A new season means new opportunities have arisen for players looking to make a name for themselves nationally.
It happens every year. An underappreciated player carves out a niche in his team’s rotation in early March and rides that wave of production all the way to the headlines in April. Predicting that is often a fruitless endeavor. It’s something of an oxymoron to predict the breakout of an unknown talent, after all. But let’s take a shot.
Our team of staff contributors highlighted breakout candidates from each team in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20. Check them out below and come back after the season to let us know how we did.
1. VIRGINIA
Griffin Schutz, A/M , Fr.
There’s nothing under-the-radar about the freshman, who could function as a fourth attackman (like Ian Laviano last season), a midfielder (like Shellenberger as a redshirt-freshman) or both in his first season with the Cavaliers. “He is the next guy,” Tiffany said. “He is the next impact offensive player for us. The question is, do we keep him exclusively at midfield, which is what he primarily played at Deerfield, or do we rotate him in as well in attack?” — Patrick Stevens
2. MARYLAND
Gavin Tygh, FO, Jr. and Luke Wierman, FO, Jr.
It’s Maryland, so there’s a pretty good chance there will be a tandem of some sort at the X. Tygh won 47.2 percent of his draws at Virginia as Petey LaSalla’s backup before transferring. Maryland recruited him the first time around, so there will be some familiarity. Wierman, a junior (like Tygh), won 45.3 percent of his attempts last season and handled the bulk of the work in the national title game against LaSalla. Together, they should have plenty of opportunities this spring. — Patrick Stevens
3. DUKE
Charlie O’Connor, M, So.
O’Connor started six games as a freshmen (and played in 11 in total) and is one of several sophomore midfielders looking to add experience to the unit in the spring. In his limited time on the field last spring, he scored four goals with one assist. His best game was Feb. 27 against Air Force, a performance in which he scored one goal and secured three ground balls. — Hunter Nelson
4. GEORGETOWN
Dylan Hess, M, So.
The breakout has already occurred to some extent; three goals against Denver in the Big East title game followed by four more against Syracuse in the first round will get some attention. But the thing is, the sophomore is only going to get better. He concentrated on offense in the fall but will be back to two-way territory in the spring. “He’s the asterisk on the practice plan,” Kevin Warne said. “He’s like a table tennis ball. He goes from one side of the field to the other, from this drill to that drill.” — Patrick Stevens
5. NOTRE DAME
Morrison Mirer, M, Gr.
While Mirer has suited up in 33 games for the Irish, Kevin Corrigan expects the graduate student to have a big season. Corrigan says the game has really “slowed down for Mo” and thinks “he’s in complete control of his game in a way that he hasn’t been until the end of last year.” — Katie McNulty
6. NORTH CAROLINA
Henry Schertzinger, M, Sr.
Schertzinger bounced back from injuries early in his career to play in 13 games last season and will provide experience to a young midfield group still searching for its identity. A veteran leader on that freshmen-filled midfield unit, the Cincinnati product finished 2021 with eight goals and one assist. — Hunter Nelson
7. LOYOLA
Seth Higgins, M , So.
The sophomore already started to emerge late last season, scoring nine of his 14 points in the Greyhounds’ final five games. “He kind of came back with that mindset of, ‘I can be a little more aggressive out here,” Toomey said. “We’ve kind of seen that translate from last spring into this fall. He’ll be a captain for Loyola at some point. You get that sense not only based on him as a player, but how he goes about his business off the field as well.” — Patrick Stevens
8. YALE
Christian Cropp, M, Sr.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior has 16 goals in his career, and had scored in three consecutive games before the 2020 season was shut down. So he isn’t an unknown commodity, but Yale is certain to lean on him. “He was planning on graduating and I had to beg him to come back,” Shay said. “Thank God [he did]. He’s taken the [fall] semester off. Incredible athlete, great kid. Very excited to have him come back again.” — Patrick Stevens
9. PENN
Jack Schultz, A, Gr.
The graduate student started all five games two seasons ago, finishing with four goals and four assists. With so many departures on the Quakers’ offense, the two-handed Schultz is poised to easily eclipse his career totals of five goals and nine assists in a hurry. — Patrick Stevens
10. RUTGERS
Ross Scott, A, Jr.
The Oregon product won’t be an out-of-nowhere sort after posting nine goals and five assists last season. The Scarlet Knights wanted to get him on the field the last two years and used him as a midfielder, but there’s a good chance he sees extended playing time on attack as a junior. — Patrick Stevens