College Baseball is here and the lobos looking to have a banner year, are on a quest to Omaha. We are excited for the season, and excited to see how this season turns out. There are familiar faces and new faces alike that will be key factors for this year’s team, so in the first part of our two-part preview, we will get to know the players and who we’re going to keep an eye on.
Last Season:
It was a roller-coaster season for the Lobos last year, as they dealt with injuries and also being a very young team. When the Lobos were healthy, they were a very good team that was very fun to watch. The Lobos finished with a record of 32-27 overall, including 17-13 in Mountain West play, and even had a chance to make regionals, thanks to them winning their first three games in the conference tournament to make the championship. Unfortunately, they lost two straight games to SDSU to end their season. However, the good play from the young players who are returning this season gives great hope for this year’s team.
Season Preview:
As always, Coach Birmingham is very excited for his team and their chances to be a very good team. Some years, it can just be coach speak, but this has a chance to be a very special season. Every year in College Baseball, you have to stay healthy, get good production from your experienced players, and have some unknown players become key factors for your teams. This team has all of the ingredients to make that happen. For starters, the Lobos have had at least one Freshman All-American every year since D. J. Peterson in 2011. The Lobos had three last season, but only return two in third baseman Carl Stajduhar and starting pitcher Tyler Stevens. This season, it’s unknown if the streak will continue, since there is no shoe-in starter in the freshmen class, but the freshman with the best chance is Jared Mang from Los Alamos. Mang is a two-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year and will most likely make his way into the everyday lineup thanks to his bat. Mang made an impression last week, when he hit an impressive home run out to left centerfield off of minor league pitcher Austin House in the Alumni Game.
Once again, I expect the Lobos offense will be the face of the team. The Lobos had three players named to the preseason MW team in junior outfielder Danny Collier, sophomore Carl Stajduhar, and junior first baseman Jack Zoellner. Other key parts to the lineup will be graduate transfer senior second baseman Michael Eaton, sophomore right fielder Reece Weber, sophomore center fielder Luis Gonzalez, and junior catcher Chris Divito. The interesting position to watch will be the battle for the starting shortstop between seniors Dalton Bowers and Jared Holley, but we should expect both players to have key roles on the team.
The Lobos were tabbed as one of the two favorites this season along with SDSU, with both teams receiving three first place votes in the preseason poll. It is probable that the MW will be a one bid league, so in order for the Lobos to make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tournament (which is at UNM this year), the Lobos and the rest of the MW need to have good out-of-conference seasons. Key non-conference series for the Lobos include Wichita State, Dallas Baptist, and two home games against Texas Tech. The Lobos have key road series and games against Hawai’I, a game at Texas Tech, and a series against a national power program in ASU. The four game series against NMSU this season is very interesting, there will be a game played at each home park, a game in Roswell, and a game between the two New Mexico schools in El Paso Texas.
Returning Players:
Junior first baseman Jack Zoellner: Will be a key part in the middle of the Lobo lineup. He hit .352 with a .447 on base %, scored 49 runs, drove in 33 runs, and had 24 extra base hits.
Sophomore third baseman Carl Stajduhar: The sophomore slugger will be the anchor of the Lobo lineup and I expect big things this year from him. Last season, he hit .322, with a .386 on base %, scored 45 runs, drove in a team leading 53 runs, and had 32 extra base hits including 9 home runs.
Junior outfielder Danny Collier: Wasn’t at full strength all of last season, but still had a very solid season, hitting at a .346 clip with a .433 on base %. If Collier is healthy, expect a huge season from him at the top of the Lobo lineup.
Sophomore outfielder Reece Weber: Was great in a part-time role last season for the Lobos, hitting .375 in his 80 at bats with a .500 on base %. I am excited to see what Weber will do in a full-time role this season.
Junior C Chris DeVito: Very strong power hitter that will be called on to provide protection for Stajduhar in the middle of the Lobo lineup. He has a chance to be the Lobos leading power hitter, which will be quite the competition. DeVito will make the transition to catcher this season after the departure of Cory Voss.
Junior outfielder Andre Vigil: Will see time off the bench for the Lobos this season and could see time at DH. If Vigil is able to control the strike zone, he could have a big year for the Lobos.
Senior shortstop Dalton Bowers: Was the starting shortstop for the Lobos last season and is in a battle for the starting this season with Jared Holley.
Senior shortstop Jared Holley: Three-year starter that saw time at third, short and second last season, and is in a battle with Dalton Bowers for the starting shortstop position. Will see plenty of the field even if he’s not the everyday shortstop.
Sophomore catcher Scottie Graham: Backup catcher who is very defensive minded, so he has a chance to be a defensive replacement in a lot of games this season.
Sophomore center fielder and LHP Luis Gonzalez: Very talented lefty at both positions and will most likely be in centerfield when he isn’t pitching. Possible number three starter or will be a midweek starting pitcher.
Sophomore RHP Tyler Stevens: Coming off a Freshman All-American season, Stevens looks to anchor the Lobo pitching staff and will either be the Friday or Saturday starter.
Senior LHP Colton Thomson: Returns for his third season in a Lobo uniform after getting a medical redshirt last season. Was the Lobos number two starter as a junior and looks to have a big senior season.
Junior LHP Carson Schneider: Was a key lefty for the Lobos as both a starter and relief pitcher last season. Expect Schneider to start the season as the number three starter.
Sophomore INF and RHP Hayden Schilling: Two-way player that will probably spend more time on the mound this season. Has a chance to be a key reliever and had two saves last season.
Senior RHP Victor Sanchez: After a dominant sophomore season, Sanchez struggled last season. The Lobos look to get him back on track to where he is a dominant closer and can help the Lobos lock down a lot of wins.
Senior RHP Drew Bridges: Has shown great potential in the past. If he can control the strike zone, he could have a great senior season as a starter or reliever.
Sophomore RHP James Harrington: Appeared in 13 games last season with 5 starts and may be counted on to be a midweek starter again this season.
Senior LHP Alex Estrella: Reliable lefty reliever that appeared in 25 games last season.
Junior RHP Preston Ryan: Reliable relief pitcher that appeared in 20 games last season. He could be one of the key relief pitchers this season.
Senior RHP Taylor Duree: Appeared in 19 games last year. He looks to rebound from a disappointing junior season and return to the form he had as a sophomore.
Freshmen and Transfers:
Redshirt freshman LHP Jake Nelson from Colorado: Will give the Lobos another lefty out of the bullpen this season.
Freshman outfielder Austin Bell from Albuquerque: Has a chance to see some time in the outfield when Luis Gonzalez is pitching or if there is an injury.
Freshman infielder Aaron Corral from California: Will provide depth in the infield this season.
Graduate Transfer second baseman Michael Eaton from the University of San Francisco (originally from Albuquerque): Will be the Lobos starting second baseman and will be the two-hole hitter for the Lobos.
Freshman catcher Andrew Pratt from Albuquerque: Will see time behind the plate, could end up being the starter if Chris DeVito is unable to be the everyday catcher.
Freshman utility Jared Mang from Los Alamos: Will see time in the outfield, third base and DH positions this season, and has a chance to be an impact freshman for the Lobos this season.
Freshman outfielder and RHP Erick Migueles from Arizona: Will provide depth in the outfield as well as the bullpen this season.
Freshman outfielder Jacob Westerman from Washington: Will provide depth in the outfield this season.
Freshman LHP Austin Isenhart from California: Will provide another lefty arm out of the Lobo bullpen this season.
Junior LHP Fernando Fernandez from NMJC (originally from Canada): Junior College transfer that will start the season in the bullpen, has a chance to be a starter later in the season.
Freshman RHP Christian Tripp from Texas: Tall, right-handed relief pitcher that will provide depth to the bullpen this season.
Freshman LHP Jaylyn Whitehead from Florida: Gives the Lobs another lefty out of the bullpen this season.
Freshman RHP Gage O’Brien from Arizona: Will be another relief pitcher for the Lobos this season.
Freshman outfielder and RHP Austin Treadwell from Albuquerque: Could see time in the outfield when Luis Gonzalez is pitching. Also gives the Lobos another strong arm in the bullpen.
Players to Watch:
The Lobos offense will be anchored by Carl Stajduhar, who is coming off a great freshman season that had a lot of similarities with Lobo Great D. J. Peterson. If Stajduhar can take the next step like Peterson did his sophomore season, this Lobo offense has a chance to be one of the best in the country. There is a reason Stajduhar was named preseason All-MW and will be on the short list for Player of the Year. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stajduhar hits 15 home runs and has over 70 runs batted in.
Stajduhar will need people to get on base in front of him, and the Lobos have a couple of great options at the top of the order. First would be Danny Collier, the former Freshman All-American was slowed down by a leg injury last year, but that didn’t stop Collier from having a very solid season. Collier who should be healthy for most of the season, will be able to use his great contact skills and speed to get on base at a great clip.
Next for the Lobos, is a player that may end up being the Lobos most important player this season: graduate transfer Michael Eaton, who returns home for his senior season. Eaton, who starred at Sandia Prep, spent his first four college seasons at the University of San Francisco. He will take over second base and will likely bat in the two-hole. If Eaton is able to have a great senior season, the Lobos have a chance to have a very special season.
For the Lobo lineup to be great, they need Jack Zoellner and Chris DeVito to take the next step and provide protection for Stajduhar. Zoellner led the Lobos in hitting last year with a .352 batting average, so if he improves to a .370 average with better power number, he will be in the conversation for MW Play of the Year. DeVito will make the transition to catcher, which may make it difficult for him to improve offensively, but if he is able to put up the same numbers last year and be a solid catcher the Lobos will be better off.
Outfielder and LHP Luis Gonzalez will be a very important player for the Lobos, as he will have many key roles on this team. When he isn’t pitching, he will be playing centerfield and could find himself either at the top or middle of the lineup. It will be interesting to see when Coach Birmingham will have Gonzalez pitch, but I think the logical thing to do is to have him as a midweek starter.
The leader of the pitching staff should be Tyler Stevens, who is coming off a Freshman All-American season. Stevens should be able to take that next step and be the ace for the Lobos. Coach Birmingham will rely on him in big games and expect great results. I am excited to see the progress Stevens makes this season.