I think we’ve got a lot of pitching this year, senior designated hitter Brad Benson said. I think it will be a different team than what you saw last year. We were more of an offense-oriented team last year with some pitching, but we’re by far probably the deepest I’ve seen, and we’re going to have a tremendous staff this year.

Last season, the Salukis were seventh in Missouri Valley Conference with a disappointing 5.85 ERA.

But that was last season, and Jason Frasor returns to lead this season’s Saluki aces. Last season, the right-handed junior had a team best 3.59 ERA, which was good for fifth in the conference.

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Junior right-hander Dave Piazza will return to the mound after elbow surgery. Piazza went 5-3 with one save in 1996. Last season he saw limited play before injuring his elbow, and his ERA plummeted to 9.97 in just 21.2 innings.

The Salukis also will get some help on the mound with newcomer Brad Heuring, who played at John A. Logan College and was named the top pitcher in the Northwoods League by Baseball America during the summer.

Right-hander Adam Biggs, who earned all-conference honors at Rend Lake College, also will be a contributor to the Salukis’ pitching staff.

Solid pitching will be a key factor because the Salukis are without the power hitters they had in infielders Aaron Jones and Jerry Hairston, who are both playing professional baseball.

We lost Jonesy and Hairston from last year, and those were two big losses, sophomore infielder Steve Ruggeri said. But I feel we’re going to have some guys step up and come through. We’ve got Benson and Dettman back after having great years last year. I think what’s going to carry us is our pitching staff this year.

The Salukis may not have the power they had last season when they set the all-time Saluki record with 75 homers, but they do have some speed that can generate runs.

I think we’re going to have to do a lot more situational-type hitting, Ruggeri said. We’re still going to have to rely on guys to hit 15 home runs and drive in 50 runs, but the top and the bottom of the order are going to have to work on getting on base a lot more.

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Ruggeri and junior outfielder Joe Schley will be the main attractions in the running game. Baseball coach Dan Callahan said Schley and Ruggeri will have the green light virtually every time they reach base.

Those two guys need to get on base, Callahan said. Steve Ruggeri is a good baserunner. He does a good job as far as reading pitchers. He’s going to be given an opportunity to play a heck of a lot more this year than he did last year. Hopefully, he’s going to run because he’s going to have the green light.

The Salukis already have had some disappointment because three recruit infielders they were depending on have left the program. Casey Boydstun, Joe Trigg and Daniel Adams left because of personal reasons. Boydstun was going to be a key factor at the shortstop position, and Trigg was expected to take over at third base.

They’re not here anymore, and our guys don’t care about them, Callahan said. They know that it’s time to get on with things with the guys that are here that want to be here. I think they were very disappointed for a while, and I don’t blame them.

SIUC is picked to finish third in the MVC behind Wichita State University and Southwest Missouri State University, but the Salukis are hoping that solid pitching will boost their chances in the MVC championship May 11-16.

I think we’ve got a good shot, I really do, Benson said. With the guys that Wichita State is returning, I think we sit pretty good. We’ve got a lot of pitching, and that’s going to carry us through.

SIUC opens the 1998 season with a four-game road trip to Las Vegas. The Salukis play the University of San Francisco at 7:30 tonight, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas 1 p.m. Saturday, the University of Nevada at 4 p.m. Saturday, and UNLV at 10 a.m. Sunday.