Thursday, February 2
Los Angeles, Calif.
6:00 PM
California Baptist University
at
Cal State Los Angeles
Lancers Look to Win Now and Later
2/1/2017 11:35:00 AM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A PacWest championship and run to the final game of the NCAA Division II West Regional – hosted on its home field – in 2016 has expectations as high as ever for California Baptist University.
If the Lancers are to replicate that success, it will have to be done with a largely new cast of characters after the departures of 15 letterwinners from 2016, including 12 regular contributors who either graduated or were drafted into Major League Baseball.
"We virtually gutted seven of nine position players, three of four starting pitchers and two of our top-three guys out of the bullpen," Coach Gary Adcock said. "While that's nerve wracking, it's ultimately exciting, there's some newness to it. We have a lot of new names and hopefully we'll have the same result."
CBU starts the year at Cal State Los Angeles Thursday at 6 p.m. and then opens at home against the Golden Eagles Friday at 6 p.m., with the finale set for Saturday at 2 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Preseason prognostications have CBU back to business as usual. The Lancers are ranked eighth and 14th in NCAA Division II by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Collegiate Baseball, respectively, and were selected as the favorite to win the West Region by the NCBWA and to repeat as PacWest champions in the conference's preseason poll.
CBU finished 2016 with a 42-13, 29-7 PacWest record to win their fifth conference title in seven years and third PacWest championship since 2012. CBU went on to earn the right to host the Division II West Regional, becoming the first program in school history to host an NCAA postseason tournament. The Lancers' two playoff losses were each by one run to eventual champion Cal Poly Pomona.
"We addressed last year and the disappointment of last year in our very first meeting and then I said, 'That's where it's going to end,'" Adcock said. "There are so many new guys, that wasn't their disappointment or their frustration. I wanted them to know we are about them. We'd love to put ourselves in that position again, but that's going to take so much work with the amount of substance we lost. We just need to put our nose down and go to work."
There's plenty of work to be done, as the team looks to balance the present with the future. CBU has two more seasons to compete for a Division II championship, but also wants to put itself in a good position when it's scheduled to begin its transition to the Western Athletic Conference and Division I in 2019.
"We are trying to navigate those waters of being a relevant, championship-driven Division II team but still make a smooth transition to Division I," Adcock said. "I think we've done that."
CBU's starting rotation is a brand new look, but is still the strength of the team, Adcock says. University of Nebraska transfer Garett King comes in as the team's No. 1, while sophomore Justin Montgomery slides into the No. 2 spot after primarily appearing out of the bullpen last year. True freshman Logan Rinehart jumps into the third slot, with redshirt freshman Andrew Bash pitching game four.
In the bullpen, the Lancers focused on increasing their depth and another D-I transfer – Andrew Bernstein of Cal Poly -- is set to take over closing duties. Brody Robinson, an All-PacWest reliever and last year's closer, moves into a setup role, along with last year's No. 4 starter Travis Booth.
The biggest sign of change may be in the infield for CBU, though, as Adcock expects to start four underclassmen most games. True freshmen Alfredo Rodriguez, Nick Plaia and John Glenn have secured everyday starting jobs at shortstop, second and first base base, respectively, while Bash will man third when he's not pitching. Sophomores Sheldon Borson and Luke Navigato figure to get their share of playing time at second base or designated hitter, while another sophomore, Kyle Oyama, is the team's utility infielder.
"When you write a lineup and you only have two starters in it from the previous year and your whole pitching staff minus one starter is gone, you lose some fingernails," Adcock said. "We're optimistic but anxious to see what they look like, too."
To help ease the transition, the Lancers return 2016 All-West Region Tournament Team selections Ryan Williams and Bryce Macy, who will both take on bigger roles in the outfield and at catcher.
Williams should start every day in center field, while the two corner spots are subject to change with each pitcher. Brian Ruhm and Zack Norris give Adcock two left-handed hitting options in left or right field, while right-handed batters D.J. Porter, Michael Mora and Tyler Johnson, who could also play first base and designated hitter, will also be vying for time when a left-hander is on the mound.
"The outfield is tricky, it's a complete rotation; it could go left handed, it could go right handed," Adcock said. "The lineup is going to be kind of matchup driven to how we can score four or five runs a game, if we feel like that's going to win."
With all change from last season and some big changes up on the horizon, CBU will find itself in a balancing act this year, but it doesn't plan on letting that slow them down. The Lancers have qualified for the NCAA postseason all three years and look to extend that streak and build on their 2016 success.
"We're trying to navigate what's in the best interest for the program, with the potential D-I move and how we give ourselves the best chance of winning now," Adcock said. "You've got to plan for it otherwise you'll get caught off guard with it. We've got two years to compete at a high level at Division II and we don't want those to wash away as we wait for Division I."
If the Lancers are to replicate that success, it will have to be done with a largely new cast of characters after the departures of 15 letterwinners from 2016, including 12 regular contributors who either graduated or were drafted into Major League Baseball.
"We virtually gutted seven of nine position players, three of four starting pitchers and two of our top-three guys out of the bullpen," Coach Gary Adcock said. "While that's nerve wracking, it's ultimately exciting, there's some newness to it. We have a lot of new names and hopefully we'll have the same result."
CBU starts the year at Cal State Los Angeles Thursday at 6 p.m. and then opens at home against the Golden Eagles Friday at 6 p.m., with the finale set for Saturday at 2 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Preseason prognostications have CBU back to business as usual. The Lancers are ranked eighth and 14th in NCAA Division II by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Collegiate Baseball, respectively, and were selected as the favorite to win the West Region by the NCBWA and to repeat as PacWest champions in the conference's preseason poll.
CBU finished 2016 with a 42-13, 29-7 PacWest record to win their fifth conference title in seven years and third PacWest championship since 2012. CBU went on to earn the right to host the Division II West Regional, becoming the first program in school history to host an NCAA postseason tournament. The Lancers' two playoff losses were each by one run to eventual champion Cal Poly Pomona.
"We addressed last year and the disappointment of last year in our very first meeting and then I said, 'That's where it's going to end,'" Adcock said. "There are so many new guys, that wasn't their disappointment or their frustration. I wanted them to know we are about them. We'd love to put ourselves in that position again, but that's going to take so much work with the amount of substance we lost. We just need to put our nose down and go to work."
There's plenty of work to be done, as the team looks to balance the present with the future. CBU has two more seasons to compete for a Division II championship, but also wants to put itself in a good position when it's scheduled to begin its transition to the Western Athletic Conference and Division I in 2019.
"We are trying to navigate those waters of being a relevant, championship-driven Division II team but still make a smooth transition to Division I," Adcock said. "I think we've done that."
CBU's starting rotation is a brand new look, but is still the strength of the team, Adcock says. University of Nebraska transfer Garett King comes in as the team's No. 1, while sophomore Justin Montgomery slides into the No. 2 spot after primarily appearing out of the bullpen last year. True freshman Logan Rinehart jumps into the third slot, with redshirt freshman Andrew Bash pitching game four.
In the bullpen, the Lancers focused on increasing their depth and another D-I transfer – Andrew Bernstein of Cal Poly -- is set to take over closing duties. Brody Robinson, an All-PacWest reliever and last year's closer, moves into a setup role, along with last year's No. 4 starter Travis Booth.
The biggest sign of change may be in the infield for CBU, though, as Adcock expects to start four underclassmen most games. True freshmen Alfredo Rodriguez, Nick Plaia and John Glenn have secured everyday starting jobs at shortstop, second and first base base, respectively, while Bash will man third when he's not pitching. Sophomores Sheldon Borson and Luke Navigato figure to get their share of playing time at second base or designated hitter, while another sophomore, Kyle Oyama, is the team's utility infielder.
"When you write a lineup and you only have two starters in it from the previous year and your whole pitching staff minus one starter is gone, you lose some fingernails," Adcock said. "We're optimistic but anxious to see what they look like, too."
To help ease the transition, the Lancers return 2016 All-West Region Tournament Team selections Ryan Williams and Bryce Macy, who will both take on bigger roles in the outfield and at catcher.
Williams should start every day in center field, while the two corner spots are subject to change with each pitcher. Brian Ruhm and Zack Norris give Adcock two left-handed hitting options in left or right field, while right-handed batters D.J. Porter, Michael Mora and Tyler Johnson, who could also play first base and designated hitter, will also be vying for time when a left-hander is on the mound.
"The outfield is tricky, it's a complete rotation; it could go left handed, it could go right handed," Adcock said. "The lineup is going to be kind of matchup driven to how we can score four or five runs a game, if we feel like that's going to win."
With all change from last season and some big changes up on the horizon, CBU will find itself in a balancing act this year, but it doesn't plan on letting that slow them down. The Lancers have qualified for the NCAA postseason all three years and look to extend that streak and build on their 2016 success.
"We're trying to navigate what's in the best interest for the program, with the potential D-I move and how we give ourselves the best chance of winning now," Adcock said. "You've got to plan for it otherwise you'll get caught off guard with it. We've got two years to compete at a high level at Division II and we don't want those to wash away as we wait for Division I."
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