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2001 Season Outlook Cedarville University continues to build the foundation of the baseball program under second-year head coach Greg Hughes. Ten players are back from the 2000 squad and, coupled with an influx of talent from 18 new players, the Yellow Jackets are primed to be even more competitive this spring. "We have definitely improved since last season," Hughes exclaimed. "We have better athletes and more depth on the infield which will help to shore up the defense. The offense should be noticeably better as well, but the pitching could be a question mark. I know we can be successful if the pitching comes through for us." Micah Hutchins and Tim Sastic are the lone seniors on the roster and enter their fourth seasons in the program. Hutchins ranked second last year with a .325 batting average while starting 38 of the 39 games he played. An All-NCCAA Midwest Region outfielder, he possesses excellent speed which was demonstrated by his team-high five triples to go along with 11 steals. Sastic had 38 starts in 40 games, yet struggled at the plate with a .219 average. An athlete who can pitch as well as see time on the infield or outfield, he hopes to return to the form of 1999 when he led the team with a .346 average.
Heading the list of juniors is two-time letter winner Bryan Mangin, who was named to the NCCAA All-Midwest Region Team as a catcher. He batted .323 with five home runs and a school-record 34 runs batted in. Mangin expects to see more action patrolling third base this spring. Scott VanDerAa, another junior, is the top returning pitcher for the Yellow Jackets. He worked a school-record 95 innings last spring which eclipsed the old mark by 18 innings. He was 6-10 with a 5.68 ERA and 52 strikeouts. VanDerAa leads a staff that is young on experience, but the group will need to mature quickly as the season progresses. Third baseman Chad Hofstetter, first baseman Drew Bennett, and catcher Ben Saturley all return for their third seasons in the program. Hofstetter batted .258 in 39 games, Bennett played in 34 games with a .984 fielding percentage, and Saturley toiled most of his 23 games behind the plate.
The only other junior is shortstop Craig Sullivan. He played in only three games last spring before a rotator cuff injury sent him to the sidelines for the season. Sophomore outfielders Matt Schroeder and Samuel Hutchins are the other returning players and both had excellent rookie seasons. Schroeder led the team with a .326 batting average, 12 doubles, and 17 stolen bases. Hutchins, Micah's younger brother, batted .271 with a team-high 30 runs scored. "Many of our newcomers will have to produce," said Hughes, who plans to use as many as five first-year players in the line-up. "We have more options than we had available last year so we're excited to see what we can do. We understand it's just another step in building a solid foundation in Cedarville University baseball." The American Mideast Conference schedule is expected to be as demanding as ever. AMC Tournament champion and NAIA World Series participant Shawnee State, defending AMC regular season champion Walsh as well as perennial NAIA powers Ohio Dominican and Point Park are all scheduled to visit Cedarville this spring. | ||||||||
