving him fourth on the school all-time career saves list when he begins his junior campaign. The Bridgeport, W.Va., resident will be relied upon once again to mow down opposing batters in late innings.
WVU features some new arms in right-handers Andy Altemus, Andy Podolinski and Dustin Gailbraith as well as left-handers Chase Pickering and Jonathan Jones. Situational left-handed relievers Bobby Thompson, Matt Morrone and Jesse Darby will also be used in key situations.
“Gross, Morrison, Summers and Enourato are proven pitchers,” Van Zant said. “Altemus is a proven pitcher at the junior college level. Those are our five top pitchers. I have confidence in those guys, the team has confidence in them and they have confidence in themselves.
Adding to the pitching depth is heralded in-state recruit Pickering. Known as a solid left-handed thrower as well as a talented outfielder, the Cross Lanes, W.Va., standout can supply the Mountaineers with plenty of defense to go along with his talented offensive game.
“Chase Pickering showed signs of brilliance. He’s a drafted kid on our staff that could do some things this season,” Van Zant added. “Jonathan Jones, Andy Podolinski and Dustin Gailbraith also pitched well for us this fall. If some of our younger pitchers throw well for us that makes us six and seven deep.”
With a daunting schedule that features the competitive Big East/Big Ten Challenge and the Baseball at the Beach Tournament against preseason-ranked Coastal Carolina and Tennessee, the Mountaineers will look to overcome their early-season challenges.
Adding to WVU’s competitive non-conference schedule is the Mountaineer Diamond Classic against Southeastern Conference powerhouse Kentucky on March 24 at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. Formidable Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Maryland also heads to Morgantown on April 29.
The competition does not let up within the Big East, as WVU travels to Notre Dame for a three-game series on April 17-19. The Mountaineers also play host to defending regular season champion St. John’s on April 9-11.
With plenty of ground to gain in the upcoming season, the Mountaineers are well-equipped to challenge atop the Big East. A solid hitting core compounded with a potent pitching staff makes WVU one of the teams to look out for in 2009.
