The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Hornets have high 2007 hopes
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 29, 2007
Some big obstacles lay between the 2007 Saline baseball team and a repeat of last season's 21-10 overall record and league title.
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There's the seven new full-time starters in the lineup after heavy graduation losses. There's the revamped pitching rotation. And, as of last week, there's having to replace the Hornets' projected starting catcher, junior Adam Clements, now likely out for the season with a broken leg.
But despite all of those obstacles, head coach Scott Thiesen says the objectives and expectations of his team are the same as they were entering 2006.
"Our goals haven't changed," he said in an interview this week. "We expect to have a winning record and compete for an SEC title."
The challenge will be overcoming the team's combination of youth and inexperience even among many of the upperclassmen, a challenge made even more difficult by Clement's injury.
"We're going to have to grow up quick," Thiesen said. "We have some inexperienced kids, but they're also pretty athletic. There's a lot of potential."
Getting the most out of that potential means there will be even more of a burden than usual on the team's senior class. The 2007 Hornets will feature seven seniors, Steven Breneman, Aaron Nagy, Casey Dishman, Derek Fairchild, Nick Poloni, Dylan Holden, and Spencer Didion.
"There's only so much the coaches can do," Thiesen said of the need for senior leadership. "We're going to need them to help the young guys, encourage them, and get on their butts sometimes if they need to. Sometimes, it means more coming from a teammate than it does from a coach."
One of the team's strengths is that much of the team's experience is concentrated in the middle of the field. Dishman and Fairchild return as the middle infield pairing, with Dishman at short and Fairchild at second. Didion gained some starting experience in centerfield in 2006 and will play that position again this season.
Those three players also will likely bat in some order in the three, four and five slots in the lineup.
Thiesen said that aside from those three spots, much of the batting order will remain undetermined until closer to the team's April 9 opener against Canton.
"We've got a few sophomores that are pushing the older guys," he said.
The team's other outfield candidates include Breneman, Holden, Nagy, juniors Ben Sutton and Jon Endicott, and sophomore Kory Gainey.
In the infield, Poloni is the team's likely first baseman, with junior David Fraser and sophomores Josh Burd and Jeff Baublit also vying for playing time. At catcher, junior Tim Finkebiner and sophomore Brad Guenther will look to replace Clement.
Perhaps of greater concern than how the batting order shakes out will be how the Hornets replace a pitching rotation with three players who have moved on to play college baseball.
Junior Vinnie Haynes is Saline's likely No. 1 starter, but a number of other Hornets are likely to see extensive time on the mound. Dishman, Fairchild and Nagy all will be counted on to provide innings while Endicott, Burd, and Baublit are each in the mix, as well.
"We've got five or six guys who'll be able to soak up some innings for us," Thiesen said.
In the end, whether Saline claims another SEC Red crown (its 10th league title in 13 years) or makes any postseason noise will rely on how much improvement the team's untested players can make.
"It really depends on how much they grow," Thiesen said, "and come together as a team."
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