College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2016 season with interviews with coaches across the country. Today, we feature second year South Florida head coach Mark Kingston. You can check out the full interview below.
CBD: South Florida is coming off a 34-26-1 campaign while going a 13-11 in AAC play. What are your expectations for the 2016 season?
Coach Kingston: Much like last year, our goal is to maximize what the team can achieve. We are a much younger team than last year, so we will be evaluating our team as we go. We have good talent, but a lot of it is unproven at this level. Our expectations will always be to compete for the conference championship, and advance in the NCAA tournament. While we are unproven, I think we have some pretty good pieces to the puzzle. Our league strength will ensure a good rpi.
CBD: The Bulls return only one out of the three weekend starters in Ryan Valdes (5-4, 3.47 ERA). Who do you see filling in the starting rotation?
Coach Kingston: At this point, we have a group of pitchers that we are considering in starting roles. They include Brad Labozzeta, Ryan Valdes, Andrew Perez, Joe Cavallaro, and Phoenix Sanders. Losing Jimmy Herget is tough, however, we have guys that are capable of doing well at this level. Also, our pitching coach Billy Mohl always gets the most out of our pitchers, so there are always a few pleasant surprises. We have some good power arms, and also some guys with good pitchability. Our challenge is to find the best roles for them to thrive in.
CBD: USF struggled through the 2015 campaign on offense with a team batting average of .264 but had several .300 hitters. Who do you see making the biggest jump on the offensive side of the game since last campaign?
Coach Kingston: We actually made a good jump offensively. In conference games, against like competition, we were first or second in almost every offensive category. I would expect our core group of Luke Maglich, Levi and Luke Borders, and Kevin Merrell to improve and anchor our lineup. Kevin Merrell, especially, I think is a rising star. They are all a year stronger, and more experienced so we anticipate improved production. I think we will get better as the season progresses and we gain experience.
CBD: Have any of the incoming freshmen impressed you during Fall workouts? Do you expect any of them to break into the starting lineup/rotation this spring?
Coach Kingston: We expect to rely on some freshman pretty heavily. Coco Montes will be at shortstop, and Garrett Zech, and Chris Chatfield will be in the outfield. They all have outstanding talent, and need to make the adjustment to this level. We are also considering a group of three freshman for playing time at third base. Andrew Perez, a left handed pitcher, also has a chance to make big contributions on the mound. We also have others that are right on the edge of getting playing time.
CBD: One of the stories in College Baseball has been the decrease in offense over the last ten years but it came back last season with the introduction of a new baseball. How do you feel that this ball has impacted your coaching and recruiting plans?
Coach Kingston: It has not really impacted how we recruit. We have always looked for the same tools that professional scouts do and that has not changed. I think the new ball last year helped our game, and I would expect a pretty good balance between offense and pitching moving forward. Our game is in a better place than it was a couple of years ago, and we hope to see continued growth nationally.
