The Hurricanes open the season this weekend at Mark Light Field, and head coach J.D. Arteaga sat down with DMoney to break down the rotation, roster competition, and the personality of this year’s team heading into Opening Day.
DMoney: You’ve been doing this a long time — as a player and now as a head coach. Do you still get that excitement before Opening Day?
J.D. Arteaga: Absolutely. If you don’t, you’re in the wrong business. Opening Day is always exciting. I know what we have, and I’m excited about it. I can’t wait for the fans to see the product we’re putting on the field.
DMoney: You announced the weekend rotation, and Lachi Collera will start Saturday. He might have been the most talked-about arm coming out of high school in that class, but he’s starting the latest of the three. What have you seen in his development?
J.D. Arteaga: Last year, Ciscar had a defined bullpen role early, and we had to ask DeRias and Collera to be patient — keep developing, keep improving, and their opportunity would come. Tate’s came first, and he did a nice job for us.
But from last summer through fall and now spring, Collera has been outstanding. His development as a pitcher — and as a person — his focus, maturity, consistency, all of it has taken a jump. He’s dominated our lineup in scrimmages, and I think we have a really good lineup.
The moment that sealed it for me was Saturday night. He got off to a slow start — a couple guys on, nobody out — and instead of unraveling, he minimized the damage. I’ve seen him throw great innings and I’ve seen rough ones. I wanted to see that in-between maturity. After that first inning, in my mind, he was our Saturday starter. Then he went four clean innings after that. He earned it.
DMoney: You don’t display velocity during preseason scrimmages. Is that intentional? Does velocity hype ever slow development?
J.D. Arteaga: It definitely can get in the way. Our pitching philosophy starts with self-awareness — understanding who you are and what you can and cannot do. Just because your favorite big leaguer throws 98 doesn’t mean that’s how you have to succeed.
Velocity can help you get away with mistakes, but pitchability still gets outs. The metrics we put on the board are there because they help us evaluate mechanical consistency in real time — spin, movement, angles. Velocity is more for fans on game days. For us, it’s not the end-all. The guys who get too caught up in it tend to develop slower.
DMoney: Next week you play six games — Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and a Saturday doubleheader. How do you manage pitching for a stretch like that?
J.D. Arteaga: We stretched out six or seven guys deeper this spring because of that schedule and because we have two arms out until March. Not everyone is going to start, but we’ve prepared guys to potentially enter in the sixth inning and finish games to save the bullpen.
There will be strategy involved early. We’re still figuring that out, but we’ve built some flexibility into the staff.
DMoney: Is this early stretch an evaluation opportunity?
J.D. Arteaga: Absolutely. Early in the year, opportunities are greater. Later on, starters are built up to 100 pitches, going six or seven innings, and then you go to your backend guys. Early on, there are more innings available.
We think we know what we have, but once the lights come on, you find out. I’ve seen players transform both directions — some elevate, some don’t. We won’t win or lose a national championship this week, but we’ll find out quickly what our strengths and weaknesses are.
DMoney: Let’s talk shortstop. You moved Jake Ogden there last year and it worked out. This year [SC Upstate transfer] Vance Sheahan is starting, with Ogden moving to second. What went into that decision?
J.D. Arteaga: They’re very close defensively. Vance might make four or five plays Ogden wouldn’t. At the same time, he might make a couple routine errors Ogden wouldn’t. It’s very even.
I just think Ogden is better at second base — his throwing motion, arm angle, turning double plays. He’s cleaner over there. We did have a minor incident in practice, so shortstop is a little day-to-day right now. If we were playing today, Vance probably wouldn’t go, but we’re hopeful 24 more hours helps. We’ll see.
The first few weeks are about evaluating everything — not just pitching, but the lineup too.
DMoney: Do you think the defense overall has improved?
J.D. Arteaga: It has. There’s a lineup where Max Galvin is DH and Fabio Peralta is in left field, which gives you essentially two centerfielders out there. D-Will (Derek Williams) has improved in right field as well — arm strength, range.
Behind the plate, we throw much better. And we’re stronger up the middle. You can’t have good pitching without good defense unless you’re striking everyone out.
Fielding percentage doesn’t tell the whole story. You have to take hits away. You have to take runs away. And you can’t give away extra 90 feet on overthrows or poor cutoff decisions. Those don’t show as errors, but they turn into runs.
DMoney: You’ve got three talented left-handed freshmen — Lonzo Drummond, Jack Durso, and Sebastian Santos-Olson. Could they factor in this year?
J.D. Arteaga: Santos is likely starting one of the midweek games next week — Tuesday or Wednesday. His future is bright, and he may be the first one to get a consistent starting role.
The other two are bullpen guys right now — high-leverage lefties. Durso had a strong spring. We stretched him out a bit, so he could get longer outings, maybe even a setup role at times. We haven’t had this kind of left-handed depth in a while. All three will pitch meaningful innings this year.
DMoney: Midweek games were a major improvement last season. How do you continue building there?
J.D. Arteaga: Midweeks determine whether you host or not. They matter. And in Florida, those mid-major programs are really good. A lot of those players grew up wanting to come here or Florida or Florida State, and they feel like they have something to prove.
We had veteran starters in midweek roles last year, and that helped. But we have to show up. If we don’t, those teams will beat you.
DMoney: What’s unique about cold-weather teams that come down here in February?
J.D. Arteaga: They’ve been in a gym for six weeks. So when they get outside in warm weather, there’s excitement. They field grounders well even though they've been practicing in a gym. But pop-ups are tough early because they haven’t been outside.
They’re well-coached. They play hard. Every game’s a challenge, especially early when you’re still learning your own team.
DMoney: College baseball feels like it’s rising nationally — better crowds, more parity. Do you feel that?
J.D. Arteaga: Absolutely. There are no easy weekends anymore. When we first got into the ACC, there were weekends you felt confident about three wins. That doesn’t exist now.
Lowering the draft rounds has pushed more talent to college. Player development across the country has improved. The playing field is more even than it’s ever been.
DMoney: You have veterans in the lineup, but freshmen like Alonzo Alvarez and Gabo Milano are pushing hard. How do you balance that?
J.D. Arteaga: That’s the tough part. Blowouts used to give you more opportunities to get those guys in. Those games are rare now.
We told those freshmen in November that they’re talented, but they have to be patient. Dylan Dubovik hit a ball yesterday in a sim game that may have been the hardest-hit ball I’ve seen — ten feet off the ground and out of the park in a second. You can’t teach that.
They’ll develop. The future is bright.
DMoney: What’s the personality of this team compared to last year?
J.D. Arteaga: So far, it’s been great. The first real test is tomorrow when lineup cards go up and not everyone’s playing. How they handle that matters.
We have enough veterans to manage a lot of that internally. The less the coaches have to step in, the better. We had the whole team over Monday night — great time, terrible karaoke — but they’re close. They genuinely like each other.
Now the real challenges begin. We’ll see how they respond.
DMoney: What’s your karaoke go-to?
J.D. Arteaga: I don’t do it.
DMoney: You’re the leader.
J.D. Arteaga: My wife does it. She loves it. As for the coaches, we let the rookies handle the singing. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just as bad as the players.
DMoney: Appreciate you, coach.
J.D. Arteaga: Can’t wait to have the fans back at Mark Light. There’s nothing like a packed stadium.
Go Canes.
DMoney: You’ve been doing this a long time — as a player and now as a head coach. Do you still get that excitement before Opening Day?
J.D. Arteaga: Absolutely. If you don’t, you’re in the wrong business. Opening Day is always exciting. I know what we have, and I’m excited about it. I can’t wait for the fans to see the product we’re putting on the field.
DMoney: You announced the weekend rotation, and Lachi Collera will start Saturday. He might have been the most talked-about arm coming out of high school in that class, but he’s starting the latest of the three. What have you seen in his development?
J.D. Arteaga: Last year, Ciscar had a defined bullpen role early, and we had to ask DeRias and Collera to be patient — keep developing, keep improving, and their opportunity would come. Tate’s came first, and he did a nice job for us.
But from last summer through fall and now spring, Collera has been outstanding. His development as a pitcher — and as a person — his focus, maturity, consistency, all of it has taken a jump. He’s dominated our lineup in scrimmages, and I think we have a really good lineup.
The moment that sealed it for me was Saturday night. He got off to a slow start — a couple guys on, nobody out — and instead of unraveling, he minimized the damage. I’ve seen him throw great innings and I’ve seen rough ones. I wanted to see that in-between maturity. After that first inning, in my mind, he was our Saturday starter. Then he went four clean innings after that. He earned it.
DMoney: You don’t display velocity during preseason scrimmages. Is that intentional? Does velocity hype ever slow development?
J.D. Arteaga: It definitely can get in the way. Our pitching philosophy starts with self-awareness — understanding who you are and what you can and cannot do. Just because your favorite big leaguer throws 98 doesn’t mean that’s how you have to succeed.
Velocity can help you get away with mistakes, but pitchability still gets outs. The metrics we put on the board are there because they help us evaluate mechanical consistency in real time — spin, movement, angles. Velocity is more for fans on game days. For us, it’s not the end-all. The guys who get too caught up in it tend to develop slower.
DMoney: Next week you play six games — Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and a Saturday doubleheader. How do you manage pitching for a stretch like that?
J.D. Arteaga: We stretched out six or seven guys deeper this spring because of that schedule and because we have two arms out until March. Not everyone is going to start, but we’ve prepared guys to potentially enter in the sixth inning and finish games to save the bullpen.
There will be strategy involved early. We’re still figuring that out, but we’ve built some flexibility into the staff.
DMoney: Is this early stretch an evaluation opportunity?
J.D. Arteaga: Absolutely. Early in the year, opportunities are greater. Later on, starters are built up to 100 pitches, going six or seven innings, and then you go to your backend guys. Early on, there are more innings available.
We think we know what we have, but once the lights come on, you find out. I’ve seen players transform both directions — some elevate, some don’t. We won’t win or lose a national championship this week, but we’ll find out quickly what our strengths and weaknesses are.
DMoney: Let’s talk shortstop. You moved Jake Ogden there last year and it worked out. This year [SC Upstate transfer] Vance Sheahan is starting, with Ogden moving to second. What went into that decision?
J.D. Arteaga: They’re very close defensively. Vance might make four or five plays Ogden wouldn’t. At the same time, he might make a couple routine errors Ogden wouldn’t. It’s very even.
I just think Ogden is better at second base — his throwing motion, arm angle, turning double plays. He’s cleaner over there. We did have a minor incident in practice, so shortstop is a little day-to-day right now. If we were playing today, Vance probably wouldn’t go, but we’re hopeful 24 more hours helps. We’ll see.
The first few weeks are about evaluating everything — not just pitching, but the lineup too.
DMoney: Do you think the defense overall has improved?
J.D. Arteaga: It has. There’s a lineup where Max Galvin is DH and Fabio Peralta is in left field, which gives you essentially two centerfielders out there. D-Will (Derek Williams) has improved in right field as well — arm strength, range.
Behind the plate, we throw much better. And we’re stronger up the middle. You can’t have good pitching without good defense unless you’re striking everyone out.
Fielding percentage doesn’t tell the whole story. You have to take hits away. You have to take runs away. And you can’t give away extra 90 feet on overthrows or poor cutoff decisions. Those don’t show as errors, but they turn into runs.
DMoney: You’ve got three talented left-handed freshmen — Lonzo Drummond, Jack Durso, and Sebastian Santos-Olson. Could they factor in this year?
J.D. Arteaga: Santos is likely starting one of the midweek games next week — Tuesday or Wednesday. His future is bright, and he may be the first one to get a consistent starting role.
The other two are bullpen guys right now — high-leverage lefties. Durso had a strong spring. We stretched him out a bit, so he could get longer outings, maybe even a setup role at times. We haven’t had this kind of left-handed depth in a while. All three will pitch meaningful innings this year.
DMoney: Midweek games were a major improvement last season. How do you continue building there?
J.D. Arteaga: Midweeks determine whether you host or not. They matter. And in Florida, those mid-major programs are really good. A lot of those players grew up wanting to come here or Florida or Florida State, and they feel like they have something to prove.
We had veteran starters in midweek roles last year, and that helped. But we have to show up. If we don’t, those teams will beat you.
DMoney: What’s unique about cold-weather teams that come down here in February?
J.D. Arteaga: They’ve been in a gym for six weeks. So when they get outside in warm weather, there’s excitement. They field grounders well even though they've been practicing in a gym. But pop-ups are tough early because they haven’t been outside.
They’re well-coached. They play hard. Every game’s a challenge, especially early when you’re still learning your own team.
DMoney: College baseball feels like it’s rising nationally — better crowds, more parity. Do you feel that?
J.D. Arteaga: Absolutely. There are no easy weekends anymore. When we first got into the ACC, there were weekends you felt confident about three wins. That doesn’t exist now.
Lowering the draft rounds has pushed more talent to college. Player development across the country has improved. The playing field is more even than it’s ever been.
DMoney: You have veterans in the lineup, but freshmen like Alonzo Alvarez and Gabo Milano are pushing hard. How do you balance that?
J.D. Arteaga: That’s the tough part. Blowouts used to give you more opportunities to get those guys in. Those games are rare now.
We told those freshmen in November that they’re talented, but they have to be patient. Dylan Dubovik hit a ball yesterday in a sim game that may have been the hardest-hit ball I’ve seen — ten feet off the ground and out of the park in a second. You can’t teach that.
They’ll develop. The future is bright.
DMoney: What’s the personality of this team compared to last year?
J.D. Arteaga: So far, it’s been great. The first real test is tomorrow when lineup cards go up and not everyone’s playing. How they handle that matters.
We have enough veterans to manage a lot of that internally. The less the coaches have to step in, the better. We had the whole team over Monday night — great time, terrible karaoke — but they’re close. They genuinely like each other.
Now the real challenges begin. We’ll see how they respond.
DMoney: What’s your karaoke go-to?
J.D. Arteaga: I don’t do it.
DMoney: You’re the leader.
J.D. Arteaga: My wife does it. She loves it. As for the coaches, we let the rookies handle the singing. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just as bad as the players.
DMoney: Appreciate you, coach.
J.D. Arteaga: Can’t wait to have the fans back at Mark Light. There’s nothing like a packed stadium.
Go Canes.
