Tartan Baseball Season Preview: Long on Talent, But Short on Experience

The Tartan baseball team has been a power in the Classic Suburban Conference under 11-year head coach Curt Russell. They won the 2008 and 2009 titles before finishing tied for third place last season.

However, Russell said he is not sure what to expect for a young team this season, especially with the bad weather that has forced his team to practice inside this spring.

“We have two starters back, but other than that, it is a crapshoot,” Russell said. “It is going to be tough to figure out.”

Russell must replace two talented players who are playing in college this season.

Max Ryan is playing at The University of Minnesota-Duluth, he said, and Cam Smith is at Daytona State College, but will possibly transfer to Hamline University.

Russell said that the Titans will rely heavily on their two returning starters.

One returning starter, Phil Spock, was brought up as a sophomore, he said. He pitched against Hill-Murray, he said, in the team's region game as a sophomore.

“He should be one of the top pitchers in the Classic Suburban Conference," Russell said. "He is also a kid who has tremendous power at the plate and he is working very hard at his craft.”

Tyler Beaulieu is the team's returning catcher.

"He is solid behind the plate and has a very good arm," he said. "He has a good command of our pitchers. He is a kid that has some untapped potential and should be one of the top kids in the conference along with Phil.”

Russell said he thinks his sophomore group has a chance to be special. They are coming off a 19-1 year as freshmen, he said.

“They have been coached well and know not only the game, but our systems, and they come in ahead of the curve," he said. "They are very well-prepared. It is just a matter of having the ability to show us that they belong.”

Russell said sophomore Eric Olheiser has a chance to contribute heavily this season.

“He got a huge hit for us in region game last year," he said. "He is going to be an infielder/pitcher for us.”

Russell said that the Minnesota weather has not cooperated with his young team.

“We have a ton of unanswered questions and unfortunately, this is a spring where we are not going to get outside probably until our first game,” he said.

The season is supposed to open April 11, but based on the fields Russell said he doesn't know how that is going to be possible.

“I don’t know what our conference is doing as far as how the schedule is going to look, but everyone is going to be in the same boat,” he said.

Russell said he is hoping that some of his younger players will step up this spring.

“As far as my team goes, I’ve never had as many unanswered questions and positions to fill,” Russell said. “There are literally seven spots open. We have it narrowed down to nine or 10 guys who are going to be playing those spots. All those kids will get opportunities and it is really going to come down to who makes the best of the opportunities that are given to them.”

Conference Outlook

The Classic Suburban Conference 2010 champion was St. Thomas Academy with a 15-1 mark in conference play, three games ahead of second place Hill-Murray. Russell said he expects those same teams, which also have some of the best individual talent in the conference, to battle for the title.

"I don’t want to say that it is a two-horse race, but coming in, they are the top two and everybody else is trying to chase them," he said. "Hill-Murray has enough pitching and returning guys that they are going to be a difficult team to beat. St. Thomas is the same way."

TARTAN TITANS BASEBALL STATS

Last season: 13-9

Conference record: 11-5

Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the year in which Phil Spock was a sophomore. He was a sophomore two years ago.