College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2017 season with interviews with coaches across the country. Today we check in with Sacramento State head coach Reggie Christiansen who is entering his seventh season in charge of the hornets program.
1. Sacramento State is coming off a up and down season going 30-28 while going 16-11 in the WAC. What are your expectations for the 2017 squad?
Our expectation is to win the conference and advance to the NCAA tournament. That’s what this group signed up for and I believe we have the pieces to do just that. I was excited with how our fall practices went, this group is very balanced in all three phases of the game.
2. The Hornets lost their top hitter from last season in Chris Lewis who was your only everyday player to hit higher than .295 last season. Who do you see stepping into Lewis’ role of being the top bat in your lineup during the upcoming season?
Vinnie Espostio, Andrew McWilliam and Kody Reynolds are all much improved. Esposito is coming off a summer in which he was named the MVP of the Cal Ripken League for the Betheseda Big Train. Newcomer Ian Dawkins and sophomore James Outman will also be a big part of our lineup. We are much more balanced offensively with speed and power up and down the order. It’s an exciting group to watch.
3. Max Karnos is your top returning arm on the mound after a 7-3 campaign with a 3.38 ERA. Who do you see filling in on the weekend to make up for the loss of Sam Long and Grant Kukak?
Justin Dillon is back, coming off an injury which gives us a solid #1/#1A with he and Karnos. There is great competition for the 3rd and 4th spots to be sorted out in early February. I like the make-up of our staff, from 1-10. I believe we have quality arms that are also flexible in the roles they could pitch in which I believe is important.
4. Have any of the freshman made an impact in the fall to compete for a starting role in the rotation or everyday spot in the lineup?
I love our freshman class. Catcher Dawsen Bacho and shortstop Ricky Martinez both had a great fall and will make contributions right away. Outfielder Kody Gardner had a great fall as well and is going to be big part of our program in short order. On the pitching side both Austin Roberts and Parker Brahms have positioned themselves to pitch right away. Roberts was 92-94 this fall and could open-up the season as the 4th starter or pitch the 8th or 9th innings. Brahms was 89-91 all fall and has a perfect mentality to pitch late in the game.
5. When you are out on the recruiting trail, what do you look for in a potential student-athlete?
We look for athletic kids that show a willingness to work at their craft. Baseball is a game of repetition; you need to love the hours that it will take to improve at this game. If I had to choose between a multi-sport student-athlete and a baseball only one, I would choose the multi-sport student athlete almost every time. I think there is a lot to be said about being in the team environment in other sports.
