Fresno State Athletics
Veteran Pitching Core Looks to Lead Baseball
10/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 23, 2001
With four out of five starting pitchers returning from last year, Fresno State looks primed for another visit to NCAA tournament. Junior Bob Runyon and senior Zach Minor lead the core of pitchers that posted a combined 3.78 ERA last year, second best among conference teams. The last couple years seems like the Bulldogs have fallen short by one game time and again. Fresno State has finished in second place in the conference one game behind the leader, two years in a row. They have also been knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the regionals two years in a row. Last year the Bulldogs fell two wins shy of advancing to the super regionals. "This team understands what it's like not to get over the hump," says head coach Bennett. "They've been there before. Now it's time for their experience to take over."
Along with the aces on the mound, Fresno State will return a veteran core at the plate. Seniors Brad Harper and Tobey Riday-White look the lead the Bulldogs on the field and at the plate. White has the highest batting average among returning players with a .355 average.
"We are going to look to these guys for leadership but I also expect my underclass returning players to contribute and have great seasons," says Bennett.
Sophomore Casey McGehee and junior Ben Fritz lead the group of returnees that look to provide offense for the Bulldogs. Infielder McGehee is coming of a stellar rookie season in which he batted .324 with 50 RBI. Catcher Ben Fritz is coming off a great summer league season in which he led the Alaska Glacier Pilots to a National Baseball Congress World Series championship. Fritz was voted first-team summer league All-American by Baseball America.
Pitchers
The Bulldogs look to their core of aces to lead them in the 2002 season. Seniors Bob Runyon, Zach Minor and Francisco Nieves will anchor a staff that features returning pitchers Ben Fritz and sophomore Mike Hernandez. "Our pitching has a lot of depth," describes Bennett. "We have a very talented group that includes some lefties like Gutknecht and Hernandez that will give us options on how we pitch."
Runyon, Minor and Nieves all pitched over 100 innings last year. Runyon posted a 3.54 ERA with 10 wins and 93 strikeouts last season, best among returning starters. Sophomore Jason Gutknecht had a solid first year, allowing only six runs in 30.2 innings (1.76 ERA).
Minor started 17 of the 19 games he appeared in posting a 4.02 ERA while striking out 78 batters. Fritz led the squad in saves last year with seven as well as making five starts along with his 19 relief appearences.
The new faces that look to contribute consist of transfers and freshmen. Right-hand pitchers Sean Ruthven and Matt Scott are the freshmen that will battle for innings.
"Both are young but I like what they bring to the program," says Bennett. "Matt Scott has a good fastball and breaking pitch."
Senior Anthony Bernal and junior David Bair are the transfers that also will contribute immediately. "Bair throws in the upper 80's," says Bennett, "he looks to be a stopper for us."
Catchers
With Harper's solid 2001 season and Fritz's outstanding summer league season, there isn't enough innings to play these two. Brad Harper comes off a 2001 in which he batted .297 with eight home runs and 42 RBI. "Harper is a very good defensively and offensively," says Bennett, "so he's very valuable to this team."
Ben Fritz is coming off a summer in the Alaskan League that saw him capture a World Series title. He was named first-team summer league All-America and also the second best Major League prospect in the Alaska League.
"He is one of the top players in the nation," says Bennett. "He will probably do some pitching and catching and even some DH for us."
Among the new faces that will join the club at the catchers spot are freshman Brian Wong and Nathan Harelson. "Both of these guys are solid. We felt Wong was the best catcher in the Valley area so we are pleased to have him, and Harelson can throw the ball with velocity so he might do some pitching for us also," says Bennett.
Infield
This is the area where the Bulldogs have the biggest gap to fill. The departure of WAC Player of the Year Josh Labandeira and Brandon Gemoll will leave holes for the next group to fill in.
"It's always tough when you lose a set of players like Labandeira and Gemoll, but like any other year we have a very talented group of individuals who can step right in," says Bennett. The Bulldogs will look to a pair of sophomores to lead the attack in the infield. Casey McGehee and Chris Patrick look to be the next double play combination at shortstop and second base. McGehee is coming of an exceptional freshman year in which he had a .474 slugging percentage with 117 total bases.
At first base, freshman standout Kyle Atrat looks to make an immediate impact coming from Clovis High School. "Atrat is a very good first baseman," says Bennett. "We really like the way he hits."
Battling for the third base spot will be newcomers T.J. Boyd and freshman Jordan Prieto. Boyd is a transfer from Fresno City College.
Other infielders that will try to fit in the rotation are junior Scott Beshears and freshmen Brandon Esparza and Carl Lipsey. Esparza, who sat out last year as a redshirt, brings a lot of power to the plate along with his infielding skills. Beshears, who batted .295 last season, will battle for the second base spot.
Outfield
"The outfield depends a lot on your center fielder and we have a talented group of guys that will battle for that spot," says Bennett.
Juniors Joey Meyers and Brendan Suga are the top candidates for the centerfield spot. Suga, who is a transfer from Laney College, brings a lot of speed that is important out in the field. Senior Jared Walker and freshman Will Thomas also will battle for the center or left field spot. "Jared Walker showed signs of really being an outstanding player last season," says Bennett.
In right field the Bulldogs will feature senior Tobey Riday-White. The Berkeley, Calif., native batted .355 last season in 93 at-bats. In the month of May, Riday-White batted .391 and started all 18 games down the wire for the Bulldogs. Other outfielders that will battle for playing time are sophomore Christian Hallaian, senior Casey Creamer and freshman Justin Crisp.
Hitting
The Bulldogs will be led by a veteran group of hitters in Brad Harper and Casey McGehee. "McGehee really came on towards the end of last year so we think he'll have a productive season in 2002," says Bennett.
The other two players that will provide pop at the plate are Ben Fritz and Tobey Riday-White. "We would like to place Fritz in the RBI spot," explains Bennett. "He can really do some damage there."
The leadoff spot will feature a speedy core that will battle for an everyday spot. Chris Patrick and Scott Beshears are the leading two candidates. "Patrick and Beshears are experienced in the lead-off role. They both have done it before," says Bennett. The other two players that also are possible leadoff hitters are junior Joey Meyers and junior transfer Brendan Suga. "Both of these guys bring a lot of speed to plate so we'll see who can step up to fill the one and two spots," says Bennett.
