Baseball tries to set lineup
The team has 11 freshmen this year.
Published Oct. 17, 2006
Missouri baseball is back.
Not quite, but the team was back on the field last Friday in the annual Black and Gold Game at Taylor Stadium. The game showcase new talent for scouts and MU fans, and this year there were plenty of new faces on the field.
After a push for the College World Series last season, Missouri lost several key players. Pitcher Max Scherzer went to the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 11th overall pick. Nathan Culp and Hunter Mense were also selected in the 2006 MLB draft.
With these major holes in the Tigers' lineup, it would be easy to write the season off as a rebuilding year, but the team isn't ready to do so.
"I don't think it's a rebuilding year; everybody in here is ready," junior Evan Frey said. "We've all got the same goal: make it to Omaha. I think that's something we definitely could do. We're just looking for the same year as last year."
The new team roster is complete with 11 freshmen, many of whom the team will be counting on in the spring. This is a new look for the Tigers, who were carried by veteran upperclassmen last season. But junior Jacob Priday said he doesn't see the youth of the team as a significant problem.
"We're just reloading with new talent," Priday said. "Every single one of the guys that they brought in are capable of coming in and playing at this level, and hopefully we can mix that all together and make a run."
Coach Tim Jamieson is also positive, but he realizes the Tigers' dependence on their superior pitching staff in past seasons.
"We're going to have a good year, but how good we have will be based on our pitching staff," Jamieson said. "The last four years, our pitching staff has been very strong. This year, I'd still have to say it's undecided, but we're hopeful."
The Tigers' lineup for the spring season has also not been decided.
"We're developing ideas and getting a sense of who can and who can't," Jamieson said. "But that won't be really answered until January or February."
Another unknown has plagued the team this fall.
"We have a lot of injuries this fall," Jamieson said. "So we have a lot of guys we think will be with us in the spring that aren't playing right now."
Despite some uncertainty, several freshman pitchers have impressed the team since they started practicing on Oct. 10. These include Kyle Gibson, Ryan Alan and Lendsey Thompson.
"There's a bunch of guys that add bits and pieces everywhere," Priday said. "We've got all of our bases loaded."
Frey agrees with his teammate, and he said all the freshmen are working hard.
"The guys we've got in now are stepping up," Frey said. "Gibson is throwing well. Coleman is playing good. There's a lot of freshmen ... I think it looks good."
Jamieson said he has seen a positive attitude from the new group of freshmen.
"It's been good because the kids show up every day with a good level of intensity, and they're prepared for practice," Jamieson said. "That's a real positive."
The practices are designed to provide depth of field charts for the coaches, as well as a chance for the team to get used to playing again.
"We've been doing a lot of hitting, a lot of defense," Priday said. "Just trying to cover all the basics."
