An improved schedule and some question marks in the infield are causes for concern for 10th-year coach Greg Van Zant as he prepares his team for its season opener against Old Dominion Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Van Zant is searching for adequate replacements at third and second, as well as finding a leadoff hitter who can set the table like Jarod Rine did last season.

Two key infielders gone to graduation are third baseman Tim McCabe and second baseman Eric Grimm. McCabe was a four-year starter at third base who hit 11 home runs and batted .344 as a senior in 2003. Grimm batted a solid .316 with 10 home runs and a team-best 55 RBI at second base; Rine was the Big East player of the year and a ninth-round draft choice by the Baltimore Orioles last year after hitting .403 with nine home runs and 34 RBI. Those three helped West Virginia to a 36-19 record and a surprising second-place finish in the Big East in 2003.

Van Zants says production from McCabe, Grimm and Rine's replacements will be nearly impossible to match, "It's awful hard replacing guys like that," he said.

Junior Lee Fritz moves over from right to center to take Rine's position. Although Fritz doesn't possess Rine's speed, he can swing the bat as evidenced by his team-best .407 batting average last year as a sophomore. Among Fritz' 88 hits were 11 doubles, two triples and a home run.

Flanking Fritz on the corners are senior leftfielder Jake Serfass and sophomore rightfielder Stan Posluszny. Both were cited by the Big East last season and both have enough power to keep opposing pitchers cautious.

Serfass had his breakout season last year as a junior, batting .357 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. Posluszny was named Big East rookie of the year after smacking five home runs, driving in 31 runs and hitting .340 in just 38 games. Van Zant believes Posluszny has the potential to hit 10 to 15 home runs in 2004.

The coach has two more capable options in the outfield in sophomore Casey Bowling and rising freshman Tim Edmeads. Bowling batted .250 in limited action last year while Edmeads could be a future star for West Virginia, according to Van Zant. Both will vie for DH duties.

"Tim has a bright future ahead of him," said Van Zant. "He'll be in the lineup against righthanders."

"We have enough extra outfielders where our DH is going to be in the thick of things in our lineup," said Van Zant. "We can put a DH in the lineup that we think is going to be productive."

The infield will be anchored by two established Big East players in senior first baseman Kurtis Clinton and junior shortstop Grant Psomas.

Clinton has put together a fine collegiate career and had his best overall season as a junior in 2003. The Morgantown native hit .335 with a team-best 13 home runs to go with 50 RBI. Clinton has 18 career home runs entering 2004.

Psomas will attract the attention of pro scouts this spring after coming off a terrific summer being named to Baseball American's Summer All-American team.

Psomas hit .289 as a sophomore with nine home runs and 35 RBI. If he can cut down on his strikeouts and raise his average above .300 he could be among the top shortstops in the conference this season.

"A lot of our shortstops the first year they started struggled," said Van Zant. "It seems like the second year they cut their errors down and play it better. That's what we're hoping happens with Grant."

The remaining two infield positions could wind up being a toss-up between Doug Nelms, Justin Richards and Mike Christoforo.

Nelms played in 10 games last year as a freshman and is a solid defensive player. He can play either second or third.

Richards is a freshman walk-on who has emerged as a top candidate to start the season at third base. Richards doesn't have McCabe's power or arm strength but he has proved to be reliable making the routine play.

"Justin kind of gives me a comfortable feeling at third," said Van Zant.

Christoforo came out of the fall as the top candidate to play second base but has been inconsistent so far during preseason workouts. Christoforo transferred from Shenandoah College in Virginia and is a native of Arlington, Mass.

Hard-hitting Kyle Matuszek and defensive specialist Chasen DeLeon are also options in the infield. Matuszek spent his freshman season at Morehead State where he hit seven home runs. His father Len Matuszek was a major league veteran with the Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays.

Van Zant says Matuszek has the tools to play in the outfield as well, "He's one of our fastest guys," said the coach. "He looks natural in the outfield so he might end up there. He's a big kid with bat speed. He can play a lot of positions for us."

Freshmen Jarod McClure of Fairmont and Chris Kearney of Manassas, Va., will provide infield depth.

Van Zant is comfortable with his catchers with veterans Travis D'Amico and J.C. Sousa returning, but he says they've got to turn it up a notch before the season opener against Old Dominion.

"I've not been too thrilled with our catchers to this point," said Van Zant. "They've got to step it up before the start of the season. Travis has been a warrior and I'm confident he will do more than just an adequate job back there."

D'Amico played in 48 games last year and hit a respectable .296. Sousa hit .306 in 18 games. Van Zant also likes freshman catcher David Carpenter and believes he is destined for a bright future if he continues to work hard and progress.

"We've got to find a way to get David some innings back there," said Van Zant.

West Virginia has the luxury of having one of the country's top pitchers returning in junior lefthander Zac Cline.

The Erie native is a sure-fire pro prospect this year and matches up well against anyone's No. 1. He posted a 12-3 record with a 3.44 ERA in 125 and two-thirds innings pitched last year. Cline won his last eight decisions of the season in 2003.

"How many 12-3 pitchers are returning in America?" asked Van Zant. "Not many. Zac is pretty much a guy you just give the ball to."

West Virginia also has a solid No. 2 starter in junior righthander Shawn Miller. He went 6-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 12 appearances in 2003. According to Van Zant, Miller has been throwing well during the preseason.

"Miller has looked good," said Van Zant. "His arm looks stronger and he's a battler out there on the mound."

The Mountaineers' other weekend starter could come from a group of freshmen that includes Travis McGrath, Wes Osbourn and Levi Maxwell. The coach is high on all three youngsters and will give them plenty of innings during the early part of the year to get them ready for conference action.

"I think these young guys will eventually be capable of winning games in our league for us," said Van Zant. "They've all got pretty good arms."

Sophomore lefthander Ryan Lipscomb, senior righthander Justin Asbury, and junior righthander Todd Dunham are options coming out of the bull pen.

The coach likened Lipscomb to former WVU lefthander Louie Ross, "He has a good breaking ball and he's developing an effective changeup. I can see him pitching a lot like Louie ... changeup, changeup, curveball. Louie was very effective pitching that way."

Van Zant is also anxious to get back junior lefthander Marty Fagler and junior righthander Chris Amedro, both nursing off-season injuries. Fagler had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow and is still about two months away from completing his rehabilitation work. Amedro is closer to throwing full speed and could be back out on the mound in about a month, according to the coach.

West Virginia is going to need those two back at full strength to stay competitive in mid-week games this season. It was the Mountaineers' performances in mid-week games last year that kept them from getting an NCAA tournament bid.

Freshman lefthander Brendan Bergerson, junior lefthander Josh Glass, and freshman righthander Trent Ridgley will provide depth.

West Virginia doesn't have the luxury of sorting out its question marks at a leisurely pace. WVU opens the season with three tough games against Old Dominion, Citadel and Richmond before playing four games in Wilmington, N.C. the following week.

The Mountaineers are also playing Minnesota, Florida State and Nebraska in the Metrodome in early March before opening at home against Quinnipiac.

"The first three weekends are as a tough as we've ever played," said Van Zant. "It will be interesting. The last time we started out with a really tough schedule like that we went 1-11."

It is Van Zant's hope to have his pitching rotation, batting order, and infield set by the time Big East play rolls around on March 27 at home against Notre Dame.

"When we put Zac and Shawn out there we have a chance to win those two games," said Van Zant. "If we can bring along some of these younger guys like McGrath and Osbourn we have a chance."