Throughout the season, we'll present a weekly wrap-up of some of the biggest stories in University of Evansville Baseball. Today, with the season just over a week away, we're going to catch up with some of the top storylines in preseason practice.

 

LEADING OFF: The renovated armory is a game-changer

The old National Guard armory adjacent to Charles H. Braun Stadium may not be brand new, but it certainly feels that way for UE head coach Wes Carroll after extensive renovations have turned the 79-year-old building into the Maikranz Family Indoor Facility.

"It's great to have a functional space indoors, especially with the weather jumping up and down over the past month," Carroll explained. "For us to be able to go inside and utilize the facility is so crucial to our success for a Division I program. We're very fortunate to have this space at our disposal."

The facility, which includes the Ron Smith Baseball Center and the Brett "Boomer" Synek Hitting Zone, features a 100x120-foot ProGrass turf surface with towering nets surrounding the field. It also includes all-new baseball training equipment as well as pitching mounds, and later this spring, it will include updated LED lighting throughout.

"We now have the ability to hit in every direction, and that will allow us to get more drills going at the same time," Carroll said. "In years past, we haven't been able to get the kind of hacks that we needed. Now, with everything more secure, we can work on different parts of our offensive game. Just as importantly, our pitchers now have the space to do everything that they need to do as a part of their seven-day program. This facility has been a great upgrade for the overall athletics department, especially for our baseball program."

Also included in the renovations is a $60,000 golf simulator in addition to a new state-of-the-art putting and chipping surface. New equipment for softball and soccer was purchased as well. The initial cost of the renovation was projected at $100,000, but thanks in large part to the overwhelming support for the project among donors, UE has been able to continue modernizing the facility.

 

ON DECK: UE will be as prepared as ever heading into the season.

While the new indoor facility has certainly played a role, the Aces have been able to take advantage of milder weather conditions in January and February to prepare for the upcoming season. Carroll and his staff have been able to stage a number of practices this preseason at Charles H. Braun Stadium, a welcome change from a year ago.

"I felt like we weren't able to have a batting practice outside until opening weekend last year," Carroll revealed. "It's so crucial for the psyche and mentality of our guys to get outside. They can be evaluated better by us, and it also helps with players beginning to understand the kind of spacing they will need on the field when the season starts. When we open up at Central Arkansas, it's not going to feel like a foreign sport during batting practice. It will feel more common."

"We also have 16 newcomers this season," he continued. "The more we're able to get outside, the more quicker they can catch up to the way that we play baseball."

 

IN THE HOLE: The Aces will be led by their pitching staff.

While UE boasted of some of the best bats in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, this year, Carroll will be looking to an incredibly experienced staff on the mound, led by the starting duo of seniors Connor Strain and Patrick Schnieders.

Strain, who saw his 2016 campaign cut short by an injury, posted a 3-1 record with an impressive 0.68 earned run average. The Shelburn, Ind., product did not allow a run over the final 23.2 innings that he was on the mound. Meanwhile, Schnieders led the Aces with 83 innings of work, going 4-6 with a 4.23 ERA.

"We're going to be looking at Strain and Schnieders on Friday and Saturday," Carroll said. "We'll have Justin Hayden on Sunday and both Austin Allinger and Alex Weigand will be building up their pitch counts. It should make for an exciting opening weekend because we feel like we have some horses that can go out there and compete. These are guys who will wear that 'Evansville' across their chest, and it will mean something to them. When you have that kind of experience on the mound, it's the key to a successful season."

Allinger and Weigand each saw 68 innings on the mound last year, and joining them among the returners are Brandon Gomer, Blake Swanger and relief ace Ryan Brady. UE's returners combined to toss 73% of the team's innings in 2016.

"We have so many quality innings from last year coming back," Carroll said. "You look at a guy like Ryan Brady at the back end of our bullpen. He picked up a significant amount of confidence last year, and that's partly because he had a great mentor in Brent Jurceka showing him the way to go about your business as a legit shutdown bullpen guy. He's going to have a lot of influence in our bullpen this year, bringing overall leadership to the staff and teaching some of the younger guys the way to go about handling a Division I schedule."

"I think that we can match up to every part of an opposing team's line-up," Carroll added. "We have guys that we can rely upon. With the depth that we have on this staff, which might be the most depth we've ever had, we're going to be able to put these guys in a position to be successful. That's the overall key to anyone's successful staff, to have the ability to put pitchers in the right match-ups and situations where they don't have to do too much or more than they're capable of doing. That's something that I'm very excited about heading into the season."

 

CLEANING UP: The heart of the infield is key.

With so many new faces on the team this year, fans can be certain that they'll see two familiar ones at second base and shortstop in Trey Hair and Stewart Nelson. The duo started 47 games together a year ago, and heading into 2017, the pair will likely be two of the first names on Carroll's everyday line-up card.

Much is known about Hair, who has already earned preseason All-America and all-conference honors. The senior out of Firth, Neb., was a primary engine to the Aces offense last season, hitting .340 with 32 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, as well as team best totals in runs scored (40) and runs batted in (42).

Nelson, on the other hand, will be looking to improve his .230 average from 2016. Lost in that number, however, is the ability for the LaGrange, Ill., native to get on base. Among the returners this season, his 18 walks last year were only bettered by the totals of Hair and Korbin Williams.

"We've seen a great preseason from Stewart, and he's going to be a big key to our success offensively," Carroll said. "He'll be hitting in front of Trey. We need high on-base percentage guys there because I think Trey is a guy that can put up 60+ RBIs in a season, but he has to get those opportunities. Getting people on base for Trey will be a big key to our offense, and Stewart's shown great plate discipline so far."

"I think Trey is definitely going to be an all-conference type of player again," Carroll continued. "He's extremely confident at the plate, and he's a veteran guy that has played at multiple schools. He's been there, done that. The game has slowed down for him, and that's usually a great recipe for success. I'm really excited to see how his season unfolds."

Defensively, the duo should be stout, which will be welcome with a freshman in Conner Hasecuster at third base and newcomers Dalton Horstmeier, Jimmy Day and Andrew Tanous each expected to see time at first base.

 

FINAL OUT: The road ahead is challenging.

The first seven games of the 2017 season represent one of the toughest stretches of the year for the Aces, but Carroll is approaching the road swing as an opportunity to expose his team to some of the best in the country in order to prepare for the rigors of a tough Valley season.

"We're going to be throwing guys right into the fire, on defense, offense and the mound," Carroll said. "Hopefully it will pay off for us and help us get some of those early jitters out of the way. We always try and put together the most competitive schedule that we can, and I certainly feel like we've done that this season."

The campaign will begin on Feb. 17 with a trip to perennial Southland contender Central Arkansas, which is coming off a 29-27 campaign from a year ago. Following a three-game set with the Bears, the Aces will take on sixth-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 22 before playing another three-game series at Southern Miss.

All three programs posted at least 20 wins at home a season ago, with USM and Vandy combining for a particularly impressive 59-11 mark within their friendly confines. Both teams also earned berths into NCAA Regionals.

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