USD Baseball 1992

Page 6

The Outlook

1992 USD BASEBALL OUTLOOK Depth...balance...experience. The 1992 USO baseball team will be deep in all areas, balanced with multi-position players and long on experience. It is also a team surrounded with several question marks. It is the answers to these questions that may well determine the ultimate success for Coach John Cunningham and the Toreros. Sixteen letterwinners comprise what is a 28 member USO Torero baseball squad. Included among these veterans are six pitchers, three catchers, five infielders and two outfielders. The remaining members comprise what may be the deepest USO team in years. Key among the returning players is junior Kevin Herde. Herde, a second team AII-WCC selection as a utility player in 1991, is ticketed to be the Toreros' starting catcher. The team's "Most Valuable Player" in 1991, Herde is coming off a season that saw him bat .316 with a team best eight home runs and 48 runs batted in. As testimony to his versatility, Herda compiled a record of 3-2 with an ERA of 5.08 in 18 appearances as a pitcher. If Herde is not the catcher, then the position may well belong to either sophomore Craig Ross or senior Sean Gousha. Ross, who showed vast improvement during the off-season, batted .250 in 1991 . Gousha, a three-year veteran backstopper who appears healthy again, batted .243 as a junior. A pair of freshmen, Colin Harsh and Jacob Slania, complete the receiving corps. Seven righthanders and three lefthanders comprise a pitching staff that will allow Coach Cunningham to make many moves. Heading the mound corps will be senior righthander Pat Crema, USD's 1991 "Pitcher Of The Year". Crema, who was 4-3 with an ERA of 4.72 and a team- high 49 strikeouts in 20 apperances, will likely be joined in the starting rotation by sophomore lefthander Sean Durbin (3-6, 6.17 ERA) and three newcomers-senior righthander Jeff Crane and freshmen Travis Burgus, a lefthander, and Mike Saipe, who Cunningham describes as "1he hardest thrower on the staff". Cunningham looks to a pair of righthanders-junior Marc Bouchard (1-3) and sophomore Chris Collins (0-5, six saves)-to battle for the role of bullpen closer. Senior lefthander Aaron Miller (0-1 in '89) returns to the squad after a year's absence and will join sophomore Pete Schoen (0-1) and freshman Pat James in the long relief role. The strength of the Toreros' infield lies in the double play combina- tion of second baseman Jim Keen and shortstop Chad Boyd. Keen, a senior, batted .255 as a junior and is a three year starter. Boyd, a junior, was the Toreros' top hitter in 1991 at .324 with 35 runs scored and 20 rbi's. First base will be the domain of junior Tony Moeder, who moves in from centerfield after batting .314 with five home runs and 32 rbi's as a sophomore. The job at third base is up for grabs as three Toreros are making a strong bid to receive the starting nod from Cunningham-the incumbent, junior Dave Pingree (.257 with 25 sto- len bases), and freshmen Brady Clark and Eric Morton. Strong armed junior Mike Freehill, a junior college transfer, will provide depth at second, short and third as will sophomore John Fenn (.307), the top candidate for designated hitter duties, as first base. Senior leftfielder Ed Scofield, tabbed by Cunningham to be the Toreros' leadoff hitter, anchors a steady defensive outfield. Scofield, who hit .288 as a junior, will be joined in the outfield by sophomore rightfielder Charlie Setzler, a .220 hitter in '91, and freshman Larry Williams, a centerfielder with outstanding speed whom Cunningham says "gets to balls others have not gotten to in the past". Sophomore Josh Stepner, coming off a fine Fall campaign, has the ability to play each outfield position. The 1992 USO Toreros will be a team based on balance in all phases of the game. Offensively, the Toreros, due to their depth, will have more maneuverability and will, according to Cunningham, be ·more competitive within our own make up". Cunningham expects his team to be strong defenders, especially up the middle. The keys to the season success will lie, in Cunningham's estimation, "in the type of pitching we get".