2018 Season Preview: #2 CMS Stags

First off, ARE YOU SERIOUS?? Midnight Madness?! That looks like so much fun, what do I have to do or whose game do I have to exceedingly praise in this article to get a coveted invite? I swear, I’m a fun guy and I know DIII tennis… in other words, I’m the life of the party.

Each and every year, the Stags are promised to be in the conversation for national contention. A fantastic group of individuals on and off the court, Paul Settles makes sure to give his players the best shot at winning nationals. They have won 25 SCIAC championships since their inception, and 13 of the last 14 with Settles as head coach. Settles pushes his guys to work hard and play fair, a mantra that transcends tennis and leads to winning results on the court. This coming year will be a very interesting season to cover and analyze with a lot of new faces on the squad. A couple of freshmen will get some serious playing time, along with returners, who in previous years have been in and out of the lineup, set to play in the top 6. I look forward to yet another successful by the Stags and I have no doubt we’ll see this team competing for a national championship come May.

Overview:

Though the Stags have had wildly successful seasons for the better part of a decade, the last two years, in my opinion, have been the most impressive. We have seen unbelievable comebacks from 0-3 down on countless occasions, two of which have been the best college tennis matches I have personally seen (Bowdoin – Stag Hen/ Middlebury – National Semis). It isn’t that the Stags have the ability to comeback against some of the best teams in the business by winning 5, sometimes 6 singles matches, but the confidence and experience they bring into each match knowing that an 0-3 deficit really doesn’t mean a whole lot to them. I’d like to see the Stags go up in doubles a lot more this year and if you combine that with their patented singles play, any team will have a tough time taking them out. CMS may not have had the fall ITA they were looking for (they didn’t have a player in the singles final for the first time in quite a while), but Berber/Parodi were able to win the doubles draw. We know the Stags can play singles on any given day, but to see them successful on the doubles court this fall must be very promising for Settles and the Stags. Another interesting side note: The Stags have only one senior this year on the team (big SO to Pat Wildman), I love you kid but we’ll see if he is healthy enough to play his final year. If not, we’ll all see how such a young team fares against the best teams in the country later on in the season without a senior leader and captain. Let’s dive on in!

Coach: Paul Settles, 15th season

Location: Claremont, CA

Preseason Ranking: 2

Blog Power Ranking: 3

Key Additions: Jack Katzman (TRN 49, UTR 12.76), Robert Liu (TRN 120, UTR 12.12), Casey Morris (TRN 270, UTR 11.73), *Oscar Burney (Transfer from Amherst)

Key Losses: Glenn Hull (2 singles, 2/3 doubles), Daniel Morkovine (3 singles, 1 doubles), Max Macey (4/5 singles)

Lineup Analysis:

#1. Niko Parodi, Sophomore, UTR 12.52

Niko is one of the most talented players in recent DIII history. Similarities have been drawn between him and Warren Wood and I think they are all justified. This kid can flat out play and I see him playing at the top of the lineup during his four year tenure at CMS. He won a staggering 33 singles matches last year all while playing at #1 spot and made a run to the finals of Nationals where he eventually fell to Lubo of Middlebury. Niko is one of the best players in the country and we hope his poor fall results were simply a flook. Expect Parodi to have another successful season at the top spot and lead his Stags to many victories.

#2. Jack Katzman, Freshman, UTR 12.76

Not much to go off for Katzman, but his numbers prove he’ll be an asset for this coming year. He was the top seed this past fall tournament and made a run to the semis where he lost to Kronenberg (PP) in two close sets. I have a feeling that Jack and Niko could interchange at #1 and #2 and be just fine at either spot. If Katzman does indeed play #2 for this coming year, expect him to bring in a ton of wins and be a rock in the lineup. He may be a freshman, but his ranking and past results prove he’ll have a successful spring campaign.

#3. Daniel Park, Sophomore, UTR 12.55

Park had a very solid freshman year last year at the bottom of the lineup. He had solid wins against Kroot, Van Der Geest, and Roddy and provided a a lot more wins against comparable teams. Park could play #1 or 2 at most DIII schools, as a result, I feel like his talent and solid ball striking will do him just fine at this particular position for the Stags.

#4. Patrick Wildman, Senior, UTR 12.10

This is definitely a wildcard in my opinion. Pat is always fighting injuries, however, if he is indeed healthy his senior year and able to play, his consistency and grit will slot him at around #3 or 4. Not the prettiest of games, but absolutely effective! Let’s hope he is healthy enoughto compete in his final season and provide the depth the Stags so desperately need.

#5. Avi Vemuri, Junior, UTR 11.85

Last year, I wouldn’t say that Avi would break into the top 6. However, his fall result proves to me that Avi will get the nod to play at the bottom of the lineup this year. Avi knows his way around the court and with his talent and skill, he’ll be just fine at the playing on the lower end of the lineup. Expect Avi to provide a ton of wins for the Stags this year.  

#6. Robert Liu, Freshman, 12.13

Freshman alert! Don’t have much to go off of here, but his UTR proves he’ll definitely get some playing time this year. My “fringe” players listed below could very well play at #6 rather than Liu, but I simply went by the highest remaining UTR for this final position. The Stags are stacked with talent each and every year and no matter who plays at this spot, they’ll have a major talent advantage against any opponent.

#7-9 — On the fringe:

Julian Gordy, Junior, UTR 11.98 – Mostly known for his doubles play, Gordy could very well play at the bottom of the lineup this spring. His big serve and feathery touch at the net is an asset Settles could use at #6.

Jake Berber, Sophomore, UTR 11.92 – Last year was an impressive run for Berber… but on the doubles court. He has all the skills and a year of experience under his belt to take his talent onto the singles court this year.

Oscar Burney, Sophomore, UTR 11.53 – We’ll see if this Amherst transfer will get playing time in the singles lineup. He was a major contribution for Amherst last year at #3/#4, but CMS has a much deeper team.

Schedule Analysis:

The Stags have a very busy schedule this spring. It is littered with tough DIII matches, a trip to the wild indoors, and of course, a plethora of home matches during the spring break swing. Their first true match is against Trinity (TX) in Minnesota, where they’ll be a major favorite. Don’t know the indoor draw quite yet, but the Stags will have to face a combination of Carnegie/Emory, Chicago/Emory, or Wash U./Emory, all of which will be brutal (and critical) matches for the Stags. This will be a major indication for the Stags in whether they can again compete with top teams with the departure of a successful senior class. I’m not entirely sure if the indoor atmosphere will affect the California team this go around, as we saw last May at Nationals that the Stags can compete in any conditions.

Next for the Stags is Stag-Hen, a tournament I’m pretty sure they’ve won every year since FDR was in office. Expect them to flourish this time of year, as most of their matches will be played at home in triple-digit weather. Skidmore, Amherst, Tufts, and Middlebury will all make their way out west and play the Stags this spring. I see CMS taking care of business against Skidmore, Amherst, and Tufts, but the blockbuster match of the year will be their March 31st match against Midd (MARK YOUR CALENDARS). This match will be key when it comes to predicting nationals winners down the road and will surely give us a better understanding of where each team sits.

SCIAC matches bookmark their season and I see no other way than for the Stags to win their conference yet again and clinch a spot into nationals with a pool-A bid. We were all wildy impressed with their national performance last year, as those two matches against Midd and Emory in the semis and finals respectively were some of the highest quality DIII tennis matches I have witnessed. They will bring that fire again this year and the talent is surely there, regardless of a large departing senior class.

Doubles Analysis:

This will be key (trust me, I tried looking for patented key emoji, but WordPress doesn’t quite support that) for the Stags this coming year. I don’t think they are as strong on the singles court as previous years, so it is even more critical that the Stags figure out a doubles lineup that prevents them from ever going down 0-3 against any team. Sure, it was fun for them to give their opponents hope after going down 0-3 in doubles and then just as quickly pulling the rug beneath them by sweeping singles, but I don’t see that strategy flying this year. What was very promising was the all-Stag doubles final this past fall where Berber/Parodi took down Gordy/Burney in 3 close sets. They need these two teams to translate their fall success into the spring, as the doubles points for the Stags this year are more critical than they have ever been. With a young singles lineup and a couple of freshman littered in as well, question marks will arise on whether their lack of experience will affect their results. If the Stags can go into singles with a lead, that will relieve a ton of pressure for these young freshmen who compete in the lineup.

I see these two teams playing at #1 and #2, but it is critical Settles finds a solid duo that can provide wins. We got Katzman, Park, Vemuri, and Liu looming and looking to compete on the doubles court this spring; a combination of any two will surely be a tough out for any #3 team.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think this is a very exciting year for the Stags. They have a young team with a lot of new players that will add to the patented success we are all used to seeing. The talent and skill is there, however, the doubles will be extremely important if they want to win nationals come may. They can beat any team on any given day on the singles court, but the doubles, as mentioned, will be the largest wildcard for this year. It is always fun watching this team compete and I have no doubt they’ll give themselves the best chance of winning the ship!

Look out for more previews in the coming weeks as we prepare for another great season. It’s right around the corner kids! Get stoked!