Here's my projection after watching the fall...


1B Davis
2B Braden Shewmake
SS Homan
3B Janca
C Coleman?

OF Pennington
OF Choruby
OF/DH Kopetsky
OF/DH Foster


Friday Hill
Saturday Martin
Sunday/Tuesday TBA (too many arms sitting out fall to know...in the mix - Kilkenny, Larkins, Doxakis, Kolek, Cole)

W said:

---

with that starting lineup...going to need a team ERA around 2.25 or 2.50.

Homan is the only proven .300 hitter.

(for reference last year's team ERA was 3.05)

---

Shewmake and Foster will be above .300 hitters...very impressive looking freshmen. Foster only played the last couple of weeks due to injury, but crushed the ball. He has the quickest bat on the team. Shewmake is a long, lanky infielder and an excellent all-around ball player and a guy that will hit in the top third of the lineup.

Fat Tony said:

---

Seems like the infield defense should be solid. Is that a fair assessment?

Will the strengths of this lineup be contact, speed, and defense?

---

This lineup will definitely be faster top-to-bottom than last year's group. Infield defense will be a little better up the middle, but I'm concerned at catcher. Hopefully, Coleman can mature and step-up in the spring but I came away feeling we still have question marks behind the plate.

The key for the hitting lineup will be seniors Walker Pennington and Joel Davis. Pennington looked pretty good hitting for power in the clean-up spot in scrimmages, but he went ice cold in the fall series. Joel Davis is another who hot and cold at the plate. If those two are swinging well, this is a very nice lineup because I really like Shewmake in the 2-3 hole and Foster in the 5-6 hole. It also appeared that Choruby was laying down bunts with more proficiency. If he can do that, he's a different asset at the plate.

Janca has gained a lot of good weight and he's a more dynamic hitter at the plate with more than the singles power he showed last season. He has the chance to be a solid hitter and I think he probably has the early inside track at 3B.

There are some question marks in the lineup, but there's plenty of potential w the impressive fish hitters. I'm more curious about the pitching. Hill is the only proven returning starter, and several candidates for the Saurday and Sunday starters spots were out this fall.

HoustonAg2106 said:

---

I'm really concerned about these young guys surviving the grind of going through the SEC. I think we're in for a long season of growing pains, but the future beyond that looks bright.

---

Young? Not really by baseball standards. 3 of your first four projected on the lineup will be seniors. There will likely be five seniors in the batting order...if the rotation from the fall holds: Choruby, Homan, Pennington, Davis, Kopetsky.