Jan. 30, 2007

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Leftfield

Junior Dominic de la Osa made the transition from shortstop to leftfield at the end of last year and did so in seamless fashion. He added more bulk during the offseason and will be one of the team's power sources after finishing last season with a .319 batting average to go along with nine homers and 46 RBI.

Senior Matt Meingasner will serve as the backup in left and will also get some at bats at DH. He should improve on his numbers from last season when he hit .260 with two homers and 24 RBI as a junior college transfer.

Freshman Jordan Wormsley showed promise in the fall and will be one of the outfielders to watch in the future.

Centerfield

Junior David Macias will patrol center for the second straight year. Last season he made the move from the infield and was a catalyst at the top of the order. He hit .328 with 39 walks, 14 hit by pitches and a .447 on base percentage.

Sophomore Jonathan White has made the most improvement of anyone on the team according to the coaches and has warranted more playing time with his strong showing in the fall. He will see some action in the outfield and will also DH.

Freshman Alex Hilliard is a promising talent who is making the move from the infield to the outfield in the spring. He has power potential and will be a guy to watch in the future.

Rightfield

Junior Ryan Davis will once again start in right and will look to build on a solid 2006 campaign in which he hit .323 with four homers and 31 RBI. He has a very accurate arm and takes a serious approach to the game.

Junior Parker Hanks will split time here and at DH this season. He along with Meingasner provide quality depth and starting experience in the corner outfield spots. The duo combined for 63 starts last year with Hanks hitting .274 with three homers and 22 RBI.

Corbin's Comments

"Every single guy that returns should make a jump in production offensively," said Corbin. "A lot of that comes from experience that they gained last year and over the summer. They were able to hit off of our pitchers every day as well and were able to face some quality pitching and know how to handle it. I think with age comes strength and strike zone discipline and knowledge. With that, they better themselves offensively and we become better as a team."