Cincinnati Bearcats Baseball Mid-Season Report
By Chris Bains
The Cincinnati Bearcats’ baseball season has been nothing short of a disappointment. An eleven and eightteen (11-18) record wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned when Bearcat Lair’s UC Baseball Analyst Chuck Saffell spoke of a 30+ win season. I’m certainly not blaming Chuck but I am definitely disappointed with how this season has unfolded. In most schools UC’s size, baseball is generally 3rd on the list behind football and basketball. Interest in Bearcats baseball will probably never overtake Cincinnati football or basketball but I was hoping we would see a resurgence this season of team.
There truly was a lot to get excited about this year. The Bearcats finished the 2011 campaign with a 30 – 27 record going 14 – 13 in the Big East. They were losing a strong righthander in Dan Jensen who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds as well as All-Big East First Team outfielder Justin Riddle. But UC was returning solid contributors such as Braden Kline, Nic Spence, Jake Proctor, and super frosh Justin Glass. A 30-win season not only looked like a possibility but the bare minimum expectation for this team. Now with 18 losses the end of the season doesn’t look too bright for these ‘Cats.
On a personal level, I love baseball. Most people criticize the game’s speed and length but I find the uncertainty within the sport very exciting. There’s a calm before the storm in every inning. Before moving to Chicago, I lived in Cincinnati for about 15 years and obviously am a diehard Reds fan (so help the nauseating Cubs fans I’m surrounded by). And as evidenced by this website, I’m also a diehard Bearcats fan so it only made sense to cheer for and follow the UC baseball team. That’s one of the things that makes each loss so tough to stomach.
Now with just over half of the regular season complete, Cincinnati is 1 – 7 in the Big East placing them dead last in the conference. It’s tough to harp on this team for getting swept by the #21 Louisville Cardinals but the Bearcats weren’t even competitive in two of the games in which they got obliterated 10 – 2 and 12 – 4. Things looked up when Cincinnati stymied the Pitt Panthers in game one of that series behind Zach Morris’ stellar work on the mound. But UC ended up dropping the final two games that included an extra innings heartbreaker in the rubber match. Coming into Saturday’s contest with the South Florida Bulls, the Bearcats have already lost the first two games and will be looking to avoid a sweep at noon today.
USF is tied for 1st in the Big East and UC is actually playing remarkably better against them with the younger players being thrown into the fire. The Bearcats were tied with the Bulls in the 1st game before a quirky eighth inning allowed South Florida to pull away to an 8 – 2 victory. Yesterday, Cincinnati lost by just 3 – 2 in extra innings. All three runs were unearned. So it appears this young team is starting to come around no matter how painful it seems. Remember, on a roster of about 35, the Bearcats only have 8 seniors. Over half of this roster is composed of freshman and sophomores.
Among those non-seniors includes a core of very promising young players. Freshman pitcher Zach Morris has been just sensational in his first season with the Bearcats. His 2.76 ERA is near the top of the team but he has pitched the most innings of any player which makes his ERA even more impressive. Morris’ strikeout-to-walk ratio is a pretty solid 1.92 but the lefty recently pitched 8 scoreless innings against the Pitt Panthers as I mentioned. Remember, he’s only a freshman and from early looks could become the ace of this staff. In addition, Coach Cleary has found an excellent closer in junior Zach Isler. He boasts a 2.53 ERA pitching in 14 games and tallying 4 saves this season. Like most of the roster the Bearcats’ bullpen is very young and having a veteran closer in Isler gives the younger pitchers someone to show them the ropes. He’s not only providing a strong voice in the bullpen but backing his words up with a strong performance on the mound. The younger players around him will only become better down the line because of his leadership.
On offense side Cincinnati’s three most productive players at the plate are all non-seniors. Let’s start with sophomore Justin Glass. He currently leads the Bearcats with a .371 batting average, runs scored with 25, and walks with 13. He is also tied for first in doubles and tied for second in RBI’s. The second most productive player from a batting average standpoint is freshman Joey Bielek who is currently hitting .339 at the plate. He was honored earlier this season with his first Bearcat of the Week Award and you can bet it won’t be his last. He’s a powerful third baseman who exploded onto the scene after the Chicago State series in which he hit .529 and knocked in 7 baserunners. It’s clear Bielek has made the adjustment to college ball. He is now tied with Glass with 18 RBI’s and a good 18/9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. For someone his age, Bielek’s plate discipline is impressive. Finally there’s junior Jake Proctor. The Cincinnati native leads the Bearcats in RBI’s and is tied for 2nd in home runs.
Unfortunately we will probably have to write off the 2012 baseball season much like we did with the 2010 football season. However between these five players, Coach Cleary has quite a bit to build upon for next season. Don’t be surprised if Morris is at or near the top of the rotation in 2013 and Isler is returns to the closer role. The trio of Glass, Bielek, and Proctor should provide nice pop in the lineup. There’s a lot to get excited about with this team in 2013 with all but 8 seniors returning. Hopefully Cleary can use the growing pains of this season to spark wins in the games next season. He better because his seat is growing hotter by the day.