2004 Baseball Preview: Infielders

The area in the field with the most voids to fill lies in the infield positions. However, with the new players that have been brought in, head coach Larry Cochell likes the defensive makeup of the players and believes the team's prospects have been improved at each of the infield positions.

“We're real excited about the possibilities in our infield this year,” said Cochell. “I think it has a chance to be an outstanding defensive infield. We feel real confident about placing Sheldon at first base, Raley at second base and Rohlinger at shortstop and we feel like we've got some solid options at third base as well.”

“We definitely feel like we've improved our personnel at each position over last year's club.”

According to Cochell, the infield position players are expected to shoulder the load of producing power at the plate as well. Several of OU's top new players including sophomore Ryan Rohlinger and juniors Ole Sheldon, Brenan Herrera and Eric Thornton possess such strokes to enable them to hit home runs as well as a number of extra base hits.

Not lost among the herd of newcomers is the infield's only returning starter from a year ago, Russell Raley. Raley, who saw most of his time at third base in 2003, is projected to start at second base this year. After benefiting from 32 starts in his freshman campaign, the sophomore overcame the pressure of replacing first team All-Midwest Region and consensus All-Big 12 selection Eddie Cornejo at the position in the fall and impressed onlookers by leading the squad in hitting with a .380 batting average. Combined with his solid defensive skills, Raley will be looked upon to anchor the Sooners' middle infield and provide a formidable offensive threat down in the lineup.

Joining Raley as a trusted double-play partner, heralded newcomer Rohlinger easily captured starting honors at shortstop during fall workouts. Upon arriving in Norman following Junior College All-American acclaim as a freshman at Clarendon College, the sophomore lived up to his high billing by leading the team offensively in several categories during fall practice. Rohlinger finished first in RBI, triples and slugging percentage and a close second in several other departments. While at Clarendon, the West Bend, Wis., native put up impressive numbers with 20 home runs, 91 RBI, a .455 batting average and a .987 fielding percentage.

Another infield position expected to produce some pop in the lineup comes from first base. Sheldon, a fellow 2003 Junior College All-American, brings an explosive bat with him from Santa Rosa Junior College where he earned conference Most Valuable Player recognition after batting .424 with 19 doubles and 44 runs scored. His impressive numbers didn't drop off during his first fall in Norman where he finished second on the team in hitting at .377 and led all batters with 20 hits. Even more notable was the fact that the junior struck out only once in 53 at bats.

With three-fourths of the starting infield positions locked up, the final key starting battle is at third base. The main contenders to start at the hot corner are juniors Brenan Herrera and Eric Thornton, two promising prospects from the junior college ranks. A natural shortstop, Herrera showed the most promise when playing at third base. He also emerged from fall workouts with a .370 batting average and finished first or second on the team in five offensive categories.

Thornton has the added advantage of having experienced prior success at the Division I level. As a freshman at Oral Roberts during the 2002 season, Thornton garnered Freshman All-American honors after batting .336 with seven home runs and 52 RBI. He continued to swing a hot bat after transferring to Cowley County Community College last year.

A teammate of Thornton's at Cowley County, sophomore Jon Shackelford will play an important role in the team's scheme this year. Known for his versatility in the field and at the plate, Shackelford played a multitude of positions in the fall including the corner infield positions and catcher. Also as only one of two switch-hitters on the team, Shackelford's multifaceted abilities are expected to earn him extensive playing time in 2004.

As the lone freshman among the group of infielders, Chad Lembeck will spend his first season backing up Raley at second base. Lembeck proved to be a solid defensive and offensive player in the fall and displayed a lot of potential for the future.

A last second addition to the team, junior Kyle Bradburry, adds another element of competition to three infield positions that was not present in the fall. Bradburry, a two-time first team all-conference pick while at El Camino College, joined the team at the beginning of the spring semester and was brought in to help solidify the Sooners' options at shortstop and second and third base. The Mustang, Okla., native ranked towards the top of his conference both years in slugging percentage after registering at least 17 extra base hits both years.

After eventually settling in at first base at the end of the season, Bose, who is also battling for the starting catching job, could potentially see playing time in the infield if needed. One of the team's most versatile players, Bose played at the corner infield positions last year as well as caught and acted as the team's designated hitter.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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