Fresno State Athletics
1999 Baseball Season Outlook
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
January 21, 1999
FRESNO, Calif. - The 1980's was a good decade for Bulldog baseball. The Diamond 'Dogs won eight championships in three different conferences, including the 1989 Big West Championship in the Bulldogs' first year in the conference. This season Fresno State baseball will look to end the 90's the same way it rang out the last decade - with a championship.
Leading the Bulldogs into the '99 season is head coach Bob Bennett who starts his 31st season at Fresno State. Bennett will have the Bulldogs poised to get back to the NCAA regionals after missing the 48-team field for the first time in 10 seasons.
This season will see the Bulldogs' bring a very balanced team to the field. Despite losing four strong pitchers, the Bulldogs once again will have one of the best staffs in the Western Athletic Conference, but this season they will have a stronger offense with key new players making a big impact on the Bulldogs' lineup.
"It's going to be an interesting season," Bennett said. "Last year we only had 9 or 10 guys that we could count on to play ever game. This season we have 12 or 13 guys who can play a bunch of different positions that will allow us to get the best match ups."
Here's a look at the student-athletes who will lead the Bulldogs towards the end of the decade and program's third WAC championship in six years.
PITCHERS
While the Bulldogs will miss the leadership of All-American pitcher Jeff Weaver, who led WAC with a 2.98 ERA, and the quality outings of U.S. national team pitcher Adam Pettyjohn, who was first in the WAC with 126.1 innings, pitching will still be the name of the game for the Bulldogs.
"I think pitching may be our darkhorse," Bennett said. "After losing four top guys like we did some might say we'd be dry in that area, but I think we'll be a lot better of than most people think we'll be."
Junior Casey Rowe takes over the reins as the top starter. Last season he posted a 5-4 record with a 4.87 ERA. In 92.1 innings of work, the right-hander struck out 97 batters and ranked 10th in the WAC with a 4.87 ERA. Rowe also ranked among the conference leaders in strikeouts (97), appearances (27) and opponent's batting average (.250).
Joining Rowe as one of the top returnees is Tom Graham. Graham was one of coach Bennett's top men out of the bullpen, making 22 appearances with one save and a 5.55 ERA.
Rounding out the trio of junior pitchers is left-hander Hans Smith. Smith saw action in 27games last year, tying him for second in the WAC for appearances, and came through with a 2-1 record.
"Those three will be our veterans and they'll be the ones to lead us, but our young guys will be strong as well," said Bennett.
Leading the crop of young pitches will be the duo of Zach Minor and Nick Moran. The freshmen tandem will see plenty of action this season with Minor being pegged as the Bulldogs' closer.
Bennett is excited about Minor's velocity as the right hander has been throwing in the 90's during the fall workouts, and Bennett said Moran has more experience than most pitchers going into their first season of collegiate baseball.
"Zach has a real strong arm, he'll be fun to watch," Bennett said "We'll also get a lot out of Nick Moran. He's been in tight spots before and knows how to work in critical situations."
CATCHERS
Handling some of the top pitchers in the WAC from behind the plate will be sophomore Anthony Simioli and junior Dan Duke. Last year Simioli started 35 of 39 games and was fifth on the team with a .287 batting average.
Bennet said Duke hit the ball extremely well and gave the Bulldog coaches a taste of what he is capable of. Bennett went on to say the Bulldogs' need Duke's bat in the lineup every day. Duke's athletic ability and his speed will allow him to move from behind the plate at times and let him roam the outfield of Beiden Field.
"Both of them will be back there battling," Bennett said. "They were good catchers last year, but they got a lot better once they got some experience under their belts. Duke is a good athlete and we need to get his bat in the lineup and Simioli has a great arm behind the plate.
INFIELD
The double play combination of second baseman Jeff Prieto and shortstop Jason Fanconi will be the heart of a strong Fresno State infield. Prieto, the grandson of coach Bennett, has been a regular fixture in the infield for the past two seasons. During the 1998 campaign he hit .277 with 21 RBIs. His sure hands helped him make 94 assists last season, second on the team, and helped the Bulldogs to a .960 field percentage, third in the WAC.
"We'll be strong up the middle with Prieto and Fanconi," Bennett said. "They played well last season and I expect them to be better this year."
On the other side of the infield, Fanconi was fourth on the Bulldogs' squad with a .302 average. As one of only two Bulldogs to start in all 62 games, Fanconi led Fresno State in at bats (255) and assists (176). He was honored by the WAC for his stats and his grades last season by being named Academic All-WAC.
As a true freshman, Nick Garcia was a utility infielder for the Bulldogs, but this season he will move over to third base to fill the space left by Craig da Luz who hit .355 last season with 42 RBIs.
Seeing a good portion of the time across the diamond from Garcia at first base will be freshman Brandon Gemoll. Bennett said Gemoll, a left-hander from San Jose, has a great bat and will give the Bulldogs' lineup a spark.
The Bulldogs got a big lift in the fall when junior Simon Tafoya was cleared to play after undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's disease. Tafoya's bat will be a more than welcome addition to the Bulldogs' line-up.
"The guys thought he'd be gone for at least a year, but when we heard he was coming back it lifted everyone's spirits," Bennett said. "It's great to have him back, he has a good presence and he's a great team player."
The multi-talented Tafoya who started 31 games at first base, but can play anywhere from pitcher to the outfield, cranked out a team-high 16 home runs last season. He also hit .289 with 47 RBIs and was second on the team with a .554 slugging percentage.
Bennett expects Tafoya's late-season power surge to spread to the rest of the team as the Bulldogs will surprise some players with their increased power.
"I think we may surprise some teams with the pop in our bats," Bennet said. "We might not hit a lot of home runs, but the pop in the bat will be there."
OUTFIELD
The depths of Beiden Field will be an area where the Bulldogs could get a big boost. Seeing most of the duties in the outfield will be Fresno State's top returning hitter, senior Joe Gerber, and two junior college transfers - Michael Bowlin and Anthony Acevedo.
"Gerber is going to be a good on-base guy for us," Bennet said. "He can put the ball in play and get things started."
Gerber had a strong campaign for the Bulldogs, hitting .337 and earning second team Academic All-American honors. His patience at the plate drew him a team-high 38 walks and helped him to a .449 on base percentage.
Making the transition from junior college will be Bowlin and Acevedo. Heading south to Fresno from San Jose City College, Bowlin hit .350 with 75 RBIs in his two seasons in San Jose. Acevedo traveled north up the valley from Bakersfield College. Last year Acevedo was the West State Conference MVP with a .443 average and earned All-American honors.
"Bowlin and Acevedo are going to be good players for us," said Bennett. "Bowlin has become a very good hitter and Acevedo has improved a lot during the off season."
Junior college transfer and Fresno native Jason Papi, and sophomore Tony Gunman who played in 14 games last season, will also be looking for playing time in outfield grass of Beiden.
SCHEDULE
The road back to the NCAA regionals will not be an easy one. The Bulldogs' schedule features three teams ranked in the preseason Collegiate Baseball poll. Fresno State's first challenge will come in the first weekend of the season when the Bulldogs travel to Stanford, ranked 8th by Collegiate Baseball.
In the month of February the Bulldogs will take on two ranked opponents in their home ball park. First the Diamond 'Dogs travel to Cal State Fullerton for a three-game season Feb. 12-14, then they travel to Houston to take on No. 4 Rice during the last weekend of the month.
"I think we'll be stronger this year in the beginning of the season," Bennett said. "They're already playing very proficiently and that will help us get off to a good start. It's important to have a good non-conference schedule, it makes you a stronger team at the end of the season."
The tough road Fresno State faces early on will pay off as they Bulldogs come down the home stretch. After battling tough teams such Stanford, Rice and San Diego State on the road, the Bulldogs will return to Beiden Field to host the 1999 Western Athletic Conference Tournament, May 19-22.
