A change is a-comin’ and there are brighter times are ahead for the Monsters of the Midwest. A long-dormant sport is rising like Godzilla from the sea. But will that manifest itself a year or two early? Will we be talking about the Big 10 in glowing terms this June? I’m not saying it’s impossible.

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2011 in a Paragraph:

For the second year in a row the Big 10ers didn’t come close to getting a second team into the Big Dance and pulled few noticeable wins. Just like Minnesota in 2010, Illinois waited to get hot when the weather did and wreaked all kinds of havoc in the Regionals at Cal State Fullerton, including eliminating the Titans and pushing Stanford in the championship round. Other than this late-season spike by the Illini, this was still another drag-me-through-the-weeds season in the Big 10 that need to be forgotten as soon as possible. It all started back in January when the roof at the Metrodome collapsed, forcing Minnesota to completely change its schedule and prevented the Big 10 favorites from picking up valuable early-season games and practices. Michigan State got out to another rollicking start and rode that to the first Big 10 title for the Big Green since 1979. Purdue was right there giving chase as well and entered May at 30-13 overall. The problem was both the Spartans and the Boilers played blah baseball in May, including falling short of the Big 10 tournament championship round, so they sat home in June. The bottom six of the Big 10 gave us just two more winning records (30+ win seasons for Iowa and Penn State) and no serious challengers.

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Conference ISR: 17

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HOW THEY’LL FINISH IN 2012:

- The Big Ten

1- Michigan State

2- Nebraska

3- Purdue

4- Minnesota

5- Indiana

6- Iowa

7- Illinois

8- Ohio State

9- Penn State

10- Michigan

11- Northwestern

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2012 in a Paragraph:

It’s not necessarily a “now or never” kind of thing, but the Big 10 better start to show up on the national scope. Too many programs have built (or are building) the necessary facilities and the time for excuses is coming to an end. The one thing that seems to doom the conference more than anything is that the teams that are expected to do well the last few years have fallen flat on those expectations. So who does the “curse” of preseason favorite go to this time? We’re looking your direction Michigan State. With high-round guys like 3B Torston Boss and RHP Tony Bucciferro leading the way, the Big Green could make it two years in a row as regular season champs. Purdue should be right up there once again as the Boilermakers return nearly every field position from a school-record 37-win season. Everybody else in the conference returns a handful of starting pitchers and a lot of key fielders, so it really is just about anybody’s ball game out there. Oh, and before I forget, you DO know that Nebraska is the new bully on the block now, right? They’re here to show the Big 10 how to have a national program in a “mid-major” conference as the Big Red has experienced more than a decade of post-season play, sellout crowds and all their games broadcast on radio – which is a novel concept to Big 10 programs. Let me leave it with this… If this “mild” winter we’re having sticks around and most of these teams are able to get in some outside practices before mid-February, this could be a high-water season for the Big 10.

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Favorites: Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue

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Contenders: If healthy, nearly everyone else

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Darkhorse: Iowa (again, if healthy)

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Can’t-Miss Series of the Year: Michigan State at Purdue, April 27-29.

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Best Non-Conference Series: The Big 10/Big East Challenge, Feb. 17-19.

Close Second: Cal at Nebraska, March 9-12

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Hot Coach: Jake Boss, Michigan State

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Hot Seat Coach: Jack Dahm, Iowa

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The “You Gotta See” Pitcher: Tony Bucciferro, Michigan State

The “You Gotta See” Player: 1B/RHP Josh Desze, Ohio State

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Three Non-Conference Series Big Ten Opponents Better Take Seriously:

1- Cal at Nebraska, March 9-12

2- Michigan State at Texas A&M, March 2-4

3- Purdue at the Auburn Tournament (AU, SoMiss & Charleston Southern), March 2-4.

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Three Bold Predictions:

1- Iowa actually goes a complete season without rampant injuries and contends for the Big 10 title down to the final weekend.

2- After getting just 10 wins before April, Illinois will heat up (and Willie Argo will lead the Big 10 in hitting) and will challenge for the regular season crown.

3- The Big 10 conference kicks itself in the ass for not scheduling a Michigan State-Nebraska weekend this year.

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- ILLINOIS (30-27, 15-9)

2011 ISR: 120

Starters Returning: 4

Weekend Starters: 1

Mid-Week Starters: 1

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

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All Conference Candidates:

3B Brandon Hohl (.311-5-39)

CF Willie Argo (.270-4-27, 25SBs)

OF Davis Hendrickson (.311, 10SBs)

OF Justin Parr (.317)

RHP Kevin Johnson (2-7, 4.54)

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The Good News:

By early June last year, Dan Hartleb’s charges were playing as good as anyone in the country, eliminating Cal State Fullerton and playing Stanford in the title round of the Regionals. There is still some star power remaining for the Illini, who welcome back three of their top four hitters including CF Willie Argo (who hopes to revert to his frosh form when he hit .355) and DH/OF Justin Parr (.317). Pitchers Kevin Johnson and Will Strack (3-0, 4.03) should be the bellows of the staff in ’12. The Illini also had the second-best defense in the Big 10 and the most aggressive baserunners offense in Big 10 with 98 stolen bases. Even with some new faces in tow, don’t look for coach Dan Hartleb to change philosophies. Some immediate plugs will be filled with OF/1B Jordan Parr (Justin’s twin who transfers in from Parkland College), RHP Josh Ferry (who could be the No. 2 starter on weekends) and RHP John Kravetz (who could be a mid-week starter). The Illini will get the benefit of two drafted talents on the field this year with South Dakota native infielder David Kerian, a 42nd round draftee of the Nats coming in and  former catcher Reid Roper, who was a 29th round pick of the Braves but sat out the ’11 season with injury, will move into the 2B position.

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The Bad News:

Now that I’ve glossed on the Illini above, I have to admit that they also underachieved for most of last season, including a shameful loss to NAIA member Benedictine. Which was probably the biggest WTF? moment of the Big 10 season. This year there will be a host of holes to fill, especially in the infield, at catcher and on the mound. The arms corps loses weekenders John Anderson and Corey Kines, who combined for 32 starts and 184 innings of work. Both saves leaders, Chris Pack (4svs) and Wes Braun (6svs) have also flown the coop. RHPs Nick Chmielewski (the closer in 2009) and Bryan Roberts (the team closer in 2010) both return after missing last season with Tommy John surgery, but will need to acclimate back to big time pitching right away.

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Schedule Note:

Jamboree junkies.

Illinois will participate in a handful of invitationals and tournaments, of sorts. Each of the first four weeks of the season – all the way up until league play – they’ll travel to St. Petersburg (for the Big 10-Big East Challenge), Beaumont, Texas (to play Gonzaga and Lamar, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (to play Coastal Carolina, Pitt and St. John’s) and to Eugene, Oregon (to play Oregon, UConn and West Virginia. They’ll also be the conference guinea pig by being the first Big 10 opponent to play at Nebraska. And by the way, for a team that is going to be a bit on the rebuilding side, this is a murderous non-conference schedule. It could be a rough start after facing teams like Louisville, St. John’s, Gonzaga, Coastal Carolina, Pitt, Oregon, Oregon State and UConn. I dig your guts coach Hartleb, but Gah!

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- INDIANA (30-25, 11-13)

2011 ISR: 139

Starters Returning: 4

Weekend Starters: 2

Mid-Week Starters: 2

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 4

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All Conference Candidates:

LHP Joey DeNato (7-3, 2.80)

3B Dustin DeMuth (.360, Freshman All American)

2B Micah Johnson (.335-3-34, 19SBs)

RHP Chad Martin (2-5, 3.41, 3svs)

RHP Ryan Halstead (3-2, 3.16, 9svs)

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The Good News:

Though there will still be some youth to this year’s team, coach Tracy Smith will have some top performers on the mound and in the batting order coming back to the roster, which should pay dividends in 2012. A full 42 of last year’s 55 starts return on the mound, including weekenders Joey DeNato and Chad Martin, plus former Sunday starter Walker Stadler (3-4, 6.27 in ’10) returns after sitting out last season with shoulder problems. Supporting them will be a chock-full ‘pen that features Ryan Halstead, who tied the IU record with 9saves last year, and RHP Chad Martin (2-5, 3.41), who started eight games and also saved three. Dustin DeMuth, Micah Johnson and Justin Cureton were three of the top four hitters off last year’s squad and will lead by example. A bully-of-a-recruiting class comes in with 40th round pick Sam Travis, the Illinois High School Player of the Year, and Chris Sujka, the Illinois Male Athlete of the Year, coming on board. (I wonder if those Land of Lincoln schools are pissed at Tracy Smith for carpetbagging their state?). Travis could end up being the starter at 3rd and Sujka should find a spot in the outfield. Also look for C/DH Kyle Schwarber, a former linebacker on the gridiron, to get a starting role behind the dish. There is also an increased emphasis on speed this season, so look for more station-to-station baseball from the Hoosiers. Also, a brand new $19.8million baseball/softball complex is being built, making this the final season at old Sembower Field.

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The Bad News:

Okay, I admit, I’m a bad luck charm for these guys. After seeing them win the Sunday game at Iowa on April 17th to improve to 23-12, the Hoosiers went 7-13 the rest of the season, crushing any post-season hopes. Sorry coach. Mea culpa. Last year’s offensive woes must be straightened out after a lack of clutch hitting cost the Big Red on numerous occasions (team hit just .287). There were some longtime mainstays that have moved on from the Bloomington campus, like school hitting champion Alex Dickerson, Jerrud Sabourin and pitchers Blake Monar and Matt Carr. The Hoosiers need to have RHP Drew Leininger (4-3, 5.65) return to 2010 form where he was 9-3, 4.04 in 13 starts.

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Schedule Note:

Cal State Bloomington.

With nine Golden State natives on the IU roster, the Hoosiers’ eight-game trip to Southern California will be a tell-tale sign of whether this year’s edition will be a contender or pretender. They’ll take on Cal State Northridge, San Diego and LMU in a nine-day trip West. But there will also be plenty of RPI building pre-conference games with UConn, Tulane and Louisville. Also, eight of their final 11 games will be home contests, so look for a big push at the end of the season.

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- IOWA (20-32, 9-15)

2011 ISR: 191

Starters Returning: 5

Weekend Starters: 3

Mid-Week Starters: 2

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

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All Conference Candidates:

RHP Jarred Hippen (4-6, 3.16)

RHP Matt Dermody (4-6, 4.15)

2B Mike McQuillan (.330)

OF Taylor Zuetenhorst (.261)

RHP Nick Brown (3-2, 2.85)

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The Good News:

On the surface, it may not appear as if the Hawkeyes had much to cheer about last season. But don’t jump to conclusions, they may have been derailed from some injuries, but there was improved pitching and defense to make for some encouragement. UI went from a team ERA of 5.96 in 2010 to 4.22 last year and the defense was .956 in 2010 and improved to last year’s .965. Small signs, sure. But there’s definitely something brewing here. For 2012, the pitching staff returns nearly intact with 380 of last yers’ 466 innings pitched returning, including 49 of 52 starts. All things considered, this could be the best arms corps in the Big 10 with LHPs Jarred Hippen, Matt Dermody (who came back after being a 29th round draftee of the Rockies last June) and RHP Ricky Sanquist (1-4, 7.45 in 8starts) returning to their weekend posts. But also look for big seasons from RHP Patrick Lala (2-6, 4.30, .240OBA) who was a draftee of the Phillies last season and RHP Tim Fangman (2-1, 2.94, 3svs), who held opposing batters to a .245 average. Speaking of MLB targets, former Phillies draftee Taylor Zeutenhorst, a 6’4″ UTL strapper who was named to the Big 10′s All-Frosh team, should find a comfort zone in his soph season. Coach Jack Dahm and recruiting coordinator Ryan Brownlee brought another bonanza of a recruiting class to campus, headed by LHP Sasha Keubel (31st round pick, A’s) and 6’5″ righty Nick Hibbing (42nd round pick, Pirates), both of whom can zing it into the low 90s. Also watch for uber-athletic OF Eric Toole, who will swipe bases and steal gap liners from opposing hitters for the next few years. Can’t wait to see how coach Dahm uses him.

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The Bad News:

Oy vey. The Hawks looked ready to sink some talons into people last year (I had them at No. 51 in the preseason Top 300), but were sunk again by injuries and plain bad luck. Hell, coach Dahm’s gonna wanna kick my ass for putting him down as the “hot seat” coach up above. And did you see how I just wrote in the Indiana preview about how I was a bad omen for the Hoosiers after seeing them play in April? Well after I saw the Black & Gold play last April 17th, they went 7-12 down the stretch. Crapola! While the pitching was good enough, it was the offense that handcuffed the potential of this team, hitting a boney-armed .262 with just eight home runs and striking out 390 times. On top of that, studs like Tyson Blaser, Trevor Willis and Kurt Lee, three of the top five hitters, have gone the way of the buffalo. If this year’s offense doesn’t improve greatly, this teams’ optimistic hopes will too.

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Schedule Note:

Going Coastal.

After taking on Pitt, West Virginia and Notre Dame at the Big 10-Big East Challenge, the Hawkeyes will head to Myrtle Beach to take on perennial mid-major power Coastal Carolina, along with interesting matchups with George Mason and Virginia Tech, who should both be improved. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes have the distinction of having the toughest Big 10 slate, going on roadies at Indiana, Nebraska, Minnesota and Michigan State. Still, it’s the post-season or bust for UI. All the elements are there for the Black & Gold.

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- MICHIGAN (17-37, 7-16)

2011 ISR: 237

Starters Returning: 7

Weekend Starters: 2

Mid-Week Starters: 2

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 4

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All Conference Candidates:

OF Michael O’Neill (.307-2-29, 30SBs)

OF Patrick Biondi (.287, 27SBs)

C Coley Crank (.270-7-33)

RHP Brandon Sinnery (2-5, 2.91, .239OBA)

RHP Kyle Clark (2-4, 3.59, .260OBA)

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The Good News:

Best news of all is that 2011 is over. Done. Finis. Good riddance. But also on the plus side is this will be a very experienced been-there, done-that type of team for the big blue. Lots of familiar faces back, including the offensive leaders and true firestarters in OFs Michael O’Neill and Patrick Biondi, who combined to steal 57 bases last season. There may not be a better catcher in the Big 10 (much less the country) in apply-named Coley Crank, who has solid power at the dish and committed just two errors all last season defensively. Former 10th round draft pick Derek Dennis (.216) has off-the-charts potential at SS, but was hampered by injury and inconsistency last season. Watch out for the emergence of Brett Winger (.289), who was a part-timer as a freshman in 2011, but should play a big role this year. The two big guns who started the most games and threw the most innings both return in Brandon Sinnery and LHP Bobby Brosnahan (1-9, 7.82). They’ll be supported by a slew of arms since Rich Maloney and the staff pretty much went pitcher-by-committee on mid-week starters, set-up men and closers. Beyond Kyle Clark mentioned above, also keep a keen eye on LHP Logan McAnallen (0-3, 5.33) who didn’t have sparkling numbers but held opponents to a .245 average. Righties Jake Engels (1-3, 5.25, 3svs) and Alex Lakatos (2-2, 6.60, 2svs) will step up big time this season as well.

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The Bad News:

Ouchie-mama! The Maize & Blue broke a string of eight straight 30+ win seasons by getting just 17 wins. Yuck. That nasty 2-11 start to last season put them behind the eight-ball from the get-go and they never recovered. I mean when was the last time you saw the winged-helmeted team in last place of the conference? Last. Obviously, there’s a lot of bad news to go along with that last place finish, like hoping the team can bust out of its .245 batting average (yes, not a typo), hitting just 12 HRs, having an ERA of 5.09, walking 233 opposing batters and allowing for 21 passed balls. All of those numbers were the worst in the Big 10 last season. Any carry-over effect could be a rally killer for this program. Again, there is a LOT of potential for the Big Blue here, but guys like Derek Dennis, Coley Crank and Alex Lakatos (.258/2-2, 6.69) need to step up their numbers or this team will never accomplish its goals.

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Schedule Note:

Gotta get some RPI-building Ws.

Last year, the Wolverines were scheduled to take on teams like Louisville, St. John’s, UConn, Rutgers, Florida Gulf Coast and Sam Houston State in non-conference play. And the winged ones lost each and every game against those teams. This year, UMich is slated to play teams like LSU, Coastal Carolina, Pitt, Seton Hall, UConn and Notre Dame. Not a bad slate of teams. But the Wolverines can ill-afford to go winless against these guys or else their confidence will be shot to pieces again. Their last three home opponents will be Indiana, Coastal Carolina and Nebraska. If they can keep the win total at a high level, these matchups could become crucial for any post-season hopes, be it Big Dance or Columbus.

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- MICHIGAN STATE (36-21, 15-9)

2011 ISR: 79

Starters Returning: 7

Weekend Starters: 2

Mid-Week Starters: 1

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

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All Conference Candidates:

3B Torsten Boss (.370-7-59)

2B Ryan Jones (.344)

DH Jared Hook (.341)

SS Justin Scanlon (.302)

RHP Tony Bucciferro (8-3, 3.38, .257OBA)

RHP Tony Wieber (5-0, 3.64, 8svs, .256OBA)

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The Good News:

Man, second straight year of 30+ wins, this time adding the Big Green’s first Big 10 regular season crown since 1979 to their resume. Strong work coach Boss. I likey-likey. Just like in 2010, the Spartans raced out to a quick start, going 21-7 through April 12th and on the cusp of the Top 25 again. The top-hitting team in the Big 10 (.318 team average) will return four .300+ hitters in the order and a lot of potential. On the other glove, the defense was remarkable, fielding at a .976 pace and being a key ingredient in their reaching the 36-win plateau. That Big 10-leading infield will return three-fourths of its lineup with Torsten Boss at 3rd, Justin Scanlon at short and Ryan Jones at 2nd. Behind the dish, sophomore Joel Fisher (.245) had just one error in 42 starts. He’ll catch a junior-senior heavy mound corps led by returning weekend starters Tony Bucciferro (who is getting some mad love from scouts) and RHP Andrew Waszak (4-3, 4.79). Also coming back will be key relievers like Tony Wieber (38Ks in 42inns), fellow saves man Bryce Jenney (0-1, 4.58, 5svs) and RHP Joe Zwierzynski (1-0, 2.12 in 15apps). Midweek starting RHP David Garner (5-4, 4.62) lived up to his billing (32nd round pick out of high school) as a frosh and should have an even bigger sophomore year, possibly moving into the weekend rotation. Add in some fill-ins off the incoming frosh class and this pitching staff is stoked. Speaking of the newbies, recruiting coordinator Mark Van Ameyde brought in a stellar batch, headed by trio of Detroit Tiger draftees who decided to come to East Lansing instead in 6’5″ block-o-granite catcher Blaise Salter (38th round pick), 6’4″ lumberjack 1B Ryan Krill (40th round) and athletic OF/C Jimmy Pickens (41st round). Also keep an eye on RHP Mick Van Vossen, who was a 49th round draftee of the Rangers and could provide a valuable arm for this year’s bullpen depth. This is a go-get-em type of season for Sparty and Crew.

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The Bad News:

After that great start the Big Green’s promising 2011 season turned a little bit sour. The 14-13 ending included a runner-up finish in the Big 10 tournament and no at-large bid to the Big Dance. This year’s team will have to move on without staff ace and Big 10 Pitcher of the Year Kurt Wunderlich and his 10 wins and also without the top two hitters in Brandon Eckerle and Big 10 Player of the Year in 1B Jeff Holm, who both hit in the upper .370s and also had over 20 stolen bases on the season. There will be a little bit of a power outage as Torsten Boss is the only home run threat remaining in the order. One thing MSU will have to do this season is take care of co-champion Illinois, who was a big nemesis, as the Big Green was just 1-4 vs. the Illini. That included both losses in the Big 10 tournament which ended Sparty’s 2011 season.

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Schedule Note:

Sharpen that case for an at-large bid.

The Spartans will certainly be given the chance to make its case for an at-large bid if a Big 10 title slips through the wickets again. Their pre-conference slate will feature a rugged three-game set at Texas A&M the first weekend of March and also has them facing off with teams like St. John’s, South Florida and Louisville in the opening weekend, along with games vs. Baylor, Seton Hall and Pitt as well.

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- MINNESOTA (25-24, 13-11)

2011 ISR: 119

Starters Returning: 7

Weekend Starters: 2

Mid-Week Starters: 0

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

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All Conference Candidates:

RHP TJ Oakes (5-5, 3.26)

RHP Austin Lubinsky (5-6, 4.35)

LHP Tom Windle (6-2, 1.52, 2svs)

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The Good News:

Usually when you give coach John Anderson a solid defense and some experienced front line pitching, it bodes well for another 30+ win season. Well that’s what he’s got on his hands for 2012 as seven field starters return from a defense that was 3rd in the Big 10 with a .969 fielding percentage and features 2B Matt Puhl (.252-2-18), 3B Kyle Geason (.243) and catcher Kurt Schlangen (.213). Two familiar weekend starters come back to the rotation in TJ Oakes and Austin Lubinsky, who have 280 combined innings of work in their Gopher careers. Both of them also return to The U despite getting drafted by the bigs last June, Oakes was a 41st round pick of the hometown Twins and Lubinsky was a 36th round pick of the Giants. They’ll be backed by sophomore southpaw Tom Windle, who could be the next great pitcher for the Maroon & Gold and may take over the closer role. Also keep an eye on incoming JC transfer Drew Ghelfi, a RHP who pitched in the Northwoods League last summer and should transition to D1 play just fine. Two under-the-radar players to watch for Gophers this year will be fellow strapping soph LHP D.J. Snelton (1-3, 5.22) who only threw 29 innings last season but was a former draftee of the Padres and INF Dan Olinger, who was a part-timer last year, hitting .265. But he was also named the MVP of last summer’s Northwoods All Star Game, so his adjustment in year two on campus should be huge.

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The Bad News:

From the collapse of the Metrodome roof to the middle-of-the-road baseball they played, 2011 was one freakin’ disaster after another as the Gophers never could get any traction. The roof collapse forced them to play away from “home” almost all season long and cancelled many important early-season games, hindering their development. Just not a good season in the Twin Cities for the Maroon & Gold. The 2012 season sees them forge ahead without three huge key players in career starters AJ Pettersen, who was a heart-and-soul type of shortstop, Justin Gominsky, a cannon-armed right fielder, and Nick O’Shea, the lone power threat in the lineup last season. Also, Phil Isaksson, a 14-game weekend starter, and saves ace Scott Matyas both hit the road to the pros and will be big holes to fill. One of the bigger problems last season was obviously the offense, which hit a spindly .257 and must improve.

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Schedule Note:

Just like a Southern national power

With the Metrodome ceiling now repaired, the Gophers are back to their greedy ways where they’ll play 39 home games. While Seibert Field is still undergoing a massive facelift, the Metrodome will serve as the home field for the Golden Gophers once again. But they’ll have to hope that teams like West Virginia, New Mexico State, Kansas, Stony Brook, Kansas State, Cal Poly and The Citadel have better-than-expected seasons for their RPI help comes through, should they need it come June.

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- NEBRASKA (30-25, 9-17 in Big 12)

2011 ISR: 72

Starters Returning: 8

Weekend Starters: 3

Mid-Week Starters: 1

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

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All Conference Candidates:

OF/1B Kash Kalkowski (.299-5-42, 11SBs)

OF Chad Christensen (.292)

RHP Tom Lemke (2-0, 5.29)

RHP Jon Keller (.3-6, 3.62)

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The Good News:

So here we go. A new conference. A new attitude. And most importantly, a new head coach in charge of directing this big-money program: the inimitable Darin Erstad. The former Husker hitting machine is still a name all baseball fanatics are well-aware of after having a highly-lauded career in the Bigs recently come to an end. That name recognition will curry a lot of favor on the recruiting trail too. Can’t wait to see what corners this program turns. For this year, they’ll be loaded for bear, returning eight starters, a couple others who were part timers (including hyper-talented OF Khiry Cooper, who hit .260 and was 6-for-7 in stolen bases) and all three weekend starters on the mound in RHP Jon Keller, RHP Tyler Niederklein (8-3, 34.17) and RHP Tom Lemke (though I admit, he started 14 games as a frosh, but only five last season). Biggest news of all?… Pitching guru Ted Silva comes in to join the staff. Believe me, that’s huge. The Huskers will be soph heavy on the mound with Keller, RHP Brandon Pierce (0-1, 4.02, 2svs, 20apps) and lefties Thyler King (0-1, 2.21, .149OBA) and Zach Hirsch (0-0, 2.04, .238OBA), who should both be leaned upon more this season. The defense, which was an outstanding .975 last season (would’ve led the Big 10) will have 1B Kurt Farmer (.275-2-32), who could make the move to 3rd base, 2B Bryan Peters (.273-2-30, 12SBs) and incoming 1B Austin Christensen (who was the Iowa Player of the Year). But Kash Kalkowski (who returns after being drafted last June) could make the move to 1st base if early indications are correct. The Big Red stole just 50 bases last year… ummmm, with coach Erstad in charge, look for that number to possibly double. The recruiting class that ended up coming to campus despite the coaching change is pretty sweet, led by LHP Aaron Bummer (31st round pick, Yankess), C Richard Stock (a transfer from USC, former 45th round pick of the Brewers) and JC transfer RHP Travis Huber (who has been drafted twice, including 39th round pick by the Marlins last June). But the real find was Minnesota shortstop Pat Kelly, who looks likely to take over the shortstop duties after a bang-em-up fall campaign.

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The Bad News:

Well, I guess it’s easy to say that the bad news with a youthful, inexperienced head coach like Darin Erstad is that you know it’ll take a while for him to get used to the gig. Beyond that, the horrible 3-8 finish to last year’s month of May was a big eyesore to the Big Red post-season hopes and, ultimately, the straw that broke the back of outgoing coach Mike Anderson, who was a long-time blood-red Husker from back in the John Sanders days. Too bad too, ‘coz despite the poor finish it looked like the Cornhuskers were making strides last season. There are only five seniors on this year’s squad. Most of the offense is back, obviously, but the Cornhuskers can’t hit just .270 again this year. There are certainly a number of players that need to reach their potential in 2012.

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Schedule Note:

Hoping for a cold front.

For the second year in a row, the Huskers have managed to get two California teams to come to Lincoln as College World Series alums California plays a three-gamer in early March and will host Cal State Bakersfield comes to town in April. You KNOW they’d love to have snow flurries in the forecast to welcome their Golden State opponents. The Big 10 lidlifter will be when they host Illinois in late-March. Unfortunately, NU will play most of the month of May away from home with seven of their final 11 games on the road.

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- NORTHWESTERN (20-29, 10-13)

2011 ISR: 206

Starters Returning: 8

Weekend Starters: 3

Mid-Week Starters: 2

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 4

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All Conference Candidates:

1B/RHP Paul Snieder (.347-6-42/2-2, 2.88, 5svs)

OF Trevor Stevens (.305, 10SBs)

RHP Luke Farrell (6-3, 3.33)

SS Trevor Stevens (.305, 10SBs)

OF/1B Jack Livingston (.340)

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The Good News:

Longtime head coach Paul Stevens could be sitting on something big this season as the Wildcats will have just about everyone coming back from last year’s roster. The pitching became a bright spot, sporting a 4.59 team ERA (good compared to what we’ve seen of NU in the last decade or so) and issuing just 172 walks all season. Nine of the 10 pitchers used last year come back including the weekend starting duo of Luke Farrell and LHP Dan Tyson (2-5, 6.02), along with mid-week starters Michael Jahns (2-5, 4.30) and Francis Brooke (1-2, 5.15) who are both right-handed seniors and could be All Big 10 types if they shake the inure bug. But the big boss with the hot sauce will be senior Paul Snieder, who is one of the best two-way players in the nation and should get big time consideration for the John Olerud Award. He and fellow senior Trevor Stevens get the offense cookin’ as both hit .300+ and finished tied for the team lead with 26 walks last season. Also watch for rising sophomores in RHP Ethan Bramschreiber (1-2, 3.30, .236OBA) and RHP Kyle Ruchim (0-0, 3.38, 4svs, .206OBA), who should conform better in their second season as Wildcats.

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The Bad News:

Stuck in a rut. NU hasn’t had an overall winning mark since 2000. Dude, that’s 12 long years to suffer. One big problem was the notorious slow starts NU got out to as they were outscored by 40 runs in the 1st-through-4th innings of games last year. And though nearly the entire team returns, a big time jump in all areas of the stat sheet will be needed, considering they hit just .273, had just 25 stolen bases (lowest in the Big 10) and the defense was pretty poor, fielding at a Big 10-low .957 pace. The Cats will have to deal without having the leadership of 3B Chris Lashmet, who hit .353 last season.

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Schedule Note:

Heading to Florida for the winter.

The Bat Cats will be familiar denizens of the Sunshine State as they’ll open the season with three trips to Florida in the first five weekends. They’ll grapple with West Virginia, Pitt and Seton Hall in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in the Tampa Bay area. After a trip out to Cal State Northridge, trip No. 2 to Florida will be to face Western Michigan, Xavier, Villanova and Chicago State in the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte. After going up against Chi-town rivals UI-C, the fifth weekend will have the Purple Gang going back to Winter Haven to take on some more snow-bound programs like Eastern Illinois, Bucknell, Navy, LIU and Nebraska-Omaha. Look for a lot of early wins to be culled from this slate before Big 10 play kicks in with weekends of Nebraska and Purdue coming to Evanston.

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- OHIO STATE (26-27, 13-11)

2011 ISR: 154

Starters Returning: 6

Weekend Starters: 2

Mid-Week Starters: 1

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

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All Conference Candidates:

1B/RHP Josh Dezse (.332-4-42/4-2, 5.53, 6svs, Frosh All American)

OF Tim Wetzel (.278)

2B Ryan Cypret (.323-3-35)

RHP Brett McKinney (3-3, 4.48)

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The Good News:

There were some small steps made last year, the first under new skipper Greg Beals. The Bucks turned a moribund 2010 season into a winning campaign in Big 10 play and earned themselves a bid to the conference tournament after missing out the year before. Year two of the Beals era should go much smoother, as it usually goes for second year coaches. Of course, having some of the yearlings back for their second season are a big topic in C-bus for this season. Two-way talent RHP/1B Josh Dezse is one of the biggest bright spots in a long time for this program as he looks like a sure-fire All American for the foreseeable future. What a great prospect. Fellow soph Greg Greve (3-3, 5.00) has similar upside that should manifest itself in 2012, after spending his frosh campaign in the weekend rotation. CF Tim Wetzel has good speed and should blossom more as his comfort level rises in his second season. A pair of D1 transfers will make a big time impact this season in RHP Brad Goldberg, who was 1-1, 2.45 as a frosh at Coastal Carolina and could forge into the weekend rotation here, and also OF Mike Carroll, who started 27 games and hit .260 at Duke in 2010. Another transfer who could dent the starting lineup will be SS Kirby Pellant, a JC transfer from Gilbert CC (Ariz) who hit .283 with 12SBs at Marshall as a freshman. Pellant is also a former 38th round draft pick of the Dodgers.

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The Bad News:

A losing season is a losing season. Those kind of things just don’t happen in Columbus very often, regardless of the sport. There’s too much money flowing around for the University to have one of its teams with a sub-.500 mark. So even though it happened, don’t expect it to stay that way for the Buckeye Nine. The Bucks don’t lose much on the mound, but what they DO lose is significant. The top two ERA pitchers are gone in Drew Rucinski (the most-used hurler last season) and Jared Strayer (who had the 2nd best opponent batting average). Plus, Rucinski and fellow longtime mainstay Dean Wolosiansky have combined for 75 starts, 149 appearances and 568 career innings over the last four seasons. The other bad part of the pitching staff is that Andrew Armstrong (2-0, 3.68 in 33apps) and Brett McKinney are the only flingers coming back who had sub-5.00 ERAs. JC transfers LHP Brian King (a top 100 JC prospect from Paradise Valley CC) and RHP Tyler Giannonatti (from Gilbert CC, but was 2-0/5.27 in 11apps at K-State in 2010) must deliver for the Buckeye bullpen to be an effective force this season.

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Schedule Note:

REALLY?!… No Big 10 weekend matchup with Michigan?

I’ve checked the Buckeye schedule. I’ve double-checked it too. “That team from up North” doesn’t show up in the Big 10 rotation this year… another reason why all this conference expansion B.S. is bad. They will face each other down in Port Charlotte, Florida on March 2nd in a single game as part of the Snowbird Classic. The Bucks get a good break out of the gate in Big 10 play as they will be at home for three of the first four weekends of conference play, hosting Purdue, Minnesota and Nebraska. There will be some interesting matchups out of conference as the Buckeyes have ramped up the schedule a bit, playing at Georgia Tech (2nd weekend), going to Coastal Carolina and hosting Ohio Valley champion Austin Peay in the weekend before Big 10 play. A return mid-week trip to Stillwater to play two games vs. Oklahoma State in early May is interesting as well.

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- PENN STATE (32-22, 12-12)

2011 ISR: 104

Starters Returning: 6

Weekend Starters: 3

Mid-Week Starters: 0

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

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All Conference Candidates:

OF Sean Deegan (.333-12-40, 15SBs)

1B Joey DeBernardis (.329, 24doubles)

3B Jordan Steranka (.323-8-57

RHP Steven Hill (6-5, 2.57, 4CGs)

RHP John Walter (6-4, 3.19, .234OBA)

RHP Ryan Ignas (2-3, 3.04, 5svs)

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The Good News:

A 32-win season and a .500 mark in Big 10 play in 2011 shows that the Lions are on the cusp of something big in Happy Valley. The pitching staff improved from 2010′s 6.34 ERA to 3.44 last season, which was the tops in the Big 10. Buoying the hopes for even better aspirations in 2012 will be the return of the solid one-two weekend duo of hard-throwing Steven Hill and John Walter, who both started 15 games last season and are both fierce competitors who set a great tone on the hill. Look for part-timers like RHP Dave Walkling (5-0, 1.71, .176OBA) and LHP Geoff Boylston (2-1, 1.99, .213OBA), who threw for 21 and 22 innings respectively last season, to have big seasons this time around. Closers like Ryan Ignas (16apps, .223OBA) and LHP Greg Welsh (2-3, 4.42, 2svs) will help slam some doors closed. Keep an eye on T.J. Jann, a highly-lauded pitcher who was injured in the first week of the season last year and was shut down. If he lives up to potential, the Lions have yet another real arm to roar about. The top three hitters in the order return in the forms of Sean Deegan, Joey DeBernardis and Jordan Steranka, who are all multi-base machines at the dish. The middle infield combo of 2B Luis Montesinos (.246) and SS Elliot Searer (.214) should go a long way in improving the defense. If at all possible, keep the good vibes of the early innings going as the Nittany Lions outscored their opponents by a resounding 41 runs in the first two innings of games last season. Wow.

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The Bad News:

The Lions saw their encouraging 20-10 start to last season quickly wilt to a 12-12 finish, including an 0-2 Big 10 Tournament. Yick. There are plenty of improvements needed here in (Somewhat) Happy Valley, particularly to that porous defense, which was the second-worst in the Big 10 at .958, committing a conference-high 70 errors. And even with the new bats, the boney-armed .264 team batting average would even be considered a blight by the most scrupulous of critics. Between the offense and the defense, it’s hard to say what must be the biggest turnaround for the 2012 squad. In Big 10 rigors, things were even worse, as they hit just .243 and their opponents hit .281. The Lions must also find a reliable backstop after Bobby Jacobs, a three-year starter at catcher, has moved on.

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Schedule Note:

Toughest finish in the Big 10.

The 2012 season will be a grind for sure. But perhaps no one has it harder than the Lions do with their final three Big 10 weekends coming against possibly the three best teams, and two of those coming on the road. PSU will wrap up at Minnesota, vs. Illinois and at Michigan State in the May portion of their conference slate. Keep in mind, this comes after pre-conference road trips to UNC Greensboro, Samford, Mississippi State and East Carolina, all of whom won 34 or more games last season. With all the returning players they’ve got, the schedule could be tough for another 30+ win season.

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- PURDUE (37-21, 14-10)

2011 ISR: 93

Starters Returning: 8

Weekend Starters: 1

Mid-Week Starters: 2

Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

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All Conference Candidates:

1B Cameron Perkins (.349-8-53, 15SBs)

2B Eric Charles (.351-3-39, 12SBs)

C Kevin Plawecki (.341-2-39)

RHP Nick Wittgren (2-3, 3.18, 12svs, 2nd team All Big 10)

OF Tyler Spillner (.328-4-33, 12SBs)

3B/OF Barrett Serrato (.313-2-42)

OF Stephen Talbot (.301-2-32, 18SBs)

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The Good News:

37 man. Thirty-freakin-seven. Last year’s win total equalled the school’s high-water mark for a single season. Niiiiiice. But the Boilers are looking for even more in 2012. I had this PU squad picked 8th in the 2011 Big 10 pre-season rankings, just imagine what they can do this year after being selected in the 4-slot going into the season? Nearly every piece of the puzzle is back in the field and batting order with a heavy junior-senior team. The Boilermakers hit .309 last year (and .402OB% as a team) and six of the returnees went .300+. Also, the infield of 1B Cameron Perkins, 2B Eric Charles, SS David Miller (.281, 41BBs, 10SBs) and 3B Barrett Serrato (though he switched between 3B and OF last year) could be as good as there is in the Big 10, sure to improve its .967 defense. And catcher Kevin Plawecki  is solid, committing just 3Es last season and had a big time summer in the Cape Cod League too. RHP Joe Haase (6-5, 3.39) will assume the ace role on the staff and will have RHP Robert Ramer (5-0, 4.91) and Calvin Gunter (5-3, 6.75) behind him. In the ‘pen, Nick Wittgren led the Big 10 in saves in his first year on campus. Look for more from the big righty in 2012, which would be a huge boon to the Boilermaker arms staff. One returner not listed above that will play a big role will be two-way threat Angelo Cianfrocco, who hit .308 in 26 starts, but also began pitching last May and became the first reliever out of the pen by the Big 10 Tournament. And on top of all this, the Boilers are also slated to move into their new home in April of 2012, the Northwest Complex, a state-of-the-art stadium that should raise the profile of the program. Can’t wait to see where this goes.

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The Bad News:

If there is any room for concern on the personnel side, it’s probably the quandary of who the starters will be on the mound beyond Joe Haase on Fridays. Heart and soul Friday starter Matt Morgan finished his PU career with 16 wins and 218 Ks, but is now in pro ball. Also, big horse RHP Brad Schreiber (4-0, 3.80 in 8starts) had Tommy John surgery and may not be available until April or May. There are lots of candidates of course, but there will need to be solid Saturday and Sunday flingers who can get used to starting duties and go deep into games. Some new arms will need to step up as well, but watch for J.C. transfer RHP Brett Andrzejewski (yes, I just double-checked the spelling there),  who is one of those freaky side-armers with lots of movement. Other than that, there’s not a lot of bad news for this team, though keep an eye on the schedule, which will be tougher, so surpassing last year’s 37 wins is a dicey proposition.

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Schedule Note:

Now, about that “dicey proposition”

Here’s what I mean with the non-conference schedule. After their three games in the Big 10/Big East Challenge (vs. Cincinnati, UConn and Notre Dame), the Boilers will play in back-to-back tournaments at East Carolina (vs. ECU, Maryland and Western Carolina) and at Auburn (vs. AU, Southern Miss and Charleston Southern). They’ll also make weekend trips to Wichita State (four games, March 15-17) and to UCLA (May 5-6). So obviously, this will be a season of stern tests beyond the Big 10. But I think this team could be up for it too. We’ll see.