Durden's 2016-2017 UGA Baseball way-too-early preview

Let's get a few things out of the way early:

- Like him or not, Stricklin is probably back for a 4th year (I've been told he gets 5 years, barring McGarity being fired and a new AD coming in with guns blazing). Given what we have returning, I'm totally fine with that (I'll get to that in a minute)

- Robert Tyler is gone with the wind; likely going in the first round of the MLB draft. The question will be does Stephen Wrenn make a jump or does a Junior we don't expect (like Kieboom) take off for some easy minor league money? For now, I'll assume Tyler is the only one we lose...

- We are losing some good senior players but not enough that it should keep next year's team from being a lot better. In particular:

1. We will see a void at Shortstop as Nick King moves on
2. Heath Holder and his solid performance on the mound this season will be in the Minors somewhere
3. Daniel Nichols, though often injured this season, removes a solid DH from the lineup

So, onto the position projections for next year:

Pitcher
We lose our ace to the draft but return some solid young arms that have really come on strong in the latter half of the season.
Your weekend starters are all lefties and have a mix of experience and power in their pitching: Rising Sophomore Kevin Smith, rising Junior Bo Tucker, and rising Senior Connor Jones
Your midweek pitcher(s) are likely to alternate between rising Senior Andrew Gist (Righty) and rising Sophomore Blakley brown (Righty). Depending on the opponent, you may see one of them trade places with a weekend starter to give some diversity in the arms and approaches
Your Relievers and Closers will consist of rising Sophomores Shane Tucker and Trevor Tinder, rising Junior Blake Cairnes, and rising Senior Drew Moody. Likely also see some incoming freshmen sneak in here and to see Brown and Gist get some work. if there's one thing that was lacking in 2015-16, it was reliable middle inning relief and a true Closer. Would love to see a Josh Fields-type roll back through Athens as an automatic out machine

Infield

Catcher - Rising Sophomore Michael Curry and it'll be that way for another 3 years. Likely to end this season as the team leader in HRs with 11+; has really grown up at the plate as his freshman aggressiveness has tapered off and he has become a much more selective hitter. Has also taken great command behind the plate and will prove to be an asset for our pitchers as years go on.

First - This is a position to watch, especially with the incoming freshman class. Rising Sophomores Adam Sasser and Patrick Sullivan got some solid work at the position when Daniel Nichols was injured, as did rising Senior Trevor Kieboom. My guess is Sasser, Sullivan, or an exceptional freshman get the nod while Kieboom takes the DH spot

Second and Short - This is one that is going to largely depend on who replaces King at Short. Rising Sophomore LJ Talley is going to start somewhere but given the range he has shown this year at 2nd, it's a question as to what freshman could come in and help out early. There is also the possibility that rising Sophomore Logan Moody moves to 2nd, freeing Talley up to play Short

Third - Despite some untimely errors and a mediocre presence at the plate, rising Junior Mitchell Webb has also done enough this year to win the spot outright over Mike Bell. Barring a freshman coming in and blowing the doors off, I expect it to probably stay that way.

Outfield

Left - Rising Junior Keegan McGovern has this spot on lock. Would like to see a lot more power production out of him in his Junior season but he was our primary source of offense in the former half of this season and has made some outstanding defensive plays out there.

Center - Assuming he returns, rising Senior Stephen Wrenn is arguably our best player top to bottom. He has struggled this year relative to the numbers he put up as a sophomore but he is probably the closest thing we have to a 5-tool player as he can field well, hit well, hit with power, run, and throw. If Wrenn doesn't return, Logan Moody likely takes his spot.

Right Field - Rising Senior Skyler Weber has had the best season at the plate for the Dawgs this year and there's no reason to expect him not to be starting in RF next year.

Freshmen

The Dawgs bring in the #14 class in the country as rated by Perfect Game. They are as follows:

quote:

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Chase Adkins, RHP, Powder Springs, Ga.
Austin Biggar, C, Lilburn, Ga.
Tim Elliott, RHP, Loganville, Ga.
Landon Faulkner, RHP, Kennesaw, Ga.
Justin Glover, LHP, Buford, Ga.
Riley King, INF, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Zac Kristofak, RHP, Marietta, Ga.
Tony Locey, RHP, Columbus, Ga.
Tucker Maxwell, OF, Suwanee, Ga.
Will Proctor, INF, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Christian Ryder, RHP, Acworth, Ga.
Aaron Schunk, INF/RHP, Atlanta, Ga.
Cam Shepherd, SS, Duluth, Ga.
James Williams, RHP, Kennesaw, Ga.

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Of particular note, RHP Tony Locey is a 1st Team All-American and SS Will Proctor and Cam Shepherd are 2nd Team AA


Overall

We will have a lineup of mostly Juniors and Seniors with a couple of outstanding Sophomores. The pitching staff looks promising but we'll see if their strong finish can roll over into next season. very interested to see what the freshmen bring to the table; we need a solid closer in a bad way. That being said, I'm of the mind that we want Stricklin around for a 4th year as this will far and away be the most experience and best group of bats he has had to work with to this point. The big question mark is the pitching but there will finally be experience on that end as well. Dawgs have no reason not to make a regional next year and possibly even win a post season game or two. If Stricklin can;t at least do that, it's time to move on

Projected Batting Order:

1. CF Stephen Wrenn (SR)
2. RF Skyler Weber (SR)
3. LF Keegan McGovern (JR)
4. C Michael Curry (SO)
5. DH Trevor Kieboom (RSR)
6. INF LJ Talley (SO)
7. INF Will Proctor/Camp Shepherd (FR)
8. 3B Mitchell Webb (JR)
9. 1B Adam Sasser/Patrick Sullivan (SO)

Like I said, I predict Kieboom at DH but could also see him at 1B with Logan Moody taking over at DH if he is swinging a hot bat