Good to hear some optimism. TBH, I’m concerned for next year too as we will lose our friday and saturday starters (from early season) and our closer. Combine that with losing Griff one of what I consider our only two bats (max being the other) and I wouldn’t have much hope for next year. Our outfield hasn’t looked good, but our infield has been way worse than what I could have ever imagined.
Any insight on the team? Over confident? Just a loss of experience/leadership? Something seems off with a good handful of the players…
Frank, Perry, Schanaman & Gomes all have another year of eligibility - courtesy of covid in 2020 - so we lose McCarville and that's it out of the ones you mention/reference. I don't see Shay returning though; he got married last fall, his wife has a really good job and I think he now realizes life isn't going to involve baseball anymore after 2022.
Position wise, in 2023, we return...
IF:
Max Anderson, Brice Matthews, Core Jackson (questionable due to grades & lack of interest in school), Colby Gomes, Jack Steil, Efry Cervantes, Josh Caron
OF:
Luke Jessen, Garrett Anglim, Luke Sartori, Leighton Banjoff
Break that down in starts & plate appearances as returning experience and you'll be surprised. Why you may ask? Ok, I'll tell you...
Hallmark:
Freshmen - .261
Sophomore - .234
Junior - .368 (covid)
Senior - .342
Schwellenbach:
Freshmen - .275
Sophomore - .295 (covid)
Junior - .284
Roskam:
Freshmen - .266
Sophomore - .269
Junior - .221
Senior - .264 (covid)
Senior - .307
Acker:
Freshmen - .154 (barely played)
Sophomore - .192 (barely played)
Junior - .260
Senior - .306 (covid)
Senior - .283
Folks need to R-E-L-A-X. We don't recruit at the level of the nation's elite so asking our true freshmen (Jackson, Jessen, Caron, Swanson), redshirt freshmen (Anglim), sophomores (Anderson, Matthews, Steil, Banjoff by eligibility) to carry the loads of the 4 names in bold mentioned above isn't fair to the players or coaches.
Go add up all the career starting experience and career plate appearances that we lost from the 2021 season and what's happening will make more sense. Nobody would've said Schwellenbach was B1G POY & 1st round potential (high 2nd round pick) with Hallmark & Roskam both making 1st team all B1G prior to the 2021 season. And if you claim you did, I'd call you a liar.
This season sucks, no doubt about it but there's a bigger picture at play. And the above lays it out pretty well.