Trojans picked to win Sun Belt

TROY, Ala- The Troy Trojan baseball team will start the season as the favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference baseball championship.According to the opposing coaches in the conference, they think the Trojans have what it takes to finish atop the league for the second year in a row.It's nice but it's a pre-season poll,” head coach Bobby Peirce said. When you take the field for the first time on the 9th of February, that poll is out the window.”The Trojans take the field as a team on Wednesday for the first time this spring as they continue to prepare for their season opener against SEC power Arkansas. We only have 14 days to get ready,” Pierce said. We have been conditioning, lifting weights and throwing trying to get ready for a big series.”Last season was the first year in which the Trojans were in the conference and they led the league from the first conference series all the way until the end. The Trojans had an impressive 47-16 record but a very impressive league record of 20-4.All of the coaches were in agreement that being picked first is an honor.Being picked first is a huge honor,” pitching coach Jeff Crane said. Its says a lot about your personnel and where your program is.” Assistant coach Mark Smartt is also aware of the pressures that come with being number one.Yes, we are honored but it puts the pressure on us to preform like the number one team,” Smartt said. But I'd rather be number one than anywhere else.”The Trojans play host to fourth ranked Arkansas Feb 9-11. The games will be at Riddle-Pace Field on the campus of Troy University. Here is a list of the potential starters for the 2007 edition of the Troy Trojan baseball team. All of the listing behind the players are quotes and comments from the coaching staff. -Pitching- (players described by Jeff Crane)Troy returns a pitching staff with some depth and experience and also have two arms that may be some of the best in the conference.We are looking for guys who can throw strikes, pitch with an offensive mentality, and who just compete and want to win,” pitching coach Jeff Crane said.Crane is replacing Todd Lamberth who departed for a head coaching job at a high school in Gasden.Headed into the season, the Trojan staff has a five man rotation and it is subject to change based on performance.All five players will start the 15 game non-conference schedule and decisions will be made then going into Sun Belt play as to the rotation. 1. Clegg Snipes- Snipes has earned the number one spot as the Friday night guy. Snipes was 7-0 last season as a starter.2.Joe Hallahan- Hallahan pitched very well last season and is our number 2 guy. He finished the year with a 6-3 record.3. Ryan Ellison- Ellison came on late last year and pitched very well down the stretch and has the best raw stuff on the staff.4. Nate Duhe- Helped his team win the JUCO World Series. He has a lot of potential.5. Ricky Ibarz- Was 10-1 last season at New Mexico Junior College.Closer- Josh Dew- Dew was selected Pre-Season All American, All-Conference, and a candidate for the Roger Clemens Award. Dew has the potential to be one of the top closers in the league as well as in the country. He has a lot of talent and he will help us out. -InField- (players described by Mark Smartt)The Trojan infield returns half of what it had last year with two key departures for the majors but Smartt like what he has returning.We return the right side of our infield with the first and second base positions but we lost our left side,” Smartt said. We are excited about who we have to fill the places, but we hope that they can play at the high level that we play.”First Base- This position will be played by Josh Dew and Clint Robinson. Both guys are very experience with two of the best bats in the country. We have to have both guys in the line-up due to how they hit the ball. Robinson can also play in the outfield.Second Base- Edgar Ramirez was an All-Conference selection last season. He is our most experienced infielder but we are hoping that his off-season shoulder surgery will not affect his arm or his range.Short-stop- Bart Pettus and Charlie Calamia will both see action early as one tries to nail down the spot. We will possibly use both as a right or left handed hitting situation depending on who we are facing.Third Base- Brett Henry will fill the shoes left by Jared Keel. Brett has a lot of potential but just lacks experience. He could be a very good player for us.-Outfield- (players described by Bobby Pierce)The 2007 Trojan outfield is anchored by two returning starters in centerfielder Ian Craze and left fielder Ben Woods. They will be joined by a combination of players in right field. Center Field- Ian Craze will be our top player in the outfield. He was one of the guys that had a perfect fielding percentage last season and also had a good bat.Left Field- Ben Woods is a guy who refuses to quit. He won't quit are let anyone else around him quit either. The team was 31-2 with Woods in the line-up last season.Right Field- Right field will be played primarily by junior college transfer Brian Miller, who joins us after spending two seasons at Mesa Community College.Miller has a successful history of hitting at every level he has played. He is a really good athlete and a really good defender.Senior Kevin Weidlich figures to serve as the primary back-up for both corner outfield spots, while freshman Grant Luke will serve as the understudy to Craze in center.-Catcher-Behind the plate the Trojans return their top two players from 2006 in junior Josh Blackwell and sophomore Beau Brooks.What we like is they give us a left-right combination. We can platoon them, we can set it up where the pitchers throws to the guy he likes to work with. We can pinch run late and have another guy to come in. There is a lot of flexibility they allow us to have.

Troy University Athletics

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