2016 Baseball Season Preview

LITTLE ROCK – With the 2016 Little Rock baseball season beginning on Friday, head coach Chris Curry answered a few questions and gave a preview of this year's team.
 
The Trojans had their fair share of tough conference games last season. What are you anticipating to be the toughest Sun Belt series this season?
 
"I think when you're going on the road to Louisiana, the preseason conference winner by the media, that's tough no matter how you cut it. I've played there personally with other teams and know how tough of an environment that is. We beat them twice at home last year, so we're not going to sneak up on them. I'm pretty sure they have us circled, and I anticipate that being a very tough series. They're all going to be tough. We were ranked as the fifth-best conference by CBS Sports, so there's not going to be an easy weekend."
 
You bring back seven players from last year and add 27 new faces. How well has the team meshed together?
 
"They've meshed together well. The guys that we brought back are high character guys, and that's why we brought them back. Plus they have some talent and ability to help us. We've really made an effort to do a lot of things off the field as far as team bonding and things like that. We climbed Pinnacle Mountain, performed a ton of community service, had Jason Curry come in and talk about Finish Empty leadership training. We've helped build some memories and bonded. We've also leaned on the leadership of captains Ryan Scott, Kyle Kirk, Hayden Martin and Jarrid Garcia to show these guys the ropes. We also did a great job of recruiting high-character individuals who fit what we believe in and what we're trying to do. Coach Russell Raley and coach Roland Fanning did an unbelievable job of bringing in those guys."
 
What challenges would you expect guys coming to Little Rock from the junior college level to have playing Division I baseball for the first time? How much of a leap/learning curve is there?
 
"There's always a jump when you're playing college baseball at the highest level. About 60 percent of our new guys are junior college players and 40 percent come from high schools. Number one is the speed of the game, whether it be velocity, runners down the line for infielders, command of the breaking ball and off-speed pitches. Typically, if you get in an advantaged count as a hitter on the junior college and high school level, you can expect a fastball. Here, they might drop a changeup or a breaking ball. The defense is tighter because everyone can run better. Matchup relievers are always tough with left on left and right on right. Most junior college and high schools just have a closer, and he faces everyone. Another one is travel with playing three days in a row. They don't do that in high school and junior college. Crowds are another issue. It'll be a lot of fun. I think it will take a little bit of time for our team to settle in just because we have so many new guys, but we'll lean on our leadership and returning players for that."
 
What are the team's and your thoughts on being picked ninth in the Sun Belt preseason poll?

"We don't take much stock in all that. Just look at our men's basketball team and what they're doing. However, it does mean that the conference thinks there are eight teams that are better than us. We will use that for a little bit of fuel, but we have to earn it. We haven't done anything here yet, and we're trying to start over as a program. We have to go out and earn some of that respect."
 
Having 10 left-handed batters compared to just four last year, what does that do for the team offensively?

"It gives us the opportunity to take advantage of our own ballpark. It's a short porch in right field. The ballpark plays fair, but it's an advantage for the left-hand hitter. We address that in recruiting. It also allows us to pinch hit later in the game with our lefties. If they bring in a tough right hander, we can take away his slider by running the lefties out there. It gives us more looks from that side."
 
This year's roster is pretty deep. What position, besides pitching, do you think has been helped the most since last year?

"I like our depth behind the plate. There are three guys right now in Cameron Knight, Dalton Thomas and Jonathan Davis that I trust to catch and think are ready. We have good core of infielders that can move around, and I like that as far being athletic and playing different positions. We got banged up and lost an outfielder or two in the recruiting process, so we're a little thin out there.
 
Last year, Little Rock tied the best fielding percentage in program history. How can the team do even better this season?

"That's a credit to coach Raley. I personally think coach Raley has done that pretty much everywhere he's ever been. He has teams set, tie or break records with fielding right out of the gates. There's your consistency. The things we can do better are the intangibles. Maybe balls we didn't get to last year that we can get to in the hole and throw a guy out with arm strength. Pick offs and communication, those are things to me that are intangibles that don't show up with fielding percentage. I'd like to set the double play record because that would be a good one to set. That's always a pitcher's best friend and can get you out of trouble."
 
As of now, what do you think is this team's biggest strength?
"I think it's the overall depth. There are a lot of good baseball players out there. We can mix and match with you based on right- or left-handed pitchers. We can run a right- or left-handed lineup at you. We can run with a handful of guys. We're not an overall speedy team, but you'll see a lot of situational stolen bases. I think we'll be able to split a gap, have a good knowledge of the strike zone, work a walk and put a good inning together. We will handle the short game very well. Coach Fanning does an outstanding job. They'll run the bases correctly and aggressively. On the mound, there's a bunch of guys who can help you. We don't have a guy who's a first-round draft pick or guy like that just yet, but there's a collection of guys down there that I trust to come in the game that will get after you and compete. I do think we're going to catch the baseball and field the ball well."
 
What do think will be the keys to success this season?
"Early, it will be getting everyone settled into their roles and getting everyone comfortable. All the new guys coming in were conference starters where they're from, and now we're asking them to come out of the bullpen. Maybe a position guy doesn't start the first game or you have a freshmen who was an All-American being positioned behind an older guy early on. He has to pinch hit and work his way into the lineup. Mentally, I think the keys to success will be to settle in. I always think the bullpen down the stretch is a key and having guys find their roles and getting comfortable. We need to eliminate our walks. We need to stay healthy, which is cliché, but that's where you start and end. I'm comfortable that we're going to drive in some runs. You'll see more home runs than last year in my opinion."
 
Why should Little Rock come out and see the Trojans this year?
"We're Little Rock's team, and you're going to be able to watch a fun brand of baseball with guys running hard and sprinting on and off the field. The game is never over. Last year with all our struggles, we had a handful of walk-off wins. Those are always a blast. That speaks to the heart of your club. You're going to be able see guys do some do some very interesting things on the baseball field. Gary Hogan Field is a fun place to watch a baseball game. You have great teams coming in like Oklahoma and Kansas. It's just a good brand of baseball. The in-state rivalry games are at home this year, and those always fun."
 
Position Breakdown: Pitchers
"Everything for me starts on the mound. It's nice to have our two best pitchers back statistically in Cory Malcom and Jarrid Garcia. I expect both of those guys if they're healthy to throw at the front of our starting rotation. Will Hazen, a big lefty from Jones County Community College, will throw on the weekend. Keenan Wingfield is kind of the "do it all man" for the rotation. He can start and close. He's got a nice wipeout breaking ball that we like to go to, and he's very athletic. Cole Townsend and Cody McGill will provide some of the velocity. Those guys have big arms, and if we need to go get some velocity we can. We have some matchup guys in Dylan Slayton, Jacob Rateliff, Matt McDowell and Jacob Boggess who can mix and match. They're sinker/slider type guys. Along with a couple of returners in Reed Willenborg and Preston Oberling, they bring the experience to the staff. Watch out for freshman Joe Corbett as he might even draw a start opening weekend, and we see big things for him."
 
Position Breakdown: Catchers
"Behind the plate, Cameron Knight won the batting title in the fall, and I expect him to open up behind the plate. He's a very tough individual that plays hard every day, and I think he is going to have a very solid year. We have depth behind him when we need to rest him in Dalton Thomas, who is going to be a middle of the order bat for us and is a professional prospect. Freshman Jonathan Davis has been doing an outstanding job and has turned in some of the best defensive intrasquad performances. I'm very comfortable putting him in in late game situations."
 
Position Breakdown: Infielders
"On the infield, Kyle Kirk and Hayden Martin anchor it with experience. Kyle is going to move to third this year and take Tanner Rockwell's spot. Hayden Martin played shortstop down the stretch for the last 14 or 15 games last season and did a great job, and we're going to put him at second. Zach Baker is doing a really nice job of being steady. He's going to give us nice at-bats at the bottom of the lineup. I've joked around the office that I don't care if he hits at all as long as he plays good defense, but I know he's going to hit. Nik Gifford is very athletic. He has a lot of home runs in his career and can play all over the infield. With a couple of injuries over at first base, he may find himself over there to start out. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in center field some games. I don't know how many times that we've had a first baseman that could play center, but that just speaks to his athleticism. Ty Gunter is a guy who is going to force his way into the lineup. He's a coach's dream. He does everything right. He's a left-handed hitter and a true utility man that we trust at third, second, first and corner outfield positions. He's probably the first bat we go to in a pinch, and he'll start a lot of games too. Riley Pittman is a big power over at first base. In his short time here, he's already opened some eyes with some great at-bats. Seth Jones is a big left-handed hitter that is also going to be a matchup guy. Matt McDowell led us in home runs in the fall, and he brings a chalk-to-chalk presence in the batting order when he's in the box.
 
Position Breakdown: Outfielders
"In the outfield, Ryan Scott is our best hitter via experience and statistics, and he's going to be in left field. Hunter Owens can really run in center field. He has some surprise power, but can bring the short game and has a good arm. Dalton Thomas is going to split time in right field, behind the plate and first base. He's another guy that's athletic for a big man who can drive the ball out of the park and has a big arm. Watch out for freshmen Keegan Meyn, Danny Mitchell Jr., and Cale Ridling. All three of those freshmen outfielders are coming on fast, and we're so excited about the future of our outfield."
 
Position Breakdown: Hitting
"Offensively, the heartbeat of the lineup is Scott, Thomas and Kirk. I think Gifford will be in the heart of the order with Cameron Knight. At the top, you'll probably see any combination of Owens, Martin and Baker in an 8-9-1 combination. I think we're going to have a lineup that wears others teams down with good at-bats. I don't know if we'll lead the country in home runs, but I think we'll wear a pitcher down and run his pitch count up. Last year, we probably didn't have the depth in our batting order, but now, one through nine can get you as far as getting on base and starting a rally."
 
The Trojans begin the 2016 campaign with Indiana State on Friday at 3 p.m., before welcoming Big 12-foe Kansas to Gary Hogan Field on Saturday at 3 p.m. Little Rock ends the weekend with another game against Indiana State on Sunday at 12 p.m.