As the calendar flips its page from January to February, that means one thing. We’ll get college baseball this month!
It’s been a long slog since the Hoos last took the field in March 2020. Since then, we’ve had a recruiting class to pour over. We’ve had fall baseball and the Iron Cavalier Challenge. We’ve held our annual roster draft (Part 1, Part 2). And this past weekend, the program had its annual Step Up To The Plate fundraiser.
Since we’re waiting for a schedule and all the preseason polls to be released, let’s do some lineup projections!
After we finished our roster draft, Kendall and I picked our starting lineups, batting order, pitching rotation, and top bullpen rolls.
Starting Lineup
| Position | Kendall | Karl |
| C | Logan Michaels | Logan Michaels |
| 1B | Devin Ortiz | Devin Ortiz |
| 2B | Max Cotier | Max Cotier |
| SS | Nic Kent | Nic Kent |
| 3B | Zack Gelof | Zack Gelof |
| LF | Brendan Rivoli | Brendan Rivoli |
| CF | Chris Newell | Chris Newell |
| RF | Marc Lebreux | Marc Lebreux |
| DH | Alex Tappen | Alex Tappen |
For the second season in a row, Kendall and I submitted identical lineup projections. The Hoos have a veteran roster with roles already established, so that’s not too big a surprise.
Watch that DH spot, however. The Hoos can use that for maximum flexibility, be it a chance to get players needed at bats or to play the lefty-righty matchups. Look for players like Christian Hlinka, Kyle Teel, Jimmy Sullivan, Brendan Rivoli, Logan Michaels, and Tate Ballestero to be in line for DH at bats as well.
Batting Order
| Order | Kendall | Karl |
| 1 | Nic Kent | Nic Kent |
| 2 | Max Cotier | Max Cotier |
| 3 | Zack Gelof | Zack Gelof |
| 4 | Marc Lebreux | Chris Newell |
| 5 | Chris Newell | Devin Ortiz |
| 6 | Alex Tappen | Brendan Rivoli |
| 7 | Brendan Rivoli | Alex Tappen |
| 8 | Devin Ortiz | Marc Lebreux |
| 9 | Logan Michaels | Logan Michaels |
Kendall and I continued to mirror each other through the first third of the batting order as well. But we finally diverge from there.
Kendall’s batting order is very close to how the Hoos finished the season with only minor shuffling at the bottom of the order.
I elected to go with the alternating right-left batting order that the Hoos deploy on occasion. I really wanted to work Max Cotier in at the nine hole to function as a second lead off hitter. But, I think it’s almost a lock that we’ll see Cotier batting second.
Weekend Rotation
| Day | Kendall | Karl |
| Friday | Griff McGarry | Griff McGarry |
| Saturday | Andrew Abbott | Andrew Abbott |
| Sunday | Mike Vasil | Mike Vasil |
Kendall and I are back to making the same selections. We both project Mike Vasil to get the final weekend rotation spot over Nate Savino, at least to begin the season. And we’re both buying the hype about Andrew Abbott as a starting pitcher.
It’s mildly interesting to me that neither of us picked Abbott in the Friday role. But as the Saturday starter, he can either clinch a weekend series or blunt an opponent’s momentum should they win the Friday opener.
McGarry on Friday also keeps him in the spot he’s accustomed to pitching for the Hoos.
Midweek Rotation
| Slot | Kendall | Karl |
| 1 | Nate Savino | Zach Messinger |
| 2 | Jake Berry | Matt Wyatt |
| 3 | Zach Messinger | Jake Hodorovich |
Finally, a little variety!
Treat this like a depth chart since there aren’t usually more than two midweek games in any given week. And with the 50 games overall / 36 ACC games schedule format for 2021, most weeks will only have one midweek game to play.
Kendall turned his attention to potential with Savino and Berry topping his list. He also answered how he’d use Nate Savino (midweek starter versus top bullpen arm). Once the third weekend starter is determined, the big remaining question for the odd man out is how to use him best. Kendall believes Nate is going to benefit most from the guaranteed innings he’ll find in the midweek slot. Veteran Zach Messinger rounds out Kendall’s list.
On the other hand, I put Messinger at the top of my midweek list. Depending on the 2022 team’s roster composition, it’s conceivable that Messinger finds himself in a weekend starting slot. If that’s the case, he’ll benefit from logging as many midweek starts as possible in 2021.
Beyond Messinger, I’m looking at developing second year pitchers Wyatt and Hodorovich as possible future starters before turning to a first year like Berry. You’ll see Savino factoring heavily in my bullpen usage projections.
Closer
| Role | Kendall | Karl |
| Closer | Stephen Schoch | Stephen Schoch |
No big surprise here. #Analysis
Bullpen
| Rank | Kendall | Karl |
| 1 | Nate Savino | Nate Savino |
| 2 | Brandon Neeck | Paul Kosanovich |
| 3 | Paul Kosanovich | Kyle Whitten |
| 4 | Billy Price | Blake Bales |
| 5 | Kyle Whitten | Matt Wyatt |
| 6 | Zach Messinger | Zach Messinger |
| 7 | Matt Wyatt | Brandon Neeck |
| 8 | Blake Bales | Billy Price |
It looks like Kendall plans on working working Savino a ton this season. That’s probably a wise decision.
I envision him getting all the work he can handle as the top bullpen arm as well. The key for the coaching staff, with Savino in the bullpen, will be ensuring that he gets enough work while keeping him fresh for possible high usage during the weekend.
We have a consensus on who the top bullpen arms are this season although we differ slightly in their ordering. Think of this as our expectation for most innings pitched throughout the season.
Overall, Kendall is looking for breakout seasons from lefties Neeck and Price. I’m relying on last season to guide me heavily.
As for options that didn’t make this list, Channing Austin, Jake Hodorovich, and Jacob Baldino are likely the next names to watch.