The Big Ten’s football and basketball status is established in the nation’s consciousness; a national football championship this season and basketball teams, in and out of the Top 25, making multiple trips to the Final Four. Baseball, however, continues fight for national respect; last season the Big Ten was ranked as the 10th best conference nationally.
In the first twenty years of NCAA tournament baseball the Big Ten won six titles, the last in 1966, they’ve been shutout since. Indiana has given the conference some credibility the past two seasons, playing in the CWS in 2013. Nebraska began conference play in 2011 and added more value to baseball than any other sport in which they participate.
Maryland and Rutgers bring clout to Big Ten this season; having competed in the ACC (RPI 3) and American Athletic Conference (RPI 6), the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights enhance the reputation of a conference based north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Maryland, fresh off a trip to the NCAA Super Regional, Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana are in the best positions to represent the conference in the post-season.
Illinois
With 15 of 18 returning lettermen, experience is the mantra in Champaign-Urbana in 2015 as the Fighting Illini looks to improve on its 3rd place finish in the Big Ten. Illinois is ranked # 40 in Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 40.
Junior Tyler, named second team Louisville Slugger Pre-Season All-American, fills a bullpen void. He appeared in 23 games for the Illini and posted 1.67 K/H Ratio with 10 saves. Junior college transfer, Matt Schultz RHP is expected to add depth to the staff.
Holdovers, Drasen Johnson (5-7, 2.91), Kevin Duchene (4-1, 1.80) and John Kravetz (6-1, 3.00) headline a staff that posted a 3.43 ERA, breaking a 38year-old Illinois record, and led the conference with fewest walks (125).
Illinois returns all eight position starters, not necessarily a positive, as they placed near the bottom of the conference with a .968 fielding percentage.
Right fielder Casey Fletcher (.308/.450/.385) looks to power the offense, while SS Adam Walton (.329/.423/.380) and CF Will Krug (.307/.391/.360) should spark the running game.
Indiana
Success at Indiana came at a price. After nine years, back-to-back Big Ten titles and a trip to the College World Series, Tracy Smith accepted the head coaching position at Arizona State University. The Hoosier offense was diminished by the MLB draft, losing three All-Americans that combined for 31 of 43 home runs and averaged an astonishing .589 slugging percentage. The departure Joey DeNato opens a spot in the starting rotation.
Incoming coach, Chris Lemonis looks to seniors, Scott Donley OF (.324/.424/.389), Brad Hartong C (.313/.450/.345), Will Nolden OF (.302/.366/.366) and Casey Rodriguez IF (12 of 17 SB) for leadership and offense.
The bullpen is deep. All-time save leader, Ryan Halstead returns from injury to team with Thomas Belcher (5.75 K/BB), Luke Harrison (6-0, 2.21) and Jake Kelser (44 K’s in 31.2 IP).
Christian Morris (6-3, 2.04) holds down the top spot in the rotation. Will Coursen-Carr, Scott Effross and Kyle Hart are all in the shuffle for starting spots. Coursen –Carr started 6 games and went 2-2 last season; Effross appeared in 32 games and posted a 1.98 ERA and Hart is coming back following Tommy John surgery.
Maryland
Maryland enters the conference with and a deep pitching staff and the bulk of their offense intact.
Freshmen All-American Brandon Lowe (.348/.464/.464) and Jose Cuas (.279/.417/.333) provide the offensive firepower, each had 42 RBI last season, Cuas also hit 5 home runs. Juniors, Kevin Martir C (.269/.386/.359) and LaMonte Wade OF (.247/.335/.358) stabilize the order. Wade scored 37 runs and led the team with 36 walks, Martir had 4 home runs.
Sophomore RHP Mike Shawaryn (11-4, 3.12), junior lefties, Jake Drossner (4-1, 2.45) and Zach Morris (2-1, 2.77) will see the majority of the action on weekends; they combined for 35 starts last season.
Senior RHP Bobby Ruse (7-3, 3.52) may crack the rotation; he made 31 appearances last season, a team record. RHP Kevin Mooney, last season’s team leader with 13 saves, will close for the Terrapins.
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers, a pre season Top 40 team, batted .293 and led the conference in hits (623) last season. In order to maintain that level of production they’ll rely on seniors, Blake Headley IF (.323/.413/.370), Austin Darby OF (.290/.398/.362) and Tanner Lubach C (.282/.423/.337). That trio should partner very capably with sophomores Ryan Boldt OF (.311/.437/.382) and Ben Miller 1B (.316/.393/.398) in scoring runs.
Freshmen, Scott Schreiber 3B, Elijah Dilday OF and Luis Alarado OF, have the skills to contribute this season. Dilday will miss half the season due to shoulder injury to his non-throwing arm.
Third team Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American, Chance Sinclair (9-1, 2.15), headlines the Huskers pitching staff. He’ll be joined by Christian DeLeon (5-2, 2.46) and Kyle Kubat (5-2, 4.55). Josh Roeder (3-1, 3.10) will work out of the bullpen; he led the team with 12 saves last season.
Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State have an outside chance to fight for a conference championship; each team has the talent and potential to break into the top tier. Young players must continue to develop and step into leadership roles.
Michigan
A talented trio leads the Michigan offense in 2015; Jackson Glines OF (.332/.463/.444), Jacob Cronenworth IF/P (.268/.366/.391) and Travis Maezes IF (.302/.459/.413) get on base and run. They combined for 52 of Michigan’s 81 in stolen bases last spring. Cronenworth (1st) and Maezes (3rd) were named to the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America Team.
Starting pitchers, Evan Hill (5-6, 3.24), Brett Adcock (7-4, 2.87) and Keith Lehmann (4-1, 2.92) return for a Wolverine pitching staff that led the Big Ten in strikeouts (440). The bullpen is in the capable hands of the versatile Cronenworth, who posted a 1.72 ERA with 12 saves in 2014.
Collegiate Baseball #30 ranked recruiting class sports two newcomers that will make immediate contributions. Drew Lugbauer a 6’3”, 220 pound, left handed hitting catcher and RHP Jayce Vancena, 6’5”, 225 add depth to skill positions.
Michigan State
The mixture of veteran leadership with an outstanding recruiting class has Sparty looking to make a run at the conference title.
C/DH Blaise Slater (.317/.484/.375) and OF Cam Gibson (.315/.414/.405) are expected to be the power source; Slater had five home runs last season, Gibson, with two home runs, stole sixteen bases. Senior outfielder Anthony Cheky (.273/.326/.328) expects to score runs and steal bases; he led the team with twenty-nine thefts.
RHP Mick Van Vossen (8-3, 2.82) and LHP Cam Vieaux (6-5, 3.18) hold down the top spots in the rotation. Van Vossen pitched 99 innings and Vieaux allowed no home runs over 70.2 innings. Jeff Kinley, the Big Ten saves leader with 13, returns out of the bullpen
2015 newcomers include: Michigan’s Mr. Baseball, IF Zack McGuire and Gatorade Michigan Player of the Year, Kory Young, they are joined by a pair of left handed pitchers; Brandon Hughes and Keegan Baar, who Baseball America believes help MSU’s recruiting class “stack up with other strong classes in the Big Ten”.
Minnesota
Minnesota had no player with more than 100 at bats hit .300 or better; as a team the Golden Gophers had a slash line of .256/.335/.338. However, they put the ball in play, Minnesota had the fewest strikeouts in the conference (271).
Senior infielder, Tony Skjefte (.272/.396/.349) leads a parade of position players that return for the Gophers. Skjefte had 2 home runs and led the team with 30 RBI. Juniors, Dan Motl CF (.283/.349/.336), Connor Schaefbauer 2B (.287/.374/.374) and Michael Handel SS (.261/405/.345) round out the lineup. Handel hits for power while Schaefbauer is a threat on the bases (13 steals).
Seniors, Ben Meyer RHP and Neal Kunik RHP fill the top spots in the rotation. Meyer finished last season 4-5 with a 2.39 ERA, he struck out 67 in 98 innings pitched; Kunik posted a 2-2 record with a 2.84 ERA. Freshmen Lucas Gilbreath LHP and Reggie Meyer RHP must contribute, as Minnesota searches for pitching depth.
Lefty, Dalton Sawyer should close for the Gophers; the junior was 6-4 with 2.26 ERA and a team-high six saves.
Iowa, Penn State and Rutgers enter play in 2015 with second-year coaches. These teams will make significant strides this season as they continue to improve in all phases of the game. These coaches are very good recruiters, Iowa’s 2016 class is ranked #1 in the Big Ten, they need back-to-back classes to establish their programs.
Iowa
Outfielders, Dan Potempa (.330/.437/.402), Eric O’Toole (.302/.369/.371) and Kris Goodman (.284/.398/.366) headline a lineup that hit .296 last season.. Potempa hit 3 home runs and had 40 RBI. Goodman led the team with 4 home runs and stole 6 bases while O’Toole was 14 of 19 in stolen bases with 30 RBI.
Infielder Jake Mangler, 45 RBI, struck out only 21 times in 216 at bats. Catcher, Jimmy Frankos posted .409 OB% after taking over the job mid-way into the season.
Two-way player, Tyler Peyton, is a vital cog for the Hawkeyes. The junior hit .331/.437/.402 in 38 games, primarily at 1B, while going 5-1 with a 4.86 ERA in fourteen starts.
Calvin Mathews (3-3, 2.72) and Blake Hickman (2-2, 3.93) round out the rotation; Mathews held opponents to a .212 batting average while Hickman struck out 31 in 31 innings. Tyler Radke appears the early favorite for the closers role; the junior had 3 saves last season.
Junior college recruits, Joel Booker OF and Luke Vandermaten RHP, are expected to contribute immediately.
Penn State
Penn State looks to make strides after it slogged to a last place finish in Rob Cooper’s first year as head coach.
The Nittany Lions need left-handed pitchers, Greg Boylston (2-2, 3.24) and Nick Hedge (2-5, 6.21) to assume a larger burden in the rotation. Freshman LHP Taylor Lehman, who stands 6’8’, will have an immediate impact on the program. In addition, RHP Jack Anderson (4-2, 5.36, 5 saves), will work on the back end of the bullpen.
The offense will be paced by James Coates (.277/.358/.393), J.J. White (.266/.333/.356), Taylor Skerpon (10/12 stolen bases) and Greg Guers (2HR’s, 27 RBI). Mississippi transfer, Christian Helsel will bring experience to the infield and freshman catcher, Nick Graham has the ability to work a college pitching staff.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights join the Big Ten following a brutal non-conference schedule has the Scarlet Knights playing Miami, Tennessee, Old Dominion and Florida Atlantic. Rutgers enters the conference with an experienced pitching staff and a rebuilt defense.
LHP Howie Brey (6-3, 2.36), RHP Gaby Rosa (6-3, 2.91) lead the experienced staff, Brey was All-Conference and Rosa was Conference Rookie of the Year.RHP Kyle Driscoll, a 6’7” sophomore, who led the team with 58 strike outs in 53.2 innings, is the third member of the staff. Wake Forest transfer, LHP Mark McCoy should compete for a spot in the rotation.
Sophomore LHP Max Herrmann (3-0, 236, 4 saves) and RHP John Young (2-4, 4.72, 9 saves) bullpen mainstays will team with freshman, RHP James Torres, who will work out of the pen early in the season.
Outfielders, Mike Carter (.318/.393/.377) and Vinny Zarrillo (.328/.404/.418) anchor the offense for the Knights. Carter, a Freshmen All-American, swiped nine bases; Zarrillo led the team with fourteen stolen bases and 48 RBI.
Purdue and Northwestern will hover at the bottom of the conference this season. The Boilermakers have a tradition, a strong recruiting class in the next year or two will propel them forward. Northwestern has developed competitive programs in the past but is unable to sustain success.
Purdue
The Boilermakers continued their freefall in 2014; finishing one win shy of the cellar with 6 conference wins and 13 wins overall, following a 45-14 record in 2012. Purdue was challenged offensively and defensively, managing a .235 team batting average and a 6.00 team ERA.
First baseman Kyle Wood (.302/.414/.390) joins SS Brandon Krieg (.264/.337/.329) and C Jack Picchiotti (.252/291/.356) in the infield. Wood hit three home runs last season while Krieg hit two homers and led the team with twelve stolen bases.
Junior RHP Gavin Downs (3-6, 4.26) looks to be the number one starter with a number of unanswered questions about who will follow. Possibilities include, Adam Dressler (2-2, 5.52), sophomore RHP and senior RHP Brett Haan (1-3, 8.69), they started four and five games with limited success.
Mike Lutz, a junior RHP, had three saves last season and should assume the closer role. If Lutz falters, the Boilermakers will “close by committee”, as they did last season
Freshmen pitchers Mike Kornacker RHP and Kyle Van Hoeck LHP are talented enough to help the staff.
Northwestern
The 14’ Wildcats hit a respectable .276 as a team; unfortunately they had trouble scoring runs and playing defense. Northwestern finished with 107 errors and a .948 fielding percentage, by far the worst in the Big Ten.
Senior catcher Scott Heelan (.317/.414/.390) must step up this season; Heelan hit one home run and a team high 33 RBI in 2014. Additionally two-way sophomores, Matt Hopfner (.335/.376/.385) and Joe Hoscheit (.258/.393/.327), named to the Big Ten All Freshman team, must continue to demonstrate patience at the plate if the Wildcats are to improve their run production.
Hopfner, 4.91 ERA and Hoscheit .087 ERA will work out of the bullpen as the Wildcats continue to search for a closer.
Mason Reed (2-4, 4.25) and Brandon Magallones (4-7, 5.33) return as starting pitchers. Freshmen Ryan Vukovich RHP, Justin Yoss RHP and Richard Fordon LHP will be counted on to shore up a staff that posted a 4.73 ERA and allowed a .285 opponents batting average.
Big Ten 2015 Predictions
- Nebraska
- Maryland
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Ohio State
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Iowa
- Rutgers
- Penn State
- Purdue
- Northwestern
