With Winter Break over, most of us have turned our attention to studies, basketball and the distant promise of warm weather approaching with spring.
But that means we have a whole new season of sports coming as well.
And, of the teams at Rutgers currently out of season, there is no team with more questions entering their season than the Rutgers baseball team.
And those questions won't be answered for another month when the Scarlet Knights take to the field to start off the 2008 season against Old Dominion.
This may be slightly unusual for a team coming off of a season in which they took the Big East regular season and tournament crowns.
But then again, this is a team that lost six position starters and five pitchers from last year's team to graduation and the MLB draft.
And this is a team that saw its pitching find its form last season - one of the largest reasons it went as far as it did.
And the lineup might as well have been the collegiate version of murderer's row.
The team had six players batting over .300, and five of those six had a slugging percentage over .470.
Welcome to collegiate life where turnover is the name of the game. With guys like shortstop Todd Frazier, designated hitter Dave Williams, left fielder Ryan Hill and pitcher Steve Healing hitting the road, the coming months are extraordinarily important.
The Knights will likely also change styles. With so much power to hit behind, RU didn't have to bunt runners around as much as they could have.
But this team coming up is a bit more speed based than last year's and has less power, which means head coach Fred Hill Sr.'s small ball style of play should fit right in.
Of more concern is the pitching though. The Knights will benefit by returning veteran Steve Holt to the mound, but relief pitching will be a major question for the Knights.
The only real givens for the RU bullpen are the closers, Kevin Lillis and Jason Downey.
So how do you replace the production of a first-round draft pick like Todd Frazier?
How do you replace the production of sluggers like Ryan Hill, Dave Williams and catcher Frank Meade?
Well, the answer is, you don't with one player unless the team is very lucky. Instead, to remain atop the Big East this season, the team will need to learn - and quickly.
For this young team, preparation and hard work may be more important than anything else.
So if you're craving baseball, you've got another month to go until RU opens its season. You've got another month until you find out how the Knights will fill the voids.
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