Miami Roster
1 — Jake Romano, 5-9, 160, Fr., OF, Algonquin, Ill.
2 — Scott Slappey, 5-11, 170, So., IF, Alpharetta, Ga.
3 — Ryan Elble, 6-0, 170, So., IF, East Grand Rapids, Mich.
4 — Tyler Perkowitz, 5-10, 160, Fr., IF, Arlington Heights, Ill.
5 — Nate Bowles, 5-11, 175, Sr., C, Dayton
6 — Alex Johnson, 6-2, 190, Sr., OF, South Euclid
7 — Dan Walsh, 6-2, 180, Jr., IF, Downers Grove, Ill.
8 — Wynston McMartin, 5-11, 175, Fr., RHP, New Albany
11 — Cory Klenke, 6-1, 205, Sr., RHP-IF, Coldwater
13 — Brandon Adkins, 6-1, 200, Sr., RHP, Ona, W.Va.
14 — Charles Zubrod, 6-0, 195, Jr., RHP, Winnetka, Ill.
16 — Matt Honchel, 6-1, 180, So., OF, Harrodsburg, Ky.
17 — Shane Kriss, 6-3, 220, Fr., LHP, New Albany
18 — Reed Schlesner, 6-0, 180, Fr., IF, Loveland
19 — Alex Brown, 6-1, 225, Jr., LHP, Riverside, Ill.
20 — Brooks Fiala, 6-2, 190, Sr., RHP, Carmel, Ind.
21 — Max Andresen, 6-2, 200, So., C, Granger, Ind.
22 — Charlie Suich, 5-10, 200, Jr., RHP, Powell
23 — Adam Yacek, 6-1, 180, Fr., IF, Austin, Texas
24 — Matt Packer, 5-11, 175, Jr., IF, Bakersfield, Calif.
25 — Brian Thene, 6-2, 170, So., LHP, San Diego, Calif.
26 — Clay Cinnamon, 6-1, 150, So., RHP, Salvisa, Ky.
27 — John Crummy, 6-1, 205, Jr., C, Butler, Pa.
28 — Julian Flanary, 6-0, 165, Fr., OF, Indianapolis, Ind.
29 — Mac Thoreson, 6-3, 200, Sr., RHP, Knoxville, Tenn.
30 — Kevin Bower, 6-4, 215, Sr., IF, Indianapolis, Ind.
31 — Marcus Makuch, 5-10, 200, Jr., OF, Baltimore, Ohio
32 — Seth Varner, 6-3, 225, Jr., LHP, Batavia
33 — Ryan Marske, 6-5, 190, Fr., LHP, LaGrange, Ill.
34 — Brian Ghiselli, 6-3, 190, Fr., RHP, West Lafayette, Ind.
35 — Nathan Williams, 6-3, 200, So., RHP, San Diego, Calif.
36 — Chad Sedio, 6-2, 185, Fr., OF, Medina
37 — Ryan Powers, 6-5, 210, So., RHP, LaGrange, Ill.
39 — Tommy Ricciardi, 6-1, 205, So., C, Arlington Heights, Ill.
40 — Kendall Johnson, 6-5, 200, So., IF, Columbus
It’s baseball time in Oxford, or at least in South Carolina.
Miami University kicks off its season Friday in Greenville, S.C., facing Northwestern at the First Pitch Invitational. The game marks the start of Dan Simonds’ eighth year at the MU helm.
The RedHawks were 30-29 last season, finishing third in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
“We have high expectations,” Simonds said. “We want to get back to where we need to be and being a championship-caliber team. Our seniors have been really, really hungry for this.”
Miami was picked second in the preseason East poll behind Kent State, a College World Series squad in 2012, and Simonds believes a deep pitching staff will help his crew compete for the MAC’s regular-season and tournament titles.
“There’s other good teams in this conference, but they’re certainly the team right now,” Simonds said of the Golden Flashes. “We went to the championship game two years ago. Last year we were a game away from the championship game, but the bottom line is that we have faltered a little bit when we got to the third or fourth game — we run a little thin pitching-wise.
“Hopefully with our recruiting and what we’ve done, we’ve lined ourselves up a lot better for the tournament. As far as (NCAA) at-large bids, we’re a one-bid league. You win the MAC tournament and you get it.”
MU lost its ace (Shawn Marquardt) and its closer (Matt Rosinski) from last year, but returns everybody else on the mound.
Senior right-handers Brooks Fiala (2-7, 6.82 ERA) and Mac Thoreson (7-3, 4.77) combined for 157.1 innings last spring and are expected to be weekend starters in 2013. Sophomore righties Nathan Williams (0-3, 1.88) and Ryan Powers (0-1, 6.75) are contenders for the No. 3 starting position.
Williams, a Baltimore Orioles draft pick out of high school, has been plagued with injuries. But he’s 100 percent now and has loads of potential.
“He’s a guy that’s going to sit 88 to 90,” Simonds said. “He has a Double-A curveball right now, but he’s got to command it a little better.”
Sophomore southpaw Brian Thene (2-0, 2.19), junior lefty Seth Varner (0-1, 19.50) and junior righty Charles Zubrod (4-4, 4.04) are in the starting mix as well. Simonds said he may use a closer-by-committee approach with four right-handers: senior sidearmer Brandon Adkins (3-1, 4.64), junior Charlie Suich, senior Cory Klenke and freshman Wynston McMartin.
“It’s not power in the sense of we’re running guys out there that are 90 to 95,” said Simonds, who was asked to describe his staff and noted that Fiala and Powers are the hardest throwers. “I think it’s more that guys have really made a jump in terms of knowing how to pitch, how to set up hitters and commanding the zone.”
Returning to the starting lineup this year are senior first baseman Kevin Bower (.352, 3 HRs, 52 RBIs), sophomore left fielder Matt Honchel (.395, 26 RBIs, 10 steals), junior catcher-designated hitter John Crummy (.305, 28 RBIs), junior third baseman Dan Walsh (.276, 17 RBIs), sophomore shortstop Scott Slappey (.259, 2o RBIs) and senior catcher-DH Nate Bowles (.300, 13 RBIs).
Simonds is excited about the return of senior center fielder Alex Johnson, who hit .368 in 10 games last season before suffering a wrist injury. He started at Cleveland State, but transferred to Miami after CSU dropped its program.
“He’s going to be a middle-of-the-lineup guy,” Simonds said. “He’s a leader and a very, very good center fielder. To have him back in the mix and to have that leadership is going to be a huge, huge plus.”
Sophomore Ryan Elble and junior Matt Packer, a junior college player from California, are battling for the job at second base. The primary contenders in right field are freshman Chad Sedio — “A five-tool guy that’s got the best throwing arm in the outfield,” Simonds said — and junior Marcus Makuch.
Simonds feels he has a strong catching trio in Crummy, Bowles and sophomore Max Andresen. Look for Andresen and Bowles to do the bulk of the catching, with Crummy seeing considerable time in the designated-hitter position.
“Offensively, we’ve got a pretty good combination of speed and power,” Simonds said. “Speed is probably going to be a little more of our style of play, taking extra bases, stealing bases, putting some pressure on other teams.”
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