In Part 1 of our preview, we got to know all of the players and took a look at the team as a whole. In this Part 2, we look at each position on the field to get a sense of what players we might expect to see filling those roles. Here is our position by position breakdown, with expected starters and players that could see time at that position.

Position Players:

Catcher:

Starter: Junior Chris DeVito

Backups: Sophomore Scottie Graham, Freshman Andrew Pratt

DeVito has a tough task of replacing Freshman All-American Cory Voss, who transferred during the summer. If DeVito struggles behind the plate, don’t be surprised if he becomes the DH and Graham and Pratt split time behind the plate. Pratt has a chance to become another great Lobo catcher and the second of which from La Cueva in the last couple of years, following Mitch Garver footsteps. Lobos have plenty of options behind the plate, so this position should be in good hands.

First Base:

Starter: Junior Jack Zoellner

Backups: Sophomore Carl Stajduhar, Junior Chris Divito

First base is in very good hands with Zoellner locking down the position. Zoellner will be the everyday first basemen and the only way I don’t see Zoellner at first base is if he is hurt, in which case either third baseman Stajduhar or catcher DeVito would likely move over to first base.

Second Base:

Starter: Senior Michael Eaton

Backups: Senior Jared Holley, Senior Dalton Bowers, Sophomore Hayden Schilling, Freshman Aaron Corral and Freshman Jared Mang

This is Eaton’s position to lose, and I doubt he will lose it. I think where you could see backups getting opportunities is if Eaton gets hurt, or double switches with Holley or Bowers.

Shortstop:

Starter: Senior Dalton Bowers or Senior Jared Holley

Backup: Will be whoever isn’t the starter

One of the few position battles this year, how it resolves makes it pretty simple to figure out who is the starter and who the backup will be. The main concern for Coach Birmingham at this position tends to be defense. However, because both players are good defenders, I think that we may see a platoon at this position, with Bowers getting a few more looks at the beginning of the season. Either player can make this a full time job if they are able to play great defense and provide some offense at the bottom of the lineup.

Third Base:

Starter: Sophomore Carl Stajduhar

Backups: Senior Jared Holley, Senior Dalton Bowers, Sophomore Hayden Schilling, Freshman Aaron Corral and Freshman Jared Mang

Stajduhar, unsurprisingly, will man the hot corner this season for the Lobos. He is more advanced as a hitter, but he is a solid defender that will make all the routine plays at third. There are plenty of options to back up Stajduhar, but the two most likely backups are Holley and Mang.

Outfield:

Starters: Junior Danny Collier, Sophomore Luis Gonzalez and Sophomore Reece Weber

Backups: Freshman Jared Mang, Junior Andre Vigil, Freshman Austin Bell, Freshman Jacob Westerman, Freshman Erick Migueles, Freshman Austin Treadwell

If the three starters are healthy and Gonzalez isn’t pitching, the starting outfield will be Collier in left, Gonzalez in center, and Weber in right. The main questions in the outfield will be about who plays centerfield when Gonzalez is pitching and how much outfield does Mang play. I also think the DH will come from this group, with the most likely candidates being Mang and Vigil.

Pitchers:

Starting Pitchers:

Sophomore Tyler Stevens, Senior Colton Thomson, Junior Carson Schnieder, Sophomore James Harrington, Sophomore Luis Gonzalez, and Senior Drew Bridges

The two pitchers that are without question going to be in the weekend rotation are Stevens and Thomson. The real question is who takes over the Sunday spot. I would expect Schneider to get the first shot, but it really feels like this is up in the air right now. The wild card for the rotation is Bridges, who showed a lot of promise as a freshman, but has been slowed down by injuries and struggles finding his control. If Bridges is able to turn it around, I like his chances of being the Sunday starter. Gonzalez will most likely have a role as a midweek starter and Harrington, who started started 5 games as a freshman, has a chance to become a very solid college pitcher.

Bullpen:

RHP: Senior Victor Sanchez, Senior Taylor Duree, Junior Preston Ryan, Junior Matt Villalobos, Sophomore Hayden Schilling, Freshman Christian Tripp, Freshman Gage O’Brien, Freshman Erick Migueles and Freshman Austin Treadwell

LHP: Senior Alex Estrella, Junior Fernando Fernandez, Freshman Jake Nelson, Freshman Austin Isenhart, and Freshman Jaylyn Whitehead

The key for the Lobos Bullpen will be for Sanchez and Duree to return to their sophomore form. Sanchez will start the season as the closer, with Duree, Schilling and Ryan being the main righties out of the bullpen. The Lobos have five lefties in the bullpen, but the main lefties to start the season will be Estrella and Fernandez. By the end of the season, we could see a couple of freshmen become key relief pitchers for the Lobos.

Coaches:

Head Coach: Ray Birmingham

Pitching Coach: Ken Jacome

Assistant Coach: Buddy Gouldsmith

Volunteer Assistant Coach: Tony Cappuccilli

Season Predictions:

This team has talent, depth, and balance up and down the roster, which gives it a chance to be the best Lobo team that Birmingham has had. That’s saying something, as he has had several very good teams in his time here. I think that this could be a special season for the Lobos, which is why I’m predicting great things out of them:

• Conference Regular Season Champions
• Conference Tournament Champions
• Regional Team
• Five All-MW Players
• Carl Stajduhar, Conference Player of the Year