Around the horn

Our infield will have a new look this year, having graduated our firstbaseman, secondbaseman and shortstop. We will still have experience, with a large number of juniors on the roster.

Firstbase will be a good battle. Junior Dan Fetes was our top hitter this fall and is a left-handed bat and a heads-up player. Sophomore 'Big Cat' Lawrence is the right-handed option. He led our team in doubles this fall and is very strong. Fetes came in as a catcher, but played a lot of first over the past few years.

Second base looks to be a battle, too. Connor Lorenzo, a sophomore, will bat at the top of our lineup and will be in the lineup a lot. Tommy Tantillo, one of only two seniors, had a strong fall at the plate and is ready to play after not seeing a lot of action last season. He batted over .300 both seasons at Jamestown C.C. He has been known to  "pick apart the opponent", according to Rob Herrmann, while on the bench. He definitely has coaching in his future. He also showed me he had some pop during summer-ball action.

Shortstop will also be a good battle. Right now, John Bennett is our main man. I recruited him out of high school, went on to play two years at FLCC, and opened some eyes with his all around play and composure this fall. He's the only player that swings a 32'' bat, and he looks slender, but showed some solid pop. He's our Splendid Splinter. Freshman Erik Krohl will be a good one. He'll get some starts. He came to see us play at Oswego last season (he's from the Syracuse area) and saw Joe Kephart drive in 9 runs steal four bases and make several great plays, so he knows he's got some big shoes to fill. I also told him to "Run with the wise," so he will be training with Lorenzo this off season.

Third base will be a battle between Dillon Lowe and either Sam or Sean Marren (they look alike). Lowe is looking to bounce back in 2012. He hit over .500 as a freshman, but dropped off last year. He wants to anchor the middle of the order. Marren came in mainly as a catcher, but due to our depth, will see most of his time at third. He played an errorless fall and hit well.

Another pair of infielders are Ian Gallagher and Jake Nowak. We are hoping to move Gallagher to the outfield where he should see a lot of time (assuming he gets a haircut), but he just wants to play. He will bring both gloves to every game. Jake is a 4th-year junior (he received a medical redshirt as a sophomore, but was able to get in some significant playing time). He will play SS, 3B, 2B, DH and pitch. He will hit for us and do a lot of things to help us win. He is one of our top hitters.

We have a lot of depth all over, so the off season is big. I had individual meetings with each player after the fall and each one set a goal or two. We'll see who achieves what. Somebody is going to get left behind.

I still feel strongly that right now, no position is set. Last year, we knew Gahagen, Dee, Kephart and Lowe would be our infield from the start. A few guys will definitely be in our batting lineup based on what they earned. However, how everyone around them produces will affect who plays where. Let's be honest, they can all play multiple infield positions.