Temple University Athletics
2008 Baseball Outlook
1.25.08 | Baseball
Jan. 25, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - For the first time in head coach Rob Valli's three-year tenure, the Temple baseball team will roll out an experienced lineup, starting rotation and bullpen for the entire 56-game schedule. The Owls return 19 letterwinners, including 11 pitchers, and expect to be in the hunt for one of the six berths to the Atlantic 10 Tournament in May.
The Cherry and White featured one of its most potent offenses in recent memory last spring, setting four single season records and batting .302 as a team, the highest since 1994. Sean Barksdale, a first team All-Atlantic 10 pick and the Philadelphia Big 5 Co-Player of the Year, and Stan Orzechowski, an all-Big 5 selection, headline the returnees and will be asked to shoulder a bulk of the load at the plate.
On the mound, Temple will boast four possible weekend starters that have combined for 89 collegiate starts in their careers. This depth at the front of the rotation will allow several sophomores to settle into more comfortable roles in the bullpen after taking their lumps as rookies.
"The rotation is only on paper right now--we need three starters to step up and prove they can win their games," Valli said. "We'll use the four pre-conference weekends to determine who can get the job done, then set our rotation for conference play."
The Atlantic 10 will host its tournament across the Delaware River at Campbell's Field in Camden, NJ. Temple was in the mix for the final spot with three weekends remaining a year ago and believes that a year of experience will help it make a final push. Valli knows his team needs to be more consistent across the board in order to punch its ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2002.
"Our league is all about who can be most consistent over a nine-week season," Valli said. "It depends on which team can have veteran players perform with games on the line."
Outfield
All three starters return for Temple in the outfield, giving the Owls one of the top trios in the conference. Barksdale, who batted .359 with seven home runs and 59 RBI last season, is a bonafide professional prospect as a junior. One of the best clutch hitters in the region, the right fielder batted .432 with runners in scoring position and his 59 RBI were the most at Temple in 22 years. He can also run (team-high 14 steals) and throw (team-high nine outfield assists) to complete his five-tool arsenal.
"Sean can hit for power, steal bases and plays a very good right field," Valli said. "He'll be our opening day three-hole hitter once again this year."
Orzechowski will patrol centerfield and lead-off for the second straight season. The senior batted .349 last year, tied the school record with 20 doubles and added six home runs. A fine defensive outfielder, Orzechowski made a smooth adjustment to Division I after transferring from Gloucester CC and will be a contender for all-conference honors this year.
"Stan had an outstanding season last year," Valli said. "He's a leader and will be someone we rely on to make our team go."
Junior Jamie Abercrombie, a hard-working left fielder, batted .292 with 21 RBI last year. The Philadelphia Big 5 Rookie of the Year as a freshman, Abercrombie stole 11 bases in his second season as a starter. Expect to see his left-handed bat at the top of the lineup this spring. "Jamie can do a lot of things for us," Valli said. "He can steal a base, bunt for a hit, and move the runners. He is a real spark-plug at the top of the lineup."
Freshman Byron McKoy has game-changing speed and will find his way into the lineup. "We are going to transition Byron into the lineup someway, somehow," Valli said. "He can really run and is getting better every day. We think he's going to be a special player for us."
Sophomore Zack Zeglinski, a utility player that will add depth in the infield and outfield, adds a left-handed bat to the lineup. "Zack is the prototypical utility player," Valli said. "He can play every infield and outfield position and gives us options a left-handed hitter."
Infield
Temple returns two starters in the infield and must find a way to replace the offensive production of the graduated Dan Brady (.303, 9 HR, 37 RBI) and Texas native Ryan Weber (.368, 34 RBI), a shortstop who transferred back home to Sam Houston State.
Senior Mike Kelch saw action at all four infield positions in 2007, but is slated to begin the 2008 campaign at second base. He batted .300 with 15 doubles in his first season of Division I play after transferring from Chesapeake CC and earned all-Philadelphia Big 5 honors.
"Mike is a guy that can hit for a high average and drive in a lot of runs," Valli said.
Sophomore Matt Heltz, who split time at second and third base last spring, is penciled in at the hot corner. He batted .250 and had 29 RBI, good for fifth on the team, as a freshman.
"Matt has a great approach to the game," Valli said. "With his arm-strength, he's best suited to play third base for us.
Junior Carmen Del Mastro is a second baseman by trade, but looks to be the opening day designated hitter. The left-hander batted .290 in 28 starts last season, and hit .365 over his final 17 games.
"Carmen will be in our opening day lineup," Valli said. "He really came on strong and is one of the toughest outs in the lineup."
Junior Lenny DelGrippo, who started 44 games as a freshman at first base and the outfield, hopes to bounce back after a tough sophomore campaign. He batted .228 in 12 starts but hit three home runs and knocked in 25 runs, both second on the team, as a freshman.
"Lenny has worked extremely hard to get back in the starting lineup," Valli said. "He's improved offensively and defensively and we think he can drive in some runs for us."
Junior transfer Mark Ortega (Boston College), an AFLAC All-American as a scholastic player at Palm Beach Gardens High School (FL), will play shortstop. An outstanding defensive player, Ortega had only 28 at-bats in two seasons at BC and should progress at the plate with additional at-bats.
"Mark might have been our best performer this fall," Valli said. "He's an exciting shortstop to watch. Offensively, he's unproven since he's had so few at-bats in his college career."
Freshman Steve Nikorak was recruited as a pitcher but an impressive fall has made him a candidate for time at both corner infield positions. A two-time Pocono Record Player of the Year at Stroudsburg HS, Nikorak adds some pop to the lineup and will also see innings out of the bullpen.
"Steve has a strong swing and ability to hit for some gap power as a freshman," Valli said.
Two more freshmen, SS Rafael Cordero and 1B Ben Flanary, were second team All-New Jersey Group II and Group IV selections, respectively. Both figure into the long-term plans of the program.
"Rafael is one of our infielders of the future," Valli said. "He works incredibly hard and is developing in leaps and bounds."
"Ben will get a chance to play this season," Valli said. "He has great potential and just needs time to develop."
Catchers
Junior Kyle Obal was the everyday backstop in 2007 and batted .268 with 10 doubles and 15 RBI. After a slow start, the transfer from Winthrop batted .349 over the final 23 games and was named a league all-star in the Southern Collegiate Baseball Summer League.
"Kyle had a great second half of the season," Valli said. "He has improved defensively and is a very athletic catcher."
Junior Steve Mury battled injury last spring and started 14 games behind the plate after serving as the starter in 2006. He is healthy and will battle Obal for playing time.
"Steve is starting to be healthy again," Valli said. "He could very easily compete to regain his starting position."
Junior Mike Xifaras missed last season due to injury after transferring from Briarcliffe College. Much of his future will depend on his recovery.
Pitchers
Temple has the benefit of four starters with significant college experience to choose from when selecting its weekend rotation. Senior Tom Dolan, a conference starter for the majority of the past three seasons, projects as the staff ace. He went 6-5 with a 3.96 ERA and struck out 70 batters in 86.1 innings to earn all-Philadelphia Big 5 honors. The southpaw was 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA after striking out 16 batters at Dayton on April 8 but arm trouble affected his performance down the stretch.
"Tom competes in the zone with three pitches as well as anyone," Valli said. "We count on him to pitch deep into the game and give us a chance to win. Tom can be one of the better pitchers in our conference."
Senior Arshwin Asjes looks to return to his 2006 form, when he won five games and sported a 4.26 ERA. A 34th round pick in the 2005 Major League Draft, Asjes throws in the low 90s and has the potential to be one of the top arms in the conference. After a disappointing junior season, the Curacao native's performance will be a key factor to Temple's success.
"Arshwin had a disappointing junior season," Valli said. "But he has the ability to be as good as any pitcher in the conference. It's an important year for him to prove what kind of player he can be."
Two brothers, Matt and Mike Mongiardini, also will factor into the weekend rotation. Matt, a junior, started on Sundays last season and won three games, including a nine-inning, complete-game shutout versus Saint Louis.
"Matt has made the most improvement on our team," Valli said. "He has the best stuff on the staff. If he can be consistent with his command, he has the potential to win 10 games."
Mike, a senior transfer from Yale, started 23 games during his career for the Bulldogs. He had a 3.82 ERA in 37.2 innings as a junior in 2006 before missing his senior season due to injury.
"Mike gives us a big boost from a leadership and work-ethic standpoint," Valli said. "He is good enough to be a weekend starter for us."
In the bullpen, sophomores Matt Blackburn (1-3, 6.19 ERA, 2 SV) and Kyle Monahan (2-5, 7.82 ERA, 1 SV) are back after setting a new program record with 26 appearances, respectively. Both were forced into high-pressure roles in the back-end of the bullpen as freshmen, learning valuable lessons during their rookie seasons.
"They had a chance to pitch in a lot of situations and hopefully can build upon their experiences from a year ago," Valli said. "They are poised to have the type of season that we think they can have."
Senior Eric Fritz has pitched nearly 100 innings in his Temple career and is the most experienced pitcher in the bullpen. He looks to return to the form of his sophomore season, when he had a 4.46 ERA and struck out 24 batters in a career-high 40.1 innings.
"Eric has been up-and-down over his career," Valli said. "He has the ability to be very good for us."
Three more sophomores--Rob Chamra, Mike Click and Ryan Thomas--return with a year of college experience under their belts. They will fight for mid-week starts and innings out of the bullpen.
Junior John Coyle made the transition to the pitcher's mound last spring and was 1-1 with a 3.96 ERA in 13.2 innings. He will see time as a short-inning reliever and also at first base.
"John is a competitive guy that works hard every day and will no doubt help us out of the bullpen," Valli said.
Two freshman hurlers--Jordan Cannon and Ben White--impressed the coaching staff in the fall and will vie for innings. Cannon, one of three southpaw pitchers on the staff, went 9-1 with a 1.71 ERA to earn second-team all-state honors.
"Jordan is tough match up versus lefthanded hitters," Valli said. "He'll see quality innings out of the bullpen from day one."
White missed his entire senior season at Coatesville High School due to injury, but went 9-0 with a 2.06 ERA as a junior. He projects as a future weekend starter for the Owls.
"Ben had a great fall," Valli said. "He should be an excellent weekend starter in the future. Ben will get a chance to compete and win games for us this season."
Sophomores Marc Tankel and Ben Fineman are recovering from arm injuries and will provide depth.
Schedule
After playing just 15 games at Skip Wilson Field in 2007, the Owls will be at home for 29 contests this season. A total of six NCAA Tournament qualifiers, including four conference champions, highlight the 56-game tilt.
"We continue to play a strong non-conference schedule against championship caliber teams," Valli said. "Fortunately, we've created a much more balanced schedule of home and away games (29 home and 27 away) after playing just 15 home games last season. Our goal this year is the same as it will always be--to win the Atlantic 10 Championship."
After a season-opening trip to MEAC Champion Bethune Cookman, Temple visits CAA regular season champion Old Dominion beginning on February 29. The Owls make their first venture into mid-week play by traveling to Big East Champion Rutgers (42-21 in 2007) on March 5 and will open the home portion of the schedule by hosting Wagner on March 7.
Other mid-week highlights include trips to NEC Champion Monmouth (March 26) and Patriot League Champion Lafayette (April 30) and hosting NCAA qualifier St. John's (41-19) on April 8.
Atlantic 10 action kicks off on March 21 with a three-game series at Rhode Island. Temple will travel to Saint Joseph's on March 28 before hosting the next four series. A-10 champion Charlotte (49-12) visits Skip Wilson Field on April 4 for the first time. Richmond (April 11-13), Duquesne (April 18-20), Fordham (April 25-27), and Dayton (May 9-11) also will travel to Ambler, PA for conference series.
TU will also make trips to George Washington (May 2-4) and Saint Louis (May 15-17) in league play. The Atlantic 10 Tournament will be played across the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden, NJ at Campbell's Field, home of the Atlantic League's Camden Riversharks from May 21-24.
The Owls will also play as many as nine games against Philadelphia Big 5 rivals Penn (March 19), La Salle (March 15 and March 25), Saint Joseph's (March 28-30), Villanova (April 22 and May 13).
The 17th Annual Liberty Bell Classic opens on campus sites on March 25 when the Owls travel to La Salle. The winner will play either Lehigh or Villanova on April 1 with the victor advancing to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for the LBC final.
