Strengths

Tradition and stability mark the cornerstone of Xavier baseball.  Coach Dave Schemmel is the only coach Xavier has had and the program has been successful year in and year out.

The Saints lost only four seniors from a team that was 23-16 last summer. Seniors Eric Zenisek (.429) and Nate Even (.395) and junior Mac Mattke (.374) were all top 20 hitters in the Metro area last summer among underclassmen and they all return, along with a pitching staff that accounted for 17 of their 23 wins from a year ago.

Challenges

Depth may appear to be an issue for 2011. When it comes to manipulating the lineup for key game situations, the Saints may be limited to younger, inexperienced players. Bigger problems could result from injury to key players.

Be assured, Xavier will have players for those situations, but it may take time to blend the new faces in. The Saints will also have the difficult task of replacing Jon Keller and Jake Ratz.

Lost to graduation

Keller and Ratz were keys to the success of 2010 and both are lost to graduation.

Keller hit .473 with six homers and 37 RBI. He also was 6-2 on the mound with a 1.75 ERA. Ratz hit .403 with 9 homers and 52 RBI.
 
Clearly these two represented a big chuck of the Xavier offense and Keller was the mainstay of the pitching staff.

Proven players

Zenisek and Alex Ries provide experience in the outfield, while Even, second base, and Blake Helms, shortstop, supply the experience in the infield.

It will be interesting to see what Schemmel does with Mattke, who is a proven catcher. Colby Brecht has some catching experience as well, so the Saints could move Mattke to first and let him do a little more pitching this summer.

Ean McNeal, Dane Mehring and Kevin Hosch provide plenty of experience on the mound for the 2011 version of Xavier baseball.

New faces

Brecht, infielders Mitch St. Andrews and Corbin Woods, and utility player Bryce Grimm will have an opportunity to crack the starting lineup, or they may provide the added depth the Saints are going to need for this summer.

Expectations

The Saints will be very competitive again in 2011. A number of veterans are returning to key positions and the pitching staff is stocked with experience.

They may struggle early trying to replace Keller and Ratz. But as they develop throughout the summer, the Saints will be a team that no one will want to play at tournament time.