2009 Season Outlook

The season begins today for the Resurrection Life Warriors softball team. The team will suit up versus Pax Christi at 7:50 tonight on field #3. The team is greatly looking forward to season and especially for the opener tonight hoping to even out the recent series with Pax, after dropping two of three last season.

A couple of newer developments have put a slight damper on the Warriors' season, but nothing that the balance of the roster can't handle and push through.

As has been previously noted, Team Captain Lee Valle will be missing in action this year because of a job committment which will have him out of state for the balance of the summer. Losing Lee's steady play at third and outstanding attitude and leadership will hurt. His skill set is unique and won't be easy to replace. Hopefully, Lee will be around for at least one game or two as he will be a welcome addition anytime at the hot corner.

The second round of news to hurt the team is that returning League MVP, Austin Colby, will be out indefinitely with an unknown injury. Many have speculated as to what the injury is, but as of now, the medical staff hasn't definitely come up with the cause of his ailment. This will be a huge blow defensively, as Austin manned center with the 5-man infield and shortstop with the 4-man. Remove Lee from third base and the team's defense just went from top-notch to 'vanilla'.

Because of these developments, some players will be asked to step up their role and really add another level of contribution to the squad. While Austin's injury doesn't appear to be season-threatening, the manager is preparing as if Austin won't be available at all.

In light of this, here is what we expect to see from Rez Life this summer:
1. A league championship: No ifs ands or butts about it, this is the team to beat, even a little banged up. The two previous league champions - and Warrior rivals - did not make the league this year which leaves little competitition for Rez Life. Injury-free, this team would be expected to go 18-0 and have a +10 scoring margin for the year. However, a 16-2 mark is still well within reach and averaging 15+ runs a game is still a strong posibility.
2. More Homeruns...???: With the addition of Jeff Tenney and Chris Wold and the return of Chris Burr, the power in the lineup has increased significantly. However, Austin has led the team in homeruns the past three seasons and his numbers will almost assuredly be down this year. Also, the introdution of the yellow balls will certainly play a role, whether it's a mental role or a physical one is yet to be decided.
3. Scattered lineups: While the team doesn't expect to rely on the substitute to the extent it has had to in year's past, with the varied defensive philosophies and personnel available the team will be moving things around consistently.

Below is the rundown of what each player should be doing for the team this season:
1. Jason Merritt: Jason will take over as the captain in the outfield this season. He is expected to hit near the top of the order and get things going for the big hitters coming up behind. He has showed some flashes of pop and will have to learn how to harness that and know when to use it.
2. Jamy Antoine: Jamy will have to step up his outfield game again this year as he'll be spending more time in the center-field positions. He needs to find more consistency at the plate so he can take advantage of his athleticism. He should be a solid middle-of-the-order hitter with some extra-base-hit potential.
3. Andy Briggs: Andy will be looked at to play every infield position. He will have to be ready to man the hot corner and fill Lee's shoes, play shortstop and lead the infield, and play second base or middle infield depending on four or five-man infield. We need more steady play from the batter's box too.
4. Chris Burr: Chris is expected to pick up where he left off in 2007, without skipping a beat. He should man the three or four hole in the lineup and hit lasers. His glove is guaranteed in the outfield and his arm is solid-average. He may have to come in and play some one-bag a la Steve Garvey this season also.
5. Chris Wold: Wold should be a dominant pitcher. This team has never had a true pitcher and Chris brings that aspect to the table. Slinging lefty, he should lead the league in strikeouts and foul-tips. His glove also plays well in the outfield. His lefty stroke is solid and he will find himself creating run-scoring opportunities for several hitters.
6. Jeff Tenney: Tenney is expected to lead the league in homers, rbi, runs, extra-base-hits, hoses from short to first, hoses from left to second, slugging percentage, scared third basemen, scared left fielders, and solid baseball stories. Other than that, he should bring an above-average glove at third base/shortstop with an exceptional arm. Also, his arm plays anywhere in the outfield, and he will be shagging files on occasion too.
7. Jonathan Engbrecht: Jon should hit for more power. He knows that. When he connects, he hits it hard. This year, the team needs him to rake more consistently and more frequently. As usual, Jon will be playing 10 positions. Going into the season, he may be the starting third baseman or second baseman, as well as right-field, right-center, and the backup pitcher. No pressure Jon, just play all those places well and the team will be fine.
8. Adam Hey: Adam is expected to be one year better than last year. After taking 20 or so years off, he came back and struggled a bit in his first season. In batting practice so far, he was hit the ball much harder and even launched a homerun. If he can carry a .450 average and play solid catcher/second base/outfield, he will be a huge asset to the team.
9. Jeff Johnson: Jeff is healthy, or at least semi-healthy, for the first time in two years and his batting practice sessions have proven that. I expect him to challenge Tenney for the team-lead in homers and extra-base hits. If he can avoid any funks, he can flirt with a .600 average too. Because of Jeff's shoulder issues, he will most likely be relegated to first base/catcher duties this season. We need solid one-bag play out of him to help our 5-man infield.
10. Eric Johnson: This team is so solid this year, that there is much less pressure on Eric to be the big 4-hitter. That should help lighten the load on his shoulders which I think will free him up to hit .600+ again with 18 extra-base hits. If he avoids the grandpa swing (not to be confused with the old-man swing to be described later) he will be a all-league player. His defense will have to stay solid as it was last year. He will be at two-bag or middle for much of the year and the team needs him to be steady.
11. Austin Colby: Austin needs to get healthy. When healthy, he should be the spark-plug that makes everything go. He needs to make the diving play, extend for the sliding catch, and rip the opposite-field triple to ignite the squad. If he's battling this injury all year, he needs to master the old-man swing, which will lead to a solid batting average and on base percentage but no power. If he can't play defense, he needs to be the best catcher in the league. Also, he will be the pitcher if needed on windy days.

Pre-season All-League Teams:
1st Team:
Jeff Tenney, IF
Austin Colby, Utility
Chris Wold, Pitcher
Chris Burr, OF
Jason Merritt, OF

2nd Team:
Jamy Antoine, OF
Eric Johnson, Utility
Andy Briggs, IF