Fresh off their trip to Arizona, Gustavus looks to the conference season hoping that their talent and experience will translate into contention for a MIAC Championship
The Gustavus Adolphus Baseball season is officially in full swing after their annual spring trip to Chandler, Arizona. The Gusties (8-8) finished the trip with a record of 4-6 after battling against several tough teams.
The Gustie squad is looking to build upon the success they had last year as they finished among the top four teams in the MIAC to earn a playoff spot. Perhaps the best attribute of this team is experience. Gustavus is returning with all but one player from last year’s roster, including nine seniors. That one player, however, was All-American third baseman Tony Konicek.
Konicek leaves a significant hole in the offensive aspect of Gustavus’ game. In 2007, Konicek hit .452 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI, and was crowned the MIAC’s Most Valuable Player. Despite the loss of such a high-impact player, Senior catcher and tri-captain Shea Roehrkasse still believes this year’s team has all the pieces needed to be successful.
“Offensively, from 1-9 (in respect to the team’s batting order) we’re a pretty solid club. It will take a cumulative effort from all nine guys in the lineup to compensate for the loss of Konicek, but we’ve got plenty of young talent and returning starters to achieve that,” said Roehrkasse.
One of those key returnees is Junior shortstop Mike DesLauriers. DesLauriers, who was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Midwest Region team last year, finished the 2007 season with a .415 batting average while leading the team in hits (59), at-bats (142), runs scored (40) and stolen bases (9).
Along with DesLauriers, Seniors Tyler Kaus and Pat Siering look to return as strong offensive and defensive contributors. Kaus comes off a strong offensive year, during which he hit .400 with 10 doubles, 6 triples and 80 total bases. Siering is also coming off a breakout year which saw him bat .353 with 5 home runs and 31 RBIs.
Aside from position players, the Gusties are returning with every pitcher from last year’s team. Seniors Andrew Hoffer, Kraig Olson, and Dave Wold will solidify the starting rotation. The three combined to collect a 10-4 record last season while starting 24 of the team’s 36 games. The starting rotation is not the only thing that will benefit from an experienced pitching staff. The Gustie bullpen will also heavily depend on its veterans, particularly seniors Chad Schnettler and Charlie Cicalello. The two relief pitchers teamed up to accumulate a collective 2.66 ERA over 54 innings.
Roehrkasse is not one to be lost in reference to team leadership and experience. As well as being a two-time captain, the senior is entering his third consecutive year as a starter behind the plate for the Gusties. Besides the consistency he brings to the batter’s box, hitting .394 last season, Roehrkasse provides important leadership to a pitching staff he has become very familiar with over the past few seasons.
Returning starters are not the only ones looking to contribute this season. There are several underclassmen who are poised to make an impact this year. First-year starting pitcher Cody Sukalski made his presence felt early this spring when he pitched a complete game shutout against Williams College during the Gustie’s 6-0 win in Chandler, Arizona.
Sophomore Derek Eddie will also look to consistently supply solid pitching as the year goes on. Eddie turned in a solid pitching effort in Arizona by earning the win in a 4-1 Gustie victory over MIT. Sophomore Tory Herman will look to help fill the void left by the departure of Konicek, literally. Herman is expected to start at third base and has already helped early in the season, currently tied with Siering for the team lead in RBIs with 11.
Considering the amount of talent and experience returning to this year’s Gustie lineup, it’s not hard to imagine the level of expectations. “I think expectations are pretty high for everyone this year,” said Schnettler. “The guys are ready to build on the strong season we put together last year and extend the season a little longer than we did last year.” The end to last year’s season that Schnettler was referring to was Gustavus’ first-day exit from the double elimination MIAC playoff tournament.
Siering also agreed on the team’s outlook this season. “Our obvious goal is to make the playoffs. But this year our main goal is to prepare ourselves for a run towards the end of the season to gain more momentum for the post-season. Our real goal is to make a deep playoff push,” said Siering.
The MIAC is figured to be a very competitive conference this year. St. Thomas returns as the defending regular season and playoff champion. MIAC play was slatted to begin this week before the late March snow showers postponed the first few games.
Photo By: Jon Scott