November and December… a time for family, cold nights, cold days, getting out of work and it’s pitch black, and random family members asking you how your job is over some dried turkey, but more importantly, a time of year where presents are given to and fro. The best present, a present that tops all other presents, a present that will forever and always have a special place in all your hearts is given to you all by your favorite DIII tennis bloggers, SEASON PREVIEWS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! That bomber jacket you always wanted from Banana Republic, NBA2k19, a t-shirt given to you by Grandma, or a wad of cash given to you by the other grandma, no present tops such season previews and we are all so grateful for making your holiday seasons full of cheer, happiness, and reading!
Ok enough sap for the day. Let’s turn the focus to the Stags, a storied program with an incredible facility, top-notch student athletes, and a well respected coaching staff. CMS is absolutely in contention as one of the teams capable of winning a national championship this year. As mentioned, they are well coached, possess the talent, and are able to out-dual and outlast any opponent they encounter. We saw last year their dreams of winning Nationals on their home courts come up just short, but they hope to reverse the script this year with hardly any lost players and each of their star players having one more year of experience under their belts. This team is young and very talented; I think at the end of the day, if each of the players are focused and have the right mindset throughout the spring, I give them a great chance of making another legendary run.
Location: Claremont, CA
Coach: Paul Settles (16th season)
ITA National Ranking: 6th
Blog Power Ranking: 3rd
Power 6 UTR: 74
Twitter Handle: @CMStennis
2017/2018 Finish: A few heart-wrenching regular season losses to Emory, Bowdoin, and Williams, but a massive win over eventual champs, Middlebury, in a total beatdown singles sweep (8-1). Not winning either Indoors or Stag Hen hurt for CMS, but yet another SCIAC championship title before falling to Chicago in the final 8.
Key Additions: Nicolas Meister (4-star, #78, UTR: 11.48), Ethan Carroll (3 star, #164, UTR: 11.56)
Key Departures: Patrick Wildman
LINEUP ANALYSIS:
- Niko “Brodie” Parodi, Junior, UTR 12.84 — The undisputed #1 player and maybe one of the most talented Stags in recent history, Niko holds the top spot and will probably never give up the #1 throne throughout his four years in Claremont. His freshman year was one of the best runs we’ve seen out of a first year in a long time (making it to the finals of the national singles before falling to Cuba) while his sophomore year was just as impressive, going 21-3 at the top spot. His play on the doubles court beside Julian Gordy was no joke as well, as the duo were able to notch a 20-7 record at #1. His ball striking abilities along with his ability to completely relax and swing for the fences makes him capable of destroying any player he shares the court with. He wasn’t able to compete this past fall (I’m guessing he studied abroad?), but even though his fall results haven’t quite lived up to expectation, once he gets rolling in the spring, not many can stop him.
- Jack “I’m flying” Katzman, Sophomore, UTR 12.67 — Peep the Titanic reference. Also appropriate considering this kid flies around the court so I’ll go with it. Some would say that the Parodi/Katzman duo was the most lethal 1/2 in the country. Well, we know Parodi’s success so far as an underclassman, but if you look at Katzman’s first year as a Stag, it’s hard to find another top pair in the country that can compete with these two. Katzman went 18-4 at #2 for the most part, pairing up with Burney on the doubles court compiling an impressive 22-6 win/loss record at #2 dubs. To put a cherry on top of a great season, Katz made an unreal run on his home court during the individual nationals, making it to the finals before losing to Urken. Such a run and seen as one of the best #2’s in the country, Katzman was deemed National Rookie of the Year. I expect another fantastic season from him and I see very little chance that someone on this Stags roster can knock either Parodi or Katzman off their #1/#2 pedestal.
- Daniel “Parkour” Park, Junior, UTR 12.16 — Park mostly played at 4 and 5 last year, but I see him making the move up to #3 this year. Going 15-3 at such positions ain’t bad and was seen as one of the most reliable points for the Stags last year. His style of play makes him capable of pretty much playing anywhere throughout the lineup and being just fine in doing so. My only hesitation is that his three losses last year were to top 5 teams (Emory, Bowdoin, and Williams)… obviously solid players on the other side of the net, but if he wants to make that jump from 5 to say a 3, he’ll have to mentally prepare himself to play bigger and better players day in and day out. Again, not discrediting Park at all as an 83% winning percentage is more than impressive, but time for the kid to move up to the big leagues and push for a spot into the singles portion of nationals.
- Oscar “Mayer Wiener” Burney, Sophomore, UTR 12.46 — The Amherst transfer had himself a fantastic first year as a Stag, going 18-6 at #3 singles and 22-6 at #2 doubles with Katzman. I mean no disrespect in pushing him down to #4, but really wherever he plays, his talent and punishing groundstrokes will create havoc for whoever he plays. Having an Oscar Burney in the middle of your lineup creates a team that is so solid and deep… I see Burney’s play and results as a real indicator for how this team does. It is expected to see team’s 1, 2, and 3’s struggle as anyone with such talent can have a phenomenal day, but with Burney’s talent playing at #4, I feel like he would be in control of pretty much every match he plays in.
- Julian “Shorty” Gordy, Senior, UTR 11.66 — Mostly known for his doubles play, let’s not forget that Gordy posted a 16-4 record on the singles court, mostly playing at the #4 spot last year. Not too shabby for a “doubles specialist”. I expect Gordy to finish off his college career on a bright note, being an absolute rock at any spot he plays at. I expect him to be #1 on doubles, but I’ll throw him at #5 right now for all intents and purposes. Whether it’s 4, 5, or 6, not many matches will be lost on his end.
- Avi “ious” Vemuri, Senior, UTR 11.58 — Vemuri is my ‘obvious’ pick for the 6th spot, as his 18-2 record at 5 and 6 last year gives him enough of a nod to hold down anchor this year. As a senior, I expect Vemuri to come out firing and be a rock at whatever position he holds down. Similar to Burney, Vemuri is a player that if he were to play #6, would be in complete control of any match he plays. If his head is on right and he is playing his A game, not many players across the country can keep up with his ball striking.
IN THE HUNT (In no particular order):
- Robert “Pavilion” Liu, Sophomore, UTR 11.91 — Liu has the talent to play in the lineup at 95% of DIII schools, but finds himself on one of deepest squads in the country. I could see him cracking the lineup at times throughout the season, similar to last year (not losing a match when given the opportunity), but when he does get that shot, Robby Liu is a tough out to say the least. In lieu of Robert Liu, we have…
- Matthew “Jackman” Jacobs, Sophomore, UTR 11.82 — Jacobs started the season at the #5 position, but a couple gut-wrenching losses at Indoors knocked him out of the lineup temporarily. He saw himself at #6 for a portion of the season, but losses to Bowdoin and Williams again knocked him out of the lineup. Jacobs is definitely capable of playing good tennis and giving himself another shot of glory! Shoutout Hugh Jackman.
- Nicolas “The Shyster” Meister, Freshman, UTR 11.48 — Don’t know much about the freshman, but being the highest ranked freshman in the West, you have to give him some props and a legitimate chance of making noise within the lineup. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but a quarterfinal run in the fall proves he can compete with the guys throughout the lineup.
- I could just list the entire roster and each give them a shot of making the lineup which is completely realistic given how deep and talented this team is. But for now, I’ll leave some off for… well let’s just say some interpretation. But mostly due to the fact that I don’t have the brain power to come up with 7 more nicknames. I’m out of college folks, don’t blame me.
DOUBLES:
Predicting doubles teams is too hard but after their disastrous doubles results a couple years back, Settles has the luxury of having his “go-to” teams from last year very much readily available. After going a combined 42-13 at #1 and #2 doubles, Gordy/Parodi and Burney/Katzman respectively shouldn’t have much to worry about as it would be a bone head move to split either of those teams up. Either way, a combination one of those four playing with another would make for another solid doubles lineup for the Stags. Personally, I really like Jake “Berber Baby” Berber as their fifth best doubles player and whoever he plays with at #3 doubles would make for a lethal team as anchor. Last spring, Berber Baby played with Parkour, Casey Morris the Tortoise, and Robby Liu to go a combined 13-3. Expect him to be paired with one of the above, or maybe even a Meister or Vemuri to wrap up their doubles lineup. After the Stags 0-3 debacle of 2016, last year was a tremendous improvement. Watch for them to work off their wins last year in hopes of making their doubles play even more of a weapon moving forward.
The Stags start their spring campaign by playing Brandeis rather early in the season. Not much too be worried about here, but Deis is looking very tricky this year and could maybe make this one pretty close. Considering it is the first match of the year, the Stags could come out a little flat and open the door for an upset. I don’t see it happening though. After their annual drive down to La Jolla, Mary Washington, Christopher Newport, Dickinson, and finally DI Quinnipiac greet them on their home courts in Claremont. The Stag Hen fast approaches with a first round encounter with Skidmore, a potential semi against Gustavus and final against Bowdoin. This final against Bowdoin would be CMS’s first true test of the season and a great indication for everyone to see how they fare against some of the best teams in the country.
The Stags then head back East where they have an onslaught of dangerous teams ahead: Wesleyan, Coast Guard, and Amherst. A mere three days later, home matches against Williams, Chicago, and Middlebury round out the bulk of their spring season. A tough week for the Stags: 5 top ten teams, 2 of which are played on the other side of the country, but a great opportunity for the team to show themselves as title contenders. Beating three out of those five teams would be enough of a statement for me.
They round out their season with conference play, where they seem essentially invincible against SCIAC teams. Maybe Pomona could test them this year, but we’ve been saying that for quite some time. With a deep team (deeper than the last couple years in my opinion), I see very little trouble for them in this part of the year where they’ll win their 6,432nd straight conference match and take a pool A bid once again into Nationals.
ARE THE STAGS CAPABLE OF WINNING A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP?:
A couple years ago, and even last year, I would say no. No because at the time there were just too many good teams out there that could squash their hopes of taking it all. I see something different this year with a multitude of talent and depth throughout both their singles and doubles lineup. With Parodi and Katzman leading the charge at #1 and #2 singles, they come in as one of the most lethal 1/2 combos in the country. The depth they have from 3-6 with either Burney, Park, Vemuri, or the senior Gordy rotating within makes them a force to be reckon with against any top team. A similar lineup as last year’s but with added experience and refined doubles, they could make a push against the likes of Emory, Bowdoin, and Middlebury this year. Adding Williams and Chicago to the mix, they’ll have to beat at least 3 of the aforementioned teams to take the ship. Is it a tough task for the Stags? Yes. Is it doable? Yes.