:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48791941/x-Team7.0.0.jpg)
Not a Lot of Seniors in 2016 Lineup
It's a little hard to shed a tear for the Aztecs. They won the MWC title in football and are well on their way to winning the regular season title in basketball as well. The same pretty much holds true for baseball. They didn't win the title outright in 2015 but they did win the MWC Tournament and get the sole bid for the NCAA Tournament. In my book, that's dominating the big three.
Back to baseball. The Aztecs lose the top four guys in the lineup and that's always going to be hard to replace. Spencer Thornton and Chase Calabuig are the only returning .300 hitters returning but that's college.
The rotation returns two decent starters in Reyes and Thompson who put up 25 starts cumulative. The closer should be Saylor who had 11 saves so that part of the game is well covered. If he has another good year he may be gone after this season. The other two arms in the rotation have to pick up their game and Seeburger has the experience with 35 IP last season. Douty is a senior but had limited action in 17 IP so I don't know how close he is to a starting spot. Freshman Jeff Kross may push for a starting spot in the rotation if any falter.
Bozar's Best Guess:
C - Dean Nevarez (FR)
1B - Andrew Brown (JR) - .295 and 1
2B - Alan Trejo (SO) - .266 and 1
SS - David Maldonado (FR)
3B - Niko Navarro (FR)
OF - Chase Calabuig (SO) - .305 and 1
OF - Spencer Thornton (SR) - .317 and 2
OF - David Hensley (SO) - .257 and 0
DH - Justin Wylie (SO) - .231 and 3
SP - Marcus Reyes (JR) - 7-3 and 4.20
SP - Cody Thompson (JR) - 4-4 and 4.32
SP - Dalton Douty (SR) - 0-1 and 5.29
SP - Brett Seeburger (JR) - 1-0 and 7.39
RP - CJ Saylor (JR) - 3-3 and 5.02 with 11 saves along with 42 strikeouts in 37 IP
Coach's Call:
C - Saylor (Will close as well)
1B - Jordan Verdon (FR)
2B -Wylie
SS -Trejo
3B - Brown
OF - Thornton
OF - Calabuig
OF - Tyler Adkison (SO) - Injured in 2015
DH - Hensley
It looks as if I got most of the players correct but had them out of position. One outfielder and first base are new. Not bad, I'd say. I'll pat myself on the back now.
The Aztecs lost a lot and are counting on a lot of talented sophomores to continue what they did last year. Trejo, Calabuig, Hensley, and Wylie are the sophs. Most of the experience is in the rotation as four juniors and a senior look to the lead the way. Three incoming freshman may push with Kross looking to have the most upside. The offense will be tested early as one can't expect three freshmen that I plugged in to all contribute.