Oct. 6, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -Crack. "We'll see ya." Crack. "We'll see ya." Crack. "Nice job." Crack. "We'll see ya."
Illinois State volunteer assistant coach Matt Fowles kept the Redbird pitchers busy Friday in a high-stakes round of fielding comebackers. Fowles, standing at home plate in the bullpen, hit sharp grounders at pitchers on the mound, with successful plays keeping pitchers in the drill and errors leading to an early exit.
The victors of Friday's "Gold Glove Round" - Jacob Wielebnicki, A.J. Havenga, and Jim Sajewich - were rewarded with a free pass on running that day, but the real rewards could come for the Redbirds in the spring. The drill is one of many designed to improve Illinois State's team defense - a problem area for the squad in 2008.
Last season the Redbirds were forced to shuffle the infield when starting shortstop Collin Salzenstein underwent shoulder surgery. That shift, along with starting a pair of true freshmen on the infield, resulted in 89 errors - 30 more than Redbird opponents and the most committed since 2005.
All indications point to an improved Illinois State defensive effort in 2009. Moments after completing the comeback drill in the bullpen, Illinois State pitcher Kyle Nelson turned a comebacker into an inning-ending double play in Friday's scrimmage.
Injuries are still limiting the Redbirds in fall practice, but Salzenstein's return to shortstop and Kevin Tokarski's eventual move to second base gives Illinois State an "above average college baseball middle infield" according to the coaching staff.
"We definitely should have been better than we were on the infield last year," Illinois State assistant coach Mike Current said. "Unfortunately, we didn't have a great year. When you lose your starting shortstop, that obviously is going to impact your infield defense without a question. We had to play some guys out of position last year and that had a huge impact. We've got our shortstop back now and everybody's where they should be. Without question, our infield defense is going to be a strength of the team. That's going to be one of the things we can hang our hat on this season."
Ryan Court has emerged as strong candidate for increased playing time with the Redbirds, showing a vast improvement in the field and offensively. Evan Kohli and Ben Ihde, a pair of junior college transfers, are capable first basemen, but will be relied on more for their contributions at the plate.
The Redbirds have four catching candidates to replace Johnny Bench Award semi-finalist and Chicago White Sox-draftee Kevin Dubler. Illinois State signed Landinn Eckhardt and Matt Mirabal, and have converted Gabe DeMarco to catcher to compete with Justin Rahn, the most experienced returner. All four have shown an ability to throw to every base and limit the opponents' running game, but the decision may come down to offensive contributions and the ability to handle the pitching staff.
Illinois State will have a number of options in the spring, with Court earning reps at shortstop, and Ronnie Calvird and Mike Stalowy able to play multiple infield positions.
"If your infield defense isn't good, it's going to be tough to be successful as a team," Current said. "I don't know if it was our biggest weakness last season, but it was definitely not a strength. We're going to be much improved in that area over last year."
- The freshman catching candidates continue to be praised for their defensive abilities, but both of the receivers hit home runs in scrimmages last weekend. Landinn Eckhardt homered in his first at-bat of Friday's scrimmage and perhaps set a record for time around the bases. Matt Mirabal added a shot of his own in weekend play.
- The Illinois State Department of Athletics will honor a group of six outstanding individuals with induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend, including baseball great Dan Freed. Freed was a Missouri Valley Conference First-Team selection in 1988. As a senior, he led the Redbirds in innings pitched (82), strikeouts (67), wins (5) and earned run average (2.52) and was named the team's most valuable player. Freed ended his career with a 3.91 career ERA, a 20-13 record and 205 strikeouts. He played in the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds minor league systems.
- Kyle Nelson will celebrate his 20th birthday on Wednesday (Oct. 8).
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#41 Evan Kohli, 1B/LHP | Hutchinson, Minn. - Two-way player who earned NJCAA Division II Third Team All-America honors at Madison (Wis.) Area Technical College. Kohli hit .375 with 15 doubles last season and posted a 5-3 record and 3.46 ERA. Attended Hutchinson High School. |
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#26 Mark Menaker, INF | Winnetka, Ill. - Illinois Top-100 prospect according to Prep Baseball Report. Played third base for New Trier High School and helped the team to back-to-back conference titles. Hit .335 with three home runs and 30 RBI as a senior. |
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#27 Matt Mirabal, C | Chicago, Ill. - One of the top defensive catchers in the state of Illinois and No. 35 prospect overall, according to Prep Baseball Report. Played at Mount Carmel High School, leading the team to three regional championships. Hit .340 with five home runs and 40 RBI as a senior. |
