Where do we stand

[Razorback4]

I love hog baseball but I've been a little caught up in football and basketball this off season so I haven't kept up much with who's coming and going and whatnot. With that said, where do we stand for 2015? Are we going to be better than last year? Worse? Need some insight 

[Baseball Hog]

We'll be good.  That being said, 2016 and 17 look to be the years where we could legitimately be the favorite to take it all.

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

We have some Sr's that came back that most years would be gone, but some may not even be starting by conference play.

Fantastic group of newcomers. There are championships in those guys future.

Pitching may not be what we are used to recently, but the bats have a very good chance of being better.

Tremendous amount of competition for playing time.

[dbbb]

Our best offense in the DVH era was the 2010 group...
Wilkins
Cox
Eibner
Cuhn

Our pitching wasn't too shabby either..

Rotation of

Smyly (mlb)
Bolsinger (mlb)
Pratt + Bax (Milb) out of the pen

We got beat in Super NIT @ ASU

Tough too win no matter the talent

[RoughRider Fan]

Hopefully the hogs are better this year. We have some talent coming in, but we need to remember they are freshmen and college ball is much different than high school. I worry most about our pitching cause that's been the strength of this program the past few years, Killian is the only proven one on the staff.  We are probably 2 years away from competing for a ring.

[Baseball Hog]

Hopefully the hogs are better this year. We have some talent coming in, but we need to remember they are freshmen and college ball is much different than high school. I worry most about our pitching cause that's been the strength of this program the past few years, Killian is the only proven one on the staff.  We are probably 2 years away from competing for a ring.

Every single year we have unproven guys stepping on the mound and every single year we put together a staff that can rival anyones.

[ucahogfan]

I think 2015 could be a huge year for the Hogs.  Unlike in past years, the draft didn't kill us.  Not only do we bring in the #1 class, but we get Tyler Spoon who passed up the draft, Joe Serrano who has been a key cog, Brett McAfee who was hurt and would have been a top 10 round pick if healthy, and Jacob Stone who wanted a lot of money so he wasn't drafted back to campus.  I think even the most optimistic of Hog fans could have imagined those 4 guys back and only lost Sam Hentges to the draft.

Our pitching is the biggest question mark on this team with having no LHP experience and losing 2 weekend starters and Gunn at the back end of the bullpen.  That said, the pitching staff has a ton of talent for Jorn to work with.  Getting Killian and Stone back is huge.  Killian is a sure bet for 7-8 IP+ every time out once DVH doesn't have him on a pitch count because he is a strike throwing machine.  Stone will be the lock down closer that Hog fans have become used too.  Jackson, Teague, and Taco should all take a big step forward as sophomores.  I like the thought of having Teague and Taco filling the other two weekend spots and having Jackson as a bullpen weapon again.  Teague had a big summer and really got better at the end of last season.  Taco also had a great summer and a great fall.  Jackson will be the electric mid 90s fastball that can strike guys out to go along with two very good offspeed pitches.  Cannon Chadwick is a JUCO guy who could see a lot of time out of the pen.  He would be similar to Vandy bullpen guy Hayden Stone in that he isn't going to light up a radar gun (reports are Chadwick tops out at 91-92), but Chadwick has a wipeout slider that is a true plus pitch.  Keaton McKinney and Jonah Patten are highly talented freshmen RHPs while Kyle Pate and Ryan Fan are highly touted freshmen LHPs who we will need to contribute and been thrown into the fire.

While it might not be the best offense of the DVH era (it could be), this will be the deepest offense of the DVH era.  We could go 15-16 deep or more this year with the newcomers and returners.  We get back 5 guys who started at least 50 games last year in Spoon, Benintendi, Serrano, Bernal, and Wernes.  I think at least one of if not both Bernal and Wernes will be UTL guys off the bench this year with McAfee back healthy and some of the newcomers on campus.  Luke Bonfield is an elite hitter who should contribute immediately and start in the OF.  Nathan Rodriguez and Tucker Pennell are two newcomers who should be solid defensively behind the plate.  Rodriguez is a freshman who started an ASG in a collegiate summer league.  Freshmen Blake Wiggins and Chad Spanberger can bring the thunder.  Clark Eagan is back after coming on strong at the end of last year and having an excellent summer up north.  Max Hogan, Rick Nomura, and Matt Campbell are JUCO transfers who will compete for starting spots in the INF this year.

While some people aren't as high on this team, I think this team will be one of the better ones DVH will have had at Arkansas as I think we will be able to outscore people this year and not just try to win a tight game.  It might be the most talented we have been top to bottom with DVH at the helm.

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

Watch Stone dominate this year as a shut down closer. He's gotten bigger and stronger in the offseason and he did really well after taking over the closer spot from Gunn (that says a lot) at the end of last year. Get to the late innings and we will be fine.

Killian can throw some complete games which could be huge for this staff when we get to conference play.

I still like Zach Jackson as the middle/late (first guy in for the weekend) reliever. He may have to be a starter, but would rather see him as a Brandon Moore type guy.   

[pigture perfect]

I'm getting stoked.

[pigture perfect]

I'm getting stoked.

[Amityvillehogger]

I'm getting stoked.

I'm getting stoked.

You are ahey? So much you said it twice! I like the excitement.

[hillbilly]

I'd be shocked if Wernes wasn't our 3B. He has been talked about multiple times as one of the best defenders DVH has had at third. That in itself will make it hard for us to take him out of the lineup, especially if he can hit around 250.

[Scott7703]

I'd be shocked if Wernes wasn't our 3B. He has been talked about multiple times as one of the best defenders DVH has had at third. That in itself will make it hard for us to take him out of the lineup, especially if he can hit around 250.

In my opinion he will have to hit more than .220 to stay in the lineup.

[Knot2brite]

Please please please for the love of all that is holy let them be able to hit this year...baseball has to be the saving grace this year...

[ucahogfan]

I'd be shocked if Wernes wasn't our 3B. He has been talked about multiple times as one of the best defenders DVH has had at third. That in itself will make it hard for us to take him out of the lineup, especially if he can hit around 250.

I would be shocked if Wernes started most of the year at 3B.  While he is an excellent defender, he brings almost zero value at the plate and that won't fly with the depth we should have on offense this year.  He can be a late inning replacement when we have a slim lead, but I don't think we can give up a spot in the lineup for a spot for a top tier defensive player when it is a position we need to produce offensively.

Wernes would need to hit .320-.330 for me to consider keeping him in the lineup because he has no power and his SLG% will essentially be his BA.

[hillbilly]

Guess we will see. You're also the guy that wondered why Spoon was coming back to sit the bench with all the incoming freshmen we have. Time will tell!

[Kevin]

If Dvh stays true to form, upperclassmen always get the first chance. So, some of the freshmen may have to wait

[Scott7703]

Guess we will see. You're also the guy that wondered why Spoon was coming back to sit the bench with all the incoming freshmen we have. Time will tell!

I wondered the same thing. He couldnt hit his way out of a wet paper bag last year. If these youngsters live half way up to the hype and our coach will put them in the lineup there could still be some upper classman see diminished roles.

[ucahogfan]

Guess we will see. You're also the guy that wondered why Spoon was coming back to sit the bench with all the incoming freshmen we have. Time will tell!

Ok, I'm going to clear this up.  I thought Spoon would struggle to start because of 3 factors:

1.  Spoon has mightily struggled against SEC pitching during his first 2 years here.  Whether it be due to injury or youth, he has been overwhelmed against SEC pitching while tearing up non-con pitching.  He carried a pre-con hot streak as a RS Freshman to a Freshman AA spot.  He hit below the Mendoza Line his freshman year in SEC play and something like .210-.220 in SEC play last year.

2.  We return all 3 starting OFs from the 2014 team in Spoon, Serrano, and Benintendi.  Both Spoon and Serrano were draft eligible last year, but obviously neither signed.  Add in the factor that DVH said Eagan could/should be starting in the OF in 2015 at the end of last season, it was going to be a logjam before even getting to my last point.

3.  We brought in some impressive freshmen, but I have ever only talked about one truly starting above Spoon - Luke Bonfield.  Bonfield is the highest ranked position player we have gotten to campus since Dominic Ficociello and our best pure hitter since Zack Cox.  Bonfield went out and DEMOLISHED collegiate pitching in a summer league in the Northeast.  I'm not even saying that Jack Benninghoff and Keith Grieshaber who are elite recruits in their own right would potentially start above Spoon this year, but Bonfield will be in the lineup from Day 1.

It seems like a lot of people assume that Spoon will hit .300 this year in SEC play, but his track record says that we are getting someone who will struggle to hit .250 in SEC play.  While Bonfield is completely unknown, only a couple of players with his hitting ability ever step foot on a college campus.

[ucahogfan]

If Dvh stays true to form, upperclassmen always get the first chance. So, some of the freshmen may have to wait

DVH has also shown that he is willing to throw his most talented freshmen into the fire right away.  This class is the most talented he has ever signed top to bottom and brings depth we will rarely see.

It will be interesting to see what the opening day lineup looks like.

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

It will be interesting to see what the opening day lineup looks like.

And, it will be interesting to see what the lineup looks like when conference play gets here.

[dotnet]

DVH has also shown that he is willing to throw his most talented freshmen into the fire right away. 

This is true - it depends on the freshman.  Average freshman... you'll have to wait for the average veteran to work his way out of the lineup.  If you're a stud... you're playing.  See also: Cox, Fico, Bendentini, etc.