Jessica Cuneo

Oates’ vision for the team is to play smart, fundamental, disciplined baseball.

“It’s just doing all the right things offensively, hitting behind guys, moving guys over, stealing bases, playing solid defense and filling up the strike zone,” Oates said.

Expectations are high this season.

“We’ve really come together as a team. We’ve got a lot of young guys, but I think we’re going to put together a solid season. We have a lot of good chemistry, a lot of good guys,” senior catcher Robbie Nickels said.

The Roadrunners have been picked to finish third this season in the Mountain Division, and picked to finish fifth overall in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Returning to the team are seniors Nickels, first baseman Evan Claus, shortstop/pitcher Ty Jacobs and pitcher Ryan Hutchinson.

The Runners also return three juniors: third baseman Sean Reeves, outfielder/pitcher Forrest Carpenter and catcher Anthony Sylvester.

Metro lost a lot of offensive firepower from last season’s team, as players like Brennan Brown, David Fox, Zach Krueger and Jordan Stouffer moved on.

“That’s a big hit for us to take. Obviously with the new guys we brought in, we’re going to have to score in a more conventional fashion rather than hitting the ball out of the yard so much,” Claus said.

The Runners also lost a lot of pitching from last season, as Bradshaw Perry, Zach Cleveland, Corey Collins and Jake Dreager are also gone.

“We’ve got a totally different staff. But, it’s going to be interesting. We have a lot of guys that attack the zone and work down in the zone,” Jacobs said. “It’ll be a different pitching style for sure. But they hit their spots, keep it low and change speeds, and that’s all you really need.”

The lineup and the rotation will look very different this season without all of the players mentioned.

“It’s still early for us. We’re still three weeks away and I’m big on competition, and so we’re going to let them compete through our scrimmages and through practices every day,” Oates said. “Once the week of our first game [comes], we’ll have a better idea of where we sit with all of that.”

The Roadrunners welcome freshmen shortstop Austin Hearne, outfielder Mitch Gibbons, first baseman/outfielder Danny Miller, pitcher Nick Hammett, pitcher/outfielder Tanner Roth, outfielder Jeff Levett, pitcher Mike Thill and catcher/first baseman Reid Thomson.

Metro also adds eight junior transfer players in shortstop Erik Cammall, outfielder Alex Schrupp, outfielder Gavin Purvis, pitcher Justin Arceneaux, pitcher Kevin Hand, pitcher Zane Watkins, infielder/pitcher Daron Schulthies and Venezuelan born pitcher Carlos Luzon.

“I think a guy you need to keep an eye out for is Mitch Gibbons. He’s a freshman. He’s going to be the player to watch in a few years to come,” Claus said.

The season begins for Metro Feb. 11 against the University of Nebraska at Kearney at Auraria Field.

Tags: 2012, Baseball, Metro, new coach

People: Alex Schrupp, Anthony Sylvester, Austin Hearne, Bradshaw Perry, Brennan Brown, Carlos Luzon, Corey Collins, Danny Miller, Daron Schulthies, David Fox, Erik Cammall, Evan Claus, Forrest Carpenter, Gavin Purvis, Jake Dreager, Jeff Levett, Jerrid Oates, Jordan Stouffer, Justin Arceneaux, Kevin Hand, Mike Thill, Mitch Gibbons, Nick Hammett, Reid Thomson, Robbie Nickels, Ryan Hutchinson, Sean Reeves, Tanner Roth, Ty Jacobs, Zach Cleveland, Zach Krueger, Zane Watkins