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Big-hitting
Neuman bolsters young lineup
In
a lineup featuring a great deal of youth and talent, Chris
Neuman could decide the fate of the Frogs’ offense.
By
Brent Yarina
Sports
Editor
When
head coach Jim Schlossnagle goes to pencil in his lineup
card this spring, he will find few names to choose from
with any collegiate baseball experience.
Gone are the Frogs’ top six statistical hitters from
last season’s club, who combined to hit for a .346
average. In their absence, Schlossnagle will be forced
to make many decisions when writing out his lineup card
before every game this spring.
One decision the first year Frogs’ head coach says
he never expects to make, however, is where to bat senior
first baseman and designated hitter Chris Neuman.
“Oh, of course, Chris is a middle of the lineup guy
with all his power,” Schlossnagle said.
“He will hit somewhere in the middle (of the lineup)
for us. He’ll see most of his time at three and four.”
Neuman, the Frogs’ top returning hitter from last
season at .293, said he does not know where he will find
his name on the lineup card, despite leading the team
with 16 home runs last season.
“I don’t know where I will be in the lineup,”
Neuman said. “That is coach’s decision, not
mine. I’m just going to try the best I can to drive
in runs wherever he puts me.”
Neuman said he is most comfortable hitting in the middle
of the order, though, and that he expects to find his
name right there for the 2004 season opener.
“I like the middle so I can get a hit in the first
inning and carry that momentum for a while,” he said.
Senior pitcher and first baseman Ryan Weems said Neuman’s
bat is a valuable commodity to the middle of the Frogs’
batting order.
“He brings a lot to this lineup,” Weems said.
“He has the ability to go the other way when he is
down in the count. And when the pitcher makes a mistake,
he can hit the ball out of here at any given moment.”
Neuman said the team may experience some offensive struggles
early this season and that he needs to work hard on becoming
a more complete hitter, while the young lineup gets accustomed
to playing with one another.
“I’m just going to have to wait for my pitch
better this year,” Neuman said. “If they try
to throw me away, I’m just going to have to learn
how to hit the ball away. I have to take those pitches,
that they will try to get me out on, to the opposite side.”
New faces in the lineup is not the only significant obstacle
Neuman will have to adjust to this season. He will also
have to prove he can come back from an injury.
“This offseason, I actually broke my thumb in the
fall so I haven’t been doing too much,” Neuman
said. “Since then, I have just been hitting in the
cage every day out here and lifting weights.”
As long as some of the new starters shine in their expanded
roles, Schlossnagle said there is nothing that should
prevent Neuman from having another big year.
“He’s the only significantly experienced returner
that we have on our team,” Schlossnagle said. “He
brings a ton of power to this lineup. We’re going
to need to surround him with a bunch of guys that can
protect him a little bit in the lineup, so he can put
up (last year’s) numbers. I expect the scouting report
for our opponents all year long to be don’t let Neuman
beat us.”
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Ty
Halasz/Staff Photographer
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| Senior
Chris Neuman may be the Frogs’ top hitter this
season, coming off of a team-leading 16-home run
season last year. |
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