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Bill Storrs
Baseball Coach • 708/709-7846

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2007 Baseball Season Preview



Only five returning players occupy slots on Prairie State College’s 21-man baseball roster for the 2007 season, so it’s understandable that second-year head coach Jeff Zurawicz isn’t offering any predictions on the number of wins he expects his team to produce this spring.  But one thing Zurawicz is certain of is that his team will be competitive as a result of his players’ attitudes and work ethics.
 
“As far as predictions on how we’ll do, I really don’t know because were extremely young,” said Zurawicz, who saw his team finish 14-28 in his inaugural season.  “But we have a good group of players who have been working extremely hard.  There’s a lot of camaraderie and everyone seems to get along real well.  Everybody wants to help each other out and do whatever they can for the team.  If we can maintain this throughout the season, we’ll be fine and we’ll have a chance to win every time we take the field.”
 
Providing the sophomore leadership will be outfielders Ryan Senko and Josh Braschler, pitcher/first baseman Dan Cloutier, pitcher/infielder Mike Lundstrom and catcher/infielder Tim Wachel.  Senko and Wachel were voted by their teammates as captains. 
 
“We’re looking for big years from our sophomores.  They have a year’s worth of experience, so they know what to expect.  We need them to help set the tone for the season and lead by example,” Zurawicz said.  “With a young team, I know we’re going to go through some growing pains, and that’s why it’s so important for our sophomores to step up.”
 
Zurawicz also knows that playing fundamentally sound is critical in order for his team to win.
 “We have to play fundamental baseball and small ball in order to score runs.  We probably won’t hit 15 home runs for the season, so we’re going to have to execute, run the bases well and play smart. 

“We’re going to have to manufacture runs.  We don’t have a lot of pop in the middle of the lineup, so we’re going to have to steal a bag here or there, bunt a guy over, get a flyball when we need it and take advantage of other teams’ mistakes.  We also have to make plays in the field and
limit our number of errors.” 
 

Pitchers


Lundstrom is the lone player on the staff with collegiate pitching experience as he was utilized on the mound in 17 innings in 2006.  But Zurawicz is optimistic that his newcomers will do well this year based on what he witnessed in the fall and winter months.
 
“Our top guys are really solid.  They can do a good job, and they have the ability to shut teams down,” Zurawicz said.  “We could use a little more depth, but overall I like the makeup of our staff.”
 
The top two in the rotation look to be team captain Al Landini and Chris Hendron, who, according to Zurawicz, will both be “contributing heavily to the pitching staff.”
 
Also making a run for the starting rotation are Lundstrom, Richard Carter, Freddie Luster and Mike MacDonald. 
 
Cloutier, who played first base in 2006 and is a three-sport athlete at Prairie State (also plays soccer and basketball), Peter Gladstone, Sammy Lebron, Nick Fuentes, Chris Leppellere and Nate Spencer will see the majority of their time coming out of the bullpen.
 

Catchers


The area with the least amount of experience for the Pioneers is the catcher position, where Wachel, an infielder in 2006, and Leppellere are expected to share duties.
 
“Catching is the one position where we don’t have a lot of depth,” Zurawicz stated.  “But Tim and Chris can do the job.  They work hard, don’t complain and give 100 percent when they’re out there.”
 

Infielders


Ten different players are expected to see time in the infield, including Kenny Segal and Cloutier at first base, team captain Kyle DeYoung at second base, Wachel at any of the four positions, Fuentes at second base or shortstop and Bobby Price at third base.
 
When they are not pitching, Landini and Hendron are capable of playing first base as well as being used as the designated hitter.  Landini also is a shortstop, while Lundstrom and James McKinney are a pair of middle infielders. 
 
“We have a lot of different players that we can stick in the infield,” Zurawicz said.  “We’re fortunate to have some versatile players who can play anywhere.  Once the season gets going, we’ll try different things and see what works out the best.”
 

Outfielders


Senko and Braschler bring experience to the outfield and will start the year in center field and right field, respectively.  Lebron is slated for left field.
 
Also vying for playing time are Spencer, Fuentes, Brian Horne and Vinny Paliga.
 
As is the case with the infield, the outfielders are also flexible when it comes to their position.
 
“We can play these guys anywhere in the outfield,” Zurawicz explained. “They’re good athletes who have good speed and strong arms.”
 
 
Zurawicz has established several goals for his team this year, including winning the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference title.
 
“Our main goal is to win the conference.  We definitely want to improve on our 1-13 (conference) record from last year,” Zurawicz declared. “We’d also like to host one of the sectional tournaments for the region playoffs.  Four of the 12 teams host a sectional, and we want to be one of them.
 
“We also want to finish above .500 and win over 20 games.  Last year we started out red hot and were 10-3, but we put too much pressure on ourselves, and the coaching staff started doing things differently than when we were winning.  All of the coaches learned from that.”
 
Zurawicz believes his current Pioneers have the potential to be the cornerstone for a solid future.
 
“We’re young, but we’re excited and we have some talent.  This team has the chance to do some pretty big things and surprise a lot of people.  This is definitely a season we can build upon.  There’s no reason why we can’t start to ascend to the top of the region.”