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Preview: 2011 Dallas Baseball
There is a great deal of optimism surrounding second year head coach Fraser Holmes' 2011 University of Dallas baseball team, as 15 letter-winners from the 2010 (16-25; 2-0 fall ball) season return for the Crusaders. They include:
- Philip Carkhuff, senior, pitcher (Marietta, GA/The Lovett School)
- Brian Shelburne, junior, infielder/outfielder (R.I., Portsmouth H.S.)
- Devin Arnold, junior, outfielder (McKinney, TX/McKinney H.S.)
- David Rettinger, senior, third base (San Antonio, TX/Central Catholic H.S.)
- Michael Schweiss, junior, pitcher (Parker, CO/Chaparral H.S.)
- Varea Costello, junior, catcher (Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage H.S.)
- Michael Byers, junior, pitcher (Manassas, VA/Seton Home School)
- Adam Farris, sophomore, outfielder (Flower Mound, TX/Liberty Christian H.S.)
- Nico Caluda, sophomore, outfielder (New Orleans, LA/Jesuit H.S.)
- Trevor Allred, sophomore, infielder (Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage H.S.)
- Delano Ponce, junior, catcher/pitcher (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque Academy)
- Chase Cooper, sophomore, pitcher (Flower Mound, TX/Liberty Christian)
- Martin Lopez, senior, infielder (Albuquerque, N.M./St. Pius X H.S.)
- Michael Morrison, junior, catcher (Dallas, TX/Lake Hill Prep)
- Andrew Laux, sophomore, pitcher (Keller, TX/Keller H.S.)
In 2010, Shelburne led Dallas in batting average (.338), doubles (12), and triples (3). For his efforts, he was named an Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) second team All-Independent outfielder. Additionally, he was tabbed as a United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Honorable Mention All-American selection.
Farris, as a freshman, was pegged a 2010 USCAA Honorable Mention All-American, in leading the Crusaders with five homeruns, 36 runs, 27 walks and 15 steals.
Meanwhile, Rettinger, who held down fort at third base, led the team in RBIs (29) and hit by pitches (10).
On the mound, Schweiss, a 2010 AD3I second team All-Independent pitcher, led Dallas with a 3.86 ERA and tied for the lead in wins, with four -- he shared the top spot in the latter category with Carkhuff, the staff ace, who was named a 2010 AD3I second team All-Independent pitcher.
Carkhuff led the team in appearances (19), saves (4), innings pitched (59.2) and strikeouts (77). He was also named as a USCAA Academic All-American, and finished tenth in the final NCAA DIII Statistic Ranking Summary with 11.78 strikeouts per nine innings.
2010 Team Accomplishments:
As a team, Dallas hit .294 for the season, recording 81 doubles, 10 triples and 11 homeruns. They also combined to drive in 194 runs, draw 148 walks and steal 73 bases.
On the mound, the pitching staff compiled 262 strikeouts for an average of 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings -- 1.9 whiffs behind the NCAA DIII leader. The UD staff was also responsible for four complete games and eight saves. The team, however, often fell victim to the error bug, as they allowed 94 unearned runs on the season.
In the pivotal early season series against a tough Texas Lutheran University team that finished 32-13, UD's spring record was 1-8, and the loss in the opener pushed the record to 1-9.
Dallas' underclassman-laden staff was largely responsible for two wins that clinched the three game series and turned the season around. After a solid 6-inning start by Schweiss in the second game of the series, Byers came in relief and pitched 3-innings of 2-hit ball for his first save of the season.
Byers was also instrumental in the series finale win when he entered in relief of Zimmermann and held the shutout victory intact. In 4-innings Byers pitched perfect baseball; surrendering no hits, walks, or runs to earn his second consecutive save. Dallas also took two of three in a late season series against the eventual United States Collegiate Athletic Association Champions -- Briarcliffe College.
Amortization Creates Opportunities:
Two letter-winners from the 2010 squad have been lost to graduation – Sean McSheffery and Joe Zimmermann.
In playing a team-high 41 games last season, McSheffery – Dallas' Most Valuable Player (MVP) -- boasted a healthy .315 batting average, and led all Crusaders in at-bats (146) as well as hits (46).
In his three year letter-winning career at UD, McSheffery compiled a batting average of .309 (128-414), amassed 81 runs, 50 RBIs, 16 doubles, a .438 on base percentage and 18 steals.
In his final campaign, Zimmermann went 3-4 record-wise, amassing 23 strikeouts in 13 appearances as a starter and reliever. In parts of four years, Zimmermann went 7-5 in 24 appearances and 11 starts, spanning 61 innings. He threw a complete game and combined on a shutout while striking out 34.
2011 Outlook:
With the top-five ranked pitchers returning and all but one offensive starter back in the fold for the 2011 campaign, coach Holmes and assistant Kyle Kilgo will look to improve on their inaugural season.
The addition of three left-handed pitchers in junior college transfer Chris Schierhorn, along with freshmen Sean Byers and Dylan Myers should provide coach Holmes some flexibility with the rotation.
Add to the mix four more quality freshman and Joel Hansen, yet another junior college transfer, to a team which gained valuable experience in 2010, and the outlook looks bright for the UD program.
Freshman Class:
- Sean Byers, pitcher (Manassas, VA/Seton Home School)
- Mark Carlson, shortstop (Hawthorn Woods, IL/Home School)
- Andrew Bossert, pitcher/first base (Friendswood, TX/Friendswood H.S.)
- Zach Cannon, catcher (Tyler, TX/Robert E. Lee H.S.)
- Alex Thornton, outfielder (Fort Worth, TX/Arlington Heights H.S.)
- Dylan Myers, pitcher (Rosebud, TX/Rosebud-Lott H.S.)
Of note, the 2011 volunteer assistants include coach David Rose, who played collegiately at Trinity University, and coach Joe Myers, who played at Spring Arbor in Mich., where he was part of an NAIA National Championship team.
Home Schedule:
- Saturday, Feb. 12 – vs. Sul Ross State University: Double header (2x7), 12:00 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 13 – vs. Sul Ross State University, 2:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 26 – vs. Bates College: Double header (2x7), 12:00 p.m.
- Friday, Mar. 25 – vs. Arlington Baptist: Double header (2x7), 2:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, Mar. 30 – vs. Texas Wesleyan University, 3:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, Apr. 5 – vs. East Texas Baptist University, 3:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Apr. 9 – vs. Austin College: Double header (2x7), 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Apr. 16 – vs. Trinity University: Double header (2x9), 1:00 p.m.
- Sunday, Apr. 17 – vs. Trinity University, 1:00 p.m.
Chance to play at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington:
The University of Dallas baseball team is selling select American-League Champion Texas Rangers tickets for the 2011 season!
As part of a fundraising endeavor, half of all proceeds from the ticket sales will directly benefit Dallas Baseball.
Once the quota of 1,000 tickets sold is met, the team will get to play one of their 2011 regular season games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington!
Currently, Dallas Baseball is scheduled to play Arlington Baptist College on Feb. 28, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, but we need your help in order to do so!
Here are the games and dates to choose from:
- Sunday, April 3, Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox, $17.00
- Sunday, May 8, Rangers vs. New York Yankees, $17.00
- Saturday, May 14, Rangers vs. LA Angels, $17.00
- Wednesday, June 22, Rangers vs. Houston Astros (1$ Hot-dog night, and Game
3 of the Silver Boot Series!), $17.00
- Wednesday, August 24, Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox ($1 Hot-dog night!),
$17.00
Most seats are in the 50s sections of the Ballpark, which are the homerun
bleachers, while a few reside in section 334 -- the upper-level directly
behind homeplate.
Please contact UD Baseball head coach Fraser Holmes at fholmes@udallas.edu if you would like tickets, or send a check payable to 'University of Dallas Baseball' with a note to which game, how many tickets, and where you would like the tickets sent.
Thank you for your support of University of Dallas Baseball!
