2006 Diamond Hogs Outlook

So after reading here yesterday about how great Razorbacks hurler Nick Schmidt is pitching, what else do I see are the strengths of this year's team? And what are areas of concern?

Well, at the end of yesterday's post, I cryptically mentioned freshman catcher David Hum. And what was probably even more confusing was that I linked to a bio that said he would have to sit out this season. Up until about a week ago, it looked like that was going to be the case.

Hum, a native of Little Rock, attended Notre Dame in the fall and was apparently unhappy there. At mid-term he decided to leave the land of the Blue and Gold and move back a little closer to home. But when he attempted to transfer and enroll at Arkansas, Hum wasn't immediately granted a release by the Fighting Irish.

When I first heard about Hum's situation, I couldn't understand that at all. Typically a release is a formality in college baseball. Dave Van Horn has granted many of them since he's been a head coach. His thinking is that he doesn't want to keep a player who doesn't want to stay.

So why did Notre Dame hold out until a week ago before finally releasing Hum? After hearing what it sounded like when Hum's bat hit the ball in his first game as a Razorback last Friday, I now think I know why.

The guy crushes the ball. Even his foul balls are loud...and potentially dangerous. The Irish were obviously hoping they could pressure Hum into returning to South Bend.

But now he's someone to keep an eye on in Fayetteville as the season moves forward. Who knows...he may not be able to hit a curve ball. But he's definitely shown this fan and others that he has the potential to make this team even better than expected.

So who else looks good? Jake Dugger appears to be in the groove again after a lackluster sophomore season. And Van Horn is going to have to somehow find a spot in the batting order for senior Chris Hollensworth, who's currently leading the team with a .458 average.

I was also impressed with the savvy of freshman infielder James Ewing. Like Dugger, the best way to describe Ewing is that he's just simply a baseball player. Looks the part...plays the part...seems to have a feel for the game.

As for areas of concern, the most obvious one at the moment is pitcher Charley Boyce. After off-season surgery, he's just not performing at the same level right now as he has for most of the last three years. My money is that will get turned around. If not, look for junior college transfer Chris Rhoads or the re-emerging Shaun Seibert to move into the starting rotation.

Injuries to center fielder Craig Gentry and infielder John Henry Marquardt, both returning senior starters from last year, are also a nagging concern.

But at 9-0 and currently ranked as high as #11 in the polls, there's not too much to be concerned about at the moment. I would, however, be surprised if they were still undefeated after playing five games in five days at the Rainbow Tournament in Hawaii this week. The pitching depth just doesn't seem to be there for this team to win that many games in such a short span of time.

But who knows...that's why they play the games. Go Hogs!