Getting multiple bids to the NCAA tournament? These guys just shrug and say “yeah… so?” Hell, they think they deserve even more after getting short-changed for a couple of years. See those guys sticking their chests out saying “bring it on!”, that’s the Southland just waiting to get their hands on more high-marquee opponents.

2009 in a Paragraph:
The top of the conference was good. Very good. But the bottom didn’t hold up its end of the bargain and that’s why you see the SLC way down at No. 16 in the RPI. It could be much better. Texas State, for example, dominated the Southland regular season, stayed in the 30s range of the RPI the entire time and garnered an at-large bid to the Big Dance after losing out to Sam Houston in the SLC tournament. Which reminds me, is that hiring of Mark Johnson at SHSU a beauty or what? This guy just keeps piling up the accolades. Neither team could pull an upset in the NCAAs but the Southland had its share of good wins during the regular season, keeping its reputation intact. Now if the bottom-feeders could just pull up the slack a little bit.

Conference RPI: 16

2009 Results:
1- Texas State, 24-7
2- Southeastern Louisiana, 21-12
3- UT-San Antonio, 20-12
4- Lamar, 20-13
5- UT-Arlington, 19-13
6- Northwestern State, 18-13
7- Sam Houston State, 18-14
8- Stephen F. Austin, 14-18
9- Central Arkansas, 10-21
10- McNeese State, 10-22
11- Nicholls State, 9-23
12- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 9-24

2010 in a Paragraph:
Seems like we need to add another category to the list below: Rebuilding Teams. That would include the defending champs in San Marcos, along with Lamar, UT-A and Sam Houston. All took on some heavy losses, including a host of senior leaders. Speaking of senior leadership, because of that, I’m giving the edge to SLU as their pitching staff could be really good. Their status as “favorite” however, is fairly slim. Speaking of senior-laden, that’s the reason why the Colonels are going to be an interesting team to watch. If Chip Durham can focus his charges and get his pitchers to keep the batters down, this could be a surprise season in Thibidoux. Overall, it always seems like when there is massive reloading to do in the conference, it just means a mad-dash free-for-all will ensue in the title chase. That’s what makes the Southland so much fun to watch.

Favorite: Southeastern Louisiana

Contenders: Texas State, UT-San Antonio, Northwestern State

Darkhorse: Nicholls State

Can’t-Miss Series of the Year: Texas State at SLU, April 16-18

Best Non-Conference Series: UT-San Antonio at San Francisco, March 5-7

Hot Coach: Mark Johnson, Sam Houston State

Hot Seat Coach: Scott Malone, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

The “You Gotta See” Player: OF Michael Choice, UT-Arlington

Three Non-Conference Series Southland Opponents Better Take Seriously:
1- Texas State at QTI Baylor Classic, Feb. 26-28 (BU, Western Kentucky, Tex. A&M)
2- Sam Houston at TCU, Feb. 19-21
3- SLU at Mississippi State, Feb. 26-28

Three Bold Predictions:
1- The Louisiana teams will assert themselves for the first time in a long while as they make a dash for the title. (SLU, Nicholls, McNeese, Northwestern)
2- Despite having Michael Choice, UTA could make the biggest fall.
3- Back to one bid for the SLC. Sorry.

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- CENTRAL ARKANSAS (22-30, 10-21)
2009 RPI: 188
Starters Returning: 4
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
OF Tye Throneberry (.374-4-34)
SS/RHP Bobby Pritchett (.327/4-5, 4.85, 5svs)
RHP Reece Cross (4-4, 4.48, .227OBA)

The Good News:
Most of the pitching returns from last season, including Pritchett, Cross and Michael Wile (2-1, 4.34), who all had ERAs below 5.00. Throneberry and Pritchett will lead the offense (How valuable is that Pritchett dude, huh? Wow.) that came off a decent .309 season. They’ll get help from Jordan Getchell (.333) and Will Wagner (.313), a pair of part-timers as freshmen who will be asked to do more this year. The bullpen is stocked with experience which should make a big difference in ‘10. Watch for Jeremy Brewer (1-2, 5.10, .288OBA) who should come into his own as a senior.

The Bad News:
This team dropped from playing .500 ball in 2008 (27-27) down to a 30-loss season in ‘09. A terrible 2-13 stretch to end the Southland season blew any chance of making the conference tournament. Most of the power is gone from last year’s lineup, particularly the losses of Dillon Smith and Jonathan Yerby, who combined for half of the squad’s home runs. Speaking of big losses, the only two pitchers to hit the road are Matt Humphrey and Jeremy Cloud, but they were leaned on heavily last season – especially Cloud’s five complete games. The Bears must begin to apply more pressure to the defense as they only stole an SLC-low 29 bases all season.

Schedule Note:
A true “home” stretch.
The Bears will play most of their late-season schedule at home, including three of their final four Southland series with Northwestern, Corpus Christi and UTSA coming to Conway in the last four weeks. Hopefully this will give them some momentum as they hope to make a run at the conference tournament. The back-to-back roadies at Nevada and Wichita State early in the season might not only be confidence-breakers, but may also be cold as hell.

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- LAMAR (38-22, 20-13)
2009 RPI: 118
Starters Returning: 2
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 1

All Conference Candidates:
OF Quentin Luquette (.316-4-33, 10SBs)
RHP Eric Harrington (8-1, 3.01, Freshman All Am.)
RHP Matison Smith (6-6, 3.52, .263OBA)

The Good News:
Talk about a program that is consistent, the Cardinals have now won 38, 35, 34, 35 and 38 games over the last five seasons. Coach Jim Gilligan doesn’t have a lot of pitchers returning, but the ones that do are really, really good. Hammer-thrower Harrington could be the best in the SLC and Smith combines for a good Friday-Saturday combo. A pair of seniors will bolster the pen with Cory Holley (0-1, 4.35, 2svs) and Blake Ford (1-1, 7.65), who could also be in the mix for a weekend slot.

The Bad News:
Coach Gilligan has seen it all in his 30 years at Lamar, so a true rebuilding season won’t scare him off. But after losing all but Luquette and OF Anthony Moore (.279, 11SBs), the offense will need a major overhaul. Spot-duty players like Cameron Campbell (.302 in 14 starts) and Andy Mena (.315 in 16 starts) must deliver big this year. Beyond the four pitchers mentioned above, the mound corps will need to rely on greenhorns coming in and contributing right away.

Schedule Note:
18 and 2.
The Cardinals will only play 18 games away from Vincent-Beck Stadium all season long and just two of them will be non-conference roadies, at Rice and at Houston. Taking a page from their Big 12 brethren Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M, the Cards border war weekend with McNeese State will see the two square off in Lake Charles on Friday the 30th of April. The next two games are going to be in Beaumont on May 1st and 2nd. By the way, with home games vs. Maine, North Dakota State and Penn State before SLC play kicks in, my only question is: What, Univ. of Iceland wasn’t available?

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- MCNEESE STATE (21-30, 10-22)
2009 RPI: 189
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
OF Lee Orr (.301-15-57, 18SBs, Frosh All American)
OF Andy Riche (.340)
SS Mike Fontenot (.343)
2B Jace Peterson (.366, 13SBs and DB for football team)

The Good News:
Going from 13 wins in ‘08 to 21 last season was a good improvement. But now Coach Terry Burrows wants for more. He’s got plenty of experience back, including three-year starter RHP Tyler Davis (4-3, 6.91) to lead the mound corps and Orr, the super-frosh from 2009, leading an offense that hit .315. Also, Fontenot and Peterson should emerge into a great double-play combo, after the Cowboys only turned 39 DPs in ‘09.

The Bad News:
The Pokes seemed to throw in the towel as the season got longer, going 2-14 from April 21st onward. The pitching was the biggest crux of the problem, tossing an ERA of 7.60, second-worst in the SLC. The rotation of Davis, Jonathan Conrad (3-6, 7.10) and Matt Click (2-4, 7.30) will need to bear down more.

Schedule Note:
Good litmus test.
In weekend number three of the season, MSU will play in the Lamar Tornament against solid mid-majors Dallas Baptist, Penn State and fellow SLC member Lamar. That should give a good indication of where the team is as they head to conference play the following weekend at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.

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- NICHOLLS STATE (19-32, 9-23)
2009 RPI: 219
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
OF Scott Moseley (.346, 16SBs)
LHP Jarret Dunnam (3-8, 3.80)
RHP Tyler Minto (3-3, 4.26)
LHP Ryan Cooper (3-1, 4.44)

The Good News:
After two straight 10 win seasons, last year’s 19 wins was a small step in the right direction. Coach Chip Durham will have the luxury of a seasoned rotation with Dunnam, Minto and Cooper, who held their opponents to .295, .286 and .288 averages – not bad. Surprisingly, the staff was a respectable 4th in the SLC with a 4.97 ERA. Offensively, Moseley will get support from C Jason Dennis (.294) and fellow speed-merchant OF Keith Kulbeth (.285-5-33, 16SBs). Incoming transfer LHP Clint Dempster was a 31st round pick of Seattle last June.

The Bad News:
Losing the fleet-footed Chris Murrill and his .344, 27SBs numbers will be tough to fill. Beyond Moseley, Dennis and Kulbeth, none of the remainder of the returnees hit better than .233. So some bottom-of-the-order offense must be found. The bullpen will be rather thin and in need of some newbies to step in and play at a high level right away. The Colonels have a lot of experience around the infield, but they fielded at a Southland-worst .952 last year. Fundamentals, people!

Schedule Note:
Four… and that’s a very tough four too.
Wouldn’t you know it, during the stretch run of the season, Nicholls will play only four home games in the entire month of May. And those four will be brick-wall tough too, hosting Southeastern Louisiana and then SLC heavy Texas State. The roadies in May are to UTSA and McNeese State. That’s a tough way to make a run toward the post-season.

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- NORTHWESTERN STATE (26-26, 18-13)
2009 RPI: 141
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Chad Sheppard (4-1, 2.34, 10svs, .219OBA, Frosh All Am.)
OF Chase Lyles (.362-14-47, 17SBs)
Trent Grondin (.324)
Dan Meyer (.296, 15SBs)

The Good News:
There is definitely a good bit of star power in the Demons roster. Sheppard is getting some pre-season All American mention after a wicked-good freshman season last year and Lyles is a do-it-all type that has solid athletic ability at the dish and in the meadow. Don’t pass by Ryan Zimmerman either, as he heads into his senior campaign off a 3-3, 5.35 season. He’ll be the weekend horse for now and has Sheppard and seniors Andrew Plotkin (3-0, 5.90) and Trevor Geist (2-0, 6.41) to fall back on. Four of the five returning starters in the field are seniors as well. Gotta like the experience of this team for 2010.

The Bad News:
This was the second straight year for the Demons to go 0-2 in the SLC tourney, once again denying a Big Dance invite. They also finished with another non-winning record, their third straight such season. Losing Justin O’Neal (.373) and Joe Urtuzuastegui (.371) means a big drop in productivity for the offense, especially their power input. Finding someone to step up to the Saturday and Sunday starting role will be crucial to the success of NSU this year. OF Eric Deblanc (.333 in 14 starts) and Lance Lacoste (.317 in 18 starts) will have to assimilate to full-time roles.

Schedule Note:
Make an immediate statement.
The Devils have the opportunity to make one of the bigger splashes on the national scene when they travel to Southern Miss to kick off the 2010 season. With their losses, the Eagles could be vulnerable. In SLC play, NSU will have the arduous task of going to both Texas State and Southeastern Louisiana (to close the regular season), who were Nos. 1 and 2 in the Southland last season.

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- SAM HOUSTON STATE (36-24, 18-14)
2009 RPI: 70
Starters Returning: 2
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
2B Braeden Riley (.387, 12SBs)
SS Ryan Mooney (.305-4-42, 12SBs)
RHP Matt Shelton (7-0, 1.99, 2svs, .254OBA)
LHP Brent Powers (3-2, 4.77)

The Good News:
The hiring of coaching legend Mark Johnson is paying big dividends for The Sam, leading them to the regionals the last three seasons. How impressive is THAT? He may not have a lot returning from last season, but he really likes the hardscrabble nature of his double-play combo of Riley and Mooney, they’re his kind of players. He also likes a real horse in the bullpen that can come in and dominate, and that’s what he’s got in Shelton. Juniors Justin Jackson (3-0, 5.75) and Cape Cod alum Dallas Gallant (4-4, 6.52) should improve their numbers. Look for incoming OF Mark Hudson, a J.C. transfer, and John Hale, a catcher who transfered in from Rice, to help keep The Sam on track for another winning season.

The Bad News:
Coach Johnson may have to REALLY work some magic this season as he’s said sayonara to six .300+ hitters in the batting order, including the mean stick of Nick Zaleski, who hit .419 and garnered some All American honors last year. The arms corps lost a heaping helping as well, including two weekend starters and some lockdown bullpenners like Will Skelton and Sean Weatherford – who was versatile enough to start in mid-week games as well. I’m not saying this will be a losing season (with Coach Johnson around, no way!), but grab a shovel folks, there’s a lot of holes to fill here.

Schedule Note:
Not a pleasant way to indoctrinate the newbies.
With all the new blood that the Bearkats will be counting on this coming season, you’d figure there might be a better way than to throw them to the wolves with the season opener at TCU and the following weekend hosting NCAA tournament participant Utah. That’s six brutal games right there. And speaking of tough, SHSU will also be tested right off the bat in the Southland, going to UT-Arlington, hosting conference favorite Texas State and going to UTSA in the first three weekends. Ouch.

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- SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (37-22, 21-12)
2009 RPI: 54
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Chris Franklin (5-2, 2.60, 12svs)
OF Cass Hargis (.317-4-32)
RHP Ryan Boudreaux (6-4, 5.03)
3B Josh Cryer (.309-4-39, 22HBPs)

The Good News:
Lions are on a streak of four straight 30+ win seasons under the capable helmsman Jay Artigues. Nice goin’ coach. With all three weekenders coming back on the hill in Boudreaux, Josh Janaway (4-2, 4.50, 1sv) and Brandon Efferson (5-5, 5.07), he’ll have the building blocks for another 30+ win season… or more. Franklin is the cement between the bricks, setting the school record for saves in a season last year. There are five .300+ hitters back from an attacking offense that fears no one. Hargis and Cryer will be joined by seniors Philip Freeman (.343 in 25 starts) and 1B Joe Sparacino (.339). Incoming C Chad Gough-Fortenberry turned down the Dodgers as a 42nd round pick last June.

The Bad News:
Despite the run of 30-win seasons, it’s still been since 1994 that the Lions have been to the NCAAs. And we know who the villain in this play is, Sam Houston State. SLU swept the Sam in Huntsville in late April, but at the SLC tournament, the Lions lost twice to the Bearkats, ending their season. There wasn’t a lot of power to last year’s team and Ty Summerlin and Brandon Street – who have both moved on to pro ball – were the two biggest sticks in the lineup. The bullpen must have another dominant arm or two emerge beyond Franklin.

Schedule Note:
The perfect home schedule.
SLU will have the luxury of facing almost all the Southland contenders right there at Alumni Field as they’ll welcome UTSA (March 12-14), UT-Arlington (April 9-11), Texas State (April 16-18), Sam Houston State (May 7-9) and NSU (May 20-22). Only the roadie at Lamar looks like it could be treacherous – well, not like you can overlook any SLC opponents. Oh, keep a close eye on the first two weeks of the season as the Lions will host Ohio Valley favorite Eastern Illinois (who they lost twice to last year) and then travel to Mississippi State. Those two series should tell us what kind of team Coach Artigues has this season.

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- STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (23-32, 14-18)
2009 RPI: 198
Starters Returning: 3
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
SS Tanner Hines (.353, 11SBs)
Alex Moshier (4-3, 4.24, .235OBA)

The Good News:
As a general rule, coaches tend to have smoother second seasons at the helm of a new gig, and that’s what SFA will see under Johnny Cardenas this season. With two of his three weekend mound starters coming back to the fold in RHP Brett Rogers (2-4, 5.02) and RHP Jared West (4-3, 5.11), they’ll form a winnable combination with the wildly-talented Moshier. The most valuable player on the roster could be Alex Priest, who hit .370-4-26 in just 92 at-bats and had 10 appearances and 25 innings of work on the mound.

The Bad News:
SFA lost a trio of good hurlers when MLB teams drafted Chirs Court and Erik Gergersen and Richard Folmer (the relief ace who saved 12 games in ‘09) off last year’s team. Oh and the biggest loss on the mound? That would be Erich Lehmann using up his eligibility, since he was the school’s all-time wins leader with 25. As a unit, the ‘Jacks pitchers issued a Southland-high 246 walks last season. The slugging will take a hit as well with the top two home run sticks moving on in Sean Meyers (who hit .398) and Zach Gardner.

Schedule Note:
Taking it easy on the ego.
The Lumberjacks will have the luxury of a feeling-out period by hosting Grambling in the season-opening weekend and then also in Southland play by facing off with second-division Central Arkansas in the second weekend of March. On the flip-side of that, they’ll have to face the uphill climb of playing 11 of their final 14 games of the regular season on the road. The only three home dates?… vs. Southeastern Louisiana. Harsh man.

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- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (18-38, 9-24)
2009 RPI: 238
Starters Returning: 3
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
1B/RHP Trey Hernandez (.236-12-33/2-3, 8.10)
P Brandon Orr (2-6, 6.05)
OF Jeramie Marek (335)

The Good News:
Hernandez is a valuable commodity to the Islanders, supplying one of the few power-bats on the team and also pulling the closer’s role. Marek may be moved to 2B, in what should be a much-improved infield. Pitching staff has a lot of experience and should also post better numbers. The coaches are high on incoming products OF Chris Vergne, 3B/RHP Marc Damon and SS Cory Ege, who was actually at Northern Iowa last season and hit .282.

The Bad News:
Bad start, bad end. The Islanders went 1-7 in February and 1-8 in May last season. Let’s hope it doesn’t carry over. The pitching staff gave their opponents a healthy .346 batting average. Gah! Four of the five .300+ hitters from last season are gone and there’s almost no speed on the basepaths for this season. Defense must clamp down on the .955 fielding percentage. The early season slate is tougher than a two-dollar steak too, which will make it tough for the youthful scrappers to get their feet wet.

Schedule Note:
One of the best tournaments in the country.
Get a team from the SEC, the Big 12 and the Pac 10, and you’ve got a recipe for one of the most interesting weekends of the season. Check out that Whataburger Classic in mid-March. The Islanders will serve as gracious hosts to Mississippi State, Oklahoma and UCLA. That’s a hell of a coup to score those teams. TAMU-CC will also host the Southland’s post-season tournament at Whataburger Field in late May. Of course, they’ve gotta make the tournament field to take advantage of the home field.

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- TEXAS STATE (41-17, 24-7)
2009 RPI: 34
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 1

All Conference Candidates:
OF Brett Atwood (.368, 14SBs)
OF Tyler Sibley (.359-10-38, 14SBs)
RHP Brian Borski (7-3, 3.71)
RHP Michael Russo (4-3, 4.35, 6svs)

The Good News:
The Bobcats have built up a pretty good callus against losing seasons recently, having won 30 or more in each of the last three go-rounds. In 2009, coach Ty Harrington’s charges powered their way through the regular season and post-season Southland titles. Their big M.O. was to basically bash the hell out of their opponents with a .334 team average, which was 18th in the NCAA. From that unit they’ll welcome back five .300+ sticks for this year, including what should be a stellar infield, returning 2B Kyle Livingston (.314-5-34), SS Jason Martinson (.303-7-39) and 3B Kyle Kubitza (.300-6-21), all with some pop at the dish. Borski and Russo will get some help from mid-week senior starter Garret Carruth (4-4, 6.55) for the mound corps.

The Bad News:
If there is such a thing as rebuilding seasons in San Marcos, this could be it. The ‘Cats lose a ton of pitching, including ace Kane Holbrooks (who went 10-1 last season) and fellow weekend starter Zach Tritz (went 8-2). Those are big roles to refill this season. Also lost in the off-season was middle relief innings-eater Tyler Brundridge, who was a great dual threat with Russo. Obviously, new weapons on the rubber will need to be found. On offense, five .300+ hitters have moved on led by the invaluable services of Spenser Dennis, who hit .406 in ‘09, No. 2 hitter Keith Prestridge (.379) and Paul Goldschmidt (.354), all long time mainstays for the program.

Schedule Note:
Nearly as tough of a starting eight as anyone.
The Bobcats have a pretty rude awakening in the opening two weeks of the 2010 campaign. They’ll play three at Houston, a mid-weeker vs. Rice, then head to Baylor to take on the Bears, Western Kentucky, the Sun Belt favorite, and Texas A&M in a three-day grind. After that, they’ll host Rice in another mid-week contest. Then, a breather, as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi comes to San Marcos to start SLC play. Good luck ‘Cats. You’ll either boost your RPI into the stratosphere or need rebuilt confidence.

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- UT-ARLINGTON (30-26, 19-13)
2009 RPI: 101
Starters Returning: 2
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 1

All Conference Candidates:
OF Michael Choice (.413-11-52, All American, Team USA)
C Chad Comer (.266, only 3 Es)
RHP Rett Varner (2-3, 3.95, 34th round pick, Cubs)
RHP Jason Mitchell (4-5, 463. 2svs)
LHP Adam Boydston (1-5, 3.29, 9svs)

The Good News:
This program has come a long way since the 4-win SLC season in 2007. If there were such a thing as an “All World” candidate, Choice would be it. Guess he’ll just have to settle for being *only* an All American as he hit .350 for Team USA this past summer and could be one of the most dominant players in SLC history. Comer is a solid catcher, having thrown out 43% of base stealing attempts. Watch for DH/C Steffan Guest, who missed last season due to a leg injury, but hit .282 in 34 games of the ‘08 season. Also, expect J.C. transfer RHP Logan Bawcom to possibly inch his way into the weekend rotation. Varner is a fast-riser who was named the Texas Collegiate League’s Pitcher of the Year last summer and flashes a mid-90s flameball.

The Bad News:
A pair of painful 4-3 losses to Lamar sent the Mavs packing from the SLC tournament last summer. Those two were part of a 7-9 finish that doomed any chance of going to the Big Dance. A mere two (yes, 2) field starters come back since 21 lettermen moved on from last year’s 30-win team, including 10 pitchers that helped UTA lead the Southland with a 4.38 team ERA. Youth will be a problem as 19 newcomers arrived on campus this past fall. Andrew Kainer, who hit .417, was also the only base stealing threat on the team, before moving on after last season.

Schedule Note:
Mid-major litmus tests.
The Mavericks will have a tough non-conference slate, despite there being only one BCS team featured before SLC play kicks in. They’ll open the first three weekends with Dallas Baptist, then take on Missouri State and finish it up with a weekend at home vs. BYU. The Southland slate ain’t so easy either, having the Mavs start out vs. favored Sam Houston State in week one and traveling to UT-San Antonio and Northwestern State in the next two.

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- UT-SAN ANTONIO (32-24, 20-12)
2009 RPI: 84
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
3B Lance Brown (.372-4-40, 10SBs)
2B Ryan Hutson (.343-17-61)
OF Tyler Carpenter (.311-7-28, 16SBs)
LHP Matt Crocker (6-3, 3.46, .222OBA)

The Good News:
Coach Sherman Corbett has the Runners on a pretty good roll here, going 30+ in the win department each of the last four years. On top of that, they’ve also won 20 games or more in SLC play as well. That’s some good consistency there. This year’s edition may have to rely on its performance in the batter’s box. Four .300+ hitters come back, with the three above being joined by 1B Brett Aguilar (.304-5-29), who has also been a steady glove. The Road Runners were big bashers, finishing tops in the SLC with 89 home runs and will be paced by Hutson again, and has OF Jason Mohn (.260-8-27) to help bruise pitcher’s egos with. Crocker could be one of the better middle relievers in the country and has senior Zach Calhoon (4-3, 6.84, 6svs) to make a good shutdown crew.

The Bad News:
UTSA has to hope this isn’t another season of near-misses, as 14 of their losses came by a run or in extra innings. All American Michael Rockett and teammate Jose Hernandez both hit over .360 and got drafted away last June, taking their 32 combined yard calls with them. The two big weekend studs, Red Patterson and Kris Ruepke, combined for 163 innings last year and have also moved on. Crocker and fellow reliever Kevin Clarke (3-2, 4.60, 1sv) are the only returning pitchers with an ERA below 6.00. A lot of greenhorns might be relied upon for a major amount of innings this season, which is a dicey proposition of course.

Schedule Note:
Early litmus tests.
The early returns will probably be your first indication as to how well this Road Runner team adjusts to all the turnover of its pitching staff and how well they replace Michael Rockett, et al. They’ll play a Tuesday night game at TCU, then head to a weekend test at San Francisco and follow that with their SLC opening weekend at Southeastern Louisiana. That all takes place in a 12-day span at the beginning of March.