Troy University Athletics
Baseball Season Preview - Returning Pitchers
2/12/2024 8:38:00 AM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – There are just days left before Opening Day at Riddle Pace Field, and head coach Skylar Meade is returning 11 pitchers from last year's NCAA Regional squad.
Some key returners for the Trojans include Grayson Stewart, Noah Manning and Logan Ross. The trio combined for 196 strikeouts in 195 innings last season.
Stewart earned the title Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year after a dominant 2023 campaign. The junior ace hurled 91.1 innings, striking out 94 batters and earning a 3.65 ERA last season.
"He's a guy that can go out there and post every week," Meade said. "He gives us a chance every opening game."
The Dothan, Alabama native will serve as Troy's "Friday Guy" to start the season.
Manning served as Troy's closer in the 2023 campaign and finished the season with 11 saves. Nicknamed "The Ringer," Manning struck out 41 batters in his 45.2 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .293 batting average.
The Ringer earned Preseason All-Sun Belt and All-America honors after his 2023 campaign, where he made the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
"He's going to be a high-volume guy, and he's going to keep continuing to improve," Meade said. "It makes us comfortable that we have a guy who has been in the fire late in games."
Ross appeared in 18 games for Troy in 2023. Whether he is starting on the mound or answering the call to the bullpen, the senior southpaw can fill the role that the Trojans need. Ross is entering his third season with Troy after transferring from Southern Union before his sophomore season.
The JUCO product has pitched 80 innings in a Troy uniform, limiting opposing batters to a .272 clip and has 88 strikeouts to his name.
The Trojans are retaining 69 percent of their innings from the 2023 season. Other returning players who saw notable action in 2023 include Matt Mercer, Kristian Asbury and Brady Fuller.
Mercer is a two-way player but sees most of his action from the mound. Mercer had 22 pitching appearances for the Trojans, striking out 32 batters in 33.1 frames.
Asbury appeared in 25 games last season and started three of them. The 6-foot-4 reliever collected a 4-1 record in 2023, striking out 69 batters over his 46 innings. The senior is entering his second season in the Wiregrass after transferring from John A Logan College in Carterville, Illinois.
Fuller, a junior from Auburn, Alabama, appeared in 14 games for the Trojans in 2023. Fuller's 12 starts and 61.1 innings ranked second and third, respectively, for Troy. Fuller also had the longest appearance from a Trojan all season with a 7.2-inning outing against Southern Miss.
The Trojans' pitching staff is bolstered by the long-awaited return from Garrett Gainous. The redshirt junior missed last season due to injury; however, the Cairo, Georgia, native will look to continue where he left off this season. Gainous saw the mound 12 times in 2022, leading the team with five wins and finished the season with a 2.98 ERA.
The returning pitching staff rounds off with senior Ryan Pettys, sophomore Zak Szabo, redshirt junior Beau Fletcher and potentially redshirt junior Grady Gorgen.
Some key returners for the Trojans include Grayson Stewart, Noah Manning and Logan Ross. The trio combined for 196 strikeouts in 195 innings last season.
Stewart earned the title Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year after a dominant 2023 campaign. The junior ace hurled 91.1 innings, striking out 94 batters and earning a 3.65 ERA last season.
"He's a guy that can go out there and post every week," Meade said. "He gives us a chance every opening game."
The Dothan, Alabama native will serve as Troy's "Friday Guy" to start the season.
Manning served as Troy's closer in the 2023 campaign and finished the season with 11 saves. Nicknamed "The Ringer," Manning struck out 41 batters in his 45.2 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .293 batting average.
The Ringer earned Preseason All-Sun Belt and All-America honors after his 2023 campaign, where he made the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
"He's going to be a high-volume guy, and he's going to keep continuing to improve," Meade said. "It makes us comfortable that we have a guy who has been in the fire late in games."
Ross appeared in 18 games for Troy in 2023. Whether he is starting on the mound or answering the call to the bullpen, the senior southpaw can fill the role that the Trojans need. Ross is entering his third season with Troy after transferring from Southern Union before his sophomore season.
The JUCO product has pitched 80 innings in a Troy uniform, limiting opposing batters to a .272 clip and has 88 strikeouts to his name.
The Trojans are retaining 69 percent of their innings from the 2023 season. Other returning players who saw notable action in 2023 include Matt Mercer, Kristian Asbury and Brady Fuller.
Mercer is a two-way player but sees most of his action from the mound. Mercer had 22 pitching appearances for the Trojans, striking out 32 batters in 33.1 frames.
Asbury appeared in 25 games last season and started three of them. The 6-foot-4 reliever collected a 4-1 record in 2023, striking out 69 batters over his 46 innings. The senior is entering his second season in the Wiregrass after transferring from John A Logan College in Carterville, Illinois.
Fuller, a junior from Auburn, Alabama, appeared in 14 games for the Trojans in 2023. Fuller's 12 starts and 61.1 innings ranked second and third, respectively, for Troy. Fuller also had the longest appearance from a Trojan all season with a 7.2-inning outing against Southern Miss.
The Trojans' pitching staff is bolstered by the long-awaited return from Garrett Gainous. The redshirt junior missed last season due to injury; however, the Cairo, Georgia, native will look to continue where he left off this season. Gainous saw the mound 12 times in 2022, leading the team with five wins and finished the season with a 2.98 ERA.
The returning pitching staff rounds off with senior Ryan Pettys, sophomore Zak Szabo, redshirt junior Beau Fletcher and potentially redshirt junior Grady Gorgen.
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