Gold Rush: Putting The Pieces Together
2/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 3, 2003
By Jay Reddick
George Greer sees coaching as a puzzle to be solved. As he builds the Wake Forest baseball team from year to year, he must find players to fill in all the corners of the puzzle. Sometimes, a piece is shaped differently than expected, and he must improvise. But in the end, it's all about getting the most complete picture.
If that's the case, the 2003 Deacons may be suitable for framing.
All nine everyday starters and 11 pitchers return from a team that finished 47-13-1 last season and reached the NCAA tournament for the fifth year in a row. The names are largely familiar, and those that aren't will become so very soon.
"I think you're always happy when you have returning players who played significant roles," Greer said. "The beauty of college baseball is that you are going to be missing parts from year to year, and it's a joy to watch people grow into those parts. It's a great thing when all the pieces of the puzzle fit."
Much of the preseason attention has been focused on Kyle Sleeth, and with good reason: the junior has lost two decisions in the past 20 months, and has won his last 20 decisions in a Wake Forest uniform. The first-team All-American was rated the No. 2 junior pro prospect by Baseball America, and most observers consider him a sure first-round draft pick in the summer. Sleeth can be written into the Friday starting slot in ink, but Greer might pencil him into some other situations during the year.
"Don't be surprised to see Kyle throw his (usual warmup in the) bullpen in a game on Tuesdays," Greer said. "He could throw an inning, the seventh or eighth, and be a big help."
That's the way the rest of the staff will work as well - getting the maximum return for their effort. Senior Seth Hill and sophomore Tim Morley, both lefthanders, should fill out the weekend rotation, a luxury that Greer obviously enjoys.
"Having two lefthanders starting will help to control the running game," Greer said. "And Sleeth, hopefully, won't give up any baserunners to run anyway."
Daniel Davidson and Brian Bach were stellar as freshmen, serving as spot starters and weekend relievers. They will return to that role, along with a slew of others, including Indy Wilkinson, Gregory Russell, Eric Maycroft, Chris Caudill, Danny Mackey and freshmen Kirby Wedekind and Kyle Young.
Ben Clayton could be a wildcard on the pitching staff. The Freshman All-American has pitched just 13 games in the last two seasons and redshirted last year with a shoulder injury. Greer hopes to have him back on or around March 1.
"If he gets back to freshman form, that could be the shot in the arm to carry us to the next level," Greer said. "The last two or three years, we've been close, and we've always needed someone of quality to pitch that last game. Ben has been that person. We're hoping Ben can be back."
The closer role, handled so ably by Dave Bush the last two seasons, won't go to just one person. Adam Hanson, who set up Bush last season, will get the call sometimes, and so will Jamie D'Antona, a preseason All-American at third base who hit 94 mph on the radar gun earlier this year.
"Hanson will be a key for us," Greer said. "He increased his velocity and added a split-finger fastball in an effort to get some people out in situations. But we need Jamie to take some of the burden off, and maybe let Hanson focus on weekends."
Freeing D'Antona up to pitch is a luxury Wake Forest didn't really have last season, thanks to a lack of depth and injuries. That has all changed this season. Brad Scioletti, who hit .295 at six positions last year after transferring from Army, is entrenched as the backup for the right side of the infield, behind incumbent first baseman Jeff Ruziecki and second baseman Nick Blue. Blue may miss some time early in the season as he recovers from surgery on his throwing shoulder.
Freshman Chris Getz, a sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox, will play third when D'Antona pitches and also help out behind sophomore Ben Ingold at shortstop. Getz hit .465 as a senior at Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South High School.
Ryder Mathias returns to the catcher spot after hitting .300 last season, but he could be slowed by a shoulder injury. Freshman Steven Malinowski from Connecticut is prepared to step in.
In the outfield, not much has changed. Ryan Hubbard, who hit .615 in the postseason, will play left field, and All-Americans Adam Bourassa and Ryan Johnson will man the other two positions. Steve LeFaivre will again be a primary backup, along with Doug Riepe and freshman Casey Sterk.
The combination of depth and experience could be enough to take the Deacons to the College World Series. But, said Greer, they'll need a little good fortune, too.
"I think when you're talking about playing in postseason, you need good sound team defense, pitching depth, a mix of left and right-handed batters, and good speed, but it comes down to if we advance, it's almost luck," Greer said. "The NCAA makes a rule that two teams from the same conference couldn't play each other in the first round, so we're a host but a No. 2 seed. We were sent to South Carolina two years ago, got sent to Miami when we could have been hosting a super-regional. It's been comical what the NCAA has done. Hopefully we can get a better draw this time around."
Whatever happens, it's just one more piece of a winning puzzle.
