2007 Season Preview: Infield

NORMAN, Okla. -- As the Oklahoma baseball team continues individual workouts this week, Soonersports.com continues its five-part series previewing the 2007 baseball season, which begins on Friday, Feb. 2 in the UTPA Tournament in Edinburg, Texas against Texas State.

Individual practices began on Tuesday and the Sooners will return to full team practices on Sunday, Jan. 21. Stay tuned to Soonersports.com throughout this week for the remainder of the five-part preview breaking down the Sooners by position.

Oklahoma kicks off the 2007 season at the Fourth Annual Diamond Dinner on Friday, Jan. 26. Current Oklahoma players and coaches will be in attendance to join former OU greats at the banquet. Click here for more information.

PART IV: INFIELD
The OU infield was also hit hard by graduation, as three of the four infielders were lost. Junior Aaron Reza returns as the lone starter from a year ago and was a key component to the Sooners' nation-leading .983 fielding percentage in 2006. Reza committed one error last year and that miscue came in game one of the Houston Super Regional on June 10 after 219 consecutive chances. The sharp fielding infielder was also solid at the plate a year ago with a .318 clip and 33 RBIs.

2007 Schedule | 2007 Roster | 2006 Review | OU History

“Aaron is as good a shortstop as there is in the country,” commented Golloway. “His consistent play is evident in his one error in over 200 plays. Aaron has tremendous athletic ability and the concentration to take away hits from opposing teams."

Expected to help Reza complete the Sooners' infield are juniors Vincent Biancamano (3B) and Aljay Davis (2B) and freshman Aaron Baker (1B).

Biancamano comes over from Chandler-Gilbert Junior College where he had success after a one-year stint at Arizona State. Davis is another JUCO transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M who collected All-America honors with his ability to disrupt the game with his speed. Baker, a talented freshman from Denton H.S., rounds out the trio of newcomers in the infield.

Junior Jarod Freeman and senior Joel Pedretti return to help solidify the infield, while newcomers Mike Gosse, Zach Hedges, Bryant Hernandez and Drew Roberts provide OU with plenty of depth off the bench.

“Heading into the fall, we knew we couldn't replace the group of seniors we lost (Ryan Rohlinger, Russell Raley and Kevin Smith),” said Golloway. “But we couldn't have asked for a better group to fill those shoes and we are confident that they will.

"We have a lot more depth this year and the returners have helped the newcomers make the transition from the high school and junior college levels. I think it will be exciting to see yet another talented defense this season.”

INFIELD DEPTH CHART

SS | Aaron Reza
The only returning starter in the infield, Reza will help lead the group in 2007. In 2006, Reza had 219 straight chances without an error and he also hit .318 with 33 RBIs. Off the bench: Bryant Hernandez

3B | Vincent Biancamano
Biancamano has the heavy task of replacing Ryan Rohlinger at the corner spot. The junior comes to Norman after stints at Chandler Gilbert J.C. and Arizona State. Off the bench: Zach Hedges

2B | Aljay Davis
After the fall season, Davis looks like the perfect replacement for Chuckie Caufield. Davis is expected to be the leadoff man in 2007 after stealing 78 bases in two years in JUCO. Off the bench: Joel Pedretti

1B | Aaron Baker
Another highly touted freshman that is expected to provide extra power in this year's lineup. Baker hit .420 in high school with 21 homers and 120 RBIs. Off the bench: Jarod Freeman

Remaining Infielders
Mike Gosse (pictured left) and Drew Roberts round out the infield. Both newcomers are also listed as outfielders on the OU roster.

Stay tuned to Soonersports.com on Friday for the final installment of the 2007 season preview focusing on the Sooners' outfielders.

2007 SEASON PREVIEW
Mon. - General Outlook
Tues. - Catchers
Wed. - Pitchers
Thurs. - Infield
Fri. - Outfield

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets for the 2007 OU baseball season are now on sale through the OU Athletics Ticket Office and SoonerSports.com. To order your season tickets please call the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or (800) 456-4668 or click here for more information available on SoonerSports.com.

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