College Baseball 360 » Greg Goff

Atlantic Sun Baseball 2010 Preview

Sean Stires — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:01:33 +0000

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High Expectations For FGCU In First Year Of NCAA Eligibility

2009 Regular Season Champion: Florida Gulf Coast

2009 Tournament Champion: Jacksonville defeated Lipscomb 7-4 to win their 4^th A-Sun title.

End of the Rhodes: North Florida head coach Dusty Rhodes announced that 2010 will be his last season with the Ospreys. Rhodes announced his retirement last August. He will have spent 23 season at the helm, starting the program from scratch and guiding UNF to 16 postseason appearances, including 5 trips to the College World Series (2 in NAIA, 3 in NCAA Division II). UNF announced that their home field will be named after Rhodes and will be dedicated March 6^th before their home game against Alcorn State.

Florida Gulf Coast is the unanimous choice to win the A-Sun title according to the coaches. FGCU won the title last season winning 23 conference games becoming the first Atlantic Sun team to win back-to-back conference titles in its first 2 years in the league since the conference went to a one-division formant in 1999.

Belmont

2009 Season: (29-29, 15-15)

Nickname: Bruins

Head Coach: David Jarvis

Location: Nashville, TN

Dylan Craig

Vitals: .295 BA, 63 HR, .382 OBP, .959 Fld. %…6.47 ERA, 6 CG, 10 SVs, 294 K, 237 BB, .316 Opp. BA

Hole in the Middle: Belmont loses three top players from last year, including their 3-4 hitters Derek Wiley (.308, 17 HR, 51 RBI), the A-Sun’s career homerun hitter, and Brandon McCall (.344, 8 HR, 48 RBI) who combined to score or drive in 46.7 percent of Belmont’s runs in 2009. The Bruins must also replace 2B Daniel Wagner (.323, 10 HR, 57 RBI).

Who’s Back: While Belmont loses a lot of offense they do bring back a couple key parts. So. OF Dylan Craig (.397, 92 H, 9 triples) was the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. Jr. C Matt Zeblo (.335, 5 HR, 35 RBI) returns behind the plate.

Campbell

2009 Season: (27-24, 7-19)

Nickname: Fighting Camels

Head Coach: Greg Goff

Location: Buies Creek, NC

Vitals: .346 BA, 42 HR, .444 OBP, .966 Fld. %…6.95 ERA, 2 CG, 7 SVs, 337 K, 186 BB, .353 Opp. BA

Great Offense: Campbell’s offensive numbers in 2009 stack up with some of the best in the nation. They were ranked in the top 10 nationally in team BA (.346), scoring (10.1), doubles per game (2.78), stolen bases per game (2.29), and hit by pitch (123). They also had three players hit over .400 for the season.

Key Returners: Campbell loses top hitter Ryan Hamme (.438, 26 doubles, 51 RBI), but do bring back two key offensive players from a season ago. Leading the offense this season will be Sr. OF Zach Johnson (.380, 29 doubles, 12 HR), who led the nation in doubles last year, and Jr. 2B Ellis Lowe (.404, 5 HR, 62 RBI). On the mound, Sr. LHP Jeff Rydman (5-1, 5.43 ERA, 45 K) will lead the staff.

East Tennessee State

2009 Season: (25-28, 10-20)

Nickname: Buccaneers

Head Coach: Tony Skole

Location: Johnson City, TN

Paul Hoilman

Vitals: .313 BA, 72 HR, .398 OBP, .948 Fld. %…8.27 ERA, 2 CG, 8 SVs, 293 K, 218 BB, .349 Opp. BA

Big Bucs: ETSU returns its top two sluggers from last year in Jr. 1B Paul Hoilman (.380, 17 HR, 66 RBI) and So. 3B Bo Reeder (.339, 15 HR, 53 RBI). Both Hoilmand and Reeder earned 3^rd team preseason All-American honors from Louisville Slugger.

On the mound, the Bucs return Jr. RHP Chas Byrne (6-4, 5.53 ERA, 67 K), and Bo Reeder, who in addition to putting up big power number at the plate, went 4-4, with 1 CG and 1 SV on the rubber.

Traveling’ Men: ETSU makes its first ever trip to the West Coast this season when they travel to take on Oregon in Eugene May 14-16^th.

Florida Gulf Coast

2009 Season: (36-18, 23-7)

Nickname: Eagles

Head Coach: Dave Tollett

Location: Fort Myers, FL

Vitals: .320 BA, 74 HR, .409 OBP, .962 Fld. %…5.02 ERA, 3 CG, 14 SVs, 460 K, 169 BB, .290 Opp. BA

Chris Sale

Conference Power: Florida Gulf Coast swept the preseason honors from the A-Sun. They were picked to win the conference for the third year in a row by the coaches. 1B Zach Maxfield (.383, 20 HR, 66 RBI) was named the preseason A-Sun Player of the Year, while Jr. LHP Chris Sale (7-4, 2.72 ERA, 104 K) is the preseason Pitcher of the Year. Sale also was named a 1^st team All-American by Baseball America, a 2^nd team All-American from Ping!, and was the Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year last summer.

Playing the Best: FGCU faces a tough slate this year. The Eagles will face 12^th-ranked Miami, 16^th ranked Clemson, 9^th-ranked Florida, and 27^th-ranked Wichita State all on the road in 2010.

Jacksonville

2009 Season: (37-22, 19-11)

Nickname: Dolphins

Head Coach: Terry Alexander

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Vitals: .301 BA, 62 HR, .400 OBP, .952 Fld. %…5.18 ERA, 2 CG, 13 SVs, 451 K, 184 BB, .288 Opp. BA

Pitching Strength: Jacksonville won its 5^th A-Sun conference championship last year and should contend again behind a strong pitching staff this season. Two JU pitchers are on the preseason All-A-Sun team led by Jr. RHP Matt Loosen (4-1, 4.16 ERA, 91 K) and Jr. RHP Chris Kaminski (5-1, 2.70 ERA, 8 SVs).

Offensive Leaders: The Dolphins lose top hitter Jeremy Gillan (.400, 11 HR, 62 RBI), but bring back plenty of speed and power with 1^st team preseason All-A-Sun player Sr. Chuck Opachich (.377, 42 RBI, 19 SB) and Sr. OF Alex Martinez (.306, 12 HR, 53 RBI).

Kennesaw State

2009 Season: (30-22, 20-9)

Nickname: Owls

Head Coach: Mike Sansing

Location: Kennesaw, GA

Vitals: .307 BA, 65 HR, .391 OBP, .963 Fld. %…5.08 ERA, 7 CG, 8 SVs, 475 K, 199 BB, .281 Opp. BA

Stepping Up: KSU loses 13 players overall, including 6 regular starters off their 2^nd place team last year. The top five hitters are all gone, but two preseason All-Atlantic Sun performers do return in Sr. SS Tyler Stubblefield (.300, 7 HR, 27 RBI) and Jr. OF Josh Whitaker (.379, 4 HR, 25 RBI in 22 GP)

Owl Arms: The biggest concern for KSU has to be the pitching staff where 6 pitchers are gone from the 2009 team including A-Sun Pitcher of the Year Chad Jenkins (8-1, 2.54 ERA, 98 K, 5 CG). The top returning pitcher is Jr. RHP Ryan Rodebaugh (1-1, 4.10 ERA, 2 SVs).

Lipscomb

2009 Season: (24-32, 17-13)

Nickname: Bison

Head Coach: Jeff Forehand

Location: Nashville, TN

Vitals: .280 BA, 42 HR, .356 OBP, .949 Fld. %…6.19 ERA, 6 CG, 9 SVs, 442 K, 258 BB, .279 Opp. BA

Strong Down the Stretch: Lipscomb finished 8 games below .500 overall, but still finished with a winning conference record, reaching the tournament championship game before falling to Jacksonville 7-4.

Ace in the Hole: While the Bison lose staff ace and first round MLB draft pick Rex Brothers (5-5, 3.26 ERA, 4 CG, 132 K), they do bring back Sr. RHP Josh Smith (7-4, 3.86 ERA, 101 K).

Offensive Production: Lipscomb will look to improve the offense this year behind CF Tyler Wilson (.320, 65 H, 25 SB), 1B Ryan Wilkins (.290, 5 doubles, 21 RBI). Several newcomers expect to fill out the lineup as well with Jr. Cory Hale (.304, 14 HR, 41 RBI), a transfer from Columbia State CC, and Jr. Zach Messer (.378, 14 HR, 56 RBI) from Walters State CC who both figure to start.

Mercer

2009 Season: (23-23, 12-15)

Nickname: Bears

Head Coach: Craig Gibson

Location: Macon, GA

Vitals: .302 BA, 60 HR, .370 OBP, .965 Fld. %…6.39 ERA, 2 CG, 7 SVs, 346 K, 183 BB, .302 Opp. BA

Big Offense: Mercer loses top hitter Steven Karwatt (.374, 10 HR, 43 RBI), but do return the five other guys who hit over .300, including Sr. INF Michael Langley (.358, 7 HR, 27 RBI) and So. INF Jacob Tanis (.340, 11 HR, 35 RBI), who was named a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger. Pitching wise Jr. RHP closer J.T. Odom (5-5, 3.88 ERA, 3 SVs) returns as does Sr. RHP Lath Guyer (2-4, 5.55 ERA, 76 K).

Home in Dixie: Mercer hosts 18 of their first 21 games with only trips to Tallahassee to play Florida A&M and Atlanta to face Georgia State the only road trips. Mercer will not play north of Nashville, TN all season long while playing games in only four states (Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina).

North Florida

2009 Season: (23-31, 15-15)

Nickname: Ospreys

Head Coach: Dusty Rhodes

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Vitals: .295 BA, 59 HR, .377 OBP, .948 Fld. %…5.78 ERA, 6 CG, 9 SVs, 381 K, 183 BB, .296 Opp. BA

The American Dream: Dusty Rhodes announced that this will be his final season at the helom of North Florida. Rhodes started the program in 1988 and has built the team from scratch. He should win his 900^th game at UNF this season, playing on the newly named Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.

Foundation: North Florida’s lineup will center around Sr. OF Preston Hale (.371, 10 HR, 43 RBI) who led the Ospreys in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits, HR, and RBI. Hale was a 2^nd-team All-conference performer in 2009 and enters 2010 a unanimous selection to the preseason All-Atlantic Sun team.

Stetson

2009 Season: (27-30, 16-14)

Nickname: Hatters

Head Coach: Pete Dunn

Location: DeLand, FL

Vitals: .314 BA, 60 HR, .395 OBP, .951 Fld. %…5.85 ERA, 1 CG, 9 SVs, 383 K, 223 BB, .305 Opp. BA

Poised for a Run: Stetson returns 19 letterwinners and 7 starters from last season’s 5^th place team. Leading the offense will be Sr. DH Aaron Crittenden (.339, 13 HR, 66 RB) and So. 3B Mark Jones (.363, 82 H, .518 Slg. %). Crittenden is a preseason All-conference pick this season, while Jones earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors last season.

Pitching Rotation: The Hatters will have a much different weekend rotation this season with So. RHP Lindsey Caughel (4-3, 6.30 ERA, 41 K) the only returner. The other spots will be filled with two pitchers that missed last season with injuries. R-Jr. RHP Justin Dechert (5.51 ERA, SV) and R-So. RHP Will Dorsey (2-1, 3.72 ERA, SV) will fill out the rotation.

USC Upstate

2009 Season: (17-37, 7-23)

Nickname: Spartans

Head Coach: Matt Fincher

Location: Spartanburg, SC

Vitals: .283 BA, 18 HR, .358 OBP, .964 Fld. %…7.81 ERA, 1 CG, 7 SVs, 345 K, 296 BB, .322 Opp. BA

Marching On: USC-Upstate enters its third season in Division I, still making the transition to the higher level. After winning 17 conference games in 2008, they fell off to just 7 wins in 2009 finishing in last place. This season they look for improvement behind 17 returning lettermen including 7 pitchers.

Key Returners: Jr. RHP Matt Branham (2-5, 4.39 ERA, 82 K) is back to lead the pitching staff, while Sr. 1B/C Jimmy Tanner (.354, 15 doubles, 34 RBI) the top hitter for the Spartans last year will once again power the lineup.

Silver Spartans: This year marks the 25^th season for baseball at the school.

2010 Atlantic Sun Predicitons

2010 Champion: Florida Gulf Coast

2010 Player of the Year: Preston Hale—North Florida

2010 Pitcher of the Year: Chris Sale—Florida Gulf Coast

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Campbell 2010 Baseball Schedule

Sean Stires — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:48:13 +0000

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Non-Conference Games Vs. ECU And NC State Highlight Slate

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Games against in-state rivals East Carolina, UNC Wilmington, and NC State, a matchup with 2009 regional opponent, Xavier University, and a 27-game conference schedule highlight the 2010 spring schedule for the Fighting Camels baseball squad.

This schedule marks the third in the tenure of Greg Goff but it promises to be one of the most challenging since his arrival in Buies Creek previous to the 2008 campaign. Campbell will face off against 21 different teams during the spring, with

Campbell Head Coach Greg Goff

these teams having won a combined 516 contests during the 2009 season.

Complete 2010 Campbell Schedule (PDF)

“We have put together another demanding, but exciting schedule for the 2010 season highlighted with in-state opponents NC State, East Carolina, and UNC-Wilmington,” head coach Greg Goff said. “Our goal with this schedule was to build on the momentum of our record-setting home attendance from last season, and being able to have 33 home games was definitely a bonus. This allows our fans a good opportunity to come out and have a great time watching our team compete against some first-rate opponents.”

Asheville and NC State highlight first week

Campbell opens the 2010 slate at home against UNC Asheville with a single contest on February 19th followed by a doubleheader on February 20th. The Bulldogs, under new head coach Tom Smith, are looking to be provide a tough challenge for the first weekend of the season. After the home weekend against UNC Asheville, the Fighting Camels hit the road for the short trip to Raleigh to face off against in-state ACC foe, North Carolina State.

Last season Campbell swept the home and home two-game series with the Wolfpack, marking the first time in school history they were able to accomplish that feat. The Fighting Camels will finish the month of February with a home and home matchup against North Carolina A&T. The first contest will take place in Greensboro on February 26th and the doubleheader at Taylor Field to follow on the 27th.

Nine game home stretch kicks off March for Fighting Camels

The month of March starts off with a two-week home stand for Coach Goff’s squad, as they square off against Xavier University, UNC Wilmington, Savannah State, and LaSalle University. Campbell will start off the month facing the defending Atlantic 10 champion and 2009 NCAA Regional participant Xavier University on March 2, followed by a contest against in-state rival and 2008 NCAA Regional Participant UNC Wilmington on the 3rd.

The Fighting Camels will be renewing one of their long standing rivalries with the Seahawks, having split their last home and home series in 2008, with UNC Wilmington taking the contest at Taylor Field 6-4, and Campbell knocking off the #22-ranked Seahawks 8-6 in Wilmington.

The 9-game home stand will conclude with a three-game weekend series against Savannah State, and a mid-week clash with the LaSalle Explorers on March 9 and 10. Campbell has won 3 of the last 4 games against these two teams, including a two game sweep of Savannah State last year, and a two game split against the Explorers in 2006.

Mercer to start off 2010 Atlantic Sun slate

Campbell will head on the road to Macon, Ga. for the first conference series of the young 2010 season against the Mercer Bears. Last year the series against Mercer was cancelled due to four days set of heavy rain in Buies Creek. In 2008, Campbell also opened conference play with the Bears, winning game one and then dropping the following two. But, the Fighting Camels got even that year by eliminating Mercer from the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament with an 11-3 victory in Deland.

The series between the Fighting Camels and Mercer has always been competitive as the series split is 27-26 in favor of Campbell. The Bears finished the 2009 slate with a 23-23 record and will be bringing back a load of talent from that squad and promises to be a frontrunner in the Atlantic Sun.

Following the trip to Macon, Campbell will return to the friendly confines of Taylor Field to face off against Maryland-Eastern Shore in a two game set starting on March 16th. The last time these two teams faced off against each other was in 2000 and Campbell holds a 3-0 series lead over the Eagles.

Campbell will then face its second Atlantic Sun opponent in Kennesaw State starting on March 19th. Last season the two split the conference series 1-1 as the third game was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Owls hold the series lead 3-6 over the Fighting Camels.

Campbell will conclude a 7-game home stand with North Carolina State coming to Buies Creek on March 23rd. They will then conclude the month of March with a three-game conference series against the Ospreys of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and return home to play Norfolk State on March 30, with Campbell returning the trip to Norfolk on May 11th.

April Presents Good Challenges for the Fighting Camels

Campbell will back to Florida over the first weekend of April, this time to Deland to face off against Atlantic Sun traditional power Stetson University. The Hatters have made regional appearances in 4 of the last 8 years, and will be an ASUN favorite once again in 2010. The Camels will then head down to Wilmington, N.C. for the completion of the home and home series with the Seahawks.

Taylor Field will play host to two of the last three weekends in April as the Camels will host the two-time defending Atlantic Sun regular season champs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, on April 9 and 10, and the East Tennessee State on April 23 and 24. Campbell will hit the road to Spartanburg, SC to face Atlantic Sun foe USC Upstate on April 16 and 17.

April will also feature the annual two-game home and home series with 2009 NCAA Super Regional participant East Carolina Pirates. On April 13 the Fighting Camels will travel to Greenville where they were victorious last season 12-8 against the # 17 ranked Pirates. ECU will return the trip the next week, April 20, for a rematch of a thrilling 10-9 ECU victory at Taylor Field in 2009.

Camels Hit the Stretch Run in May

The Fighting Camels will begin May by playing a weekend series against in-state foe North Carolina Central University with the Friday game (April 30th) being played at Taylor Field and the following two being played in Durham at the legendary Durham Athletic Park on May 1. The DAP was showcased during the filming of the iconic baseball film Bull Durham, and now serves as the home field for the NCCU Eagles.

The non-conference slate for May will feature 4 games against Longwood University, beginning with a home weekend series on May 7-8, and a trip to Farmville, Va. on May 18th.

The conference schedule will feature the traditional May opponents for Campbell as they visit Nashville for a showdown with the Bruins from Belmont University on May 14 and 15, and host the Bisons from Lipscomb University on the final weekend of the regular season, May 20 and 21. In 2009, the Fighting Camels went 3-3 against these respective conference opponents, taking 2 or 3 from the Bruins at Taylor Field, and dropping 2 of 3 to the Bisons in Nashville.

The Atlantic Sun Championship will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, May 26-29, 2010. The top six seeds will advance to the conference tournament out of a possible ten teams, with the winner of the tournament earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

(Release)