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During last year's 20-30 campaign, pitcher Jayson Huett and second baseman Alec Rosales were unquestionably Northwest Missouri State's two most valuable players.
Huett, a workhorse reliever who also made three starts, was the team leader in E.R.A. (3.01), wins (8), saves (6) innings pitched (74.2) and strikeouts (74).
Rosales was about the only consistent bat in a lineup that ranked near the bottom of the MIAA in every offensive category.
He led the Bearcats in average (.335), home runs (5), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.526), hits (58) and doubles (12).
Neither one is back this year, leaving Northwest—a seventh-place team from a year ago— with two giant gaps to fill on its 2012 roster.
Huett's loss was expected since he was a senior last year, but Rosales was scheduled to return for his senior year before notifying the coaching staff over the summer that he wouldn't be returning to school.
"Obviously, when you lose your leading hitter from last year, it looks big on paper," said Northwest Missouri State head coach Darin Loe. "But I think we got a number of guys on paper that will step up and do the job he did for us. I think we'll be just as strong or stronger without him."
Rosales's early departure isn't as much of a blow since the Bearcats return seven other starting position players.
However, only one those—shortstop Cameron Bedard—hit better than .300 last year.
Loe is hopeful is that an additional year of experience for his returners and some off-season additions will lead to a surge in offensive production.
"I think the combination of those new guys coming in and with the returners we have back from last year, we've really pushed each other by competition of positions and made us better," said Loe.
In the infield, Northwest returns senior catcher Landinn Eckhardt, senior first baseman Geno DeAngelis, Bedard and sophomore third baseman Eric McGlaughlin.
DeAngelis started all 50 games last year and hit .295 with 16 RBIs. Along with his .306 average, Bedard had six doubles and drove in 11 runs.
As a true freshman, McGlaughlin hit .229 in 38 games and Eckhardt, valued more for his smarts behind the plate, batted .187.
Northwest has two starters returning in the outfield with sophomore Alex Singleton in center and junior Jake Kretzer in left. Junior Nathaniel Horton returns as the DH.
"A lot of guys have another year under their belt and hopefully take that next step and be better offensively and defensively," said Loe.
During last year's 20-30 campaign, pitcher Jayson Huett and second baseman Alec Rosales were unquestionably Northwest Missouri State's two most valuable players.
Huett, a workhorse reliever who also made three starts, was the team leader in E.R.A. (3.01), wins (8), saves (6) innings pitched (74.2) and strikeouts (74).
Rosales was about the only consistent bat in a lineup that ranked near the bottom of the MIAA in every offensive category.
He led the Bearcats in average (.335), home runs (5), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.526), hits (58) and doubles (12).
Neither one is back this year, leaving Northwest—a seventh-place team from a year ago— with two giant gaps to fill on its 2012 roster.
Huett's loss was expected since he was a senior last year, but Rosales was scheduled to return for his senior year before notifying the coaching staff over the summer that he wouldn't be returning to school.
"Obviously, when you lose your leading hitter from last year, it looks big on paper," said Northwest Missouri State head coach Darin Loe. "But I think we got a number of guys on paper that will step up and do the job he did for us. I think we'll be just as strong or stronger without him."
Rosales's early departure isn't as much of a blow since the Bearcats return seven other starting position players.
However, only one those—shortstop Cameron Bedard—hit better than .300 last year.
Loe is hopeful is that an additional year of experience for his returners and some off-season additions will lead to a surge in offensive production.
"I think the combination of those new guys coming in and with the returners we have back from last year, we've really pushed each other by competition of positions and made us better," said Loe.
In the infield, Northwest returns senior catcher Landinn Eckhardt, senior first baseman Geno DeAngelis, Bedard and sophomore third baseman Eric McGlaughlin.
DeAngelis started all 50 games last year and hit .295 with 16 RBIs. Along with his .306 average, Bedard had six doubles and drove in 11 runs.
As a true freshman, McGlaughlin hit .229 in 38 games and Eckhardt, valued more for his smarts behind the plate, batted .187.
Northwest has two starters returning in the outfield with sophomore Alex Singleton in center and junior Jake Kretzer in left. Junior Nathaniel Horton returns as the DH.
"A lot of guys have another year under their belt and hopefully take that next step and be better offensively and defensively," said Loe.
The loss of Rosales and rightfielder Evan Connell, who decided not to return to the team, means Northwest will have at least two new starters.
It could be more depending upon how each player performs once the season gets underway.
"It's just going to come down to the guys who get hot," said Loe. "We've had a good fall, had good winter work. We got to kind of see whose going get the job done on the field. Who knows? Half-way through the season it could be all returning guys out there or it could be all new guys. It just depends on who steps up and gets the job done and kind of takes the job."
It's a little more settled on the mound at this point, even though Northwest graduated five pitchers from a staff that finished second in the MIAA in ERA (4.66).
Northwest has six hurlers vying for the four weekend rotation spots and the two who lose out will move to the bullpen.
Fifth-year senior Chris Green is almost fully recovered from a season-ending shoulder injury and is ready to re-assume his role as the staff ace.
He had a 2.22 ERA in six starts last year before deciding to shut it down to have Tommy John surgery.
"It's huge any time you return your No. 1 to a season you didn't expect to have him," said Loe. "It's definitely a bonus. We're concerned about getting him back to full health. He looks like he's at least close. He'll be able to fill a huge void for us. When you can run a guy out there at the top end of the pitching staff everyday like Chris, it's huge for you."
The other rotation candidates are senior righthander Josh Parrish, senior John Brady, junior transfer Marcus Garrett and junior Jace Anderson, a sophomore transfer from UNO.
Parrish, who made six starts last year with a 3.69 ERA, is slated to begin the year as the closer, taking over Huett's primary role.
"I think last year we were a little better on the back end with Jayson Huett being the kind of pitcher he was and being able to log the kind of innings he did," said Loe. "He really pitched innings that we probably need two guys to fill. I think overall we're better on the top end. I think our starting pitching will be better. We got to compose that bullpen a little more to make them as effective as we possibly can."
Northwest begins its 2012 campaign today with the first of a four-game road series against Central Oklahoma.
The Bearcats want to get at least one game out of the series to avoid a third straight slow start to the season.
Northwest lost 14 of its 15 games in 2010 and started 0-11 last year.
"We got to come back with a win to prove we can beat a good team and just kind of get a monkey off our back,” said Loe. “That stuck with us way too long last year. That really carried too far into our season.”
Northwest plays its first 16 games away from home, including back-to-back road series with Fort Hays and Emporia to open its 40-game conference slate.
The Bearcats first four MIAA series are against teams picked to finish in the top five of the conference.
Northwest, which was picked to finish seventh, has to finish in the top six to make the MIAA Tournament. The Bearcats fell one game short of making it last year.
"We don't go into a season saying we want to be one or two, but obviously you get in there and make things happen," said Loe. "We want to have the highest finish we possibly can."
