Big 12 teams hope to answer questions

It’s once again Texas and everyone else entering fall workouts.

The Longhorns made a bold statement last season by reaching the CWS finals and playing LSU in a three-game series to determine the national champion.

Using last season as motivation, the Longhorns enter fall workouts with some questions at the plate. However, the pitching staff is loaded with talent as Chance Ruffin, Cole Green, Taylor Jungmann and Brandon Workman are back this fall.

After the Longhorns, everyone in the Big 12 has several questions to answer this fall.

Texas A&M welcomes back some talented players, but must find a way to replace weekend starters Alex Wilson and Brooks Raley. Possibly even Ross Hales, too. Then there’s Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Baylor, which also lost several players in the offseason.

Kansas is the team to watch this fall. The Jayhawks made a regional last season and enter fall workouts with several talented pitchers to choose from. Offense is a question mark, but the pitching staff is in excellent shape.

It’s a wide-open fall in the Big 12.

Baylor

Biggest loss. 1B Dustin Dickerson

What to watch. The Bears finished last season with a 30-26 record and still managed to make an NCAA regional. Well, the Bears likely will have to overachieve in the spring to return to the postseason. Offensively, BU must replace four of its top five hitters including consistent producers Dustin Dickerson, Shaver Hansen and Aaron Miller. On the mound, the Bears received bad news close to the draft deadline when right-hander Kendal Volz decided to sign with Boston. Volz didn’t compile great numbers last season, but would’ve given BU a legitimate ace entering the fall. As it stands, the Bears need big-time falls from Shawn Tolleson, Craig Fritsch, Logan Verrett and Willie Kempf. BU is fine on the mound. Offense, though, is a big concern.

Kansas

Biggest loss. P Shaeffer Hall

What to watch. Barring a surprise in the spring, there’s a good chance Kansas finishes near the top of the Big 12. The Jayhawks have some key cogs to replace at the plate with the departures of David Narodowski and Buck Afenir. Otherwise, they’re in good shape. KU welcomes back leading hitters Tony Thompson and Brian Heere. On the mound, replacing ace pitcher Shaeffer Hall won’t be easy, but KU welcomes back T.J. Walz and Lee Ridenhour. Walz had a 4.70 ERA in 82 1/3 innings last season and Ridenhour had a 4.65 ERA in 79 1/3 innings. KU also welcomes back relievers Brett Bochy, Brett Bollman, Colton Murray and Cameron Selik. The spring could be filled with success if the offense shows some improvement this fall.

Kansas State

Biggest loss. RHP A.J. Morris

What to watch. The Wildcats are another Big 12 team with a plethora of holes to fill this fall. Most important, though, is the departure of All-American pitcher A.J. Morris. Morris had a dominant ’09 campaign and signed a pro contract this past summer. Joining him were fellow weekend starters Lance Hoge and Todd Vogel. The Wildcats welcome back Ryan Daniel and Thomas Rooke, which put together solid campaigns last season. K-State also has some holes to fill at the plate with the departures of Justin Bloxom, Drew Biery and Jordan Cruz. KSU is in better shape at the plate than on the mound with the return of Carter Jurica, Nick Martini and Jason King. K-State’s offense should be fine this fall and next spring. The pitching staff is a different story.

Missouri

Biggest loss. RHP Kyle Gibson

What to watch. It’s safe to say the Tigers are due for a rebuilding year. The Tigers entered last season with extremely high expectations and managed to make a regional. They finished the season with an unimpressive 35-27 record. MU enters fall workouts with much work to do. The Tigers must replace four of their top six hitters including Kyle Mach, Greg Folgia, Ryan Lollis and Trevor Coleman. They welcome back Aaron Senne, who finished last season hitting .305 with six homers and 43 RBIs. MU has a plethora of holes to fill on the mound, too, where stud right-hander Kyle Gibson departed in addition to Ryan Gargano, Scooter Hicks and Ian Berger. It’s an important fall for pitchers Nick Tepesch and Tyler Clark. Missouri coach Tim Jamieson has his work cut out this fall.

Nebraska

Biggest loss. 2B Jeff Tezak

What to watch. It got as bad as it could possibly get for the Huskers last season. They were unable to make a regional and finished the season with a dismal 25-28 record. The upcoming fall and spring are important for coach Mike Anderson and his program. The Huskers can’t afford to fall back in the pecking order. To get back on track, though, the Huskers need much help. They are without key hitter Jeff Tezak and need returnees Tyler Farst and Adam Bailey to continue where they left off last season. NU finished last season with a .282 batting average. That needs to improve. The Huskers also must improve on the mound, where they had a 6.22 ERA last season. Key pitcher Erik Bird has departed, but NU welcomes back Mike Nesseth and Casey Hauptman. It’ll be an interesting fall for the Huskers.

Oklahoma

Biggest loss. C J.T. Wise

What to watch. The Sooners put together an impressive resume in the ’09 regular season and earned a national seed. There’s much to be done this fall and early next spring if the Sooners want a repeat performance. They have a plethora of holes to fill. At the plate, the Sooners must find a way to replace key hitters J.T. Wise, Jamie Johnson, Bryant Hernandez and Matt Harughty. Garrett Buechele and Casey Johnson hope to take some sting off those losses this fall. On the mound, the Sooners must replace starting pitchers Garrett Richards and Andrew Doyle in addition to Chase Anderson and Antwonie Hubbard. OU has much work to do in both areas to return to a regional in ’10.

Oklahoma State

Biggest loss. OF Neil Medchill

What to watch. It’ll be an interesting fall for the Cowboys. It was a grueling end to the MLB draft deadline for coach Frank Anderson and his program. Pitchers Andy Oliver, Tyler Blandford and Tyler Lyons had decisions to make as the deadline neared. Only Lyons decided to return for another season. That leaves the Cowboys with 29 starts to replace this fall. Accomplishing that goal won’t be easy. OSU also has some tough holes to fill at the plate with the departures of leading hitters Neil Medchill, Micheal Dabbs and Tyrone Hambly. On the positive side, Lyons and sophomore pitcher Randy McCurry give the Cowboys a solid one-two punch. At the plate, Tom Belza, Kevin David, Doug Kroll and Mark Ginther must elevate their game this fall

Texas

Biggest loss. P Austin Wood

What to watch. The Longhorns have some tough players to replace this fall, but still will enter the spring as a strong national title contender. UT particularly has some gaping holes to fill at the plate with the departures of three of four of its top hitters, including Brandon Belt, Michael Torres and Travis Tucker. Preston Clark also is a tough departure both from a production and leadership standpoint. Kevin Keyes, Cameron Rupp and others must have strong falls at the plate. The pitching staff, though, is in fantastic shape with the return of weekend starters Chance Ruffin, Taylor Jungmann and Cole Green. Brandon Workman also is expected to be a big-time contributor, likely taking over for Wood in the closer role. It’ll be a good fall for the ‘Horns.

Texas A&M

Biggest loss. UTI Brooks Raley

What to watch. The Aggies entered last season with high expectations that included a sure trip to Omaha, but things went south and they only reached the regional round. Now the Aggies hope to take a step forward without two-way star Brooks Raley, weekend starter Alex Wilson and key hitters Luke Anders and Kyle Colligan. Replacing those guys won’t be easy, but the Aggies can overcome the departures. Caleb Shofner, Brodie Greene, Joe Patterson, Kevin Gonzalez and Adam Smith return to the offensive lineup and Barret Loux returns to the weekend rotation after compiling a 4.12 ERA in 48 innings last season. With sophomore pitcher Ross Hales on the shelf this fall and perhaps most of the spring, the Aggies need several pitchers to rise to the occasion this fall.

Texas Tech

Biggest loss. 1B Chris Richburg

What to watch. Dan Spencer had his first full season as head coach in ’09. The Red Raiders did some good things throughout the season. They were more competitive. But there’s still much work to do between now and the spring. The Red Raiders must replace a pair of starting pitchers in AJ Ramos and Nathan Karns. They also must replace key hitters Chris Richburg and Willie Rueda. Most of all, Texas Tech’s pitching staff must improve this fall. The Raiders have one of the nation’s top prospects in Chad Bettis, but the staff finished last season with a horrendous 6.81 ERA. Tech has a chance to make some noise at the plate with the return of Joey Kenworthy, Taylor Ashby, Scott LeJeune, Jeremy Mayo and Justin Berry. Tech’s success hinges on the pitching staff.