Troy University Athletics
Troy Baseball Preview: Pitchers
2/11/2019 3:58:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Alabama – As the days until the beginning of baseball season dwindle down, fans of Troy baseball will get a glimpse into three groups of players each day – pitchers, infielders and outfielders.
The success the Trojans experienced on the field in 2018 started on the mound with a strong veteran pitching presence and loads of experience. The 2019 pitching staff has a steady mixture of new and old arms that are more than ready to carry the squad into the season.
Starting on the mound for Troy on opening weekend will be RHP Levi Thomas, RHP Bay Witcher, LHP Max Newton and RHP Sadler Goodwin. A sophomore, Thomas earns the start on Opening Night after blossoming in the starting role late last season – he pitched game one of the Sun Belt Tournament and game two of the NCAA Regional. Witcher, a freshman from Loganville, Ga., was a High School All-American and the Georgia 5A Player of the Year last season as he capped his high school career with a 10-0 season and a state record 0.24 ERA.
Newton has become a common face on the mound for the Trojans the last two seasons, starting seven games last season and posting a 2-1 record. Goodwin, the only senior in the rotation, made six starts last season on the bump to go along with 33 starts in the field.
"The first weekend of any season my goal is to, first, get our starting pitchers to their pitch count which is typically around 75-80 pitches," head coach Mark Smartt said. "Honestly, the only way they won't reach their pitch count is if they struggle to throw strikes or simply can't do anything productive on the mound."
Outside of the starters, the only other role "identified" for the Trojans is the closing pitcher, senior RHP Rush Hixon. Hixon, a local product, made 19 appearances last season – 11 out of the bullpen – and accumulated 45 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work.
"Another challenge on opening weekend is try and get as many guys out of the bullpen into the game for at least an inning," Smartt said. "I'm not sure that every single pitcher will throw the first weekend, but that would be a nice goal to hit. We're going to be a little short-handed on opening weekend, but I expect our guys will be ready to go when their name is called."
Troy will continue to look to familiar faces like RHP Cory Gill, RHP Lance Johnson, LHP Ryan Fultz and RHP Zack Lightsey for quality innings of relief throughout the season. New names to watch for down the stretch are southpaws Grant Stewart and Taylor Pridgen, as well as redshirt freshman RHP Mackenzie Hicks – a native of Echo, Ala.
Troy baseball opens the 2019 season with a four-game series against Central Michigan beginning this Friday at Riddle-Pace Field. Season tickets are still available for purchase at TroyTrojans.com/Tickets or by contacting the Troy Ticket Office at (334) 670-3681.
The success the Trojans experienced on the field in 2018 started on the mound with a strong veteran pitching presence and loads of experience. The 2019 pitching staff has a steady mixture of new and old arms that are more than ready to carry the squad into the season.
Starting on the mound for Troy on opening weekend will be RHP Levi Thomas, RHP Bay Witcher, LHP Max Newton and RHP Sadler Goodwin. A sophomore, Thomas earns the start on Opening Night after blossoming in the starting role late last season – he pitched game one of the Sun Belt Tournament and game two of the NCAA Regional. Witcher, a freshman from Loganville, Ga., was a High School All-American and the Georgia 5A Player of the Year last season as he capped his high school career with a 10-0 season and a state record 0.24 ERA.
Newton has become a common face on the mound for the Trojans the last two seasons, starting seven games last season and posting a 2-1 record. Goodwin, the only senior in the rotation, made six starts last season on the bump to go along with 33 starts in the field.
"The first weekend of any season my goal is to, first, get our starting pitchers to their pitch count which is typically around 75-80 pitches," head coach Mark Smartt said. "Honestly, the only way they won't reach their pitch count is if they struggle to throw strikes or simply can't do anything productive on the mound."
Outside of the starters, the only other role "identified" for the Trojans is the closing pitcher, senior RHP Rush Hixon. Hixon, a local product, made 19 appearances last season – 11 out of the bullpen – and accumulated 45 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work.
"Another challenge on opening weekend is try and get as many guys out of the bullpen into the game for at least an inning," Smartt said. "I'm not sure that every single pitcher will throw the first weekend, but that would be a nice goal to hit. We're going to be a little short-handed on opening weekend, but I expect our guys will be ready to go when their name is called."
Troy will continue to look to familiar faces like RHP Cory Gill, RHP Lance Johnson, LHP Ryan Fultz and RHP Zack Lightsey for quality innings of relief throughout the season. New names to watch for down the stretch are southpaws Grant Stewart and Taylor Pridgen, as well as redshirt freshman RHP Mackenzie Hicks – a native of Echo, Ala.
Troy baseball opens the 2019 season with a four-game series against Central Michigan beginning this Friday at Riddle-Pace Field. Season tickets are still available for purchase at TroyTrojans.com/Tickets or by contacting the Troy Ticket Office at (334) 670-3681.
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