Shame on you for thinking the Yankees and the Phillies were the only two teams still on the diamond.

The warm Fall this year has allowed plenty of time for college baseball teams around the country to get work in, and the Terps are no exception.

This tidbit came across my e-mail the other day compliments of SID Justin Moore. The idea for this new three-game “World Series” that will take place this weekend is no doubt the brainchild of the new coaching staff headed by Erik Bakich. He stressed to me this summer he was ready to create a “Maryland Baseball” brand that would attract fans and  alumni,  both on and off campus.

It is somewhat puzzling why this idea has never been hatched before. After all, the idea of holding a intra-squad scrimmage open to the public is not new.  Traditional power Florida State just held their 24th annual fall game, and Miami has an entire weekend devoted to the end of fall practice.

Both of those schools, as well as a number of other conference teams, have large and devoted fan bases, strong alumni networks, and very good baseball teams every year. The Terps  are starting from the back of the race, but at least the wheels are in motion.

 It will be interesting to see how many fans show up for  the games. Bakich has worked hard to make people notice and take interest in the program since he started, and the crowd will be a good indicator if people are listening.

Five months is not that far off. Thus, the games will provide a early look at the make-up and strengths of this team.  There will also be a good chance to get a first look at the freshmen, and to evaluate how some of the returnees have progressed after a full summer of baseball.

Read on after the jump for a few names to keep an ear and eye out for if you happen upon Shipley Field this weekend.

Sander Beck (SP)

As a freshman, Beck was a somewhat of a spare part in the bullpen last season. He received praise from the previous coaching staff for his potential, but Beck pitched just 8.1 innings in the conference to the tune of a 6.48 ERA. 

Last season part of the problem was the Terps’ starting rotation didn’t have a ton of depth. Only four pitchers made more than two ACC starts. Quality starting pitching depth is hard to come by, and if Beck pitches the way he did in a competitive Cal Ripken League this summer, he will definitely be given a chance to start on the weekends.

Alfredo Rodriguez (SS)

Rodriguez is another sophomore to watch for this weekend, and although it is early, he will be out to prove he has improved, especially at the plate. Sometimes he could try to do too much in the field, Rodriguez’s strength is with the glove and with more repetitions should become an above-average defensive shortstop. But last season he was overmatched at times with the bat.

Despite 22 starts, Rodriguez hit just .231 with a .282 OBP last season in the ACC. Rodriguez will have every opportunity to prove he can be an anchor at shortstop, but he will need to better offensively if he wants to cement the role. If he can be more productive at the bottom of the order this season, it would be much easier for Bakich to leave him in for long stretches of the season.

Mike Rozak (OF)

Aside from fellow senior David Poutier who will be on the infield full-time this year, Rozak is the only returning outfielder to record a put-out. Rozak will be a team leader this season and has drawn rave reviews from Bakich for his work ethic. When I spoke with Rozak last season he seemed determine to prove that he could get back to full speed.

The key for Rozak will be whether he has fully recovered from a wrist injury from high school. He was highly regarded out of high school but he admitted to me last season the wrist still isn’t fully healed, and it affected his play. 

He played sparingly last season, but he did his best work in the conference with a .350 average and his first career home run at Georgia Tech. He could be a key contributor if his hard work has paid off.

Curtis Lazar (1B)

The departures of Mike Murphy and A.J. Casario leave a sizeable power gap in the Terps offense. In fact, Tyler Bennett, Poutier and Rozak (who hit one) are the only three players returning with a home run. And at 6-foot-4 and 225 lbs., Lazar is one of the biggest and strongest players on the team, and he will be given the first crack at playing a position where most baseball teams find their power.

Lazar didn’t hit a home run last season. After a promising stint as a freshman, Lazar lost his batting touch last season and hit just .217 with three doubles in 60 at-bats. Lazar started the season in a rotation at first base and finished with 16 starts, but as his slump worsened, his played only in midweek action until injuring his foot to end his season early. Now he is an upperclassman and has no returning competition for the job. If he hits well, he will be the guy for the majority of the season.

Adam Kolarek (RP)

Bakich told me earlier in the year that junior reliever Matt Quinn, who missed most of last season following Tommy John surgery, will probably miss most, if not all, of this season as well. His loss will put even more pressure on the two primary set-up men, righty Ian Schwalenberg and southpaw Kolarek.

Kolarek was the workhorse out of the bullpen last year, pitching 50.1 innings. He was also the most reliable option to pass the baton to Dan Gentzler in the ninth inning. Last season the coaching staff said a reliable off-speed pitch was the barrier Kolarek needed to overcome to take the next step.

Already armed with a solid fastball and good control, Kolarek often got ahead of hitters last season only to allow them to battle back as he couldn’t finish them off with anything nasty. This summer Kolarek played in Coastal Plain League, one of the better summer leagues on the East Coast, and he was downright filthy. He had a 1.72 ERA and 54 strikeouts in just 31.1 innings. If he can improve even more this season, the bullpen could be one of the strongest areas of the team, which could, in turn, make things a lot easier for the Terps to win close ganes.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 10:29 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.