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From top to bottom, the 2005 University of Mobile baseball team is arguably better than the team that managed to win 21 of their final 33 baseball games last season and advance to the semi-finals of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. Every weakness from last season has been addressed and many players on the 2005 roster are ready to get this season underway. “Most of the kids coming back are young and some of them created a pretty good chemistry last season when they refused to give up and continued to play after such a slow start,” Jacobs said of the guys coming back in 2005. “We got to see a lot of guys in a lot different positions last season and I feel that is really going to help us a lot this year. Also, we have gone out and gotten guys to fill in at the places we needed them most.” One area that was considered to be a weakness for Mobile in 2004 was the bullpen. “I think we asked some guys in our bullpen to do some things they weren’t really capable of doing last season,” Jacobs said of his bullpen situation. “We asked some guys to go longer than they should have gone because we didn’t have a definitive closer as we have had in years before and therefore, we were asking our set-up guys to throw that extra inning. We had some guys do a decent job in the bullpen but, I just don’t think we did a good job fielding the baseball. However, we lacked a real closer and depth in the bullpen and that was perhaps our biggest weakness in the pitching staff last year.” This season that problem has been addressed. The Rams now have a pitching staff that they feel are going to be able to come in and close out a game and still have many other options remaining in the bullpen. “I think we have a lot more depth in our pitching staff this year and I believe we are definitely more athletic,” said Jacobs of his guys. With assistant coach Chris Rose having left after the 2004 season, coach Jacobs addressed the need for help with his pitching staff when he hired Jon Seymour as his new assistant coach. Prior to coming to Mobile, Seymour spent three seasons at Shenandoah University, where he was an assistant pitching coach and before that Seymour coached a summer league team, the Santa Clara Dodgers, that advanced to the Palomino World Series two years in a row. “A lot of the guys have bought into Seymour’s pitching philosophy and I think he is going to make a big impact with our guys,” Jacobs said. Coming out of the bullpen to help fill last year’s hole will be senior relief pitcher Chris Copland. Last season, Copland was 3-7 with two saves and a 3.60 ERA in 20 appearances of relief as the team’s main set up guy. “He’ll probably fall into that set up roll again for this season,” said Jacobs. “He had some really good games last year but he was one of those guys that we asked to do more for us last year than he should have. There were a lot of times he was the set up guy and closer and I don’t think that was fair to him. He will be a big part of our bullpen this year.” One candidate to fill the definitive closer’s roll that was lacking last year is Jason Ragan, a transfer from Hill College. Jacobs will use the four weeks of spring practice to find out where they will use him this season. “We are either going to use him as a closer or if he is capable of throwing five or six innings, he may end up in our starting rotation,” said Jacobs. “He is a very hard throwing right hander that can get it up in the low 90’s.” Jesse Luker, a product of Thomasville High School, is already very good according to Coach Jacobs, however, he expect really big things from Luker before he graduates. “He will probably start off being a mid-week starter and work out of the bullpen on the weekend,” said Jacobs. “This will be a pretty big jump for him coming straight out of high school baseball up into NAIA baseball and so we are going to try to bring him in slowly enough to not break his confidence. He is really going to have a great opportunity to be very good before he leaves here.” Richard Kelly, who transferred in this season from Louisiana College, has a chance to make a big splash in 2005 with Mobile coming out of the bullpen but, he must first get healthy again. “He is working hard in the spring practices to get better and there is probably no one on the team that is working harder,” Jacobs said. “We just have to get his arm back in shape. He was a closer at Louisiana College and did well in that role however, he is coming off of Tommy John surgery and we just have to get him well.” Ben Lakey, a freshman from Jasper, Ala., has pitched really well in the fall and should get some work this season coming out of the bullpen. “He has dropped down and become a submarine pitcher and is getting a lot of ground balls and getting a lot of guys out,” Jacobs said of Lakey’s new style. “He is a guy that might see a lot of innings in middle relief.” Jon Kalb, a sophomore transfer from Meramec Junior College in St. Louis, Mo., will look for a role as either a mid-week starter or middle relief. Jason Frischhertz, from Slidell, La., doesn’t throw the ball extremely hard but has excellent movement on his slider. While a decision has yet to be made of his role on this pitching staff, Jacbos feels that in time, Frischhertz will definitely be able to help the team. “We are still deciding on whether to red-shirt him or not,” Jacobs said. “We want to do what is best for him and not waste a year of his eligibility by playing him if he is not ready.” As of now, Jacobs has yet to make a decision upon his weekend starters however, he does have an idea of how it may look. Leland Howard is a fifth year senior who will be leaned upon quite heavily by the rest of the team this coming season as he should be one of the weekend starters. Howard was 6-3 last year in 10 starts with a 3.08 ERA and four complete games. “Leland really needs to go out there this season and do well,” Jacobs said. “His mental attitude is great because nothing that happens to him out on the mound bothers him. He has been here as long as anybody and we really expect big things from him this season.” Beau Wiggins, who received a medical red-shirt last season after injuring his shoulder in just his third appearance of the year, is shaping up to be one of the team’s weekday starters. “He pitched well for us in the fall and did exactly what we wanted him to do,” Jacobs said of Wiggins. “He really wants to work hard and is one of those guys that has really bought into Coach Seymour’s pitching philosophy. He can throw in the low 90’s and we expect a lot from him. Simon Badeaux, a left-handed transfer pitcher from Enterprise Ozark Community College, may end up becoming the final weekend starter before it’s all said and done. “We haven’t seen that much of him on the mound, however, based upon his community college numbers, we anticipate him to be one of our weekend starters,” Jacobs said of Badeaux’s chances. Finally, also jumping into the mix this season looking to get a few innings will be Brandon Speese. Another disappointment in the 2004 season was the team’s lack of hitting. Hitting just a combined .298 as a team in 2004, Coach Jacobs knows that his team can hit a lot better than they did last year. “A .298 batting average is not good for us,” Coach Jacobs remarked about last year’s performance. “If you go back and look, we usually hit a lot better than that.” It’s been said that in baseball it all starts at the top of the order and if that’s true then senior Carnell Parker has a lot of pressure on his shoulders this season. Carnell, who plays centerfield and will more than likely lead off for the Rams offense this season, is quite possible the fastest player to ever play at Mobile. “He’s a guy that has a good chance to get drafted,” Jacobs said of his talent. “Hopefully, he’ll be our lead-off guy and he needs to go out there get on base and then steal some bases.” Looking to find his role as the team’s right fielder is senior Ron McMillan. “He has the best arm in our outfield and he is very, very good,” said Jacobs. “He will fight for a starting position in right field and will also be one of our relief guys.” Competing for that right field job along with McMillan will be Justin Rosen, a junior transfer from Meramec Junior College in St. Louis, Missouri. “For his size, he has a lot of pop in his bat,” Jacobs said of Rosen. “He hit seven or eight home runs last year in junior college and runs very well too. He probably has the second best arm in our outfield other than McMillan. He’s probably a 6.8 or 6.9 (60-yard dash times) runner and so he’ll be another guy we rely upon to steal bases.” Finally, Joel Jernigan will move back to left field this season after being injured most of 2004. Jernigan brings an instant offense and can hit anywhere in the lineup from the four through the six hole. “Joel can hit the ball out of the park,” Jacobs said of his leftfielder. Unfortunately, he got hurt just 18 games into last season and couldn’t play again for us until the conference tournament. We hope he can stay healthy this season because he is a guy that can really help us with the bat.” Battling Jernigan for the left field spot will be J.C. Santana. Santana was fourth on the team last season in batting average at .315 and despite his size was still able to hit two home runs, including a game-winner, as well as drive in 17 RBI. When these two aren’t playing left field they will also be splitting time in the DH role. Like the pitching staff, the infield was also able to build depth during the off-season as this year’s diamond is full of fresh faces. Making a move back to third base after having converted over to short stop half way through last season is team captain Josh Banishak. “There really isn’t any position that this kid can’t play,” Jacobs said of his versatility. “He will play all over the infield for us this season and that will be such a blessing to have. He is a great team player who really knows the game and is very smart. He’s great to have on the field because he can tell everyone where they need to be and he is going to be very valuable to us this season.” Clogging up the middle will be the new duo of Eduardo Davila and Bryan Mosley, who will each play short stop and second base respectively. Davila, a transfer from Florida International University, will fill in the gap at short stop. “He is very athletic and quick and can really swing the bat as well,” Jacobs said. “It’s pretty exciting to have him along with Mosley playing in the middle of the field for us.” Mosley, a junior transfer from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, will roam the middle of the field at second base. “He is one of the best athletes on our team,” Jacobs commented on his new second baseman. “He hit ten home runs last season and so we are excited about his power obviously. LBW is a very big program with a winning tradition and so he knows how to win. Those are very good characteristics that will be very helpful to the rest of the team.” Over at first base, the Rams welcome Lance Howard, a transfer from across town at the University of South Alabama. Howard, who possesses great power, very well could challenge the single season home run record set by Josh Kenderick just two seasons ago. “He swings the bat a lot like Josh Kenderick (current UM single season home run record holder) and really hits the ball with some authority,” Jacobs said of his power. “He originally went to Faulkner State out of high school and then transferred to South Alabama. After he got there, he tore up his arm and had a lot of troubles after that. I tried to sign him right out of high school and again out of junior college but it just didn’t work out. Now we have him and we are really excited. He has a tremendous passion for the game and I think he will be a great leader for our team.” Finally, stepping in behind the plate and strapping the catcher’s mask on will be Grant Staniszewski, a junior transfer from Jefferson Community College in St. Louis, Missouri. “This guy is going to be our starting catcher.” Jacobs remarked. “He’s a 6-3 catcher with a cannon for an arm. He is going to be special.” As Jacobs mentioned previously, depth for this year’s team has been addressed and while the bullpen will certainly be full this season, so will the bench. “We have so many guys on the team this year that will be able to step in and play in a lot of different positions,” Jacobs commented of his depth. Highlighting that list is back up catchers Daniel Harper and Vincente Perez. “Harper will definitely get a chance to catch for us some this season,” Jacobs said. “He is going to do a good job for us. The one thing he needs to do is learn how to hit at this level. I believe he hit over 10 home runs in high school, however, he needs to make the adjustment from high school to college. As far as his catching skills go, he is ahead of the game. As for Vicente, he has a tremendous passion for the game and needs to go out there every day and battle. When he gets his chance, I’m sure he will do real well also.” With the ability of this team to play various positions, coming off the bench and challenging for playing time will no doubt be on the minds of utility infielders Nate Thomas, T.J. Stringer, and T.J. Esfeller. “We have so many guys that can come off the bench and play wherever we need them to play,” Jacobs said of his depth. “It’s a great weapon to have.” “Thomas is a transfer from TCU and was hurt this past fall but has looked good so far in the spring,” Jacobs said. “T.J. has a tremendous passion for the game and will out work most of our own players and will get more chances to play this season than he did last year.” Esfeller, along with Thomas, will challenge Banashak for playing time at third base. Backing up the outfielders and ready at a moments notice will be Josh Lett, a freshman from Phoenix, Ariz., and freshman Bobby Coniff. Coach Jacobs feels Coniff, who red-shirted last season, should progress more this season and even get a few chances to prove himself at the plate. Unable to obtain the feat in 2004, Coach Jacobs is just five wins away from capturing a very exclusive milestone - his 500th win. “Honestly, the 500th win is not a big deal,” Jacobs said of the future accomplishment. “Obviously, it will be great when it happens but there are other things in coaching that are more rewarding to me.” While he needs just five more wins, it won’t come easy. “Our non-conference schedule, if possible, is probably tougher than last season’s non-conference schedule,” Jacobs said of the 2005 schedule. “We have a tournament the first weekend where three Top 25 schools will be coming in to play, including the defending national champions, Cumberland University. Then, after we make it through all of that comes conference season. So obviously, it won’t be easy.” Head
Coach: Mike Jacobs (251) 442-2228 / majacobs19@hotmail.com |
