September 1, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

The Seminoles must find a way to replace weekend starters Matt Fairel and Elih Villanueva, but should be fine at the plate with the returns of Jason Stidham and Stuart Tapley, among others. LSU, meanwhile, has a few important pitchers to replace, but also enters the fall with a great offense.

Georgia might be the most intriguing team to watch this fall. The Bulldogs welcome back ace pitcher Trevor Holder, but have some holes to fill with the departures of infielders Gordon Beckham and Ryan Peisel.

We call our shots on several teams with fall workouts around the corner.

The Seminoles have been in this position before. After reaching the College World Series last season, the Seminoles lost National Player of the Year Buster Posey in addition to weekend starters Elih Villanueva and Matt Fairel. Though replacing Posey and a pair of weekend starters this fall is an incredibly tough chore, the Seminoles always seem to plug their holes during fall workouts. I don't expect this fall to be any different. FSU welcomes back veteran hitters Stuart Tapley and Jason Stidham, while Geoff Parker and John Gast should spearhead the pitching staff.

After having a less than stellar freshman campaign two seasons ago, Jackson rose to the occasion as a sophomore this past season. Not only was Jackson one of the nation's best infielders, he also finished the year with impressive offensive numbers. The shortstop hit .360 with four homers and 50 RBIs. He also slugged .496 and had a .422 on-base percentage. Though Jackson won't have Yonder Alonso, Blake Tekotte, Jemile Weeks and others protecting him in the lineup, he should only improve this fall. I'd look for Jackson to develop into an All-American this fall and in the spring.

The Huskers weren't expected to be a Big 12 title contender last season, but proved everyone wrong by almost winning the conference crown. Nebraska hopes to experience the same success in the spring, but will be without several experienced players, including weekend starters Johnny Dorn, Thad Weber and Aaron Pribanic. Though the Huskers have some talented players on campus, I don't see how they replace three weekend starters in addition to offensive cogs Mitch Abeita and Jake Opitz, among others. Nebraska coach Mike Anderson deserves much credit if he can turn this team into a title contender, but I'm thinking that's not possible.

Just a few months ago, Fresno State third baseman Tommy Mendonca was purely known as a power-hitting infielder. Now he's known as an Omaha hero for the Bulldogs, and a potential All-American entering '09. Though Mendonca must find a way to improve his batting average, the junior is expected to have a monster fall for the Bulldogs. As a sophomore last season, Mendonca batted .285 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs. He also slugged .515 and had a .364 on-base percentage. The Bulldogs have some important holes to fill this fall, but should be in good shape at the plate with the return of Mendonca and other key hitters.

After blossoming toward the end of his freshman campaign two seasons ago, UCLA left-handed pitcher Gavin Brooks entered '08 with high hopes. But because of injuries and other issues, he had a less than stellar campaign. Brooks made 14 starts and had a 5.07 ERA in 71 innings of work. He also struck out 62 and walked 53, while opponents hit him at a .252 clip. Though some will be down on Brooks entering the '09 campaign, I strongly believe a healthier Brooks will rise to the occasion as a front-line pitcher this fall. If he does that, the Bruins may be in good shape entering the spring.

When right-handed pitcher Alex Wilson decided to transfer from Winthrop to Texas A&M two summers ago, it came as a surprise to some. Though he had surgery during the offseason and was unable to pitch in '08, Wilson is the most heralded pitcher on A&M's staff without throwing a pitch for the Aggies. Wilson looked dominant at times at the Cape Cod League this past summer, but lacked the consistency the Aggies are looking for. Still, I fully expect Wilson to return to his old form this fall. In his last full season of work, he had a 2.51 ERA in 111 innings of work for Winthrop. If Wilson comes through, the A&M pitching staff is in very good shape.

The Tigers had one of the nation's youngest and most talented offenses last season, and much of their lineup is back in the fold this fall. Though LSU obviously is expected to have another great offense, the pitching staff has some question marks. The Tigers enter fall workouts without pitchers Ryan Verdugo, Jared Bradford and Blake Martin. Verdugo and Bradford were integral pieces to the pitching staff last season and will be tough to replace. LSU, however, does welcome back Louis Coleman, Paul Bertuccini and Daniel Bradshaw, among others. LSU isn't in great shape on the mound entering fall workouts, but has some talent to work with. As with last season, don't be surprised when LSU has a very serviceable pitching staff.

When Bittle was drafted by New York in the MLB Draft this past summer, the Rebels initially didn't think they'd have him back this fall. A few things went their way and Bittle is back in action for the Rebels. Though some think Bittle will work his way into the weekend rotation this fall, I believe the Rebels will keep him in the bullpen for several reasons. While Bittle could be an excellent weekend starter, he's a proven commodity as a dominant reliever. Bittle will enter the '09 season as the nation's best closer, and I don't expect that to change between now and Opening Day.

The Wildcats lost pitchers Ryan Perry, Daniel Schlereth and David Coulon to the MLB Draft this past summer, but received an emotional boost when right-handed pitcher Preston Guilmet decided to return to Tucson for his senior campaign. Guilmet compiled All-American numbers two seasons ago, but failed to meet expectations in '08. He finished the season 6-4 with a 4.38 ERA in 96 2/3 innings of work. Though there's no guarantee he returns to his old form, Guilmet obviously has the attributes to be an excellent pitcher. I'd look for Guilmet to rebound during fall workouts.

After reaching the College World Series last season, there are some that expect Georgia to once again resort to its recent trend of having a bad year after a great year. For once, I don't see that happening. Sure, the Bulldogs have some important holes to fill on the mound and the plate. But they should be OK this fall and in the spring. While the departures of shortstop Gordon Beckham and third baseman Ryan Peisel leave the offense with at least two question marks, the Bulldogs should be fine at the plate. Lyle Allen rose to the occasion in Omaha last season, while Rich Poythress and Bryce Massanari have the ability to be very good hitters.

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.