2009 Season Outlook
Jacket fans will likely need a game program in order to learn all the new faces that grace the team this season. For 2009, the Jackets welcome in 13 new faces including four freshmen and nine transfers breaking down to seven position players and six pitchers, highlighted by senior left hander Carlos Soto, junior right hander Hernan Ramos and senior catcher Ryan Coppi. Along with the incoming class the Jackets return six of nine position starters in 2009 and a seventh player, senior Matt Coulter, who started
33 games in 2008. Graceland also returns six of 10 letter-winning pitchers from a year ago, including senior E.R.A. leader from 2008, Kulraj Shergill.
That continuity, combined with a talented group of newcomers has Graceland primed for what could be one of its best seasons ever. A veteran ball club that is deep and talented, the 2009 Jackets have great expectations.
In order to meet expectations the 2009 Jackets must continue the maturation and development they showed late in the 2008 season which saw them win six of their last eight games. Head Coach Brady McKillip who enters his 9th season as Graceland's coach, has been very open with his 2009 team.
"I've told them they have the potential to be the best team Graceland has ever fielded," McKillip said. "But in order to do that, they must take the next step and perform over the entire season if they want to have a run at the post-season. That really puts things into perspective."
McKillip's comments reflect the accomplishments of Graceland's 2002 squad that finished third in the Heart of America Conference regular season and earned a regional birth for the first time in school history. That team and the 2009 Jackets have at least one thing in common: a ton of returning talent.
Graceland continues to be a veteran club in 2009 as seven of the nine projected starters are seniors. However, several underclassmen look to play key roles in the Jacket's success, including but not limited to junior pitchers Benjamin "Koa" Kaleo and Don Cox, sophomore pitchers Reggie Fuller and Garrett Grundman and junior infielders Jason Bourbonnais, Raymond Rivera, and Markus Miyashiro.
Armed with a solid core of veterans -- new and old alike, Graceland looks poised for strong season in 2009.
Infield
The 2009 Jackets will return three of their four starters on the infield from last season. Seniors Jared Whitten and Sam Felman return to man the corners while junior Edwin Encarnacion returns at the short stop position. The only change will be a battle at second base between newcomers Jason Bourbonnais and Raymond Rivera.
First Team All-Conference honoree, Felman (.388, 8 HR, 43 RBI in 2008) will return at first base and look to continue his dominance in the middle of the Jackets order. Felman led the team in Avg. (.388) hits (54), doubles (17), and RBI's (43) last season. Opposite Felman will be Honorable Mention All-Conference third baseman Jared Whitten (.276, 32 R, 4 HR, 20 RBI in 2008). Whitten played much of 2008 battling a right hand injury that limited his swing. He still managed to put up decent numbers and finish second on the team in stolen bases (16) and third in runs scored (32).
Edwin Encarnacion will be the third Jacket starter to return in 2009. The shortstop put up average numbers in his first season hitting .252 with 4 HR and 22 RBI's while only making 13 errors starting all 47 games.
The battle for second base loo
ks to be an intriguing one between junior college transfers Bourbonnais and Rivera. Both were among the team leaders in hitting during fall workouts. Rivera hit .395 with 4 triples in 43 plate appearances while Bourbonnais hit .341 in 44 plate appearances.
Also in the mix at second base is sophomore returner Sheldon Mow who started nine games at the end of last season along with freshman Jayson Hironaka.
Junior college transfer Markus Miyashiro a utility infielder with Shoreline Community College will have the opportunity to see time at all three infield positions. While at Shoreline, Markus hit .289 during his sophomore season while starting at short stop.
True freshman First Baseman/Outfielder Brian Cole gives the Jackets a viable security blanket in case of injury. Cole impressed with his offensive capability during the fall workouts.
Outfield
Graceland returns four outfielders with starting experience this season, two of whom were the Jackets regular starters at their respective positions in 2008. Angel Suarez and Sean Smith were First Team All-Conference selections in the outfield while left fielder Smith also garnered First Team All Region Honors in the outfield.
Suarez returns for his third year in center field coming off his best season offensively (.342, 41 R, 52 H, 9 D, 40-45 SB). The 40 SB landed Angel fifth in the nation in steals. Standing alongside him in left field, Smith (.351, 38 R, 54 H, 13 D, 4 T, 10 HR, 39 RBI's) was either first or second on the team in every major offensive category in 2008. The reigning First Team All Region left fielder will also continue to add stellar defense for the Jackets having made only 1 error in 47 games last season.
The other two outfield returners for the Jackets are seniors Matt Coulter and Brian Contreras. Coulter and Contreras split time in right field in 2008. Coulter (.280, 28 H, 16 RBI's) added quality defense to the Jackets outfield to go along with his ability to hit anywhere in the Jackets lineup. Contreras who was the Jackets starting Designated Hitter when he wasn't in right field hit .358, with 5 HR, 28 RBI's and 16 stolen bases. These numbers were good enough to garner him First Team All-Conference Honors at the DH position.
True freshman Jesse Paredes has been working hard under this group of seniors to learn how to play the game at the college level. Jesse will also have the opportunity to help the Jackets on the mound.
Catcher
The position at which Graceland returns the least experience is catcher, 2008 starter Henry Duke was a senior last season, and Zach Stuart made only seven starts as a sophomore. Now a junior, Stuart has a shot to win over the starting job.
What they lack in experience behind the plate, the Jackets make up for in depth. Division I transfer, Ryan Coppi joins sophomore NAIA transfer John Lane as those vying for the starting position.
Coppi hit .282 with 4 doubles and 20 RBI while at University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2008. He spent his sophomore year with Ellsworth Junior College. Lane appeared in four games last season collecting four walks in nine at-bats.
Pitcher
Graceland's returning pitchers started 22 of the Jackets' games in 2008. The Jackets also return half of their wins from a year ago.
Leading the way are senior right-handers Matt Beckenhauer and Luis Perales. Beckenhauer (3-2, 4.50 ERA, 44 IP in 2008) moved into the starting rotation as a sophomore and has not left. Along the way, he posted wins over Bacone College, Simpson College twice and Benedictine twice in the last two seasons.
Perales (3-2, 4.91 ERA) has posted 13 wins over his three year career and was an Honorable Mention All-HAAC selection during his freshman season.
The right handed Perales held Central Methodist to a pair of unearned runs on six hits in a complete game performance that was key in Graceland's holding on for a 3-2 victory. One week later, he earned the victory against 19th ranked Avila University going six innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits in helping the Jackets to win the weekend series.
Junior right-hander Don Cox served as Graceland's primary midweek starter in 2008. He made 4 starts on the season with one coming in conference play vs. Central Methodist.
Sophomore right-hander Garrett Grundman made a start early in the year before moving to the bullpen where he turned in three solid long relief outings in the season's final two weeks. He earned his first collegiate victory in a 4 2/3 inning outing against Mid-America allowing two runs on three hits and striking out two. Grundman could find himself back in the rotation if he can maintain the consistency he showed at the end of the year.
Along with these possible four returning starters the Jackets bolstered their staff by adding five quality arms that can throw anywhere they may be needed on the staff. Leading these five are right-hander Hernan Ramos and left hander Carlos Soto both from Ellsworth Junior College although Soto spent last season with Judson University of the NAIA. Along with these are junior college transfers Benjamin Kaleo and Reggie Fuller and freshman left-hander Jesse Paredes of Los Fresnos High School in Texas.
Soto was a workhorse for Judson last season going 4-3 in 53 2/3 innings and 14 appearances while ranking 5th in the NAIA in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.04) and 13th in the nation in lowest opponents' batting average (.197).
Kaleo comes to the Jackets program from Santa Barbara City College. While left-hander Reggie Fuller gets back on the hill after a two year break from Diablo Valley Junior College. While there he was a draft and follow in the 45th round in 2005 by the San Francisco Giants.
Graceland's bullpen will be anchored by the above mentioned and two seniors who were first and third in appearances respectively last season, seniors Anthony Carlo and Kulraj Shergill. Carlo (0-2, 7 S) led the team in appearances (12) and saves (7) a season ago will look to be at the back end of the staff once again as he has led in saves in each of the last two seasons.
The Jackets are plenty deep in middle relief with Shergill (1-0, 3.48 ERA in 2008) owning the most experience. Since 2006, Shergill has worked exclusively out of the bullpen. He earned one victory and was third on the team in appearances (10).
Also working hard to be part of the mix will be returning senior Eric Smith, who was quite impressive in almost all of his fall outings and junior Glenn Burley who is still mastering the art of throwing from down below.
One semester addition for the Jackets was right-hander Jesus Izarra. A freshman from Caracas, Venezuela, Izarra will give another aspect to the Jackets bullpen in 2009.
Schedule
Like all Heart of America teams, Graceland will have to adjust to a new conference schedule in 2009. That means 40 games played in 51 days and only being able to play 15 non-conference games to get ready
for such a grind.
Graceland will open on the road with a double-header against NCAA Division II Rockhurst University on February 6th. The Jackets will play their first 13 games on the road with a three game series with Bacone College, a double-header with pre-season NAIA #5 ranked Lubbock Christian, four games in Bartlesville, OK in a three team set with University of Sioux Falls and Oklahoma Wesleyan. Then they will play another nine inning game with Rockhurst and single nine with another NCAA DII team in Northwest Missouri State University.
The home opener on March 7th and 8th will be the Jackets first games in the newly remodeled and renamed Chase Stadium. The Jackets received a generous donation this past fall that allowed them to remodel the dugouts, fence, build a press box and put up a new 26' ten inning scoreboard. The facility, now one of the finest in the conference, will celebrate its first season in 2009.
Graceland will host 22 home games in 2009 while playing on the road for 33. The Jackets will take the field against two NAIA pre-season top 10 ranked teams in 2009 and play four games with NCAA II opponents. Graceland's schedule also consists of 23 games against teams that played in a regional in 2008 and 2 games against Bellevue University who finished seventh in last year's NAIA World Series.
The Jacket's will still have their weekend split series against conference foes Mid-America, William Jewell, Benedictine, Avila and Baker beginning the last weekend of March.
"We enjoy having a schedule that is this grueling," states McKillip. "If you don't play quality opponents early and often to test yourself, you are setting your team up for failure at the end of the season. By the time we make it to the post-season we will be ready for anyone that comes our way," concluded McKillip.
After bringing in a quality recruiting class, remodeling their stadium and working hard since day one the Jackets seem poised to accomplish their goal of contending for a Conference Championship and playing as far into May as they possibly can.
