After a late postseason surge and a College World Series appearance, inexperience and uncertainty may be the only factors preventing the 2008 Diamond Dawgs from repeating that feat. Mississippi State 29-year head coach Ron Polk said that for the first time in years, he is unable to nail down a starting lineup for Friday’s season opener at North Florida. In fact, he referred to his team as “vague.”
“Overall, it’s just a vague ballclub, and I’m not saying that as a negative term,” Polk said. “I love this ballclub. They’re good people and good students, and they practice hard and are always on time.”
The loss of five position starters due to either graduation or professional baseball signings has contributed to Polk’s uncertainty.
Perhaps the biggest loss is junior catcher Edward Easley, who was taken in last year’s Major League Baseball draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the supplemental first round. Easley was a first-team all-SEC selection and the winner of the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top catcher.
“We knew he was going to go, but we were still fortunate to have had his experience,” Polk said. “He was an experienced guy, a quiet leader and he blocked and framed well. He called a good game, and he was a guy everyone felt confident to throw to.”
Junior utility player Mitch Moreland, a late summer pro-signee with the Texas Rangers, stands out as another tough loss for the Bulldogs.
Moreland saw the bulk of his action in 2007 at first base but made several late-season starts in right field and was a key arm out of the bullpen. Polk attributed the loss of Moreland to the availability of only partial scholarships in the sport.
“That wouldn’t have happened in any other sport because he’d be on a full scholarship,” Polk said. “He was on a partial scholarship and from a middle-class family, and they offered him some money. I’ll never tell a kid not to sign, but I hate that it happened so late because he was a key guy.”
Other starters lost due to graduation include second baseman/outfielder Jeffrey Rea, outfielder Joseph McCaskill and designated hitter/first baseman Brian LaNinfa.
Sophomores second baseman Brandon Turner and third baseman Conner Powers and junior outfielder Mark Goforth return as the only starters who played the majority of 2007.
Turner missed a handful of games due to a hamstring pull while Powers and Goforth missed some postseason starts after a restructuring of the lineup.
Experience on the Diamond Dawgs can be found in the 17-man pitching staff, which includes tri-captains Justin Pigott, John Lalor and Chad Crosswhite.
Pigott and Crosswhite will likely make up two-thirds of the Bulldogs’ weekend pitching rotation while sophomore Ricky Bowen is the leading candidate for the third spot.
Pigott said he takes his role as a leader seriously and plans to have the same attitude in the locker room as last year.
“I just want to have everyone on the same page and let people understand and be happy with their roles,” Pigott said. “We want people to be able to step in later in the year and make big plays, like Conner Powers’ home run in the Clemson game in Super Regionals for example.”
Determining the starting lineup will also fall on the tri-captains and the coaches as they will fill out player evaluations after all scrimmages have been completed.
Lalor stressed how tough that decision would be for the captains.
“Ranking five catchers, the outfield, shortstop and third base, all around the diamond, it’s going to be tough,” Lalor said. “We’re ready to get all that over with and start playing some games.”
Polk also touched on the offseason loss of eight players who were assisted in transferring due to the fact that they may not make next year’s NCAA-mandated roster cap.
Despite the fact that the roster cap received 56 override votes, the override did not pass at the NCAA convention in January.
If the players had stayed through the spring, they would have been forced to sit out a year if they transferred.
“It’s going to get to a point in college baseball where coaches have to decide whether they’re going to be cruel to their kids or cruel to their programs,” Polk said. “Most of them, married with children and with new stadiums going up, have informed me that they will be cruel to their kids, and that’s very unfortunate, for the dumping will begin soon. I do not think I have to tell you what my decision will be.”
While the returning players still carry the pride of last year’s College World Series trip with them, Pigott said all the focus is on this season and making a return trip to Omaha.
“We know we can do it now, and I guess that helps, but last year is last year,” Pigott said. “You can ask anyone that. It’s done with. It was fun but we’ve got a huge challenge in front of us again, and we’ve got to prove a lot of people wrong.