The Seattle University baseball team, coming off its best season since its rebirth as a Division I program, reported to campus last Wednesday and began fall practice the next day in preparation for the 2016 season.
“The fall always brings a sense of excitement about what the future holds. Associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Elliott Cribby and assistant coach Mike Nadeau did an outstanding job with the incoming class and helped us fill some holes that were identified last season. We are two deep in every position and have created competition all around the field, which will only make us better. Our pitching staff is talented and experienced, so the battle for innings on the mound will be as good as it has ever been here,” Seattle U head baseball coach Donny Harrel said.
With the belief that pitching and defense wins games, one of the main focuses has been on shoring up the weekend rotation, especially with the departure of Will Dennis, drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. Tarik Skubal (Kingman, Ariz.), named a Freshman All-American and Second Team All-WAC after a stellar first-year campaign, is the leading candidate to move into the Friday night starter role. Veterans looking to join him as starters include seniors Grant Gunning (Snohomish, Wash.) and Ted Hammond (Shoreline, Wash.) as well as redshirt junior Connor Moore (West Richland, Wash.).
Along with Skubal, several other pitchers return after gaining valuable experience on the mound in their freshman seasons, including Chris Carns (Federal Way, Wash.), Ky Dye (Everett, Wash.), Ryan Freitas (Concord, Calif.), Austin Hansen (Mukilteo, Wash.), Janson Junk (Federal Way, Wash.), and Nick Meservey (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Harrel and Cribby have the expectation of freshmen ready to pitch right away, giving newcomers Tyler Oldenberg (Boise, Idaho), Jake Prizina (Sparks, Nev.), and Zach Wolf (Dana Hills, Calif.) the opportunity to become important members of the bullpen or even make mid-week starts against top competition.
Three-fourths of last year’s starting infield is back for the Redhawks, led by team MVP Sheldon Stober (Kent, Wash.). Both Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.) and Griffin Andreychuk (Nanaimo, B.C.) are coming off all-star performances over the summer, solidifying their spots in the starting lineup. Junior Michael McCann (Vancouver, Wash.) and sophomore Sean Sutton (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) will battle for playing time at first base, and Curtis Perrin (Vancouver, Wash.) brings experience to the utility role.
“We added speed, power and athleticism to create the competition we are looking for in the infield, first by bringing in Chase Ridder (Lake Stevens, Wash.) who can really defend at the shortstop position. Lucas Denney (Goldendale, Wash.) and Jake Taylor (Boise, Idaho) can add power to the lineup, and freshman Michael Ciancio (Kent, Wash.) gives us an athlete who we can play in multiple positions,” added Harrel.
With Landon Cray earning a spot within the Tampa Bay system after being drafted, Dalton Hurd (Bend, Ore.) is expected to move to center field, with competition from Nelson Taylor (Seattle, Wash.) and Jeffrey Morgan (Auburn, Wash.). According to Harrel, the corner outfield positions are wide open with freshmen Ciancio, Max Modeste (Roseville, Calif.) and Kyler Murphy (Glendale, Ariz.) competing against redshirt sophomore Cameron Sterne (Shoreline, Wash.) to fill the voids left from last season.
With the graduation and subsequent drafting of four-year starting catcher Brian Olson, McCann and Jack Reisinger (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) bring experience behind the plate and know most of the Redhawk pitchers well. Murphy will also be competing for innings within the battery as he becomes accustomed to Division l pitching.
The Seattle University baseball team won a school-record 31 games in 2015, including a 19-8 record within the Western Athletic Conference. The Redhawks won their first two games in the WAC Tournament to advance to the championship round, also earning their first postseason victories in program history.