Tennessee Baseball Report   2008 Small College Previews

NAIA

Bethel    Bryan   Cumberland     Freed Hardeman     King     Lambuth    Lee    

2009 Season Preview

The 2009 season marks the first season at the helm of the program for former Trojan pitcher Jonathan Burton. Burton spent the past two years as the Trojans’ lead assistant coach after completing his pitching career for Trevecca in 2004.

The Trojans return a nucleus of players from last year’s TranSouth championship squad, including 13 seniors, which should help make the transition a smooth one. “The guys have really bought in over the last semester and I feel we are poised to have one of our best years,” says Burton. “We have strong character kids that have improved in the classroom, on the field, and off as well.”

PITCHERS

Trevecca’s pitching staff, which has been the team’s strength in years past, looks stronger than ever for the 2009 campaign. Seniors Nick Shoup and Wesley Griggs return to the weekend rotation and will be joined by junior transfer Tim Dunn. Shoup earned first team all-TranSouth honors last year, posting a record of 8-5 with a 3.93 ERA and a team high 72 strikeouts. Griggs was named to the all-TranSouth second team, and had a 10-2 record with a 3.53 ERA, three complete games, and two shutouts.

The Trojans return four other pitchers from last year’s team. Right-handers Drew Durossette and Chris Sutherland return to the staff, and they are joined by southpaws Ben Johnson and Brent Amburn. Durossette posted five wins in his first year with the Trojans, and Sutherland was second on the team with four saves. Amburn also recorded five wins, his coming in just 13 appearances as a freshman, while Johnson had four wins and a shutout in his freshman campaign.

Four new faces enter the fold for 2009 as well. Dunn is the most highly-touted of the four, boasting a low 90s fastball, above average off-speed pitches, and good command. Dunn earned NJCAA All-American honors last season at John A. Logan College. He also earned Region 24 Player of the Year honors, compiling a record of 12-0 with a scant 1.26 ERA and 48 strikeouts. Chase Dixon joins the squad after spending last season at York College, Ryan Whitson comes in from Dyersburg State Community College, and Jeff Hughes transfers in from Austin Peay, after posting a respectable 3.18 ERA in 12 appearances for the Governors a year ago.

A strong weekend rotation, combined with a balanced Bullpen will no doubt help the Trojans maintain their recent success this season.

OUTFIELDERS

Six of the seven outfielders on the Trojans roster for 2009 were on the roster a year ago as well. Marty Parks continues to provide a combination of power and speed at the top of the order along with Chris Lowe, who enters his fourth year as the team’s starting right fielder. Parks scored a team high 60 runs in his first year on the ballclub in 2008, and coach Burton is looking to him to continue to provide offense at the top of the lineup. He and Lowe combined to steal 29 of 44 bases as well, giving the middle of the order ample opportunity to drive in runs. Omar DeJesus also begins his fourth season as a Trojan in 2009, and he is coming off a season in which he scored 25 runs and was 8-for-8 in stealing bases. Nathan Wright showed some power, with half of his hits going for extra bases, while Trevor Green and Blair Haskins saw limited playing time in the outfield as well.  

The lone new face in the outfield is Matt Tidwell, a red-shirt freshman who transfers in from Jacksonville State University. Tidwell hails from nearby Dickson, Tenn., and played his high school baseball at Creekwood High School.

INFIELDERS

With three of the four starters retuning from last year’s club, this season’s infield appears to be one of the team’s many strengths. Four seniors return to the mix form last years club that set a program record for best fielding percentage and had the third fewest team errors in Trevecca history, which bodes well for the Trojans in 2009. Two juniors, one sophomore, and a freshman join them to form arguably the most experienced infield in the 38 year history of the program.

Seniors Cody Heggie and Adam Bland return at first base. Heggie got the majority of the starts at first base a year ago, leading the Trojans offensively with a .357 batting average, 23 doubles and 54 runs batted in; while finishing second on the club with eight home runs. Bland notched five doubles of his own in limited at bats, and the two combined for just six errors in 406 defensive chances (.958 FLD%).

Up the middle, seniors Ross Muirhead and Aaron Bree form a double play tandem that is potent both offensively and defensively. The two each hit better than .300 (Muirhead .336, Bree .325) and they turned 22 double plays. Bree also won both the TranSouth and NAIA Region XI Gold Glove awards for his play at shortstop. Seth Hawkins also returns to the Trojans as a middle infielder.

Third base appears to be where the battle will be for playing time. Trey Morrison transfers in from Dyersburg State Community College after putting up impressive numbers in 2008. He hit .384 and had 16 doubles, 48 RBI, and 44 runs scored in 43 games on the season. Returning sophomore Chase Birdwell will also compete for the spot, as he transitions to third base from the middle infield. Birdwell hit .308 last year and posted an on base percentage of .471. Freshman Jacobi Olin also will battle for the spot, coming to Trevecca from Nashville’s Christ Presbyterian Academy.

CATCHERS

The Trojans biggest question mark could be behind the plate, where the lone returning player – Brian Dirheimer – spent most of 2008 as a Designated Hitter. However, Coach Burton and his staff have brought in two very good catchers who will compete for innings right away. Matt Lyle comes to the Trojans after a season in which he hit .421 for the Calhoun Community College Warhawks. He also made just one error behind the plate in 82 chances. Chase Patrick transfers in from Volunteer State Community College as well, coming off a year in which he hit .295 and did not commit an error behind the plate in 276 chances.

The 2009 Trojans in position to build upon their recent success, but with the schedule set before them, Coach Burton knows this will be no easy task. “It will be a fight as usual in the TranSouth,” says Burton, “and I feel like our non-conference schedule is as tough as anyone in the country.” But Burton also believes playing such a demanding schedule, with 21 games against nine schools receiving votes in the preseason top-25, helps a team in the long run. “Playing great competition only prepares us to be mentally and physically tough,” he says, “which in return helps us better prepare for those situations come tournament time.”

This season also marks the change to direct qualification for the NAIA, which Burton says can be a good thing for a conference like the TranSouth. “We feel like we have several teams which are capable of playing at the national level in our conference,” says Burton. “Hopefully this will be the year that can get 3-4 TranSouth teams in the opening round tournament, and we are one of them.”