SFA Baseball 2011 Preview: Infielders
2/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 9, 2011
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Lumberjack baseball team was the surprise of the Southland in 2010, posting a program-best 34 wins a year ago in just the second year under head coach Johnny Cardenas.
SFA used the best statistical offense in the SLC last year and a dramatically improved pitching staff to contend for a league title, and with 22 returners on the roster in addition to 13 newcomers, the `Jacks look to be in position once again to make noise in the league.
The `Jacks return three all-conference players from a year ago, including all-SLC lefty Tyler Herriage, first baseman Darren Crabtree and outfielder Garrett Smith to make SFA one of four schools with three preseason all-league choices for the upcoming year. In addition, Johnny Cardenas is the reigning SLC Coach of the Year.
This is the third in a six-part series previewing the Lumberjacks, position by position, leading up to the 2011 opener against UALR on February 18 in Nacogdoches.
INFIELD
Returners: Michael Haynes, Jordan Lewis, Darren Crabtree, Max Lamantia, Justin McAninch
Newcomers: Bryce Cummings, Hunter Dozier, Zach Allen
After a year that saw the `Jacks shuffle infielders all around the diamond, the 2011 squad will enter the year with its core group in place, and a ton of versatility available at Johnny Cardenas' disposal.
SFA was at its steadiest up the middle all of last year, thanks in part to everyday shortstop Tanner Hines who manned the post for two years and left after graduation holding the school record for stolen bases and its longest hit streak. The `Jacks used just three players apiece all season at both shortstop and second base, but the corner spots were a different story as SFA had six different players take a shot at both first and third base at some point in 2010.
Still, each of SFA's primary corner infielders earned postseason recognition with Darren Crabtree being named to the all-Southland Conference third team at first base and Bobby Loveless earning honorable mention recognition at the hot corner.
But off-season surgery will hold out Loveless for the 2011 campaign, thus forcing a number of new and returning Lumberjacks to pick up the void of his eight homers, 18 doubles and team-best 50 RBI leaves open. Still, without Loveless and Hines, the `Jacks will sport arguably its deepest and most versatile infield in recent memory this year.
Hines was one of the best offensive shortstops in the Southland the last two years, hitting better than .340 from the No. 2 hole in the lineup for his career, but youth will be served at short this season as sophomore Jordan Lewis will take over the everyday duties after hitting .330 as a true freshman last year, and proved to be an offensive sparkplug for the `Jacks last season and after only seeing spot duty to open the year, eventually earned the starting job at second base.
"Anytime you lose a guy like Tanner Hines, there's going to be an adjustment period. He was a guy that made our defense really good, but it also gave the guy behind him (Jordan Lewis) the opportunity to see what exactly it takes to be a Division I shortstop," Cardenas said. "So not only did he improve us last year, but he also improved us moving forward because he set the standard in how to play the position. Losing him in the lineup is going to hurt, but I think the three guys in the lineup are more than going to make up for that."
Lewis will be joined on either side by arguably two of the slickest defenders the Southland has to offer with second baseman Michael Haynes and third baseman Bryce Cummings. Haynes saw time at three infield positions a year ago and hit .319 with five homers and 37 RBI from the No. 9 hole in the lineup, proving to be one of the most potent bottom-of-the-order hitters in the league, while still giving Cardenas the ability to move him around the diamond as necessary.
"Mike (Haynes) had a few errors last year, but the reason he had those I think is because one game he's having to play third base, and another game he had to play second base and his versatility was really used against him," Cardenas said. "This year we told him he's going to play every game at second base, and Jordan (Lewis) is going to play short and Bryce (Cummings) is going to play third and I think that with what they've shown through the fall and the spring that this team has the possibility to be the best defensive team that we've ever had, at least in my six years."
Cummings was the district defensive MVP in high school at Mesquite Poteet, leading the Pirates to the state tournament before heading off to Weatherford College where he played each of the past two years. Last season he manned the infield for the Coyotes and even drove in 44 runs while hitting .340.
The `Jacks will also find time for 6-4 freshman Hunter Dozier around the infield as he brings enough athleticism to be able to fill in at multiple positions should the need arise. He will bring with him the arm of a high school quarterback from his days at Denton High School, in addition to enough polish that earned him the district's Newcomer of the Year award as a sophomore on the diamond and helped him hit over .400 at the plate as a senior.
"With Hunter, we know that the athleticism is there and once he catches up to the speed of the game at the collegiate level we feel as though he's really going to flourish." Cardenas said. "He's been very productive in our intrasquad games, learning how to play the game and he gives us a great safety net in case something happens and we need to move someone around, when last year we did not have that versatility and had to just patch things up and move on."
That group will be throwing across the diamond to any one of three first basemen for the `Jacks, all of which will see plenty of playing time. Darren Crabtree got more than twice as many starts at first than any other Lumberjack last season, but spent the majority of the second half of the season at designated hitter when SFA moved Loveless from third base to first to minimize the strain on his injured shoulders. Still, Crabtree was a constant power threat in the middle of the SFA lineup, leading the team with 10 homers and driving in 49 RBI while still hitting over the .300 mark.
A big 6-7 target, Crabtree will share first-base duties with junior Justin McAninch and redshirt freshman Max Lamantia, both of whom bring a big frame to the bag and have the ability to contribute offensively. Lamantia, a 6-4 redshirt freshman from Flower Mound, will be seeing his first collegiate action this year after utilizing his redshirt season last year; however, the coaches still feel as though Lamantia will be able to come in and make immediate contributions.
"Last year was really a hard decision for us to redshirt Max Lamantia after the fall that he had," Cardenas said. "Moving forward I think he's the first baseman of the future for us because he's so good with the glove around the base, plus he can really swing it. As a redshirt freshman he's going to get playing time, and good quality first at-bats."
Nacogdoches junior Justin McAninch rounds out the first-base corps got into 14 games at fist last year, as well as 22 games at the hot corner and will give Cardenas another option at either corner spot. A strong fall camp and a quality glove has pushed him into contention for significant playing time this year after nearly doubling his at-bats a season ago.
"With the depth that we have at first, we have set ourselves up to have a guy over there all of the time that really knows how to play the position as well as an offensive threat every day in the lineup," Cardenas said. "To start off we are going to have a bit of a revolving door over there until we find the right mix of players on the field and in the lineup. Defensively I feel like we are going to have one of the better first baseman corps in the conference, and I definitely know that we are going to have some of the biggest first basemen in the nation."
2011 Season Preview Schedule:
Feb. 3 - Catchers
Feb. 7 - Starting Pitching
Feb. 9 - Infielders
Feb. 11 - Bullpen
Feb. 14 - Outfielders/DH
-SFA-
