probable starters:

Pos.  Name                Hit/Throw     Class
C-   Damo DeMatteo        R/R           FR
     Jared Davis          L/R           FR
1b-  Colin Sullivan       R/R           SO
2b-  DeAndre Allen        R/R           FR
SS-  Grant Zawadzki       R/R           SO
3b-  Randall Coley        R/R           FR
LF-  Derek Shugart        R/R           SO
CF-  Cody Commons         L/L           SO
RF-  Cody Hiefnar         R/R           R-FR
DH-  Michael Hargrove     L/L           FR

Conference Rotation
#   Name                RH/LH   Class
1 Jared Burton          LH       SO
2 Ross Spurgeon         RH       SO
3 Hunter Hammond        RH       SO
Closer Thomas Huddleston RH      FR
      Tyler Sexton     RH       FR

Non-Conference Starters
#  Name               RH/LH  Class
1 Zack Taylor         LH     FR
2 Ethan Davis         LH     FR
3 Derek Chandler      RH     FR
4
Any other pitchers who will help-
  Tyler Kilgore      RH     R-FR
  Justin Sturgeon    RH     R-FR
  Jeb Scoggins       RH     FR


Preview:

2011 W - 28  L- 24    
Starters returning :6  Position players:3    Pitchers:3

Outlook by position:

Infield - Infield defense should be a big positive for us this year.  Returning shortstop Grant Zawadzki should have a big year after a solid freshman year.  Colin Sullivan will see most of the time at 1B and has developed into a team leader.  Newcomers DeAndre Allen and Randall Coley will be at 2B and 3B respectively.  Allen should be a mainstay at 2B with great athleticism and good offense.  Coley will see most of the time at 3B but Colby Harmon and Cade Seeley will also see time.

Catching- Catching will be a big question mark for us entering the season.  All of our catchers are freshman and that in itself makes it very difficult.  Leadership will be a big key to the guy who steps up and wins the position.  Any possibility of these guys could be behind the plate, Jared Davis, Damo DeMatteo, J.D. Cowart, Alex Huddleston, and Aaron O'Dell.

Outfield-  Cody Commons should be in center all year barring injuries.  Commons can really cover a lot of ground which for us is crucial with a big centerfield area.  Cody Hiefnar will open the season in right after having a really good redshirt year.  Left field will probably be a platoon situation with Chase Edwards, Derek Shugart, and Michael Hargrove.

Pitching-  Have some freshman from last year that had considerable time on the mound and they will have to rely on those experiences to help guide them as sophomores. Ross Spurgeon, Jared Burton, and Hunter Hammond all started as freshman and should be near the front of the rotation this season.  Zack Taylor, Ethan Davis, Derek Chandler, and Tyler Sexton may also see time in the starting roles.  Tyler Kilgore, Thomas Huddleston, Jeb Scoggins, and Justin Sturgeon will pitch out of the bullpen.

Schedule Highlights- Ga. Perimeter, Gordon College, West Ga. Tech, and as always a very tough TCCAA schedule.

Key to success in '12 - Just like every year we have to be really good in all three phases to have a chance in our league, our freshman have to step up and play like sophomores and our sophomore must show better leadership than we had last year.  If we can find away to make less mistakes than our opponent than we like our chances.

Probable Starters:

Pos.       Name                 Hit/Throw    Class

C- Jordan Parris                  R/R          SO

1b- TJ Diffenderfer               R/R         RFR

2b- Dustin Delgado                R/R          FR

SS- Jake Little                   R/R          FR

3b- Jesse Gavigan                 R/R          SO

LF- Marsalis Holloway             R/R         RFR

CF- Derrick Armstrong             R/R          SO

RF- Jon Reagan                    R/R          SO

DH- Lucas Pippenger               R/R          FR

Conference Rotation

# Name             RH/LH      Class

1 Logan Gray       RH          SO

2 DW Whitson       RH          SO         

3 Lucas Laster     LH          FR

Closer

Andrew Padgett     RH          SO

Non-Conference Starters

# Name               RH/LH      Class

1 Chris Orphanos      RH          SO

2 Cole Harrington     RH          SO

3 Stan Garner         RH          FR

Any other pitchers who will help-

 Austin Huibers      LH           SO

 Chad Meitzler       LH           SO

 Jordan Collier      RH           FR

  Alex Vondohlen      RH           FR

 Jon Reagan          RH           SO

 Holden Tolley       RH          RFR       

2011 W  -  35       L  -  16   

Starters returning :  4   Position players: 2  Pitchers:2

Outlook by position:

Infield – We should have the ability to play quality infield defense this year.  There is no depth problem here.  We have interchangeable parts that will allow us to make adjustments when needed.

Catching – We have four of five guys that have the ability to catch but Jordan Parris is our leader back behind the dish.  Athletic freshman Scott Gibson will push for time with a few more utility guys cleaning up any inning left ove

Outfield – Mississippi State commitment Derrick Armstrong will anchor a solid group.  Jon Reagan has made a smooth transition from 3B to RF which will allow him to give us more innings on the mound.  Several freshman will battle for the third position along with the time that comes available when Jon is pitching

Pitching –The keystone of our staff, Logan Gray, will give us a chance to win every time out.  So many new faces on staff will make it my job to put the young men in right roles to be successful. 

Schedule Highlights  - Gordon, Wallace, Calhoun and several quality teams from up north.

Key to success in '12  - The right players must remain healthy…especially on the mound.  The responsibility of accelerating the learning curve of this young core will fall on the coaching staff.  Our sophomore heavy 2011 team proved to me that I have to do a better job getting our CHARGERS “over the hump” as freshmen. 

Catching- Chase Jones will more than likely be the guy.  Jordan Thiele and Clay Hughes are battling for time as well.

Outfield- Once again, very young in the outfield.  Sophomore Seth Hinson will be in right.

Pitching- We feel like going into the season, this will be our strong point.  Robinson and Yanes were both conference starters for us in 2010.  Connor Moore and Matt Griggs were both weekend starters last year and will battle for the Friday game.  We feel like are depth will be our strong point.

Schedule Highlights- Rend Lake, Three Rivers, Mineral Area, John A. Logan during the week.  Obviosly, every weekend is exciting

Key to success in '12 - We must pitch well and play solid defense.  I certainly feel like this group of guys has a chance to be very dangerous in May.

probable starters:

Pos.  Name                       Hit/Throw     Class
C- Kane Barrow                     R/R           RFR
1b- Matt Owens                     L/R           RSO
2b- Juan Rivera                    L/R           FR
SS- Dalton Martinez                R/R           SO
3b- Martin Key                     R/R           SO
LF- Chris Jeffries                 L/R           SO
CF- KJ Roberts                     L/L           SO
RF- Richie Pearl                   R/R           RFR
DH- Taylor Douglas                 R/R           FR

Conference Rotation
#   Name                         RH/LH   Class
1 Alex Shoulders/Wes Parsons     RH/RH   SO/FR
2 Justin Daniel/Patrick McGrath  RH/LH   SO/FR
3 Jordan Nolen                    LH      FR

Closer - Joe Greer/

Non-Conference Starters
#  Name               RH/LH  Class
1 Mike Purcell         LH     FR
2 Josh Cupples         RH     FR
3 Alex Martin          RH     FR

Any other pitchers who will help- Josh Freeman, Dalton Edenfield, Taylor Douglas, Garrett Perry

Preview:

2011 W -28   L-24    
Starters returning : 4 Position players: 3    Pitchers: 1

Outlook by position:

Infield - Should give us a good chance everyday.  The middle of our infield with Dalton Martinez and Juan Rivera has a chance to be as good as anybody's. This should be our best defensive corner infield as we have had the last few years with the additions of Matt Owens and Martin Key.  We lack some depth on the left side, but a couple guys can play multiple positions if need be.  Austin Hiatt and Miller Lane will compete for playing time at 1st, and Colby Edds and Brandon Bonner will do the same at 2nd.

Catching- Probably our biggest question mark. If Kane Barrow can return from an injury last season, he will make us solid back there.  Jesse Messick and Dave Kelso are continuing to get better, but struggled a bit in the fall. As they have gotten used to our pitchers, they have shown improvement and will both get time behind the plate.

Outfield- Belmont signee KJ Roberts will man CF for us and will hit leadoff. Chris Jeffries and KJ can cover alot of ground in any park we play.  Richie Pearl has continued to be productive at the plate and will share time with Taylor Douglas in RF. If healthy, we should be very solid in the outfield.

Pitching- Have a good mixture of freshmen and sophomores.  We will need the freshmen to make an impact as a few will be fighting for a spot in the conference rotation.  We have a bunch of guys that will compete for significant innings which should only make them better.  Alex Shoulders is the only returner that pitched significant innings last year and had a good fall.  Freshmen Jordan Nolen, Patrick McGrath, and Wes Parsons should compete for a spot in rotation. Mike Purcell, Josh Cupples and Alex Martin will fight for starts as well.

Schedule Highlights- NW FL, East Georgia, Wabash Valley, Itawamba and NW Miss

Key to success in '12 - Need freshmen arms to make an impact on the mound and we need to be productive at the plate as a team.  We need have a good start down in Florida to gain confidence for the rest of the year.