PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Opening Day is February 14th, as the brutal cold of winter is warmly interrupted by the wondrous sound of the baseball smacking into the catcher’s mitt. When the first pitch is thrown, the inaugural season of American Athletic Conference play will be underway, symbolizing a bright direction for the future of the sport in the newly branded conference.
The Teams (Listed in Order of the Preseason Coaches Poll)
Louisville Cardinals
Head Coach: Dan McDonnell
2013 Record: 51-14
The Cardinals are the preseason favorites, coming off an outstanding 2013 season in which they captured the program’s fourth regular season conference title in the past five seasons, and used a defeat of No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt to reach the College World Series for the second time in program history. The Cardinals return two big bats in the outfield, in American Preseason Player of the Year Jeff Gardner, who hit .337 with nine home runs and a .632 slugging percentage, and Cole Sturgeon, who hit .339 with 13 stolen bases. Louisville will look to replace their top two starters from last year with the accession of sophomores Kyle Funkhouser (5-1, 2.14 ERA in 2013) and Anthony Kidston (5-0, 1.31 ERA).
UCF Knights
Head Coach: Terry Rooney
2013 Record: 29-30
UCF will be a team with a lot of new faces and talent in 2014. The Knights bring in 24 new players on the 35-man roster, a mix of 12 freshman and 12 junior college transfers. Offensively UCF does bring back its leading power hitter in 1B James Vasquez, who belted eight home runs last seasonand will look for key contributions from Preseason All-American Athletic Conference DH Bret Gordon (.316).
UConn Huskies
Head Coach: Jim Penders
2013 Record: 35-28
The Huskies will look to return to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. UConn returns two weekend starters in Anthony Marzi and Jordan Tabakman. Offensively Bobby Melley, Vinny Sienna, and Tom Verdi will compose three fourths of the returning infield, with the exception being departed Second Team All-American L.J. Mazzilli.
Houston Cougars
Head Coach: Todd Whitting
2013 Record: 36-22
The Cougars join The American with a new turf field and after making an 18-game improvement from 2012 to 2013, buoyed by Conference USA Freshman of the Year Justin Montemayor (.329) and Newcomer of the Year Frankie Ratcliff (.300). Houston also sees Casey Grayson (.289 in 2012) and Jacob Lueneburg (.309 in 2012) return from season-ending injuries.
USF Bulls
Head Coach: Lelo Prado
2013 Record: 36-22
The Bulls will look to build on their momentum from the second half of 2013, where they closed the year 22-8 over the final 30 games. USF returns just one of its top five hitters, and will will look for Nik Alfonso, who hit .331 last season, to stabilize the middle infield. On the mound, the Bulls will look to Jimmy Herget (1.72 ERA in 2012), one of the Preseason Pitchers of the Year in the conference, and two key bullpen arms in Jordan Strettmatter (1.75 ERA) and Lawrence Pardo (2.27 ERA).
Memphis Tigers
Head Coach: Daron Schoenrock
2013 Record: 35-24
The Tigers’ strength will be their bats this season, led by junior 1B Tucker Tubbs (.327, 4 home runs, .425 slugging percentage) alongside junior C Carter White (.325). OF Jake Little will also look to build off his strong freshman campaign (.299, 4 home runs, .507 slugging percentage, 12 steals).
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Head Coach: Fred Hill (Interim Coach Joe Litterio)
2013 Record: 28-30
The Scarlet Knights will count on returning position players to offset losses in the rotation. Junior Vinny Zarrillo won the Big East batting title by hitting .407 during conference play, with Steve Zavala (.330) and Nick Favatella (.316) also having strong years at the plate. Rutgers’ task will be replacing its weekend starting rotation.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Head Coach: Ty Neal
2013 Record: 24-32
Cincinnati will be led by head coach Ty Neal, who enters his first year at the helm. Neal, a former Cincinnati assistant, returns to the Queen City after spending eight seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Indiana. He will look to revamp a squad that will be keyed by Preserason All-American Ian Happ (.322, six home runs) and senior Ian Glass (.322).
Temple Owls
Head Coach: Ryan Wheeler
2013 Record: 18-28
Temple enters the season with senior co-captain Matt Hockenberry keying the rotation, Ryan Keuhn (2.21 ERA) as the closer, and Derek Peterson (.314, 31 RBI) anchoring the outfield. The Owls will play conference games in Campbell’s Field, home of the Camden Riversharks.
Key Players
Nick Burdi, Louisville, RP – Louisville’s fireballing right hander will look to stake his claim as one of the top relievers in the nation after a 0.76 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 35.2 innings last season. Burdi is a projected first round selection in the 2014 MLB Draft and was a First Team All-American with 16 saves last season.
Ian Happ, Cincinnati, OF – Happ will be integral for a rebuilding Bearcats team. After a breakout debut season, he excelled over the summer in the Cape Cod League, and earned multiple preseason national accolades. He moves from second base to right field, and will be a key bat in the middle of the lineup. Happ and Burdi are both on the Preseason Watch List for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award.
Justin Montemayor, Houston, 3B – Montemayor had a stellar freshman campaign for the Cougars, leading them in average (.329), hits (73), runs scored (42) and home runs (3). His sophomore year will see him transition from first base to the hot corner as Houston looks to strengthen its overall infield.
Zac Favre, UCF, P – Favre was a Freshman All-American as a starting pitcher in 2013, appearing in a team-high 32 games and holding opposing hitters to a .186 batting average. His emergence will allow Coach Rooney to move last season’s closer Spencer Davis into the weekend rotation, installing Favre as the Knights’ primary closer.
Nonconference Games to Watch
Memphis at Mississippi State, February 19 – Memphis gets an early test, with its fourth game of the year coming in Starkville, Miss. against the 2013 national runner-up. MSU opens the season as high as No. 2 in the national polls, and boasts the largest campus facility for college baseball at Dudy Noble Field.
Houston College Classic (Feb. 28-March 2) – The Cougars will play three games in a Major League Baseball stadium this season. For the 14th consecutive season they will compete in the College Classic, which will be held at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
Louisville at Vanderbilt, May 6 – Last season, the Cardinals advanced to the College World Series by sweeping both games of a Super Regional in Nashville against the No. 2 Commodores. The rematch comes this year in early May, as Louisville heads back to Hawkins Field for a showdown against a preseason top-10 Vanderbilt squad.