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Wichita State is capable of getting to the College World Series in 2010.
The Shockers entered last season without several key cogs from the previous club, but still managed to finish the season with 30 wins and made an NCAA regional.
WSU welcomes back almost every key player in the spring. It has them feeling very confident about their chances of making a postseason statement.
Still, there are some areas of concern. The Shockers finished last season with a .275 batting average and must greatly improve at the plate with the return of several seasoned players.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Shockers feel good about their pitching staff, particularly the weekend rotation. All three weekend starters are back and a plethora of experienced relievers also are back.
The Shockers could be a top-15 team with a much better offense.
It’s time to dissect WSU.
Wichita State’s five keys
1. Realize their potential — It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that coach Gene Stephenson has another very solid team on his hands. Stephenson has been as consistent as it gets during his coaching tenure with the Shockers. Wichita State won’t be flawless entering the spring, but welcomes back enough key cogs both at the plate and on the mound to make a strong run at an NCAA super regional or even a trip to Omaha. This team has the ability to go to the distance. The sooner they realize how much potential they have, the better off they likely will be.
2. Improve top-to-bottom at the plate — An unimpressive offense was the main reason the Shockers failed to win more than 30 games last season. Sure, the pitching staff did well throughout the year, but the offense finished the campaign with a dismal .275 batting average. That must change for the better if WSU plans to take a step forward in ’10. There’s good news, though. The Shockers welcome back nine hitters that earned significant playing time last season, including leading hitters Clinton McKeever, Tyler Grimes and Ryan Jones. McKeever was just one of two hitters that ended the ’09 campaign with a batting average better than .300. He hit .333 with six homers and 43 RBIs. Grimes hit .294 with five homers and Jones hit .277 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. Other returning hitters that must improve include Will Baez, Cody Lassley, Ryan Engrav, Chris O’Brien, Bret Bascue and Mitch Caster.
3. Find more power at the plate — Wichita State certainly hasn’t been known as a team with a plethora of power the past few seasons, but last season’s power production was more than disappointing. It was terrible. The Shockers ended the ’09 campaign with 33 homers, which ranked 228th nationally. By comparison, the super regional club in ’08 finished the season with 53 homers. Not having at least some power potential is a killer for an offense. The Shockers don’t return a hitter that finished last season with more than seven homers. We’ll see if that once again hurts them in the spring. Some guys need to step up in this category.
4. Weekend rotation needs to meet expectations — In the not-so-surprising category, the Shockers once again are expected to have a solid weekend rotation in the spring. That certainly comes as no surprise with pitching coach Brent Kemnitz leading the way. The returning starters include Tim Kelley, Jordan Cooper and Charlie Lowell. Kelley went 5-4 with a 2.86 ERA in 94 1/3 innings last season. He also struck out 102 and walked 22 and limited teams to a .233 batting average. Coopers, meanwhile, went 8-6 and had a 2.78 ERA in 97 innings. He struck out 91 and walked 20 and limited teams to a .248 batting average. Lowell went 6-2 and had a 2.95 ERA in 64 innings. Teams hit .246 off him. There’s no reason for this unit not to once again to be one of the nation’s best.
5. Bullpen needs to be a bit better — The Shockers finished last season with a respectable 4.26 ERA, but the bullpen could be a bit better in the spring. WSU welcomes back its top two relievers in Remington Johnson and Chance Sossamon. Johnson appeared in 14 games last season and had a 3.38 ERA in 21 1/3 innings. Sossamon appeared in 20 games and had a 4.50 ERA in 28 innings. There’s also Brian Flynn, who started nine games and had 14 appearances last season. He had a 4.98 ERA in 56 innings. Other than those three, the Shockers have a plethora of seasoned pitchers that finished last season with ERAs over 5.00. That is unacceptable if this team plans on making a run at Omaha. Look for the bullpen to be vastly improved in the spring.