Senior RHP Anthony Shew will anchor this year's rotation as the Friday starter.
2016 Season Preview: Pitchers
2/9/2016 1:01:00 PM | Baseball
Part 1: Infielders, Wednesday, Feb. 3
Part 2: Outfielders, Friday, Feb. 5
Part 3: Pitchers, Tuesday, Feb. 9
Part 4: Catchers, Friday, Feb. 12
For part three of our 2016 season preview, we breakdown the Dons' pitching staff under first-year pitching coach Matt Hiserman. USF lost a big contributor with the departure of all-conference lefty Christian Cecilio (109.2 IP, 91 SO) – a 22nd round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2015 – but will benefit from having senior right-hander Anthony Shew anchor the Friday spot in the rotation and redshirt sophomore Grant Goodman returning from Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2015 season.
"I think Matt's done a wonderful job of working with the players, but especially of capturing their attention to detail," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "Our big slogan is AOEP – Attack On Every Pitch – and I think Matt's done a great job of getting the guys to buy into that. If you had the opportunity to see him pitch as a player, you understand the tenacity he had. He was Anthony Shew for us in 2011. I think he'll have that same affect as a coach."
While Hiserman is tasked with integrating a total of nine newcomers into this year's pitching staff, at least he doesn't have to worry about who he'll run out there to open up every series. Shew (7-5, 3.64) earned second-team All-WCC honors last year after transferring in from Saddleback Community College.
"Anthony Shew was a big surprise for us last year," said Giarratano. "I think he's going to be a great Friday starter in this conference. The one thing he does is he attacks – he's fearless. He's got a wipeout pitch in the changeup.
"I think the most impressive thing Anthony does is he throws strikes and he gets outs. He's just so competitive and level-headed. We know that every time he goes out there he's going to give our team an opportunity to win a game."
From there the rotation gets young in a hurry, but the pitching staff's youth doesn't discount its immense potential.
Goodman (3-5, 4.55 in 2014) will be eased back into the rotation as he regains his form following surgery, but expect to see him starting on Saturdays as the year progresses. When the Dons open their season on Feb. 19 at UC Santa Barbara, Goodman will be almost exactly one year removed from his Tommy John operation.
"Grant's got the best arm on the team," said Giarratano. "He can really be a surprise if he's healthy. If the command is there like I think it is, he can be a great Saturday starter for us. I really like that one-two combination of those two guys.
Unfortunately, USF's rotation will be without redshirt sophomore left-hander Sam Granoff – a WCC all-freshman pick last year – as he underwent offseason Tommy John surgery of his own. Therefore, Sundays are likely to be the responsibility of freshman right-hander Thomas Ponticelli (Newbury Park, Calif. / Newbury Park HS), with six-foot-five freshman lefty Chase Gardner (Novato, Calif. / Novato HS) likely taking over the Tuesday slot.
Meanwhile, junior college transfer James Kannenberg (Littleton, Colo. / Cuesta College) could potentially fill dual roles this season as the Dons' closer and/or Sunday starter, depending on matchups and schedule.
"We're situated where we've got some depth," said Giarratano of his starting rotation.
Any coach will tell you that a team's rotation is only as good as its bullpen support.
"The bullpen at times was a question mark for us last year, but I think we've strengthened that," explained Giarratano. "Last year we had to get [our starters] into the seventh or eighth innings, but this year I think if we can get guys into the fifth or sixth we can fill that gap and be successful late in games."
The Dons only have three relievers returning who threw innings in 2015, with junior right-hander Mack Meyer (0-1, 4.71) and redshirt junior righty Brock Larson (1-2, 5.85) leading the charge out of the bullpen. Meyer's submarine style lends him to serving as an effective right-handed specialist, while Larson is the only returner to notch a save last year.
Giarratano is also sure to employ some situational strategy with senior left-hander Frank Waliczek (0-0, 9.45) and his changeup proving helpful in situations where the Dons need to retire a lefty bat, along with redshirt freshman Scott Parker.
"I like what Frank Waliczek can do with the changeup out of the bullpen," said Giarratano. "Scott had a great summer. His velocity jumped a little bit and he's got a great breaking ball. I really like the matchup they can give us – left on left."
Newcomers looking to break in include freshman right-handers Joey Steele (San Marino, Calif. / IMG Academy) and Jacob Alcorn (Lakewood, Calif. / Milliken HS), along with redshirt junior righty Joey Carney (Millbrae, Calif. / Skyline College), each of whom Giarratano expects to provide "solid innings."
"All those guys are in the 87-91 range," said Giarratano. "I really like the mixture of those guys."
The Dons' pitching staff should also see a bump from a couple of two-way freshmen in INF/RHP Riley Helland (Camarillo, Calif. / Oaks Christian HS) and 1B/OF/LHP Matt Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario / Leamington District Secondary).
"Two guys that I'm really impressed with are Riley Helland and Matt Warkentin," said Giarratano. "We might be able to go 12 guys deep [on the pitching staff] which is good for us. I thing getting a solid seven guys will be great, but in mentioning these guys, that's why I talk about the balance, because there's not a huge drop off.
"The pitching is kind of young, but they're going to have to be successful. There are some good arms, but all in all I think it adds to the balance of the team."
PROJECTED PITCHING ROTATION (2015 STATS)
FRIDAY – RHP Anthony Shew – Senior (7-5, 3.64)
SATURDAY – RHP Grant Goodman – RS-Sophomore (3-5, 4.55*)
SUNDAY – RHP Thomas Ponticelli – Freshman (--)
TUESDAY/MID-WEEK – LHP Chase Gardner – Freshman (--) / RHP James Kannenberg – Junior (3-2, 2.18^)
*2014 stats
^ at Cuesta College
Part 2: Outfielders, Friday, Feb. 5
Part 3: Pitchers, Tuesday, Feb. 9
Part 4: Catchers, Friday, Feb. 12
For part three of our 2016 season preview, we breakdown the Dons' pitching staff under first-year pitching coach Matt Hiserman. USF lost a big contributor with the departure of all-conference lefty Christian Cecilio (109.2 IP, 91 SO) – a 22nd round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2015 – but will benefit from having senior right-hander Anthony Shew anchor the Friday spot in the rotation and redshirt sophomore Grant Goodman returning from Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2015 season.
"I think Matt's done a wonderful job of working with the players, but especially of capturing their attention to detail," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "Our big slogan is AOEP – Attack On Every Pitch – and I think Matt's done a great job of getting the guys to buy into that. If you had the opportunity to see him pitch as a player, you understand the tenacity he had. He was Anthony Shew for us in 2011. I think he'll have that same affect as a coach."
While Hiserman is tasked with integrating a total of nine newcomers into this year's pitching staff, at least he doesn't have to worry about who he'll run out there to open up every series. Shew (7-5, 3.64) earned second-team All-WCC honors last year after transferring in from Saddleback Community College.
"Anthony Shew was a big surprise for us last year," said Giarratano. "I think he's going to be a great Friday starter in this conference. The one thing he does is he attacks – he's fearless. He's got a wipeout pitch in the changeup.
"I think the most impressive thing Anthony does is he throws strikes and he gets outs. He's just so competitive and level-headed. We know that every time he goes out there he's going to give our team an opportunity to win a game."
From there the rotation gets young in a hurry, but the pitching staff's youth doesn't discount its immense potential.
Goodman (3-5, 4.55 in 2014) will be eased back into the rotation as he regains his form following surgery, but expect to see him starting on Saturdays as the year progresses. When the Dons open their season on Feb. 19 at UC Santa Barbara, Goodman will be almost exactly one year removed from his Tommy John operation.
"Grant's got the best arm on the team," said Giarratano. "He can really be a surprise if he's healthy. If the command is there like I think it is, he can be a great Saturday starter for us. I really like that one-two combination of those two guys.
Unfortunately, USF's rotation will be without redshirt sophomore left-hander Sam Granoff – a WCC all-freshman pick last year – as he underwent offseason Tommy John surgery of his own. Therefore, Sundays are likely to be the responsibility of freshman right-hander Thomas Ponticelli (Newbury Park, Calif. / Newbury Park HS), with six-foot-five freshman lefty Chase Gardner (Novato, Calif. / Novato HS) likely taking over the Tuesday slot.
Meanwhile, junior college transfer James Kannenberg (Littleton, Colo. / Cuesta College) could potentially fill dual roles this season as the Dons' closer and/or Sunday starter, depending on matchups and schedule.
"We're situated where we've got some depth," said Giarratano of his starting rotation.
Any coach will tell you that a team's rotation is only as good as its bullpen support.
"The bullpen at times was a question mark for us last year, but I think we've strengthened that," explained Giarratano. "Last year we had to get [our starters] into the seventh or eighth innings, but this year I think if we can get guys into the fifth or sixth we can fill that gap and be successful late in games."
The Dons only have three relievers returning who threw innings in 2015, with junior right-hander Mack Meyer (0-1, 4.71) and redshirt junior righty Brock Larson (1-2, 5.85) leading the charge out of the bullpen. Meyer's submarine style lends him to serving as an effective right-handed specialist, while Larson is the only returner to notch a save last year.
Giarratano is also sure to employ some situational strategy with senior left-hander Frank Waliczek (0-0, 9.45) and his changeup proving helpful in situations where the Dons need to retire a lefty bat, along with redshirt freshman Scott Parker.
"I like what Frank Waliczek can do with the changeup out of the bullpen," said Giarratano. "Scott had a great summer. His velocity jumped a little bit and he's got a great breaking ball. I really like the matchup they can give us – left on left."
Newcomers looking to break in include freshman right-handers Joey Steele (San Marino, Calif. / IMG Academy) and Jacob Alcorn (Lakewood, Calif. / Milliken HS), along with redshirt junior righty Joey Carney (Millbrae, Calif. / Skyline College), each of whom Giarratano expects to provide "solid innings."
"All those guys are in the 87-91 range," said Giarratano. "I really like the mixture of those guys."
The Dons' pitching staff should also see a bump from a couple of two-way freshmen in INF/RHP Riley Helland (Camarillo, Calif. / Oaks Christian HS) and 1B/OF/LHP Matt Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario / Leamington District Secondary).
"Two guys that I'm really impressed with are Riley Helland and Matt Warkentin," said Giarratano. "We might be able to go 12 guys deep [on the pitching staff] which is good for us. I thing getting a solid seven guys will be great, but in mentioning these guys, that's why I talk about the balance, because there's not a huge drop off.
"The pitching is kind of young, but they're going to have to be successful. There are some good arms, but all in all I think it adds to the balance of the team."
PROJECTED PITCHING ROTATION (2015 STATS)
FRIDAY – RHP Anthony Shew – Senior (7-5, 3.64)
SATURDAY – RHP Grant Goodman – RS-Sophomore (3-5, 4.55*)
SUNDAY – RHP Thomas Ponticelli – Freshman (--)
TUESDAY/MID-WEEK – LHP Chase Gardner – Freshman (--) / RHP James Kannenberg – Junior (3-2, 2.18^)
*2014 stats
^ at Cuesta College
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