Baseball Swings Into Season With 2008 Media Day
2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Swings Into Season With 2008 Media Day
By Scott Latta
UA Media Relations
Coach Jim Wells and the Alabama baseball team kicked off the 2008 preseason by meeting with members of the media Friday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium before participating in the first practice of the season in preparation for the Tide’s season opener, February 22.
An extended fall practice session that was lengthened to seven weeks instead of three weeks gave the Alabama staff a better look at what to expect coming into the season, and with just three weeks to go before the Tide’s first game against Cal Poly, Wells said he now has a better grasp of his team thanks to the extra time he’s already had.
“In the fall, normally we use three weeks of team [practice] and this year we worked seven weeks,” Wells said. “A week is six days with NCAA rules, with one day off, so we got 40 days of practice in the fall. So that was really good, and you come out of the fall pretty much knowing what you have. You hope for a surprise and hope the guys continue to do well but you know what you have as a team coming out of the fall more than you’ve had in years past because you’re out there.”
Alabama returns seven starters from last year’s team, which went 31-26, and 15-15 in SEC play, including junior catcher Alex Avila (57 games, .296 average, 14 HR, 61 RBI), a 2008 Brooks Wallace Award Candidate.
Senior first baseman Matt Bentley (53 G, .299, 12 HR, 36 RBI), sophomore second baseman Brandon May (49 G, .264, 0 HR, 13 RBI) and sophomore third baseman Jake Smith (40 G, .246, 6 HR, 29 RBI) also return on the infield, along with junior outfielders Kent Matthes (51 G, .307, 8 HR, 45 RBI) and Ryan Rhoden (43 G, .297, 2 HR, 16 RBI) and junior catcher Kyle Moore (31 G, .200, 2 HR, 12 RBI).
One area of focus for Wells and his staff is Alabama’s starting rotation, which took a hit when sophomore Tommy Hunter, who was 7-5 with a 3.87 ERA and five saves in 2007, entered the Major League Baseball draft. The loss leaves Alabama looking for a No. 1 starter and, according to Wells, the battle is wide open for the spot, which could feature a true freshman.
“Coming out of the fall we had a freshman, and you tend to hesitate when you say freshman, but he certainly did well during the fall, named Jimmy Nelson,” Wells said. “He’s a 6-6 kid with a good sinker and slider and coming out of the fall we said that if his mental makeup can handle it, he can pitch Friday nights.
“Will Stroup is back and he can be a Saturday guy. A guy that’s come on and pitched well is Robert Phares. Out of the pen, Austin Hyatt can be a spot starter... We have 16 pitchers but out of those there are 10 to 12 who have a chance to pitch.”
The lack of a solid number one starter going into the season is not an area of concern to Stroup, who said that what the Tide lacks in power in the rotation, it makes up for in depth.
“Coach Wells doesn’t let on to us much about what everybody’s going to be doing, but I think we have a lot of pitching depth this year, so really it could go any direction but as far as the rotation I have no idea,” Stroup said. “It could be six or seven guys that could go in right now. I’d like to start again, and of course everybody wants to start, but wherever they want me, I just want to throw.”
One major position shift this season has involved the relocation of Alex Avila, who moved from the Tide infield to behind the plate, where he will head into the season as Alabama’s top catcher. The next three weeks leading up to the season opener, Wells said, will go a long way in determining how far along Avila is in his progression behind the plate to go along with his power presence in the Alabama lineup.
“We moved Avila back there and really the next few weeks are huge and especially the first part of that in scrimmages,” Wells said. “In the fall we were just trying to establish the strike zone but now it’s working on blocking balls, runner on third situations, winning run situations, tying run situations, and he’s worked very hard and he’s still got a ways to go, but he’s going to be OK.
“I think it ended up being a good thing for everybody, because Avila becomes a real good prospect behind the plate, and it helps us because we have a good first baseman and a good third baseman. Also, you’re trying to get as many hitters in the lineup as you can.”
Alabama welcomes 10 newcomers to this year’s team, including freshmen Ross Wilson and Josh Rutledge, who Wells said could each make an immediate impact on the team.
“Ross Wilson has played shortstop, second base and left field and he will play somewhere,” Wells said. “He’s a very good athlete, he’s very fast, and a very impressive kid. He can hit the ball out of the park and I don’t see him ever taking a third strike the way he swings the bat. Right now we’ve had a little bit of an injury with Matt Bentley so he’s going to work at second base but we’re wanting him in the lineup, so regardless of where we end up with our starting nine, Ross is in the mix anywhere out there. He’s a good player.”
Alabama opens the season Feb. 22 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium against Cal Poly before a five-game road trip takes the Tide into the month of March. Alabama will begin SEC play on the road, March 14, against Kentucky.
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