Baseball Set To Open Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

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Troy Trojans (0-0)

vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-0)

Troy, Ala. • Riddle-Pace Field (2,000)

Friday, February 10 • 6 pm

Saturday, February 11 (DH) • 1 pm

Sunday, February 12 • Noon

Many questions face the 2006 Trojans as they host the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a four-game season-opening series at Riddle-Pace Field.

The series will be the Trojans' only home games during the month of February. Troy will not return to Riddle-Pace until a March 7 date against Jacksonville State.

Texas A&M-CC (3-0) got its season off to a great start by sweeping a three-game series from Texas Southern last weekend. The Islanders scored 55 runs in the three games, indicating that they will pose a substantial challenge for the Trojans.

The Islanders, a Division I independent, are coming off a 31-21-1 record in 2005 that included victories over Oklahoma State. Creighton and Purdue, and a 2-1 loss to eventual national champion Texas.

The opening series was originally scheduled to be against McNeese State, but the Cowboys pulled out of the series in January.

The Trojans will take the field for the start of the season with as many as five new starters, plus a completely rebuilt starting staff on the mound. Returning position starters for the Trojans in 2006 include left fielder Blake Green, right fielder Dru Rymer, first baseman Clint Robinson, third baseman Jared Keel and catcher Nick Smith, who served as the Trojans designated hitter in 2005.

Another returning starter, second baseman Bryan Madril, has been pushed hard for his starting job by junior college transfer Edgar Ramirez, and both will see significant playing time.

New starters for the Trojans will include center fielder Ian Craze, who was the 2005 Panhandle Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Pensacola Community College. Shortstop will be manned by Tom King, a junior transfer from South Carolina.

Several players will get a chance at the DH spot.

The Trojans' rotation for the weekend series is scheduled to see junior left-hander Mike Felix make his first start for Troy after transferring from Auburn. Two other left-handers, senior Jon Gianquitti and sophomore Steven Morelock, will start the two games on Saturday with sophomore right-hander Ryan Ellison slated to get the call on Sunday.

The All-Time Series

The Trojans and Islanders have never met on the diamond prior to this series. Troy is 3-5-1 all-time against teams from Texas.

The Coaches

Troy - Bobby Pierce (Alabama, ?˜82) is in his fourth season at Troy and has an 100-70 record after guiding the Trojans to a 37-21 record a year ago. Pierce was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year and the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Trojans to an A-Sun title. In his career as a head coach, Pierce has won 635 games in his career as a college head coach, including 259 at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. His record at four-year schools stands at 376-178 and he is in his 11th season.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - Hector Salinas (Pan American, 1968) is in his seventh season at TAMUCC and his 13th overall. He has posted a career record of 346-286-2, including a 155-160-1 record at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

On the Air

The Troy Network, with Barry McKnight providing play-by-play, will carry three of the games against the Islanders on WTBF-FM and on the internet at www.TroyTrojans.com.

Trojans Baseball Notebook

Noting The Trojans Offense

t The Trojans have just one returning player with more than one season of experience as a starter at the Division I level. Junior first baseman Clint Robinson has started 94 games over the last two seasons and enters 2006 with a .303 career batting average.

t Another returning starter for the Trojans who does have more experience is senior outfielder Blake Green. Prior to coming to troy, Green spent a season at UAB where he played in nine games and had eight at bats.

t Senior Nick Smith, coming off an All-Conference season as a designated hitter, will spend the majority of the 2006 season behind the plate for the Trojans. Smith did start six games as the Trojans catcher in 2005 and Troy was 5-1 in those games.

t Senior third baseman Jared Keel returns after starting 57 games last year. Keel, who had a strong second half of the season at the plate, had a huge summer in the Missouri wood-bat league and is poised to have a breakout season this spring. Keel enters the 2006 season with a team-best three-game hitting streak.

t After serving as a late-inning defensive replacement for much of the 2005 season, senior Dru Rymer will serve as an every day player for the Trojans this year. Rymer will start the season in right field, but can play any of the outfield positions. He will also open the season as the Trojans' leadoff hitter.

t The Troy hitters have gone on a home run binge this season. Throughout the entire 2004 season, the Trojans hit just 38 home runs and Henry Gutierrez led the squad with seven. This year, the Trojans have launched 73 home runs through 47 games, with Gutierrez again leading the way with 16.

t After a highly contested race for the starting job at second base, junior Edgar Ramirez earned the opening day start over incumbent Bryan Madril. Ramirez came to Troy from Mesa Community College in Arizona and edged out Madril, who will still see plenty of playing time during the season. Madril, a senior from Cantonment, Fla., finished the 2006 season with a .294 average in 57 games.

t Junior shortstop Tom King is one of two Division I transfers for the Trojans who is expected to make a major impact this season. King, who will be the opening day starter at shortstop, came to Troy from the University of South Carolina, where he was a part-time starter for two years.

t The biggest shoes to fill on the Troy squad in 2006 are those left vacant by Adam Godwin in center field. Filling those shoes will be junior Ian Craze, who was named the Panhandle Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season at Pensacola Junior College.

t Besides second base, the other most highly contested starting job entering the 2006 season was at designated hitter. A group of first year players, including Matt Carlo and Josh Dew, were in a battle for the job, which eventually went to junior Ben Woods. After playing at L.B. Wallace Community College, Woods redshirted last year and will serve as a backup for Smith behind the plate.

t Junior Mike Felix, the Trojans other Division I transfer, will have his playing time in the field limited early in the season because of a sore back. Felix, who was the Trojans best hitter during fall practice, is most affected by the back when he swings a bat. That will not, however, stop the Auburn transfer from being the Trojans' opening day starting pitcher against the Islanders.

t A couple of returning Trojans will be wearing different jersey numbers this season. Senior Nick Smith switched from 32 to 16, which was worn last year by Michael Davis. Senior Blake Green switched from number 8 to 10, which was last worn by Henry Gutierrez. Redshirt freshman third baseman Brett Henry moved into Green's old number, after having number 34 last year. The only returning member of the pitching staff to make a number change entering this season was sophomore Pete Van Horn, who went from 42 to 24, last worn by 2005 A-Sun Pitcher of the Year Brent Adcock.

Noting The Trojans Pitchers

t The 2006 Trojans pitching staff will have a decidedly left-handed slant. The opening weekend rotation feature three left-handed starters in Mike Felix, Jon Gianquitti and Steven Morelock. Only sophomore right-hander Ryan Ellison prevented the opening weekend from being completely left-handed. But it won't be just the starting staff that will come from the left side, pitching coach Todd Lamberth has four more left-handers to choose from in the bull pen.

t Sophomore Steven Morelock has started every game he has pitched during his college career. He was the only Trojan pitcher to work only in a starting role last season, taking the mound in 16 games for the Trojans. Morelock posted a 6-4 record during his rookie campaign, and the Trojans were 10-6 in games when he started.

t Junior Jon Gianquitti made just two starts in 2005, and with vastly different results. His first start came on May 10 against South Alabama when he held the Jags hitless into the eighth inning before taking a no-decision in a 2-1 Troy win. A week later he managed to last just 1 2/3 innings against Jacksonville State, allowing five runs on three hits and three walks.

t Junior transfer Mike Felix made just five starts on the mound for Auburn last year, including one at Riddle-Pace Field against the Trojans. Felix was not involved in the decision in that game. For his college career he has made 20 starts on the mound.

t Sophomore right-hander Ryan Ellison made six starts on the mound for the Trojans in 2005, all in mid-week games. His best outing was his first start of the year when he went seven inning against Saint Louis, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out 10. He did not get out of the third inning in any of his other starts.

t One pitcher the Trojans hoped to have available at some point this season will not be a member of the squad. Tony Falls, who was a second team All-Conference pick last year, and was working his way back into playing shape after having Tommy John surgery following the season, was dismissed from the squad in January for a violation of team rules.

t Besides Ellison, sophomore Pete Van Horn is the only returning right-handed pitcher for the Trojans this year. Van Horn, along with Morelock, was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman squad last year as a relief pitcher, a role he will fill for the Trojans again this year.

t Another right-hander who is back in 2006 is junior Bert Elliott. The Gadsden native saw limited time on the mound last year before a knee injury ended his season prematurely.

t Expect to see a lot of new faces on the mound for the Trojans during the opening weekend. As many as 12 different pitchers could take to the hill for Troy against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Seven of those players will be making their Division I debuts.

Troy University Athletics

Baseball Set To Open Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

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