Troy University Athletics
Troy Baseball Preview: Position Players
2/16/2021 3:28:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – Three days remain until Opening Day and Troy is poised to be one of the top offensive teams in the Sun Belt in 2021 with every player from last season's Opening Day lineup back on the roster.
Troy returns 97% of its at-bats and 99% of its hit total from last season, a year in which the Trojans ranked eighth nationally with 179 hits before the season was ended early.
"I think fans will see a very explosive offensive team that is very athletic," head coach Mark Smartt said. "This is the first time in my coaching career that we return everyone from the lineup, typically you always lose one or two along the way. We've got a team that is very eager to play baseball and I can't wait to get started this Friday."
A league-best five Trojans, four of which are position players, garnered Preseason All-Sun Belt honors earlier this week. Caleb Bartolero (catcher), William Sullivan (first base), Drew Frederic (shortstop) and Rigsby Mosley (outfield) were the position players selected for Troy.
At the top of the order, Mosley, the 2019 Sun Belt batting champion, and Frederic, who posted the second-best average in the league (.409) in 2020, form one of the best one-two punches in the Sun Belt and the country. Mosley was tabbed by D1Baseball as the No. 39 outfielder in the nation while Frederic was rated as the No. 11 shortstop.
Filling in behind them are key returners such as outfielder Dalton Sinquefield, a .333 hitter in 2020, and preseason second-team All-American catcher Caleb Bartolero. Bartolero is riding a career-best 17-game hitting streak entering the 2021 campaign after hitting .394 with a league-best six doubles last season, which ranked sixth nationally.
William Sullivan provides a powerful lefty bat for the Trojans deeper in the lineup. The first baseman is coming off an All-American 2020 campaign in which he slashed .396/.468/.547 with 12 RBIs and was one of four players in Division I to record four doubles in a single game.
Outfielder Logan Cerny, a 2019 freshman All-American, will factor into the lineup as one of Troy's best all-around athletes. The sophomore was hampered by a shoulder injury during the 2020 campaign, but is back to full strength and is listed by D1Baseball as the No. 6 draft prospect in the Sun Belt entering this season.
Easton Kirk and Kyle Mock provide excellent depth to the Trojans' batting order. Kirk started in all 17 games last season and hit .281 with six doubles and a home run. Mock, who primarily appeared as the designated hitter, was a constant extra-base threat during his rookie campaign in which he appeared in all 17 games and started 14. The freshman jacked a three-run homer in his first collegiate at-bat and finished the season with four doubles and a triple to go along with it.
Returners Austin Garofalo, Reed Smith, Hudson Hartsfield, Jesse Hall, Taylor Pridgen and newcomer Nic Nolan will also plug into the lineup throughout the season to round out one of the deepest rosters in Smartt's tenure.
Troy opens its season with a four-game series against Youngstown State, beginning Friday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Riddle-Pace Field will be operating at a reduced capacity this season in accordance with NCAA, Sun Belt Conference and local mandates. For more information on COVID-19 guidelines, click here.
A limited number of season tickets remain and may be purchased by visiting TroyTrojans.com/tickets or by calling 877-878-WINS (9467).
Troy returns 97% of its at-bats and 99% of its hit total from last season, a year in which the Trojans ranked eighth nationally with 179 hits before the season was ended early.
"I think fans will see a very explosive offensive team that is very athletic," head coach Mark Smartt said. "This is the first time in my coaching career that we return everyone from the lineup, typically you always lose one or two along the way. We've got a team that is very eager to play baseball and I can't wait to get started this Friday."
A league-best five Trojans, four of which are position players, garnered Preseason All-Sun Belt honors earlier this week. Caleb Bartolero (catcher), William Sullivan (first base), Drew Frederic (shortstop) and Rigsby Mosley (outfield) were the position players selected for Troy.
At the top of the order, Mosley, the 2019 Sun Belt batting champion, and Frederic, who posted the second-best average in the league (.409) in 2020, form one of the best one-two punches in the Sun Belt and the country. Mosley was tabbed by D1Baseball as the No. 39 outfielder in the nation while Frederic was rated as the No. 11 shortstop.
Our one-two punch 💥#theTROYway | #OneTROY ⚔️⚾️ pic.twitter.com/0wJG57ySLf
— Troy Baseball ⚔️ (@TroyTrojansBSB) January 29, 2021
Filling in behind them are key returners such as outfielder Dalton Sinquefield, a .333 hitter in 2020, and preseason second-team All-American catcher Caleb Bartolero. Bartolero is riding a career-best 17-game hitting streak entering the 2021 campaign after hitting .394 with a league-best six doubles last season, which ranked sixth nationally.
William Sullivan provides a powerful lefty bat for the Trojans deeper in the lineup. The first baseman is coming off an All-American 2020 campaign in which he slashed .396/.468/.547 with 12 RBIs and was one of four players in Division I to record four doubles in a single game.
Outfielder Logan Cerny, a 2019 freshman All-American, will factor into the lineup as one of Troy's best all-around athletes. The sophomore was hampered by a shoulder injury during the 2020 campaign, but is back to full strength and is listed by D1Baseball as the No. 6 draft prospect in the Sun Belt entering this season.
Two All-Americans in the outfield.#theTROYway | #OneTROY ⚔️⚾️ pic.twitter.com/peof4v0YHM
— Troy Baseball ⚔️ (@TroyTrojansBSB) February 3, 2021
Easton Kirk and Kyle Mock provide excellent depth to the Trojans' batting order. Kirk started in all 17 games last season and hit .281 with six doubles and a home run. Mock, who primarily appeared as the designated hitter, was a constant extra-base threat during his rookie campaign in which he appeared in all 17 games and started 14. The freshman jacked a three-run homer in his first collegiate at-bat and finished the season with four doubles and a triple to go along with it.
Returners Austin Garofalo, Reed Smith, Hudson Hartsfield, Jesse Hall, Taylor Pridgen and newcomer Nic Nolan will also plug into the lineup throughout the season to round out one of the deepest rosters in Smartt's tenure.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗮𝗻𝘀.
— Troy Baseball ⚔️ (@TroyTrojansBSB) February 6, 2021
➡️ https://t.co/nUygJ32DB7 pic.twitter.com/i5GtV8Qaq1
Troy opens its season with a four-game series against Youngstown State, beginning Friday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Riddle-Pace Field will be operating at a reduced capacity this season in accordance with NCAA, Sun Belt Conference and local mandates. For more information on COVID-19 guidelines, click here.
A limited number of season tickets remain and may be purchased by visiting TroyTrojans.com/tickets or by calling 877-878-WINS (9467).
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF/IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballSkylar Meade, Jimmy Janicki, and Benjamin Stubbs Postgame - Southern Miss Game 1
Saturday, March 21
Eric Newell Postgame Press Conference (GSU Game 1)
Saturday, March 21
Player Postgame Press Conference (Lydia Kirby, Abby Lovell) - Georgia State
Saturday, March 21
Troy vs. GSU - G1 (Full Highlights)
Saturday, March 21