MVP 07: Holy Cross Crusaders Forum Dynasty

[mattynokes]

2013 Holy Cross Crusaders Baseball Preview

Worcester, MA -- Baseball is right around the corner and the Crusaders have some work on their plates. Juniors Mike Ahmed (Dodgers) and Alex Maldonado (Blue Jays) were both drafted and signed after 2012. In addition to Ahmed and Maldonado, senior ace Nate Koneski (graduated and drafted by the Mariners) is also gone as well. This means big shoes are to be filled.

Crusaders new head coach, Matt Nokes, will have sixteen freshmen on his inaugural roster. "Anytime you have this many young guys on the team, it can be both exciting and nerve wracking," stated Nokes. "But it's going to be a year of learning. I think our schedule sets us up with some challenges at appropriate times and hopefully we peak at the right time." The only projected returning starter is Stephen Wadsworth. Wadsworth has been a three year starter at catcher, but with a caught stealing under 20%, he's likely to wind up as the designated hitter. A lot of youth will be headed south as Holy Cross will take two trips in February to at a few different invitationals.

The Crusaders open the season in Orlando, FL with a series against Louisiana Tech before heading to the Florida State and Georgia Tech campuses for additional matchups. After a few off days, they'll head up the road to Clemson, SC where they'll face Ohio State. The 17 day trip concludes with a three-game tilt at Furman. Their second trip features a weekend of baseball on the East Carolina campus before heading to Knoxville in the final neutral site contest, against Wichita State Now for a complete position-by-position rundown:

Catcher
Ben Parker, Stephen Wadsworth, Collin Manning -- Parker was a Baseball America Top 100 prospect, but chose to stay close to home rather than go out west to one of the powerhouse schools. A knee injury in high school kept Stanford and UCLA from offering him a full-ride. Coach Nokes jumped on the opportunity and landed one of the nation's top freshman backstops (if he can stay healthy). He's a do-it-all catcher and shouldn't be too long before the Rule IV draft comes calling his name. Wadsworth is average at-best defensively, but can hit. Manning isn't much more than depth and probably won't see action in anything other than mop-up duty.

First Base
Owain Cole -- A host of other players could see time here, but Cole will be the majority shareholder of playing time. Cole was quite the unknown since technology doesn't exist in Canada. Nokes found this guy on the hockey rink and after discovering he can hit a puck harder than Fulton Reed, he asked if Cole had ever tried baseball. After a couple of batting practice sessions, the Crusaders found one third of the middle of their order.

Second Base
Lance Brown, Joe McVlanko -- Brown is a bit older than most college freshman. He starred at Ashland University as the strong safety on their football team for two years and when an ankle injury cut short his sophomore season in 2011, he opted to transfer to Holy Cross and switch to baseball. While he's lost a step from his 4.5-forty speed, he still possesses the skills he displayed in high school, garnering All-District honorable mention. McVlanko was one of the first commits to the 2013 freshman class, but was the last to sign. He was very apprehensive to sign and nearly declined the scholarship offer, but the speedy, defensive whiz is here to add depth and should get plenty of looks as the season progresses.

Third Base
Calvin Sawyer, Ted Cullinane -- Sawyer has been getting rave reviews from coach Nokes since fall. He's the youngest Crusader (not turning 18 and this past fall), but he shows a wealth of untapped potential. He's got one of the best swings on the team and may turn out to be the best player out of this class. Cullinane has flashed some leather and shown some speed in the past. He'll probably be a late innings substitution type.

Short Stop
Brad Hickox -- Many have remarked at how similar he and reliever Ben Parker look. Coach Nokes calls them "The Brothers 7" since they both switch hit and have the number 7 on their jersey; much like Mickey Mantle. Aside from all of that, Hickox is more of a contact hitter from the left side and has more power from the right side. He's also a natural second baseman, but after losing Maldonado, the position was for the taking.

Left Field
Eren Connor, Josh Olson -- Connor is the type that you look at and think, "There's no way this fat douche with his chops and a chinstrap can do anything more athletic than a keg stand." And then he surprises you with natural baseball ability and quite a runner for his size. It remains to be seen if he can hit left-handed pitching, but he could be a big cog in the wheel for Holy Cross. Olson has played sparingly in the outfield the past three years, but has shown he can handle the bat.

Center Field
Ozzie Collins, Phineas Knowles -- A lot has been hush, hush over why exactly Collins ended up here. If it's grades as to why other schools passed, how did he make in to the school. If it's other off-the-field problems, why take the risk? What we do know is he's solid against righties and like Helen Keller versus lefties. He's a rangey speedster who, as long as the NCAA doesn't lay the ban hammer down, should provide quality baseball statistics for the Crusaders. Knowles will likely be the platoon partner against lefties. He too, can run very well and should be a pinch runner or defensive sub when not starting.

Right Field
Joseph Ratchet -- Ratchet had always dreamed of becoming Green Bay's starting quarterback. Some would say his admiration for A.A. Ron Rodgers is homoerotic, but he's found his release in baseball and that he's not a bad ball player on the diamond. He's your prototypical right fielder. He hits for power, can't run, but has a solid arm. He should be in the middle of the order and like, Connor, it remains to be seen if he can hit left-handed pitching.

Rotation
Jon Sterk, Paul McIntosh, Colt Seavers, Nate Walker -- Nothing is set in stone for the Crusaders' rotation. All four starters have proven valuable in the fall and each will get a chance in the early season to solidify a rotation spot for conference matchups. Sterk is the nephew of FCM great Donovan Pace. Like Pace, Sterk features a lively fastball and a great knuckle curve. McIntosh has some great lineage as well. His father was a three year starter at quarterback for Frank Solich's Bobcats. The younger Paul impressed with his ability to effortlessly pitch his way through the seventh inning of most high school games. In a situation where the bullpen has issues, getting seven innings of work would be huge. Seavers impresses with the overall quality of his pitches (he has a nasty yellow hammer), but concerns of over exertion have arisen this past fall. If he can last more than four innings, he could shape up to be a great one-two punch with Sterk. Walker is the veteran on the staff, but doesn't provide the "stuff" that any of the other three posses. He likely pick up a few starts and be a key bullpen piece.

Bullpen
Will Bronson, Brent Winchester, George Perrotta, Jeremy Perron, Ryan Filipowicz, Conor Moynihan, Alano Rufo -- Many were shocked when Bronson decided not to go pro. In turn he decided to stay close to home where he could star on the smaller level. He's undoubtedly the "closer" and while he doesn't throw overly hard, he does have a very deceptive circle change; a major reason why he was drafted in the 9th round. Winchester has always tried to be a starter, but can't seem to last more than three or four innings. He mixes up his pitches very well and has been learning the circle change from Bronson this winter. He could also see time with the bat in his hands. Perrotta features a solid curve and could see a few stop starts if anyone's arm starts to tire. Perron is likely to be used as a lefty-one-out-guy for times when Winchester is unavailable. Filipowicz is still very young and learning how to pitch instead of throwing. Moynihan is a submariner who relies on his deceptiveness to account for his lack of speed (78 MPH). Not much is known about Rufo. He had some admission issues and didn't start classes until the spring semester. Coach Nokes speaks highly of him, but says it'll likely be "a week or so" until he's ready for game action.

Projected Lineup
1. Ozzie Collins, cf
2. Brad Hickox, ss
3. Joseph Ratchet, rf
4. Owain Cole, 1b
5. Calvin Sawyer, 3b
6. Ben Parker, c
7. Eren Connor, lf
8. Stephen Wadsworth, dh
9. Lance Brown, 2b

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