UConn Baseball 2018 | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UConn Baseball 2018

huskymedic said:
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Interesting bit from the article on CJ Dandeneau:

<Since returning to the Storrs campus, Dandeneau has made the most of his fresh start. He’s been touching the low 90s with his fastball and shown much better command than what Penders saw in the spring when he issued 11 walks. His changeup has been solid and he’s gravitating more towards throwing the slider as his breaking pitch.

The goal for this fall is to build up Dandaneau’s stamina in anticipation of pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen in 2018.>

Sounds good to me, hope Dandeneau can continue this into the spring. Like many college pitchers, when Dandeneau has his control and has command of his pitches, he can be an out machine. Of course, control and command is a frequent issue for many college pitchers, and Dandeneau is no exception to this. There was a period during Dandeneau redshirt freshman year where he was lights out when he came into game. Of course, there have been extended periods during his UConn career where he has becomes a walk machine to opposing batters, and that period seemed to take up a good chunk of last season with the Huskies. It really limited the amount pitching time that Penders gave him this past season when he only pitched about 15 innings during the season.
 
This morning UConn baseball had their traditional final work out of the fall season in the cemetery. As part of the tradition in Storrs, the captains were named today as well, and they are Zac Susi, John Toppa, and PJ Poulin.
 
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UConn Baseball‏ @UConnBSB 2h2 hours ago
Former Husky and @Rockies reliever Scott Oberg stops by to talk to the guys. #Pillar4 #UConnNation

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I cannot find the link, but college baseball daily ranked us 3rd in the American and projects us to make a regional. It was a solid preview, although written before the Nepiarsky transfer.

What happened to Brian Foley? He used to post here but I haven't seen him in ages.
 
Perfect Game Preseason Baseball Rankings 26-40
26 UCF
27 Southern Miss
28 Auburn
29 West Virginia
30 Vanderbilt
31 Virginia
32 Dallas Baptist
33 South Florida
34 Louisiana
35 Missouri State
36 South Carolina
37 Arizona
38 UConn
39 South Alabama
40 Cal Poly

38. Connecticut
Head Coach: Jim Penders
Conference: American Athletic
2017 Record: 33-25 (14-10 American)
2017 Finish: Did not play in postseason

UConn has some interesting talent scattered across their roster, with a pair of promising starters and two key pieces up the middle on defense. The weekend staff has three lefthanders, the first two of which are highly-touted prospects for both this year’s draft and next. Tim Cate will go Fridays, with very good command of a fastball/curveball 1-2 punch, and his curveball is one of the single best pitches available in this year’s draft class. Sophomore Mason Feole will go on Saturdays, armed with a 1-2 punch on his own that includes a changeup. The third lefty is Chase Gardner, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound transfer that went 7-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 14 starts at Marin last spring. P.J. Poulin, who made 19 appearances a year ago, including five starts, is expected to be the team’s closer this year. Shortstop Anthony Prato and catcher Zac Susi are the top returning position players for the Huskies, and the coaching staff is predicting a big season out of Susi after he stood out on the Cape last summer. The team has returning players at nearly every position other than third base, a position previously occupied by three-year starter Willie Yahn.
 
UCCornelius said:
Perfect Game Preseason Baseball Rankings 26-40
26 UCF
27 Southern Miss
28 Auburn
29 West Virginia
30 Vanderbilt
31 Virginia
32 Dallas Baptist
33 South Florida
34 Louisiana
35 Missouri State
36 South Carolina
37 Arizona
38 UConn
39 South Alabama
40 Cal Poly

38. Connecticut
Head Coach: Jim Penders
Conference: American Athletic
2017 Record: 33-25 (14-10 American)
2017 Finish: Did not play in postseason

UConn has some interesting talent scattered across their roster, with a pair of promising starters and two key pieces up the middle on defense. The weekend staff has three lefthanders, the first two of which are highly-touted prospects for both this year’s draft and next. Tim Cate will go Fridays, with very good command of a fastball/curveball 1-2 punch, and his curveball is one of the single best pitches available in this year’s draft class. Sophomore Mason Feole will go on Saturdays, armed with a 1-2 punch on his own that includes a changeup. The third lefty is Chase Gardner, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound transfer that went 7-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 14 starts at Marin last spring. P.J. Poulin, who made 19 appearances a year ago, including five starts, is expected to be the team’s closer this year. Shortstop Anthony Prato and catcher Zac Susi are the top returning position players for the Huskies, and the coaching staff is predicting a big season out of Susi after he stood out on the Cape last summer. The team has returning players at nearly every position other than third base, a position previously occupied by three-year starter Willie Yahn.
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Of course, aside from Prato, Susi, and Feldstein, many of these returning players didn't do too much hitting last season. Some of these players such as Winkel need to take a great leap forward with the bat. If they do, it could be quite a year.
 
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dbmill said:
Of course, aside from Prato, Susi, and Feldstein, many of these returning players didn't do too much hitting last season. Some of these players such as Winkel need to take a great leap forward with the bat. If they do, it could be quite a year.
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Who do you think will get first shot at 3b and Dan Hurley
 
BigJim84 said:
Who do you think will get first shot at 3b and Dan Hurley
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I really have no idea, but if forced to guess, I would say the junior transfer Mike Woodworth at 3B, although I doubt that is set in stone. Fedko and Moriarty (whoever isn't starting at 2B) would seem to be next in line. I would also guess that fellow JUCO Thad Phillips will get time at either Dan Hurley or 1B when he isn't backing up Susi at catcher. Given what he did with his bat during the summer and the homer he hit at the alumni game in the fall, I'd like to see Ben Maycock get a chance at Dan Hurley. To be honest, there seem to be a number of players who could end up at Dan Hurley.
 
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dbmill said:
I really have no idea, but if forced to guess, I would say the junior transfer Mike Woodworth at 3B, although I doubt that is set in stone. Fedko and Moriarty (whoever isn't starting at 2B) would seem to be next in line. I would also guess that fellow JUCO Thad Phillips will get time at either Dan Hurley or 1B when he isn't backing up Susi at catcher. Given what he did with his bat during the summer and the homer he hit at the alumni game in the fall, I'd like to see Ben Maycock get a chance at Dan Hurley. To be honest, there seem to be a number of players who could end up at Dan Hurley.
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Thanks for providing some hot stove UCONN baseball.
 
Chase Gardner could be an impact player. He and Texas's Nolan Kingham were the best pitchers in the west coast summer league Gardner played in...if he can becone a Sunday starter with a sub-4.00 ERA, we will have a top 10 weekend pitching staff in baseball.
 
BigJim84 said:
Who do you think will get first shot at 3b and Dan Hurley
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This team is as versatile as it gets. Between Fedko, Woodworth and Moriarty I’d expect a lot of platooning early in the season. Winkel is getting reps in the OF and 1st. Thad can catch and play first. I’ve heard Susi and Feldstien have taken reps at first, which is a great coaching move considering how last year Frenchy not being able to play first created a log jam late in the year. Beyond player versatility, team versatility is very good too. There is a ton of pop on the team this year compared to last. I expect the team batting average to increase from last year’s number. There are quite a few burners as well. This is only the position players, the pitching staff may be even more versatile. All the versatility on this team will make things very easy for Penders to mix and match his lineup based on the opponent that week.
 
Baseballguy said:
This team is as versatile as it gets. Between Fedko, Woodworth and Moriarty I’d expect a lot of platooning early in the season. Winkel is getting reps in the OF and 1st. Thad can catch and play first. I’ve heard Susi and Feldstien have taken reps at first, which is a great coaching move considering how last year Frenchy not being able to play first created a log jam late in the year. Beyond player versatility, team versatility is very good too. There is a ton of pop on the team this year compared to last. I expect the team batting average to increase from last year’s number. There are quite a few burners as well. This is only the position players, the pitching staff may be even more versatile. All the versatility on this team will make things very easy for Penders to mix and match his lineup based on the opponent that week.
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I have been having similar thoughts on the versatility of this team in the field. Right now it is safe to pencil in Susi at catcher, Prato at shortstop, and Toppa in LF, but that is it for fixed positions. Feldstein will also be a regular if healthy, but where? I like Feldstein getting looks at 1B, considering his leg injury problems last season. Anything to keep him in the lineup and to keep his legs healthy. Susi getting a little time at 1B means that the Dan Hurley spot can remain more open as well.

But after these players in fixed positions, the rest of the lineup the field seems to be pretty open to competition. There are a number of players who could be in contention for multiple positions For instance, Winkel could end up somewhere in the outfield (including center field) or at 1B. Does Feldstein wind up in RF, 1B or Dan Hurley? Woodworth can play multiple infield and outfield positions. This could take some time to all sort out. A lot of who ends up getting playing time will depend on who gets hot with the bat.
 
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