Atlantic Sun Baseball 2010 Preview
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 4th 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 6th 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 3rd 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 14-16th.
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 1st team All-American by Baseball America, a 2nd 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 12th-ranked Miami, 16th ranked Clemson, 9th-ranked Florida, and 27th-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 5th 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 1st 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 2nd 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 900th 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 2nd-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 5th 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 25th 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
Conference USA Announces 2010 Baseball TV Schedule
Eleven Regular Season Games On Preliminary TV Slate
IRVING, Texas –Conference USA has announced its preliminary baseball television schedule for the 2010 season. The schedule currently features games to appear nationally on CBS College Sports as well as regionally on Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS), Bright House Networks and Cox Sports Television. Additional games remain a possibility and will be announced at a later date.
“Conference USA has established itself as a national power in baseball and we are pleased that more of our fans will be able to watch our teams play this season on television,” said Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky.
Included in the current schedule are 11 regular season games as well as a live broadcast of the C-USA Baseball Tournament Championship Game on Saturday, May 29. Additional C-USA Championship games may be added to the television schedule.
2010 C-USA Baseball Television Schedule
(as of February 4)
CBS College Sports
Saturday, April 24 East Carolina at Rice 3:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. CDT
Friday, April 30 Southern Miss at Tulane 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
Friday, May 14 Southern Miss at Rice 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
Friday, May 21 Houston at East Carolina 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
Saturday, May 29 C-USA Championship Game 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT
Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) (regional coverage may vary within CSS footprint)
Tuesday, March 16 Texas at Rice 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT
Thursday, April 1 Houston at Rice 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT
Friday, April 2 Houston at Rice 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT
Tuesday, May 18 Rice at Houston 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT
Bright House Networks (Florida)
Tuesday, March 9 Miami (Fla.) at UCF 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
Tuesday, March 16 South Florida at UCF 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
Tuesday, March 9 Stetson at UCF 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
Cox Sports Television (Louisiana)
Tuesday, May 18 LSU at Tulane 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT
Conference USA’s 15th baseball season gets underway on February 19. The conference tournament is scheduled for May 26-30 in Houston, with UH serving as the host for the new six-team, pool-play format. C-USA’s nine baseball schools have produced 62 NCAA appearances and nine College World Series teams over the past 14 seasons.
Atlantic Sun 2010 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Florida Gulf Coast Picked Big In 1st Season Of NCAA Tourney Eligibility
MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun conference announced its baseball preseason coaches’ poll and all-conference honors Wednesday with FGCU earning the nod as the conference favorite.
The Eagles also cleaned up in the superlative awards with first baseman Zach Maxfield earned the preseason Player of the Year honors and Chris Sale picked up the Pitcher of the Year nod by a unanimous decision.
Chris Sale earned Pitcher of the Year honors in a unanimous vote befitting the status of the Ping!Baseball and Louisville Slugger preseason All-American. The College Baseball Blog listed Sale as the fourth-best player in the nation and as the top left-handed starting pitcher in nation. Sale earned first-team all-conference honors a season ago after posting a 7-4 record with a 2.72 ERA. The criminal justice major earned the Pitcher of the Year honor during the summer in the talent-rich Cape Cod league. Baseball America named Sale the Top Prospect in the Cape Cod league after the lefthander earned MVP honors in the league’s All-Star game. CLICK HERE to listen to an exclusive Collegebaseball360.com interview with Sale.
Maxfield burst on to the A-Sun scene a season ago, leading the conference in home runs with 20 while driving in a team-high 66 run for the Eagles. The power-hitting first baseman also picked up preseason all-conference honors after earning first-team all conference honors a season ago at the designated hitter position. The Northport, Fla. native ranked as one of only four underclassmen on the 2009 all-conference squad joining his teammates Chris Sale, Tim Roberson and ETSU’s Paul Hoilman.
Tim Roberson joins his fellow FGCU juniors on the preseason all-conference team holding the third base position. The West Palm Beach, Fla. native ranked second in the A-Sun in 2009 in home runs just one behind Maxfield. Roberson ranked fifth in the league in RBI a season ago with 18 multiple RBI games including eight contests in which he drove in three or more runs.
Robert Green rounds out the quartet of Eagles on the preseason all-conference team. Green played in all 54 games a season ago for FGCU and the junior spent 53 of those contest behind the plate for the team picked atop of the preseason coaches’ poll. Green hit 14 home runs and combined with Roberson and Maxfield total the trio hit more round trippers than three A-Sun teams in 2009.
FGCU earned the nod from coaches as the conference favorite grabbing 10 of a possible 11 first-place votes. The coaches also tabbed the Eagles as the favorite to win the postseason tournament. FGCU placed No. 25 in Ping!Baseball’s Preseason rankings and received votes in the first National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll and USA Today/ESPN Poll.
The coaches picked Jacksonville, the reigning conference champion, second in the preseason poll and the Dolphins also earned solid representation on the preseason All-Atlantic Sun team. Matt Loosen earned a unanimous selection after a season in which he boasted a 4-1 record with two saves and 4.16 ERA. Loosen ranked nationally in strikeouts (59th, 91) and strikeouts per nine innings (43rd, 10.24).
Chris Kaminski joins Loosen on the preseason all-conference squad as a relief pitcher. The junior posted a team-best 2.70 ERA a season ago with a record of 5-1 with eight saves and recorded 33 strikeouts in 34 innings. Chuck Opachich rounds out the Jacksonville selections as he picked up the spot at second base. The senior posted hit .377 a season a go with 42 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
Stetson took third in the preseason coaches’ poll and placed designated hitter Aaron Crittenden on the preseason team. The senior returns to the Hatters following a banner season in which he drove in 66 runs. Crittenden belted 13 home runs and amassed a .554 slugging percentage.
Kennesaw State enters the preseason poll fourth, followed by UNF in fifth. Both the Owls and Ospreys completed their transition to Division I after last season and for the first time, can compete for spots in the Atlantic Sun Championships, and thus a chance at earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Mercer and Lipscomb tied for sixth. The coaches pick Belmont eighth, ETSU ninth, Campbell tenth and USC Upstate eleventh.
Lipscomb Josh Smith rounds out the pitching rotation on the preseason squad. Smith ranked second on the Bisons in ERA behind departed first-round draft pick Rex Brothers. The senior ranked nationally in strikeouts (32nd, 101) and in hits allowed per nine innings (29th, 7.1) in 2009. Smith posted a 3.86 ERA a season ago allowing only 38 earned runs in over 88 innings.
Tyler Stubblefield from Kennesaw State completes the infield filling in the shortstop position. The senior posted a .300 batting average a season ago to for the Owls. Stubblefield smacked seven home runs and drove in 27 runs.
Belmont’s Dylan Craig picked up preseason honors from the coaches after a freshman campaign which saw him rank second in the nation in triples. Craig earned A-Sun Freshman of the Year honors a season ago and Ping!Baseball named him to their Freshman All-American team. The Signal Mountain, Tenn. native also finished nationally ranked in hits (36th, 92), batting average (82nd, .397) and sacrifice flies (14th, eight)
UNF’s Preston Hale, a unanimous selection, joins Craig in the outfield after posting a .371 average to lead the Ospreys a season ago. The senior started all 53 games in 2009 driving in 43 runs, hitting 10 home runs while slugging .593. Hale picked up second-team all-conference honors at the end of last season after leading his team in multiple hit games and tying for the team lead in multi-RBI games.
Josh Whitaker from Kennesaw State completes the outfield after appearing in 22 games and making 15 starts for the Owls a season ago. Whitaker hit .379 with four home runs and 25 RBI.
| 2010 A-Sun Preseason Coaches Poll | ||
| # | School (1st Place Vote) | Points |
| 1. | FGCU | 120 |
| 2. | Jacksonville | 106 |
| 3. | Stetson | 82 |
| 4. | Kennesaw State | 81 |
| 5. | UNF | 69 |
| T-6. | Mercer | 62 |
| T-6. | Lipscomb | 62 |
| 8. | Belmont | 53 |
| 9. | ETSU | 45 |
| 10 | Campbell | 34 |
| 11. | USC Upstate | 12 |
| Tournament Winner – FGCU | ||
| 2010 Atlantic Sun Preseason All-Conference |
| Pos. | Player (Yr.) | School |
| SP | *Matt Loosen (Jr.) | Jacksonville |
| SP | *Chris Sale (Jr.) | FGCU |
| SP | Josh Smith (Sr.) | Lipscomb |
| RP | Chris Kaminski (Jr.) | Jacksonville |
| C | Robert Green (Jr.) | FGCU |
| 1B | Zach Maxfield (Jr.) | FGCU |
| 2B | Chuck Opachich (Sr.) | JU |
| 3B | Tim Roberson (Jr.) | FGCU |
| SS | Tyler Stubblefield (Sr.) | Kennesaw State |
| DH | Aaron Crittenden (Sr.) | Stetson |
| OF | Dylan Craig (So.) | Belmont |
| OF | *Preston Hale (Sr.) | UNF |
| OF | Josh Whitaker (Jr.) | Kennesaw State |
| Player of the Year: Zach Maxfield, FGCU | ||
| Pitcher of the Year: *Chris Sale, FGCU |
