Page 77 - DBU Baseball 20-21 Media Guide

2021 POSITION OUTLOOK
INFIELD
Depth and versatility should prove to be the mark of the Patriot infield in 2021. DBU returns starters at all five infield positions, including a Freshman All-American in Jeffrey David, a Preseason All- American in Blayne Jones, and a number of players that can play multiple positions.
A staple in the Patriot lineup for the past three seasons has been Blayne Jones who has made 131 starts since he arrived on campus in 2018. Jones appeared to be headed for a monster year in 2020 after leading the team in home runs (5), RBI (16), and slugging percentage (.619) before the season was cut short. After starting at second base in his first two years at DBU, Jones took over the starting shortstop position in 2020 and displays the range and arm strength of an elite middle infielder in college baseball.
Andres Sosa, Jackson Glenn, and Christian Boulware are three Patriot seniors that opted to come back for their fifth season. Since the trio arrived at DBU in 2019, they have accounted for 24 home runs and 129 RBI in just over a season of action.
Sosa is the definition of versatility, having seen time at catcher, first base, and second base during his two seasons as a Patriot. Known as high-energy player, Sosa is also a sparkplug in the DBU lineup. Having cracked the lineup midway through the 2019 season, Sosa finished his rookie campaign second on the team in home runs (8), while driving in 34. Last year, Sosa hit .286 in five games before his season was cut short.
Glenn also shined in his first year at DBU in 2019, hitting .292 and finishing tied for the lead in RBI (54) in the Missouri Valley Conference. Following a season in which he also hit seven home runs during the Patriots’ run to the finals of the Lubbock Regional, Glenn walked a team-high 12 times in 2020 and reached base at a .370 clip. While Glenn has held down the starting role at third base each of his first two years at DBU, he saw significant time at second base during the fall and has the skillset to play up the middle as well.
Boulware has made 40 starts as a catcher and designated hitter since arriving in 2019 and began his career with two home runs in his first game as a Patriot. In his two years at DBU, he has belted six home runs and driven in 27.
Ryan Wrobleski is another strong candidate to see significant time behind the plate and also has the versatility and arm strength to be a force in the outfield. Wrobleski hit .271 last year and led the team in doubles (5) before the 2020 season was canceled. In 2019, Wrobleski had a breakout summer in the Northwoods League, where he was named to the All-Star Team and recorded the top “POP” time (catch and throw to second base) for a catcher with a time of 1.86 seconds at the Major League Dreams Showcase.
The Patriots also feature the return of a promising star in Jeffrey David. In a shortened rookie
campaign last year, David ranked in the top 10 in the Missouri Valley Conference in five offensive categories, including fifth in hits (20), sixth in RBI (15), eighth in both batting average (.351) and total bases (30) and tenth in doubles (4). David raced out of the gates in 2020, starting his collegiate career on a 10-game hit streak. David played at second base, while also seeing time in the outfield last year and has the ability to play on the hot corner at third base as well.
Dan Pruitt and Nico Burgarello each return after transferring from the JUCO ranks in 2020. Pruitt is an imposing force at 6’6” and 241 pounds. Two years ago at Western Oklahoma State, he led the nation with a .481 batting average and blasted 22 home runs. He showed flashes of his power last year, hitting three home runs in his first year as a Patriot. Pruitt could see time at first base as well as the DH position in the DBU lineup. Burgarello was the team’s Opening Day starter at second base and is coming off a solid fall. He is another Patriot that can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield.
DBU bolstered their roster heading into the new year with the additions of transfers Andrew Benefield (Louisville), Cole Moore (McLennan Community College), and George Specht (Cowley College). Benefield played in 14 games and made six starts at third base for the Cardinals as a redshirt freshman last year, hitting .286 with three doubles. The former Tennessee Mr. Baseball in 2017, Benefield was rated a top 200 recruit nationally by Perfect Game in 2018 coming out of Siegel High School.
Moore came to DBU from the junior college ranks where he was a Second Team All- Conference selection in 2019 and appeared to be headed for a banner year in 2020, hitting .429 before the season halted. Moore could factor in at both catcher and first base this season for the Patriots.
Specht was another All-Conference performer in 2019, garnering First Team honors after hitting .302 for a Cowley team that reached the NJCAA Division I World Series. Specht saw significant time at second base during the fall and could provide a spark in the Patriot lineup.
DBU also landed a pair of freshman in Parker Guerin and Dylan Mach who could find their way into the lineup. Each were rated among the top 40 shortstops in the state of Texas by Perfect Game in 2020.
OUTFIELD
The Patriots enter 2021 with the return of four regulars who combined for 54 starts in the outfield during last year’s shortened 2020 season, while adding a recruiting class that is expected to make an immediate impact. Austin Bell is the most veteran player in the bunch, as the senior from Albuquerque, New Mexico, opted to return for a fifth season. After spending the first two years of his career at the University of New Mexico, Bell played in 21 games in 2019 before breaking into the lineup last year and starting all 16 games. Bell has a knack for getting on base, tying for the team lead in walks (12) last year, and also showed some pop, hitting two home runs including one on Opening Day.
Freshman All-American Jeffrey David made six starts in the outfield last year and Patriot fans should expect to see him play both in the infield and outfield. Last year, David was second on the team in both batting average (.315) and RBI (15).
Fellow freshman Jace Grady became the first freshman to start on Opening Day in centerfield in the school’s Division I era dating back to 2004 and emerged as the team’s lead-off hitter early in the year after hitting .357 through the first week of the season.
Ryan Wrobleski and Nico Burgarello are two players that could vie for time in both the infield and the outfield. Wrobleski made six starts in both right field and at catcher last year. His three home runs were second on the team, while his five doubles were most on the club. Burgarello made six starts at second base in 2020 and saw significant time in the outfield during the fall.
Max Blessinger is another name to keep an eye on. Blessinger came to DBU as a true freshman
last year from Maranatha High School in California where he was a three- time All-Area selection and hit .459 as a senior.
One of the major forces in the Patriot
lineup could be in the form of River
Town, a sophomore JUCO transfer
from LSU Eunice. A Gold Glove
award winner as a freshman in 2019,
Town was also an offensive machine
during his time at LSU Eunice. In
his first collegiate season, Town hit
an astonishing .535 and his 72 runs
scored were seventh most in the
nation. Last year, he blistered the
baseball to the tune of a .508 average
for an LSU Eunice team that was
ranked No. 1 in the nation before the season was canceled.
The Patriots also added a pair of incoming freshman in Reid Robertson and Campbell Sullivan who are both highly talented players that could make an immediate impact in 2020.
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