Looking at the Opening Day lineup

by Jay Jenkins on February 17th, 2011

By Jay Jenkins

The Virginia baseball team has boarded a plane and departed for Alabama.
Yes, the start to another season is upon us.
With that in mind and predictions being thrown out prematurely, lets take a stab at the batting order that will be used today against UAB.
I think sophomore Chris Taylor will get the nod in the lead-off spot, something he said he has done before in high school. Taylor is not a Greg Miclat-like lead-off hitter, but can get on base and has excellent instincts.
The easiest spot to predict comes in the No. 2 hole. Brian O’Connor could have had his lineup cards made with Keith Werman’s name placed in the second spot. The junior hit .414 last year, knows how to advance runners in patient fashion and is the best bunter the program has had in over a decade.
Steven Proscia should start the season batting third, but that could be altered depending on his production. The third baseman hit .298 in league games last year, but had nine doubles, five homers and drove in 22 in those 30 games.
I have the feeling that junior Danny Hultzen will serve as the opening day starter on the mound and in the clean-up spot as the designated hitter. For better or worse, Hultzen was protected last year and did not get into a rhythm with the bat until late in the year. The southpaw registered just 15 at-bats in ACC games, but the team is not nearly as deep and Hultzen will play a ton more. Look for him to start at least one game this weekend in right field if an opposing team starts a right-handed pitcher.
Hultzen batting in No. 4 spot provides a righty-lefty-righty-lefty start to the batting order, a pattern that should continue with catcher John Hicks batting fifth. The junior will be key to the power production and must improve on weekends for the Cavaliers to get close to the winning percentage in the ACC that was posted last year (23-7). Hicks hit just .282 last year in league play, down from his overall season mark of.307.
Stephen Bruno starts the season in the sixth spot in the order but could be elevated at some point if he continues to swing the bat the way he has in the preseason. The sophomore saw extended time in league play last year, mainly at designated hitter, and hit .352 and hit two homers.
The bottom three will fluctuate the whole season but I suspect that first baseman Kenny Swab and outfielders David Coleman and John Barr will round out the group. 
Look for Barr to be slotted in the lead-off spot on occasion.
Reed Gragnani, who ran into the outfield wall weeks ago, will join the mix when he is cleared to run full speed. Last weekend, the sophomore batted ninth during at least one scrimmage but was not instructed to run after making contact.

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