Always one of the more chock-full talent cards in the country, the Pac 10 lavishes our baseball palettes with silky pitching, stoic defense and double-barreled offenses. This year, it’s the revenge of the mound stars as the conference makes a quantum leap back into respectability and a serious run – or two – into Rosenblatt’s last glare.

2009 in a Paragraph:
As Stanford coach Mark Marquess pointed out to me last season, with losing so many top flight, MLB-ready pitchers from 2008, the Pac 10 couldn’t help but be down a little bit last year. And it was true. Beyond ASU’s mercurial reloading and march to Omaha, the conference was mostly a bunch of middle-of-the-road teams. Not bad, but nobody else came close to stalking the main stage of Omaha of course. Some bitter disappointments left the impression to the rest of the country that the Pac 10 was like their football brethren, mostly overrated teams falling down the rung. Just three teams made the NCAAs, with Wazzu and Oregon State not making it out of the Regionals. Teams like UCLA, USC, Stanford and Arizona fell short of where people thought they could be. (Hands on hips. Eyes to the ground. Shake head slowly from side to side.)

Conference RPI: 4

2009 Results:
1- Arizona State, 21-6
2- Washington State, 19-8
3- Oregon State, 15-12
3- UCLA, 15-12
5- Arizona, 13-14
5- Stanford, 13-14
5- USC, 13-14
5- Washington, 13-14
9- California, 9-18
10- Oregon, 4-23

2010 in a Paragraph:
Well Coach Marquess, if you’re right, then this should be a resplendent replenishing of the Pac 10 trophy case in 2010. Most teams return stronger and better than they were last year and are ready to infiltrate the Road to Omaha once again. Top flight pitching staffs come back to UCLA and Stanford, both ready to get over the freshman rollercoaster rides of 2009. And the even more experienced flinging staffs of Arizona State and Oregon State will matchup with just about anyone in the country as well.

The Mad Aussie is back. Josh Spence is back to confound opposing bats again.

Favorite: Arizona State

Contenders: UCLA, Stanford, Oregon State.

Darkhorse: Southern California

Can’t-Miss Series of the Year: Arizona State at Stanford, May 27-29
Close Second: UCLA at Oregon State, April 9-11

Best Non-Conference Series: DeMarini West Coast Challenge, Arizona State at Cal State Fullerton, March 16-17
Close Second: Dodgertown Classic, Feb. 26-28. (USC, UCLA, Vandy, Okie State)
Close Third: Stanford at Texas, Feb. 26-28
Close Fourth: Rice at Stanford, Feb. 19-21

Hot Coach: None (Was going to put Pat Murphy here, but, you know…)

Hot Seat Coach: Chad Krueter, USC

Player You Gotta See: LHP Josh Spence, Arizona State

Three Non-Conference Series The Pac 10 Better Not Overlook:
1- Pepperdine at Stanford, March 19-21
2- UCLA at MLB Urban Invitational, Feb. 19-21 (Southern, BCU, CSUN)
3- San Diego at Arizona State, April 5-6.

Three Bold Predictions:
1- ASU will go to Omaha, win a couple games and Tim Esmay will become the permanent coach. There, I said it.
2- UCLA and USC will finally live up to potential, putting the Bruins in the Omaha and saving Chad Kreuter’s bacon.
3- Oregon will double its win total, winning 28 overall and at least eight in conference.

.
.
- ARIZONA (30-25, 13-1)
2009 RPI: 61
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
SS Bryce Ortega (.324-3-33, 16SBs)
OF Steve Selsky (.318-7-21)
RHP Daniel Workman (3-1, 3.86)
C Jett Bandy (.299, 21doubles)

The Good News:
I think Coach Andy Lopez has been around the block long enough to know that the best part of youth is that it grows up. A 14-6 spur at the end of the season showed that this team was about to outgrow its youthful skin and finally gelled. They still had the 2nd-highest scoring offense in the Pac 10 and hit .314. Five players that hit .295 or better return to the order. The arms staff is really deep, thanks to a Johnny Wholestaff approach to the second half of the season. Beyond Workman, look for RHP Joe Allison (5-1, 4.66), RHP Kyle Simon (3-5, 6.03) and RHP Donn Roach (1-4, 7.84) to compete for weekend spots. The .965 defense wasn’t too shabby but did turn a Pac 10-best 41 double plays, keyed by Ortega and 2B Kyle Stiner (.295).

The Bad News:
Young, young and more young… yeah, I know, it was already mentioned above. That’s what Coach Lopez told me was the main problem last season. When I asked him if he had a time machine for his team to grow up quickly, he asked me how much one would cost. So 2009 was only the second season in the last seven where the Desert Cats didn’t make the NCAA tournament. Six players were drafted including Friday ace Preston Guilmet, ace relievers Cory Burns and Jason Stoffel, top hitter Dillon Baird, C Dwight Childs and slugger Brad Glenn. That’s a lot of talent going out the window.

Schedule Note:
No April Fool’s, you’ve got 26 at home.
The Wildcats will open the season with a 26-game home stand beginning with a three-gamer vs. Utah Valley and end it with the Pac 10 opening weekend vs. Oregon. Their first roadie will be at Cal beginning on April 1st. Tough wrap-up to the Pac 10 season though, with Arizona State (home), Stanford (home) and Oregon State (road) to end things. Let’s hope all that youth catches its stride before then.

.
- ARIZONA STATE (49-13, 21-6)
2009 RPI: 6
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
LHP Josh Spence (10-1, 2.37, 125Ks, .240OBA, All Am.)
DH Kole Calhoun (.313-12-53, 10SBs, All-CWS)
SS Drew Maggi (.309, 21SBs, Frosh All Am.)
LHP Mitchell Lambson (9-5, 3.01, .199OBA, Frosh All Am.)
OF/LHP Matt Newman (.305-7-54/2-1, 4.59)
RHP Seth Blair (7-2, 3.39, .239OBA)

The Good News:
I was all ready to talk about how Pat Murphy did the best coaching job of his career last season, then, well… you know. Then came that whole Murphy “resigning” thing that we’ll never know the complete truth about. Still, having Spence, the Aussie ace, come back despite being drafted in the 3rd round was incredibly fortuitous. The rest of the pitching staff will be stout enough with Sunday starter Blair and bullpen stud Lambson helping the Devils to a nation’s-best 2.90 team ERA. The offense should be potent again with Calhoun, Maggi, Newman and also the Torrez brothers, Raoul (32nd round pick of the Angels last June) and Riccio (.280-6-37). With all that, you’d think the Devils didn’t need any more talent showing up on campus. Yet, they raked in the No. 3 recruiting class in the country. Here are some of the marquee guys in this embarrassment of riches:
- RHP/OF Jake Barrett (3rd round, Toronto)
- RHP Merrill Kelly (22nd round, Baltimore)
- C Kyle Arnsberg (45th round, Boston)
- LHP/OF Jimmy Patterson (34th round, Boston)
- OF Andrew Aplin (33rd round, Yankees)
- RHP Brady Rodgers (39th round, Milwaukee)
- IF Deven Marrero (17th round, Cincinnati)
- C Xorge Carrillo (29th round, Cleveland)
- IF Tyler Bernard (20th round, Oakland)

The Bad News:
How about THAT rollercoaster off-season? Think anybody else went through more strife? Pat Murphy resigns – suddenly – and then long-time assistant Tim Esmay is named interim coach, followed by whispers of NCAA rule-breaking. At the end of this season, the national search for a new coach is on, allegedly. (My contention is, what if Esmay and Co. win a national title?) On the field, losing All Americans Mike Leake and Jason Kipnis are big losses to the pitching and hitting. And unless some of the greenhorns catch on immediately, the batting order will probably dip in power after the loss of Jason Kipnis and Carlos Ramirez.

Schedule Note:
Still too much home cookin’.
ASU has gone to almost exclusively home games in pre-Pac 10 play now. I’m not big on that trend. But to the Sun Devils’ credit, they’ll play more true road games than last year, 17 compared to 15. The stretch run of May has the potential to be a bruiser too, with roadies at UCLA, at Arizona and the season-ender at Stanford being wrapped around a home weekend vs. Oregon State. That’s your Pac 10 title chase right there.

.
- CALIFORNIA (24-29, 9-18)
2009 RPI: 123
Starters Returning: 3
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
OF Mark Canha (.366-12-43)
Brian Guinn (.315, 10SBs)
OF Danny Oh (.303-7-35)
RHP Erik Johnson (3-6, 4.41, 4svs)
RHP Dixon Anderson (1-0, 3.98, 3svs)

The Good News:
It will be all arms on deck for the Bears as they return almost every pitcher of note, including seven of the 10 most-used hurlers on the roster. Johnson was used in a variety of roles (9starts, 4saves), so it reflects his value. But he may be honed into just a weekend starter this season. Johnson and Anderson, both sophomores, were both named top 10 pro prospects in the Northwoods League last summer by Baseball America, so look for their stock to rise. Canha is a great all-around talent and worth the price of admission. Coach David Esquer brought in a sound recruiting class (No. 24 nationally by Collegiate Baseball) that should contribute immediately. Expect to hear from SS/2B Tony Renda (42nd round, Dodgers) who hit .289 in the Northwoods League. Not bad. Also look for INF Mitch Delfino, a MaxPreps 1st team All American, and LHP Joe Kurrasch, a wicked low-90s flinger, to get prime time.

The Bad News:
It’s not like the Bears were expected to challenge for a national seed last year or anything, but with players like Blake Smith, Brett Jackson Dylan Tonneson and Jeff Kobernus, 2009 was supposed to be better than 24 wins. Now all those big talents are gone leaving a big dearth of experience, especially on offense, which only hit .298 to begin with. The pitching needs to lock in a bit better as well, considering they plunked 51 batters and tossed 64 wild pitches last season.

Schedule Note:
Toughest 15-game stretch in the country?
Check out this string of games… Cal will get a return visit from Arkansas on the third weekend of the season and that will be followed by a four-game set at Rice, a single game vs. Houston, then three at the lonely outpost that is Cal Poly, a game at San Francisco and finally a trip to the desert to take on Arizona State. Whew! That’s harshin’ their mellow in Berkeley.

.
- OREGON (14-42, 4-23)
2009 RPI: 234
Starters Returning: 8
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Drew Gagnier (1-0, 2.70, 7svs)
OF Curtis Raulinaitis (.291, 10SBs)

The Good News:
For the program’s first season since 1981, the 8-7 start they raced out to was something not many people expected to see. Assistant coach Andrew Checketts keeps bringing in some wicked-good recruiting classes, No. 2 in the country last year and this year’s newcomers were ranked No. 26. Look for INF J.J. Altobelli (49th round, Milwaukee), INF Jack Marder (30th round, Arizona) and OF Ryan Hambright (38th round, Colorado) to give immediate help. Also, getting staff ace Gagnier back after he was drafted in the 14th round last June was a huge break for Coach George Horton and their hopes. And the Horton Factor is already coming into play as well since the Ducks stole 60 bases last season (4th in the conference), finished with a respectable 5.07 ERA and also played fairly good defense for a bunch of freshmen at .961 and turning 49 double plays. Keep in mind, that’s relatively speaking.

The Bad News:
This youthful team did what youthful teams tend to do, they ran out of gas. After April Fool’s Day, the Ducks won only three games the rest of the season (although they were against Stanford, Cal and UCLA, not bad). As you might guess, the team batting average of .227 was the lowest in the Pac 10 and must be addressed. There was absolutely zero power in the order as UO hit just 16 home runs. Hell, they hit just as many triples (16) as they did dingers. They will need to exude more patience as well after drawing just 134 walks.

Schedule Note:
Horton goes back to the old stomping grounds.
Game one of the 2010 season will see coach George Horton return to where he was once the longtime skipper as UO opens at Cal State Fullerton. They’ll also play games at Long Beach and at Pepperdine that weekend. Lots of neat quirks to this schedule as well, like the home opener being a pair of mid-week games against conference rival Washington (March 2-3, non-conference), they’ll also host newly revived Seattle U. in mid-March for a weekend set and finally an “out-of-left-field” home series with East Tennessee State way down in the month of May.

.
- OREGON STATE (37-19, 15-12)
2009 RPI: 42
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Kevin Rhoderick (3-3, 4.18, 9svs)
RHP Sam Gaviglio (10-1, 2.73)
OF Adalberto Santos (.320-4-43, 15SBs)
OF Jared Norris (.331)
INF Stefen Romero (.291-5-51)
RHP Tyler Waldron (6-4, 4.15)

The Good News:
The best news is that the disappointment of 2008 is far behind them and the Beavs got back to their post-season ways in 2009, and look for more this year. A big reason for the rebound was being ranked in the top 10 nationally in both pitching (3.93) and defense (.977) and have nearly everyone back from that team. RHP Greg Peavey (4-3, 5.74 and a 32nd round pick of Houston) and Santos (35th round, San Diego) both return after flirting with the MLB last summer. The incoming talent infusion was ranked the No. 22 class in the country by Baseball America and features RHP Tony Bryant (25th round, Minnesota), OF Jordan Poyer (42nd round, Florida), RHP Jeff Ames (46th round, Philly) and, the gem of the class, C Andrew Susac (16th round, Philly). Also, watch for the return of stud reliever Taylor Starr (3-1, 1.61 in ‘08), who sat out 2009 after having Tommy John surgery.

The Bad News:
The offense was the biggest crutch, hitting a rail thin .278 and a twiggy 23 home runs. Cultivating more power and more threats in general will be a big chore. The defense will have to rely on some new faces in the field, though talented they will be. Names like Jorge Reyes, Ryan Ortiz, Joey Wong and John Wallace were nearly legendary in Corvallis and have moved on to the pros. Must take on more of a warrior mentality, as 14 of their 19 losses came away from Goss Stadium.

Schedule Note:
If I were a recruit, I’d wanna play this schedule.
Here’s the deal, OSU’s slate has it all this year. Starting off with a Hawaiian venture on the opening weekend, then getting an SEC team to visit (Tennessee) and then spending some time in the desert (vs. UC Riverside, Arizona State and Cal Poly in Arizona), getting a pair of exotic teams to visit (Maine and Long Beach) and then playing its usual tough Pac 10 rigors… there’s not a lot to hate about this one. Nice work coach Casey and crew.

.
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (28-28, 13-14)
2009 RPI: 74
Starters Returning: 4
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 0

All Conference Candidates:
1B Ricky Oropesa (.314-13-48, Frosh All Am.)
OF Mike O’Neill (.319)
RHP Kevin Couture (3-3, 5.66)

The Good News:
Big time talent still dots the lineup card, particularly the strapping Oropesa and the potentially dangerous Couture on the hill. 2B Joe DePinto (.277, 11SBs) is a block for the infield to build off of and had a great summer in the Northwoods League. Soph righties Andrew Triggs (5-3, 3.96, 10GS) and Chad Smith (3-4, 3.40) have great upside and should star. Speaking of young talent with potential, a good infusion of greenhorns should give the Trojans a chance at a winning season, despite all the losses. Look for breakout performances by a pair of newbies in SS Taylor Wrenn, a 25th round draftee of San Diego, and OF Alex Glenn, a 37th round pick of Florida. Wrenn, a JC transfer, has the skills to replace Grant Green and Glenn’s mercurial speed should put him in center field as a true frosh.

The Bad News:
This program is stuck in a rut, playing .500 ball for two straight years now. Five players were picked in the top 20 rounds of the MLB draft, including all-world SS Grant Green, a 1st round pick, and Robert Stock, a 2nd round pick. Three of the four most-used arms on the staff have hit the bricks, including Brad Boxberger and Anthony Vasquez, who had 164 innings of work between them. The team batting average of .274 and the Pac 10-worst defense of .954 certainly were oddities that still leave one scratching their heads. That just doesn’t sound like the USC of old.

Schedule Note:
For once, logging lots of road miles.
Unlike most years, the Men of Troy will take their act on the road for much of the pre-conference slate. They’ll open at Cal Poly and also spend weekends at Hawaii and Pacific, before traveling to Stanford to open up Pac 10 play. The tournament that sends Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State to Dedeaux Field will certainly be an early indicator of where this team is.

Coach Marquess is obviously glad to have Brett Mooneyham back on the mound this year.

.
- STANFORD (30-25, 13-14)
2009 RPI: 76
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

Coach Marquess talks about his team with me from the NorCal Media Day.

All Conference Candidates:
LHP Brett Mooneyham (6-3, 4.14, .204OBA, Freshman All Am.)
RHP Jordan Pries (4-4, 4.62, .228OBA)
2B Colin Walsh (.320)
OF Kellen Kiilsgaard (.313-9-46)
3B Adam Gaylord (.289)

The Good News:
Well I suppose I’ll have to revert to my “Stanford doesn’t stay down long” verbiage once again. Look for this young team to grow into a national contender very soon. Having first-year guys like Mooneyham and Pries play beyond their years was a huge boon. Especially considering their wicked opponents’ batting average. In fact, considering they had just a 30-25 record, the .268OBA was impressive. The infield should be extremely stout again (was .977 in ‘09) with Walsh and Gaylord being joined by incoming hot-shot freshman Kenny Diekroeger, who is the highest drafted fielder in the country (2nd round pick, Tampa Bay) to come to college. Speaking of the incoming class, this year’s haul was ranked No. 2 in the country by Baseball America and also features immediate impact guys like OF Jake Stewart (14th round pick, Philly) and RHP Mark Appel (15th round pick, Detroit), who were part of five drafted players headed to Palo Alto.

The Bad News:
Despite beating Vanderbilt two-of-three in the opening weekend, the Trees still got out to a languid 4-10 start to last season. Losing steady vets like Brent Milleville, Joey August and Heisman finalist Toby Gerhart is pretty big for the offense and defense, especially when you consider that the team batting average was a dregs-level .279. On the mound, the exodus of longtime stud Jeffery Inman and saves leader Drew Storen will also be big chunks of the base to re-plug. Zach Jones, who was a Rockies draftee coming out of high school, is a quality backstop but needs to pick up his offensive numbers.

Schedule Note:
Wow… just freakin’ wow! (again)
Stanford never disappoints in the non-conference department, that’s why they always have an uglier overall record than most teams with equal ability. How about this start… vs. Rice, at Texas, vs. UC-Santa Barbara and vs. Pepperdine. That’s some tough three-gamers right there. They’ll also visit Long Beach State for a weekend in early May. And who knows, maybe that home series to close the season vs. Arizona State could be for the Pac 10 championship.

.
- UCLA (27-29, 15-12)
2009 RPI: 71
Starters Returning: 4
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 1

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Gerrit Cole (4-8, 3.49)
RHP Trevor Bauer (9-3, 2.99)
LHP Rob Rasmussen (4-2, 6.45)
1B/OF Justin Uribe (.318)
OF Blair Dunlap (.301-7-39)

The Good News:
If you notice Bruin coach John Savage grinning like the Cheshire Cat in the weeks to come it’s because he knows he’s got a potential gold mine here. With Bauer and Cole entering year two with their scouts-loving arms and having unlimited upside, his weekend rotation could be of the lock-down variety. He also knows that he’ll return the services of LHP Matt Drummond (2-2, 5.17 in ‘08) and Dan Klein (2-2, 7.64 in ‘08) who both had to sit out the ‘09 season. Also keep tabs on sophomore righty Erik Goeddel, who pitched in the Cape last summer after throwing only eight innings in 2009. His being 100% could be a difference-maker for this bullpen. RHP Garrett Claypool (2-1, 3.67) gets a big welcome back after getting drafted by the A’s in the 32nd round last June. Also, having Uribe and Dunlap returning as seniors is great in the leadership department. This year’s incoming group of newbies is the second solid class in a row for the Bruins (who had the No. 7-ranked group in ‘09). This one comes in as the 19th-best group in the country according to BA and should get immediate input from local talents like OF Jeff Gelalich (41st round pick of Philadelphia) and OF Beau Amaral (45th round pick of Arizona), plus RHP Scott Griggs (34th round, Seattle) should also bolster the arms staff.

The Bad News:
I can’t sit here and say the usual brutality of a schedule was the Bruins undoing again in 2009, can I? Well, put it this way, the 2-10 start to the 2009 season contributed to a season-full of shortcomings. And it never got much easier after that. But the inconsistent offense was a huge culprit too, because the bats need to hit better than .285 (Can Troy Glaus and Eric Byrnes get their eligibility back?). There are some losses to the mound corps, including Charles Brewer and lefties Gavin Brooks and Brendan Lafferty, Rasmussen is the only left handed arm returning from 2009 (though Drummond returns as well), so cultivating some southpaws could be huge, especially when facing the potent Pac 10.

Schedule Note:
A slate that only a grizzly could love.
The Bruins will never, ever, ever duck anyone at any location. Coach Savage has the cojones to take on the world, it’s just a scheduling philosophy he believes in and wears on his sleeve… sort of being like being proud of a wicked bruise. Every single opponent the Bruins play in pre-Pac 10 play have the potential to be NCAA tournament teams. Southern, Bethune-Cookman, Long Beach State, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts and Cal Poly are just a handful of the obstacles they’ll face in February and March. Ooof!

.
- WASHINGTON (25-30, 13-14)
2009 RPI: 133
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 0
Mid-Week Starters: 3
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Andrew Kittredge (4-5, 4.27, .254OBA)
LHP Geoff Brown (4-4, 5.01, 31apps)
C Pierce Rankin (.299-6-26)

The Good News:
Well let’s see what new coach Lindsay Meggs can do with this program. He matriculates to the great Northwest from Indiana State. But before that coach earned his spurs after winning two D-II national titles at Chico State a few years back. One thing he’ll like about what he inherits is that there is a lot of experience coming back thanks to a rash of injuries and an attempt at numerous combinations throughout last season. Seven of the top nine hitters return to the order, led by Rankin and OFs Caleb Brown (.279) and Brendan Gardner-Young (.275). Power will be supplied by 1B Troy Scott, who blasted 11 yard calls. Two incoming frosh, Jacob Lamb (38th round, Pittsburgh) and Eric Peterson (28th round, Kansas City), two tall, rangy infielders, were both drafted by the pros last June but showed up on campus. Want a hard luck case to cheer for? Look for C/DH Max Kwan, who started 33 games for Tulane in 2006, but after transferring to Udub has been beset by injuries ever since. If he’s healthy, he can be a factor.

The Bad News:
Though he didn’t win any national titles or anything, Ken Knutson did bring a certain amount of stability to the program and now he’s gone to Arizona State as an assistant. Two of the top three most-used pitchers, Jason Erickson and Tyler Chaney, have each moved on, leaving large holes to fill. Speaking of, the same could be said for Jordan Merry, a weekend starter early in the season, and closer Brian Pearl (8svs), both of whom threw 38 innings last season and held opponents to .212 and .229 averages respectively. A new arms corps will be key. And of course, the offense must, must, must hit better than the paltry .265 it did last season.

Schedule Note:
Only thing missing is the East coast swing.
Udub will certainly cash in on a lot of air miles this season, playing just 22 home games and 32 roadies. And its the destinations that are exotic (as far as college baseball locales go, that is). They’ll open the season in Tucson, Arizona playing New Mexico State, Missouri and Gonzaga, then to Long Beach State, to BYU, to Dallas Baptist and to Gonzaga. They’ll also pay their fellow Rain Belters a visit in going to contests at Oregon, Portland and revived Seattle U.

.
- WASHINGTON STATE (32-25, 19-8)
2009 RPI: 48
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
LHP Adam Conley (1-1, 5.97)
RHP Chad Arnold (8-3, 4.39, .259OBA)
OF Derek Jones (.223-12-37)
SS Shea Vucinich (.230-6-25)
OF Garry Kuykendall (.299, 11SBs)

The Good News:
Ah, the power of positive thinking. Coach Donnie Marbut got his charges to bust out of its last place funk in 2008 and push through to a go-round at the Big Dance in 2009. And can you say “second-place in the Pac 10″? Yep, it happened, right there in Pullman. Coach hopes to keep things chuggin’ along with a wicked-good infield featuring returning glove magicians in Vicinich, 3B Matt Argyroploulos (.230) and 2B Cody Bartlett (.239, just 3Es in 36 games). In other words, the already stellar .971 defense should get better. There is some quality depth on the mound with David Stilley (3-3, 4.63) and Seth Harvey (0-1, 2.25, 22apps) also coming back from a unit that sported a 4.34 team ERA.

The Bad News:
Well first of all, the rest of the Pac 10 should be much improved and put a real challenge in their attempt at another 2nd place finish. Some experienced vets took off in Alex Burg, dual-threat Jared Prince and C Greg Lagreid. The pitching could be a problem as well since valuable weekend starters in Prince and Matt Way are both missing and ace saves leader Jeremy Johnson (6 wins, 10 saves) will need to be replaced as well. The offense hit just .273 last year and loses the top three hitters in the order. The 2008 2Bman Travis Coulter was expected to come back after missing the ‘09 season with an injury. Problem is, Coulter has since been ruled academically ineligible and will be on the shelf again this season.

Schedule Note:
Toughest road stretch in the country.
Not sure if there’s a tougher road assignment than the Coogs will face when they play three at Texas A&M (the toughest student section in the country) and then play three at Wichita State (one of the most ravenous fan bases) in back to back weekends. In between, WSU will play two games at Dallas Baptist, one of the most-improved programs nationally. The close of the regular season won’t be a cakewalk either, as they’ll go to Stanford and to UCLA in the last three weekends of Pac 10 play.