2008 Wooster Baseball Season Outlook

Top-Ranked Scots Aiming to Live Up to Preseason Billing

Adam Samson is a returning first-team All-American. The senior southpaw is 21-4 with a 2.64 ERA for his career.

It’s another year of high expectations for The College of Wooster, as the perennial NCAA Div. III power has been tabbed with the preseason No. 1 ranking (Collegiate Baseball) for the third time since 1998. This spring’s optimism comes following the program’s fifth 40-win season (42-7) and is due to the return of a record-setting pitching staff as well as four position players who were full-time starters and two others who were part-time starters.

“A lot of other people are a lot more excited about it than we (are),” 27th-year Wooster head coach Tim Pettorini remarked about the No. 1 ranking. “We’re going to use it to help recruiting … to motivate our guys … and if there’s any benefit beyond that, I’m not sure what it would be.”

On the forefront of many of the returnees’ minds will be redemption for a late-season swoon last year that saw the Fighting Scots lose a best-of-three series with Ohio Wesleyan University, which ended their three-year string of North Coast Athletic Conference championships, and a 2-2 showing as the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Div. III Mideast Regional Tournament.

“We played well all year long. We really did,” reflected Pettorini, who helped guide Wooster to a school-record 27-game win streak to start 2007. “To host the regional and not play any better than we did (was) disappointing. It detracted a little from what we were able to accomplish. It doesn’t make it any less of an accomplishment … just means we didn’t take the final step.”

Traditionally, the Scots have put up mind-boggling offensive numbers during Pettorini’s tenure, however, the pitchers have taken center stage the last couple seasons. Last year’s group, headlined by all-Mideast selections Adam Samson, Anthony Trapuzzano, and Matt Barnes, as well as Mark Miller and Matt DeGrand, set an NCAC record with a 2.51 team ERA. They also established new conference marks for strikeouts (396) and fewest hits per nine innings pitched (7.54).

The five mentioned above accounted for approximately 80 percent of last spring’s innings (317 of 397.2 IP), and all of them are back. Samson, a senior, is the ace and will look to replicate last season, when the southpaw won 11 of 12 starts (11-0), including against NCAA Div. I Kent State University and all three he made during the postseason, while compiling a 1.61 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. Samson was a first-team All-American, the first pitcher in Wooster’s tradition-rich program so honored, and he also collected hardware as the Mideast Region and NCAC Pitcher of the Year.

Trapuzzano has been near perfect his first two seasons with the Scots, going 16-3 on the mound. As a sophomore, the hard-throwing right hander was 9-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 93 strikeouts over 85.1 innings pitched, the latter two of which were squad highs, resulting in first-team all-region and all-conference awards. Barnes, just a sophomore, is another righty with an elite fastball for the Div. III level. He exploded on to the scene last year, being named second-team all-Mideast Region and the NCAC Newcomer of the Year after a 9-2 record, 2.49 ERA, and team-best 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings (86 total strikeouts).

Miller and DeGrand are both sophomore right-handers as well. Miller was the Scots’ closer, tying a school record with eight saves, in addition to three wins (3-2), a 1.49 ERA, and 41 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched. Despite his effectiveness as a reliever, which included receiving honorable mention on the All-NCAC Team, Miller could be used as a starter this spring. DeGrand was the Scots’ No. 4 starter and hopes to build on his 5-0 debut, which also saw a 2.79 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.

“I really like those guys,” Pettorini said. “And, there’s no reason to believe that all of (them) aren’t going to be better this year.”

Depth is not a concern for Wooster either when it comes to its pitching staff. Pettorini has a number of others, whom he thinks will challenge for regular innings. Those candidates include junior John Warren, who could see time as an infielder, too, sophomores Tanner Hall and Nate Gemberling-Johnson, and Jorel Burrell and Matthew Pierce, who highlight a six-member class of freshmen pitchers.

The Scots’ hurlers may have to carry the team early on as Pettorini meshes a relatively new group of position players together. Gone from last season are the starters at catcher, first base, centerfield, one middle infield spot, and the primary designated hitter, highlighted by Sheldon Steiner, a first-team all-region pick after leading the offense in batting average (.384), home runs (10), and RBI (49).

That leaves Wooster with veterans Pat Christensen, Matthew Johnson, Sean Karpen, Bubba O’Donnell, Jake Sankal, and Dan Skulina to lean on. Christensen, labeled a five-tool player by Pettorini, was selected to the All-America Second Team as a freshman (.384, 16 HR, 64 RBI), but has been dinged by injuries the last two years. A season ago, the Scots’ clean-up hitter/right fielder battled a stress fracture and still managed first-team all-conference recognition, thanks to a .333 average, eight homers, and 40 RBI.

Johnson, a sophomore, could be in for a breakout year after coming on strong at the end of last spring when he became the starting shortstop. In 22 games (14 starts), the defensive standout batted .407 with eight extra base-hits and 11 RBI during 59 at bats, and Pettorini envisions him as the No. 3 hole hitter this spring.

Batting in front of them will likely be Sankal and Karpen. Sankal is coming off an all-NCAC season (honorable mention), as he batted .341 with eight home runs, 32 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Now a senior, Sankal has been a starter off-and-on throughout his career, and will likely settle in at either left field or centerfield this spring. Karpen has played outfield previously as well, but now appears to be headed towards first base on defense. Offensively, the speedy junior who has 36 career steals raised his average from .305 to .356 in 2007.

Skulina has developed into one of the NCAC’s top third baseman, however, he endured shoulder surgery at the end of the fall. He’s expected to be healthy enough to play his senior season and will attempt to build on a .326 average and squad-high 15 doubles, but he may have to do so as the designated hitter. O’Donnell, a co-captain along with Sankal, is also a senior and the favorite to win the starting position at second base. Sound defensively and experienced (86 games), he accumulated a .275 average and 12 RBI last spring.

Top candidates to fill in the other positions include senior Brad Stuetzer, Warren, sophomores Stu Beath, Matt Groezinger, Shane Swearingen, and Eli Woods, and Pierce. If Skulina is unable to play in the field, Stuetzer, Warren, and Pierce are all possibilities at third base. Woods, who was enrolled but not a member of the team last spring, could step in as the starter at center as he possesses exceptional speed. The big question mark for the Scots is catcher, admitted Pettorini. Battling for the position there are Swearingen, who has proved to be an offensive force in previous limited time, and Groezinger, a transfer from Purdue University. Another option would be for Sankal to play there, which would likely allow Beath, a lefty who went 5-for-16 (.313), to hold down an outfield position.

Additional players with the potential to earn at bats at DH or as pinch hitters include senior first baseman Ben Downs, a left-handed batter, sophomore Luke Sutton, who is transitioning from pitcher to outfielder, and freshman outfielder Beau Citrone among others.

All in all, Pettorini believes this year’s Wooster offense will progress into another high-scoring unit. The Scots have averaged 8.0-plus runs seven seasons in a row, and 10 of 11, however, they might have to do it in a different manner, than their usual mashing ways. Wooster has been the Div. III team leader in home runs four of the last 11 years (1997, 1998, 2004, 2007).

“Traditionally, we’ve been real strong offensively, but with the loss of Sheldon and the other guys, we’re going to have to do some other things, like using our speed and bunting, to score runs,” summed up Pettorini. “And, maybe in the long run that will benefit us. With a lot of (our) teams in the past, we knew we were going to hit a lot of homers and score a ton of runs … so we didn’t get pushed to steal bases and bunt. Now to be pushed earlier in the season to do those things, maybe we’ll be better in the long run.”