Nebraska baseball coach Darin Erstad met with the media today to discuss how the team has looked during fall practice. The fall session will conclude next week with the Red-White series, which runs Tuesday through Thursday. Here are the main nuggets from what Erstad had to say:
***Pitcher Nate Fisher had Tommy John surgery Thursday and is out for the season. He got injured during the summer and tried to rehab, but he wasn't progressing as the team had hoped.
***Infielders Steven Reveles and Jake Placzek still haven't been able to throw in practice due to injuries. "They're on throwing programs and we anticipate them being fine by the start of the season," Erstad said.
***Erstad said the closer's role is far from filled at this point. He said Jeff Chesnut has a lot of experience and the coaches have to decide whether to move him into a late-inning role or keep him as the fire-stopper in the middle innings.
***Ben Miller is working a bit at first base, but Erstad thinks he'll play a much bigger role as a pitcher this spring. "I think personally he's pretty good defensively over there, so it's some we keep an open mind to," Erstad said.
***Max Knutson is also starting to throw the ball with much more consistency. Erstad said he could still start or come in as a reliever, and he's a particularly good matchup against lefties. "Wherever it is, he's going to have a big role for us."
***A few of the sophomore pitchers have really impressed Erstad so far, namely Reece Eddins, Zack Engelken and Byron Hood. "They've all taken that so-called 'next step' and seem to be handling their business better than they did last year, so that's encouraging to see," Erstad said.
Erstad said he thinks converted reliever Colton Howell is loving his new role as a starter. Howell's command in particular is allowing him to make the switch nicely.
***Jake Meyers is going to have a bigger role offensively this season and will be used more often, especially early in the year, as an outfielder instead of a pitcher.
***Erstad has been really impressed with the pitchers' collective command early on, particularly from the younger arms.
***Second baseman Jake Schleppenbach and first baseman Scott Schreiber have both "been battling some back issues."
***Pitcher Nate Fisher had Tommy John surgery Thursday and is out for the season. He got injured during the summer and tried to rehab, but he wasn't progressing as the team had hoped.
***Infielders Steven Reveles and Jake Placzek still haven't been able to throw in practice due to injuries. "They're on throwing programs and we anticipate them being fine by the start of the season," Erstad said.
***Erstad said the closer's role is far from filled at this point. He said Jeff Chesnut has a lot of experience and the coaches have to decide whether to move him into a late-inning role or keep him as the fire-stopper in the middle innings.
***Ben Miller is working a bit at first base, but Erstad thinks he'll play a much bigger role as a pitcher this spring. "I think personally he's pretty good defensively over there, so it's some we keep an open mind to," Erstad said.
***Max Knutson is also starting to throw the ball with much more consistency. Erstad said he could still start or come in as a reliever, and he's a particularly good matchup against lefties. "Wherever it is, he's going to have a big role for us."
***A few of the sophomore pitchers have really impressed Erstad so far, namely Reece Eddins, Zack Engelken and Byron Hood. "They've all taken that so-called 'next step' and seem to be handling their business better than they did last year, so that's encouraging to see," Erstad said.
Erstad said he thinks converted reliever Colton Howell is loving his new role as a starter. Howell's command in particular is allowing him to make the switch nicely.
***Jake Meyers is going to have a bigger role offensively this season and will be used more often, especially early in the year, as an outfielder instead of a pitcher.
***Erstad has been really impressed with the pitchers' collective command early on, particularly from the younger arms.
***Second baseman Jake Schleppenbach and first baseman Scott Schreiber have both "been battling some back issues."
