Central Michigan University Athletics
Signings Leave Holes To Fill
7/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Roster turnover is nothing new for Central Michigan, or any college baseball team for that matter.
But rarely does a program see as many new faces as the Chippewas will when they take the field in 2017.
Exactly one-half of the 36 players who were on the roster to open the 2016 season won't return in 2017, the majority because of graduation.
Three among those who will not return -- Sean Renzi, Nick Deeg and Zach McKinstry -- have embarked on professional careers after being drafted in June. Renzi was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 32nd round; Deeg by the San Francisco Giants (30th); and McKinstry by the Los Angeles Dodgers (33rd).
Deeg, a left-handed pitcher, had one year of college eligibility remaining. He signed with the Giants on Wednesday. McKinstry, a shortstop who had two years left at CMU, had signed with the Dodgers earlier. Both are now in their respective teams' minor league training complexes in Arizona.
College players are draft eligible after their junior year, or in their sophomore year if they are at least 21 years old. That was the case with McKinstry.
Renzi, a right-hander who went 12-11 with a 3.98 career earned run average in his CMU career, was among that large group of seniors on the Chippewas' 2016 roster. He is pitching with the White Sox Arizona League affiliate where he has made seven appearances, all in relief. He has struck out 13, walked two, allowed nine hits and posted a 7.00 earned run average in nine innings.
While CMU coach Steve Jaksa and his staff knew that 2016 would be the end for Renzi, the losses of Deeg and McKinstry leave big shoes to fill.
McKinstry started nearly every game at shortstop during his two years at CMU, and led the Chippewas with a .325 batting average last spring when he earned the team co-Most Valuable Player Award. Deeg made 44 appearances on the mound, all of them starts, during his three seasons in a CMU uniform. He finished 17-16 with a career 3.71 ERA.
"You always look forward," said Steve Jaksa, who is no stranger to losing standouts to the pro ranks in his 14 seasons in charge of the program. "It's something that you recognize in the game that these things happen. That's part of what guys are trying to achieve. It's just a matter of when are they ready to go out.
"We do feel a comfort zone in that because we have gone through it before."
Deeg and Renzi comprised two-thirds of the Chippewas' three-man weekend pitching rotation. The holdover is hard-throwing right-hander Pat Leatherman, a sophomore-to-be who won his final three starts in 2016 and finished 3-4 with a 3.53 ERA.
Among the candidates who could step into the rotation are Michael Brettell, Dazon Cole and Jordan Grosjean, all right-handers, all of whom logged significant innings last season. The Chippewas also expect to welcome back two pitchers, Sean Martens and lefty Braxton Markle, who were medical redshirts in 2016.
"Yes we did lose a couple of pretty good arms," Jaksa said. "It would have been great to have Deeg back, that's a no-brainer, but at the same time with how our guys were pitching at the end of the year we feel there's enough horses in the stable."
Replacing McKinstry is no easy task. He was a steady presence at shortstop and gave the Chippewas a left-handed bat in the No. 3 spot in the batting order. His .325 batting average ranked 11th among everyday players in the MAC.
The Chippewas return sophomore Jason Sullivan, who started all but one of their 2016 games at second base.
Senior-to-be Alex Borglin, who shared the team MVP Award with McKinstry last season, has established himself at first base over the past two seasons, but has played on the left side of the infield in the past.
The recruiting class that will join the fray this fall includes several infielders, freshmen Grant Frazer and Zach Heeke among them.
"Our job is to do what we did two years ago when we put Zach (at shortstop)," Jaksa said. "We know there's going to be competition there and we're also not done with our recruiting process yet."
Critical to the Chippewas' fortunes going forward is health, regardless of experience level and personnel changes. The Chippewas weren't bitten by the injury bug in 2016, they were devoured by it.
"The key this year, No. 1, is can we stay healthy?" Jaksa said. "If we can be healthy that's going to be really important for us. Last year was the worst year we ever had in terms of health."
