*Photo from 247 Sports*
Since we remain in the midst of the MLB lockout, and there is no sign there will be a conclusion soon, I put up a poll on the Strikeout Central twitter page, asking the followers if they would like to see college baseball game recaps if there is a delay to the MLB season. The majority said yes, so I figured that if there would be college baseball game recaps, I should do some season previews.
This is the 3rd of 5 season previews for the power 5 conferences, and it's time to cover the Big 10. So, let's take a look at how this conference shakes up.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Huskers had a pretty good season in both conference and non conference play, but they did lose some important pieces to the MLB Draft. One of the players looking to fill the void is catcher Griffin Everitt finished 4th on last year's team in batting average, looking to build off that this year. Reliever Jake Bunz will lead what looks to be a good bullpen. This team has a pretty good chance here.
Maryland Terrapins
Last year's big 10 runner up is looking to build off a strong season. Matthew Shaw and Maxwell Costes man the infield, and were the two best Terps hitters last season. It's good news, they're back, as they both hit over .300 and combined for 12 home runs last season. This offense has potential to put up runs at will, a scary thought for the conference.
Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers once again have hope after a strong 2021 campaign. Losing Cole Barr and Grant Richardson to the draft will hurt, but they do have the talent to replace them. Paul Toetz and Morgan Colopy, who both finished in the top 5 of the team in batting average last season, look to take the reigns in the lineup, and Drew Ashley is back for his senior year. The rotation is a little iffy, but with the bullpen and hitting game Indiana has, they'll be a competitive bunch.
Northwestern Wildcats
Despite the good offense that Northwestern had, they had a season to forget in 2021. The 66 home runs they hit last season figures to carry over in some capacity, but they need to do a better job in hitting for contact with runners in scoring position. Anthony Calarco will be a big contributor to the offense, while Mike Doherty will figure to be the staff ace. The Wildcats will be looking to make some progress this season.
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions will be looking to build off of a 9th place Big 10 finish, hoping to make some improvements across the board. The pitching staff is dealing with significant turnover and looks to be pretty young this season, as 6 pitchers graduated since last season, including 3 MLB draft picks. Those holes need to be filled quickly, and the offense will likely need to have a strong year for Penn State to have any semblance of success.
The rest of the conference
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Michigan Wolverines
- Michigan State Spartans
- Minnesota Gophers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Comments
Post a Comment