On Campus: What Does Opening Day Mean To You?

Opening Day has finally arrived for college baseball. It is a day that stirs up many different emotions, even among people that have been around the game for years. So, today, we let a half-dozen coaches explain in their own words what opening day means to them.

Andrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara
UCSB opens at home against San Francisco

“When I used to live in the Northwest, I would get to see the sun for the first time in a while. Down here we see it every day, so it’s a little different. We’re pretty entrenched in trying to figure out who we are, this team in particular. We’re still trying to develop an identity. We play four games on opening weekend, so we’re getting ready for that and trying to figure out how it’s all going to fit. The nostalgia of Opening Day, I guess I’m not very good at that stuff.”

Mitch Gaspard, Alabama
Alabama will host Maryland in the first game at the rebuilt Sewell-Thomas Stadium

“For everyone, Opening Day is an exciting day. You want to see your team compete for the first time. This is Year 16 for me total to be at the University of Alabama. This Opening Day will be unlike any other that I’ve been part of, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the new stadium. We’re expecting a huge crowd with great weather. There’s going to be a lot of firsts this year and none more than what’s going to happen on Friday in the new stadium. The combination of a new team getting the year started and also a new stadium, which will energize fan base. The atmosphere and environment around the ballpark is going to be totally different than what it’s been in past years. It’s going to be special. My coaching staff, the guys were both All-Americans here, they’re crimson and white through and through. There’s just a lot more involved, a lot of history. People that understand the program and the history of it. It will be an emotional day for a lot of people. We’ll cut that ribbon and then it’s just about competing.”

Greg Lovelady, Wright State
Wright State travels to Elon

“It’s exciting when you get to start playing real games against other people. The fall and the early winter, if you hit well, you’re not pitching well and if (you) pitch well, you’re not hitting well and you don’t know where that balance is. You kind of get blinded and you don’t really have a true understanding of where you’re at. But at the end of the day, it’s just another day. It’s always exciting to know a new season has begun.”

Ty Neal, Cincinnati
Cincinnati travels to No. 11 Louisiana State for opening weekend

“As a baseball guy, as a college player and coach, this is probably Year 21 or 22 for me. It’s my livelihood. It’s everything we did over the summer, in the fall and the winter. Everything we’re doing now is for a chance to play baseball. This year three for me (at Cincinnati). I like the progression of me as a first-time head coach. I was 36 when I took the job, I’m not 40 yet and I’m still learning. I can’t wait for these guys to be able to play. We’ve got some guys that love the game. They’ve been busting their tails. When the game starts, I see myself taking a step back with a big smile on my face. It’s game day. Now go have fun. We’ve been working hard, we’ve been holding each other accountable. Now let’s have fun. I’ll have my two boys with me in the dugout.”

Tom Riginos, Winthrop
Winthrop hosts La Salle

“It’s a lot of excitement. It’s six, seven months of hard work. Just like any of our coaches, that’s why we do this job. Opening Day is the most exciting part of our job. I still get butterflies, just like our players do. It’s the start of the journey of the season. It’s always a big deal, there’s no doubt about that.”

John Savage, UCLA
No. 10 UCLA will host North Carolina

“It’s the best. It’s really the beginning of everything that you work for. It’s the beginning of new careers. It’s the beginning of the non-conference schedule. It is the true test. It’s the test that will give you feedback of where you’re at as a team, what you need to work on, what your strengths are, your roles. We’re very highly invested in our roles, so we’ll see how our roles will pan out in terms of pitching and offense.

“There’s a lot of different things that come with Opening Day. It’s just a great time of year across the country. This is two major programs facing each other on opening night. It’s special. It’s two potential Omaha teams, I would say. It’s exciting for our players, for our fans. There’s nothing better than college baseball at the highest level. You’re going to see this across the country. The parity is so evident. There’s good players and good teams across the country. It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to be a part of.”

News and Notes

Atlantic Coast Conference: No. 4 Virginia opens the season with 15 freshmen on its roster, the most in coach Brian O’Connor’s 13-year tenure at Virginia. The Cavaliers’ recruiting class ranked No. 11 this year, and a few will be expected to make immediate contributions. Third baseman Ryan Karstetter will replace College World Series hero Kenny Towns, and lefthander Daniel Lynch is slated to start Saturday . . . Miami will have an all-lefthanded rotation against Rutgers this weekend, with ace Thomas Woodrey going on Friday, and Michael Mediavilla and Danny Garcia following the next two days. Young righthanders Andrew Cabezas and Jesse Lepore had been in the mix for starting spots but won’t start the year in the rotation.

Big 12 Conference: With righthander Mitchell Traver sidelined for the first four to six weeks of the season, junior college transfer Rex Hill draws the Opening Day starting assignment for No. 18 Texas Christian. The lefthander began his college career at Texas A&M, had Tommy John surgery before his freshman season and didn’t play for the Aggies before transferring to San Jacinto (Texas) JC. The redshirt sophomore has a feel for three pitches and does a good job of throwing strikes.

Big Ten Conference: Nebraska righthander Derek Burkamper is suspended for the first two weeks of the season for a violation of team rules. He went 5-3, 3.84 last season working primarily as a weekend starter, a role he is expected to reprise this spring.

Pacific-12 Conference: UCLA shortstop Nick Valaika will miss the start of the season after surgery earlier this month to repair a broken hamate. He is expected to be out until around March 1. In his absence, second baseman Trent Chatterton will slide over to shortstop and Brett Urabe will man second base . . . With ace Cal Quantrill still recovering from Tommy John surgery, Stanford will give the ball Friday to freshman righthander Tristan Beck. Beck will become just the third freshman pitcher since 1988 to start on opening day for the Cardinal, joining Mike Mussina (1988) and Quantrill (2014). Beck ranked No 63 on last year’s Top 500 draft prospects list and headlined Stanford’s 21st-ranked recruiting class this fall.

Southeastern Conference: Like so many SEC teams this season, Alabama is replacing its star shortstop, as Mikey White was drafted last year in the second round by the Athletics. But with second baseman Kyle Overstreet also signing after the Padres drafted him in the 14th round, the Crimson Tide will have a completely new look in the middle of the infield. Alabama will go with capable defenders sophomore Chandler Avant at shortstop and freshman Cobie Vance at second base, but infield defense is a bit of a question mark entering the season . . . Arkansas’ rotation for its series against Central Michigan will be righthanders Dominic Taccolini, Blaine Knight and Keaton McKinney. That leaves Preseason All-American righthander Zach Jackson in the bullpen, where he went 5-1, 2.10 and struck out 89 batters in 60 innings last season. The hard-throwing junior righthander functions more as a relief ace than as a one-inning closer for the Razorbacks, and the team that drafts him in June may try him as a starter.

Other conferences: South Florida made the NCAA Tournament last season in coach Mark Kingston’s first year with the program. The Bulls are expected to again contend for a spot in the postseason, but will be doing so with a very different lineup this season. South Florida brought in the eighth-ranked recruiting class this fall and its opening day lineup could include five members of that incoming class, including Garrett Zech and Chris Chatfield, who ranked Nos. 110 and 176 on last year’s BA500. But three pitchers from that class, including prized lefthander Shane McClanahan (No. 197), are out for the season after having Tommy John surgery in the fall. Those injuries will test the depth of South Florida’s pitching staff that already had to replace ace Jimmy Herget (10-3, 2.92) and closer Tommy Peterson (16 saves) from last year’s team. Junior college transfers Phoenix Sanders and Brad Labozzetta are slated to start the first two games for the Bulls . . . Alabama State coach Mervyl Melendez enters the season with a career record of 499-420 in 16 seasons with Bethune-Cookman and Alabama State. He will go for his 500th career victory this weekend in a three-game series at Northwestern State. Alabama State is the preseason favorite in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and is looking for its first-ever Division I regional appearance.