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2012 Trinity Baseball Preview
The 19th-ranked Trinity Tigers baseball team opens its 2012 campaign by hosting Schreiner University in a three-game series Feb. 4-5.
Trinity, led by 14th-year head Coach Tim Scannell, returns nine starters from last season’s squad, which registered a 34-13 season. The Tigers won their seventh Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship (the sixth under Coach Scannell), and competed in their sixth NCAA Division III postseason tournament.
Nine seniors from the 2011 team graduated, including All-America catcher Kyle Felix, who smashed Trinity career records for home runs, RBI, and doubles.
But Coach Scannell, elected SCAC Coach of the Year for the sixth time, firmly believes his current crop of Tigers will get the job done this season.
“Our players will step up and rise to the occasion,” said Coach Scannell, Trinity’s winningest baseball coach (408-176, .699). “We did lose five starters from our offense, and two top pitchers. But, we have returned a number of impact players who will lead the lead the team to another successful season.”
The Tigers led the SCAC in nearly 20 team categories. Among the offensive highlight stats, Trinity was the leader in runs (408 total, No. 5 nationally), hits (514 total, No. 16 nationally), home runs (39 total, No. 10 nationally), and doubles (119 total, No. 2 nationally).
Trinity was second in SCAC batting average (.318), and ranked No. 56 on the national scale.
The pitching staff, led by Assistant Coach Dave Smith, a former Tiger standout, led the conference in strikeouts (350), and was second in earned run average (3.63, No. 45 nationally). At the NCAA level, Trinity was ranked 24th in strikeouts per nine innings (7.8 strikeouts).
The Tigers went undefeated in four games at the SCAC Tournament, held at Millington, Tenn. Trinity earned a trip to the NCAA West Regional, with a 9-1 victory over Hendrix in the SCAC final.
Redlands edged Trinity 3-2 in the opening game of the NCAA Regional, held at Abilene, Texas. The Tigers bounced back to defeat Concordia (Texas) 7-5, and then lost 9-6 to Linfield (Ore.) in the third match-up.
Once again stepping up to the plate will be senior outfielder/designated hitter Nick Pappas (Los Angeles/Loyola), elected to the American Baseball Coaches Association West Region Team, and the All-SCAC Team. Pappas, a Capitol One Academic District VI Team member, batted .351, cracked eight home runs, 50 RBI, 12 doubles, and scored 46 runs.
Back for a second season is sophomore shortstop Christian Muscarello (Tucson, Ariz./Catalina Foothills), named to the ABCA All-region Team. Muscarello, the SCAC Newcomer of the Year, hit .333, smacked 29 RBI, 20 doubles (No. 12 nationally), and scored 43 runs.
Junior infielder Jonathan Hall (Kenilworth, Ill./New Trier), had a .282 batting average, hit two home runs, 26 RBI, and scored 47 runs. Senior infielder/outfielder Dominick Robusto (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) went .281 at the dish, walloped 31 RBI, 12 doubles, and scored 26 runs. Junior infielder Kevin Clements (Pacific Grove, Calif./Pacific Grove) batted .304, accounted for 12 RBI, and crossed the plate 17 times. Junior infielder/outfielder Will Donnan (Houston/Memorial) hit .295, made 16 RBI, and scored 11 runs.
The mound staff will be paced by senior right-hander Ben Klimesh (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier), selected for the All-Region Team, and named the SCAC Co-Pitcher of the Year. Klimesh led the team with 103 strikeouts, good for a No. 5 national ranking. He sported a 10-2 record and a 3.42 ERA, over 81.2 innings.
Junior left-hander Ryan Lucero (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) registered a 6-1 won-loss record, and a 3.03 ERA. Lucero struck out 37 batters along the way, in 59.1 innings of work. Junior right-hander Michael Bentz (Houston/Memorial) was effective in a relief role, with a 4-3 record. Bentz, with a 4.66 ERA, fanned 28 opponents in 38.2 innings.
A number of newcomers will definitely see some playing time during the 2012 season.
Sophomore outfielder Pat Hirschberg (Parker, Colo./Chaparral) transferred from Nebraska, where he red-shirted last season. In high school, Hirschberg was named All-Colorado First Team as a senior, hitting .446, with eight homers and 29 RBI, in just 19 contests. He was also selected to play in the Colorado Rockies Top-50 All-Star Game at Denver’s Coors Field.
First-year right-handed pitcher Zach Speer (Bellaire, Texas/Episcopal High School), was named to the All-Southwest Preparatory Team. Nick Griffith (Ventura, Calif./Ventura High School), a right-handed pitcher/outfielder, had a .97 ERA on the mound, and batted .378.
Infielder/outfielder George Geiger (Washington, D.C./Woodrow Wilson Senior High School) played on a team which captured 19 consecutive Washington baseball titles. Andres Leyva (Los Angeles/Crossroads), an infielder, was elected to the All-League First Team.
Tiger Assistant Coach Zach Fregosi is looking forward to seeing the mix of veterans and newcomers take the field.
“We return a majority of the infield,” said Fregosi, who distinguished himself as a Tiger player. “There are also some exciting newcomers. A number of players emerged in the fall as front-runners for starting spots.”
The Tigers will host games on 19 playing dates at the Trinity University Baseball Field, including the opening-series with Schreiner. Centenary, a former Division I member, and new to the SCAC, comes to town Feb. 14-15. Trinity and Hendrix will have a rematch of their SCAC final Feb. 18-19.
The 2011 NCAA runner-up team, Chapman, ranked No. 2 in the nation, will visit Trinity March 2-4. Southwestern comes in for a conference series March 10-11, as does the University of Dallas on March 24-25.
Texas Lutheran plays at Trinity April 10, continuing a longtime rivalry. The Tigers wrap up their regular-season home schedule April 21-22, with three games against SCAC opponent Austin College.
The SCAC Tournament is once again slated for Millington, Tenn., from April 26-29. The winner moves on to the NCAA Regional, and the NCAA Championships are slated for May 25-29 at Appleton, Wis.
