Troy University Athletics
Baseball Season Preview - Pitching Newcomers
2/14/2024 8:45:00 AM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – Opening day has almost arrived, and the Troy Baseball pitching staff has added 13 new faces for the 2024 season.
"I think what's exciting about all these new guys is that all these guys can be multi-purpose role guys," head coach Skylar Meade said. "It gives us a lot of flexibility when it comes to pitching the gaps in games. We got some guys that can start and some that can bridge to hand the ball off to certain guys at the end of the game."
Troy has utilized the transfer portal to bring in nine of their 13 new pitchers, which helped the Trojans to achieve the No. 17 best transfer class, according to D1Baseball.
"We trust our pitchers. I think our ability to throw strikes and be aggressive in the zone will be a strength of ours," Meade said. "I don't think we will have someone throwing 97-99 like last year, but in the end, you don't get bonus points for throwing harder; you get bonus points for being really efficient, and I feel like we have a multitude of guys that can do that at a high level."
Transfer Additions
Clete Hartzog – a senior transfer from Florida. Helped the Gators to a College World Series Championship Series appearance. Appeared in seven games, striking out 12 batters and held opposing hitters to a .259 batting average.
"Clete comes from a team that was in the national championship, so he knows what winning looks like," Meade said. "He has a great arsenal, great speed, and a real competitive gene."
Connor Burt – a left-handed transfer from Dyersburg Community College. Earned TCCAA All-Conference First Team honors with 14 appearances, 61.2 innings pitched, 82 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA.
Josh Dima – a junior transfer from John A. Logan College. Pitched 59 innings over 18 appearances. Finished the 2023 season with 91 strikeouts, a 1.42 WHIP and a 5-1 record.
Michael Osmond – a 6-foot-1 senior southpaw from Wittenburg University. Started 10 games as a junior, pitching 63 frames and posting 11.14 strikeouts per nine innings. Set a career-high 11 strikeouts for a single game in a 5-0 shutout over Kenyon College. Posted a 131/53 K/BB ratio over three seasons for the Tigers.
Jacob Roettgen – a junior lefty from Jefferson College. Made the NJCAA All-Region Team in 2023 after posting a 7-3 record with an even 3.00 ERA. Struck out 120 batters over 60 frames for a 15.3 K/9.
Jay Dill – a junior transfer from Clemson. Made 39 appearances for the Tigers and posted 59 strikeouts over 55 frames. Pitched a career-high 4.0 innings against Binghamton in 2023 and struck out a career-high five batters in 2.2 frames against Presbyterian.
"Jay can be really good for us if he keeps the right mindset and keeps attacking the zone with his multitude of pitches," Meade said.
Dylan King – a 6-foot-4 righty from Charleston Southern. Made 15 appearances in 2022 as a freshman, punching out 15 batters in 11 innings and limiting opposing hitters to a .238 batting average.
Luke Lyon – a redshirt junior transfer from Pearl River Community College. He hurled 62 innings, struck out 75 batters, and bolstered a 2.03 ERA to have a 7-0 record in his campaign that led to All-MACCC Second Team honors. Redshirted his freshman year at Ole Miss.
Isaac Silva – a right-handed transfer from Eastern Arizona Community College. Started 12 games in 2023, throwing 74.2 frames with 76 punchouts.
Freshman Additions
Colton Walls – a multi-sport athlete. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Walls also plays long snapper for Troy's football team. During his high school career, the righty played everywhere in the infield, including catcher. In 2023, Walls finished with a 2.74 ERA and hit at a .340 clip with 24 RBIs.
Sam Schmidt – a 6-foot-2 freshman from Hoover, Alabama. Was ranked the 19th best right-handed pitcher coming out of high school in the state of Alabama.
Trevor Bagwell – a 6-foot-5 righty from Zebulon, Georgia. Attended Pike County High School where he was named to the all-region first team in 2022. Won two back-to-back state championships and had a career 78-33 record from the mound in his last three seasons.
Pavlos Piperakis – a left-handed pitcher from Saint Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hurled 41 innings in his senior campaign with a 3.00 ERA.
"I think what's exciting about all these new guys is that all these guys can be multi-purpose role guys," head coach Skylar Meade said. "It gives us a lot of flexibility when it comes to pitching the gaps in games. We got some guys that can start and some that can bridge to hand the ball off to certain guys at the end of the game."
Troy has utilized the transfer portal to bring in nine of their 13 new pitchers, which helped the Trojans to achieve the No. 17 best transfer class, according to D1Baseball.
"We trust our pitchers. I think our ability to throw strikes and be aggressive in the zone will be a strength of ours," Meade said. "I don't think we will have someone throwing 97-99 like last year, but in the end, you don't get bonus points for throwing harder; you get bonus points for being really efficient, and I feel like we have a multitude of guys that can do that at a high level."
Transfer Additions
Clete Hartzog – a senior transfer from Florida. Helped the Gators to a College World Series Championship Series appearance. Appeared in seven games, striking out 12 batters and held opposing hitters to a .259 batting average.
"Clete comes from a team that was in the national championship, so he knows what winning looks like," Meade said. "He has a great arsenal, great speed, and a real competitive gene."
Connor Burt – a left-handed transfer from Dyersburg Community College. Earned TCCAA All-Conference First Team honors with 14 appearances, 61.2 innings pitched, 82 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA.
Josh Dima – a junior transfer from John A. Logan College. Pitched 59 innings over 18 appearances. Finished the 2023 season with 91 strikeouts, a 1.42 WHIP and a 5-1 record.
Michael Osmond – a 6-foot-1 senior southpaw from Wittenburg University. Started 10 games as a junior, pitching 63 frames and posting 11.14 strikeouts per nine innings. Set a career-high 11 strikeouts for a single game in a 5-0 shutout over Kenyon College. Posted a 131/53 K/BB ratio over three seasons for the Tigers.
Jacob Roettgen – a junior lefty from Jefferson College. Made the NJCAA All-Region Team in 2023 after posting a 7-3 record with an even 3.00 ERA. Struck out 120 batters over 60 frames for a 15.3 K/9.
Jay Dill – a junior transfer from Clemson. Made 39 appearances for the Tigers and posted 59 strikeouts over 55 frames. Pitched a career-high 4.0 innings against Binghamton in 2023 and struck out a career-high five batters in 2.2 frames against Presbyterian.
"Jay can be really good for us if he keeps the right mindset and keeps attacking the zone with his multitude of pitches," Meade said.
Dylan King – a 6-foot-4 righty from Charleston Southern. Made 15 appearances in 2022 as a freshman, punching out 15 batters in 11 innings and limiting opposing hitters to a .238 batting average.
Luke Lyon – a redshirt junior transfer from Pearl River Community College. He hurled 62 innings, struck out 75 batters, and bolstered a 2.03 ERA to have a 7-0 record in his campaign that led to All-MACCC Second Team honors. Redshirted his freshman year at Ole Miss.
Isaac Silva – a right-handed transfer from Eastern Arizona Community College. Started 12 games in 2023, throwing 74.2 frames with 76 punchouts.
Freshman Additions
Colton Walls – a multi-sport athlete. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Walls also plays long snapper for Troy's football team. During his high school career, the righty played everywhere in the infield, including catcher. In 2023, Walls finished with a 2.74 ERA and hit at a .340 clip with 24 RBIs.
Sam Schmidt – a 6-foot-2 freshman from Hoover, Alabama. Was ranked the 19th best right-handed pitcher coming out of high school in the state of Alabama.
Trevor Bagwell – a 6-foot-5 righty from Zebulon, Georgia. Attended Pike County High School where he was named to the all-region first team in 2022. Won two back-to-back state championships and had a career 78-33 record from the mound in his last three seasons.
Pavlos Piperakis – a left-handed pitcher from Saint Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hurled 41 innings in his senior campaign with a 3.00 ERA.
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