2015 Baseball Preview: Pitchers

With the 2015 baseball season opening on Friday, TroyTrojans.com will take a position-by-position look at this year's team.

OUTFIELD | INFIELD/CATCHERS

Troy looks to rebuild nearly its entire starting rotation in 2015, but the quality of arms available to the Trojan coaching staff has them brimming with confidence.

What Pierce says: "We're excited about the quality of depth we have on the mound this year. We probably have fewer total pitchers than we have in the past but we feel comfortable using all of them throughout the season."

True freshman Corey Childress has been a weekend starting pitcher candidate since the first day he stepped on campus. Childress was an all-state selection and an All-American honorable mention at Fairhope High School. His poise and maturity on the mound have set him apart as a freshman.

Pierce on Childress: "He has a really good arm, good stuff and is very confident in his abilities. I look to see Corey start the season off strong; his future is very bright and it will be fun to watch him grow in the program."

Ben Tidwell returns for his senior campaign after starting making 20 appearances last season with nine of those coming in a starting role. Tidwell finished 1-3 with a 4.03 ERA highlighted by a 6 1/3 inning performance in relief to pick up the win against Western Kentucky.

Consistency is the word most often used to describe Grant Bennett. His steady performance in the preseason has given the coaching staff confidence is his ability to handle a weekend starting role.

Tucker Simpson was the 39^th round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles and for good reason. Simpson was a star at Oxford High School before signing with the University of Florida, where he made eight starts as a freshman. The right-hander transferred to Chipola College but was sidelined after suffering a knee injury. Back to form for the 2015 season, Pierce feels Simpson can play a significant role on this year's staff.

Pierce on Simpson: "Tucker comes in as a highly rated pitcher out of high school and is a guy that I think has himself in pretty good shape coming off an injury. The sky is the limit for Tucker."

Northwest Florida State College transfer Lucas Brown could also see time in a starting role. The junior right-hander has developed a sinker in the offseason that has proven to be extremely effective in the preseason.

Senior Jeremy McGowan will anchor the bullpen, though if needed has proven of the course of his career that he can pitch in any situation.

Pierce on McGowan: "Jeremy has seen a lot of action throughout his career. He's pitched in a lot of big games, seen a lot of key moments. He's very valuable to the pitching staff due to his experience in long relief, closing, starting. He's the one guy on our staff that has seen and done it all."

Left-hander Austin Crook has been a winner everywhere he's played. The Prattville High School star was 26-4 in over his prep career and finished 17-1 in two seasons at Faulkner State Community College.

Levi Tate looked solid in the fall and showed good command of all three pitches. Like McGowan, Tate has seen action in several different roles. He made 15 appearances last season including two starts.

Pierce on Crook: "Austin has had a tremendous background of winning. He has been a guy that won't blow you away but finds a way to win his games. He's fighting for a starting job but I can easily see him playing a lot of roles for this team."

Senior Cody Hughes has shown improvement in his command and is a versatile arm in the bullpen. Hughes started three games for the Trojans last season and will be looking to build on that experience.
Perez Knowles and Reid Long have shown the potential to be very effective pitchers at Troy. Both are freshman who are looking to gain innings as the season progresses.

Robert Harris will get a look as the Trojans setup man. Troy aims to use Harris to build a bridge between the team's starters and Marc Skinner. Harris was and all-conference section at Calhoun Community College last season and finished the year with a 3.52 ERA.

Marc Skinner raked in the awards last season as he earned Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, second team All-Sun Belt, Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and NCBWA Freshman All-American honors. He made a team-high 31 appearances and turned in a league-best 1.52 ERA.

Pierce on Skinner: "Marc has continued to work extremely hard to improve on the outstanding season that he had last year. I think all parts of his game have gotten better and he now has experience at the end of games, which is critical for any pitching staff to have."

Blake Floyd is the midst of his transition from catcher to pitcher and Jesse Nelson is battling injury.

Troy University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Grant Bennett

Lucas Brown

Corey Childress

Austin Crook

Blake Floyd

Robert Harris

Cody Hughes

Perez Knowles

Reid Long

Jeremy McGowan

Jesse Nelson

Tucker Simpson

Marc Skinner

Levi Tate

Ben Tidwell

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