2009 Troy Baseball Media Guide - Troy University Athletics

As the Troy University baseball program enters into its fourth season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2009, the Trojans are a lot like many of the teams they will battle for league supremacy.

There are plenty of new faces and questions that will have to be answered early in the season. But, those questions will have to be answered quickly, with the start of conference play coming so early in the season.

For the Trojans, the primary questions are in replacing All-Conference performers Bryan Miller in center field and Beau Brooks behind the plate, and also in rebuilding a pitching staff that was hit hard by off-season injuries.

With that being said, the Trojans are looking to the new season with excitement because of the potential the returning players and newcomers put on display during the fall. The Trojans have their eyes on a return to the top of the Sun Belt Conference in their first full season at newly-renovated Riddle-Pace Field, where the season will culminate in May when the program hosts its first Sun Belt Championship Tournament.

“First of all, we’re very excited coming out of our fall campaign because this team, with a lot of new faces, showed good chemistry early on,” head coach Bobby Pierce said. “That has continued to this point, too. We have been able to add some key players at key positions we lost last year, and I feel really good about the team due to the competitiveness they showed throughout the fall. Many times it is difficult to maintain intensity during intra-squad games, but these guys came out and played hard everyday.”

Pierce was impressed with the team’s attitude and work ethic in the fall. He thinks the determination they showed in the fall will result in much improved depth in the spring.

“I like where we are at on the mound,” Pierce said. “That’s obviously where it all starts. We’ve shown some improvement from our returning players, and we got some great additions from our incoming players. I think the pitching depth could possibly be some of the best we’ve had since we’ve been in Troy. The quality of starting pitchers, one through five, is possibly as strong as it’s ever been.”

Despite Injuries Troy Staff is Deep

How deep is the Trojans pitching staff?

“We have about 13 or so guys that will probably take the mound this year,” Pierce said. “In years past we were hoping to get seven or eight guys, and we legitimately feel like we have 12 or 13 who will be counted on this season. With that being said, we’ve still got Tim Wheeler and A.J. Howard that will probably not be ready by game one. Both had arm surgery, and both are coming back beautifully and on time. I just don’t see them being ready by February 20.”

Pierce is hoping the early games in the season will determine the starting rotation for the conference stretch.

“When Wheeler returns, we’ll get him in as a short reliever here and there, and, if he returns to form, we’ll get him back into the starting rotation. Right now it’s Jason Walls and Tyler Ray, who has thrown really well, Travis Burge, who is a strong candidate and Fred Lewis, who we’re looking to use as possibly a weekend type guy. Andrew Dickinson and Robby Loew are possibilities, too.”

Walls is a tall (6-5) right-hander who posted a 9-3 record last year at Southern Union CC. He came out of fall as the No. 1 starter. Ray, a freshman who is also right-handed, showed to be a viable candidate for the weekend rotation by using the pinpoint control his was known for at Hoover HS.

The wildcard may be Lewis, who had Tommy John surgery following the 2007 season and, after missing all of 2008, has been impressive since arriving at Troy. He has No. 1 starter stuff from the left side.

With Wheeler, a junior, and seniors Jeff Green and Travis Burge, the Trojans have three players who combined to start 28 games in 2008. Throw in seniors J.J. Whetsel and Steven Morelock, who have both been starters in the past before arm problems, and the list of candidates to take the ball is long.

“We’re going to let it play out as we go,” Pierce said. “We’re going to let guys return as they get healthy. We’ll establish the roles more specifically as the season goes.”

The guys who don’t make the five-man rotation will filter down into long and short relief roles. In addition to starting candidates, juniors Andrew Dickinson, Robby Loew, Jason Howell and Chris Sorce, as well as sophomores Drew Hull and A.J. Howard, will all be looking for time on the mound between the starter and the closer.

The closing duties will again be in the hands of senior Josh Storm, who earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2008 while setting a school record with 12 saves.

“We feel good about the end of the game with Josh Storm but, with a five-game week, we feel like we need to establish another guy,” Pierce said. “We’ve got several candidates to determine who that second guy is.”

Outfield Loaded with Potential

In addition to the depth on the mound, the Trojans are also blessed with a strong field of candidates to fill two open starting spots in the outfield. Despite the loss of All-American center fielder Bryan Miller, the outfield group could prove to be special.

“That’s going to be our strength,” Pierce said. “We’ve got five to six quality guys in the outfield. We’ll try to find a rotation to keep each guy going. All six are plenty capable of contributing to this team. We’re certainly deep with some talent in the outfield.”

Pierce hopes that by mixing and matching in the outfield, as well as giving guys time at first base and designated hitter, he can give all of his top offensive weapons enough at bats during the year.

Seniors Michael Precise and Charley Williams return and will likely man the corner outfield spots. Precise earned second team All-Sun Belt honors last year as a utility player, splitting time between right field, first base and designated hitter. He could see time at all three spots again this year, but will likely be the every day starter in right. Williams, who struggled to meet expectations as a junior, made great strides in the fall and will give the Trojans a left-handed power bat in the middle of the order.

“Both have come back and taken advantage of their year of experience in our program,” Pierce said. “They look better than ever. Precise coming off a pretty good offensive year for us. We’re trying to get him to cut down on his strikeouts and improve his average a touch, but his run producing numbers we’re good.

“Charley Williams had kind of an up-and-down junior season but he has shown some flashes and has brought some more consistency to his game. He looks more relaxed and comfortable in what he’s doing. He is just loaded with potential.”

With the two seniors on the corners, the big question is replacing Miller in center field and at the top of the batting order. Junior Steven Rosado stood out in the fall and could provide a top of the order spark on a level similar to what former All-American Adam Godwin did in 2005.

“He is another in a long list of really good center fielders we’ve had here,” Pierce said. “He’s a longer, taller, guy, capable of stealing bases and covering ground like Adam did. He’s got a little more power off the bat, but he’s not as athletic and dynamic as Adam was.”

Rosado will be backed by redshirt freshman Daniel Peterson, who opened the 2008 season as the starter in center field before a broken leg ended his year. While he is not yet 100 percent following the injury, he will give the Trojans a late-inning defensive option.

Also in the mix for playing time on the corners are juniors Chad Watson and Miles Hoyle. Both players arrived at Troy with solid junior college pedigrees and both performed well in the fall.

“They are a couple of guys who’ve been great additions and who we look forward to getting in the lineup and watching play,” Pierce said. “Hoyle is a consistent looking, hard-nosed, left-handed hitter with some power. He can play left and right field and is a really nice looking player.

“Chad Watson is the energizer bunny. He brings it every minute of every day and draws everyone around him. He has the best power in a kid I’ve seen in a while. He hits balls that make people stop and watch him hit. He’s not a home run hitter yet, but he probably will be at some point. He is the probably the most explosive athlete in the program.”

Outfield Logjam Extends to First

If either of those two players, Watson or Hoyle, forces his way into the regular lineup, then the outfield logjam extends to first base and designated hitter, where senior Daryl Otwell and junior Ryan Ditthardt join the fray for playing time.

Otwell started 43 games at first or DH last year and came back to school in the fall in better shape and more determined than ever. Ditthardt comes in off a junior college All-America season last year that saw him hit better than .400 with 12 homers.

“Daryl Otwell is a much-improved player from last year,” Pierce said. He has become a better athlete and looks more at ease and more confident in what he’s doing.

“Ryan Ditthardt is a guy that’s going to be in the mix in the middle of the order. He is a run producer type guy and is a guy we played in the outfield a little in the fall. My lineup is going to have three guys in it. I want Ditthardt, Precise and Otwell in the middle of the order and it’s going to be a challenge to try to get all three in the lineup.”

Infield Solid with Veteran Players

The rest of the infield will include a group of solid veteran players who can mix and match at all three positions to fill whatever needs the Trojans have.

Sophomore Adam Bryant, who hit better than .400 against Sun Belt Conference foes last year, will be on the field again this year. Whether he plays second base or shortstop will depend on how two other players perform leading up to opening day.

“The infield is where we return the most experience, and it is where we have a lot of versatility as well,” Pierce said. “Bryant will start in the middle. He’ll play second with Bart Pettus at short, and he’ll play short with Trevor Tyre at second. Those two will really determine where Bryant plays by who performs better.

“Pettus is really starting to come into his own. He had a great defensive year last year and we would really like him to hang on to that spot as he improves as an offensive player.”

Tyre has spent time as a starter at both second and third base and is looking to bounce back from a down year at the plate as a junior. Also in the mix in the middle of the infield is junior Shohei Fujita, but the Japanese phenom is also a candidate to redshirt this spring, as is junior college transfer J.R. Myers, who can also play second or third.

Senior Brett Henry ? who, along with Tyre and Morelock, has already received his degree, with all three working toward MBAs ? returns as the starter at third base. Henry held off a strong challenge from junior college transfer Zach Martin in the fall.

“We’re fairly settled there with Brett Henry having won the third base job,” Pierce said. “Zack Martin a very big, strong, left-handed hitter who is close behind.”

Felix Has Big Shoes To Fill

Besides replacing Miller in center, the biggest hole in the lineup is the one left by catcher Beau Brooks, who signed with the Anaheim Angels following his junior season. Junior Steven Felix, who has seen some spot duty behind the plate for the last two years, will have the job on a full-time basis this spring.

Felix is already known as an offensive contributor, but his challenge will be in handling the rigors of catching every day while also managing the pitching staff.

“When we had Beau Brooks in the program we put Steven in the outfield because he is such a good athlete,” Pierce said. “With Brooks signing, it’s time for Steven to move back behind the plate. We’ve worked really hard with him this fall, and now it’s time for him to take over the spot.”

Junior college transfer Jake Sullivan and redshirt freshman Blake Martz will be behind Felix. Both Sullivan and Martz have solid offensive potential, but will be catching at the collegiate level for the first time.

Schedule to Provide Challenges

Like every season, the Trojans will face a rugged schedule that will open against nationally-ranked Kentucky in Myrtle Beach, SC, and will include home-and-home series against Alabama, Auburn, UAB, Samford and Jacksonville State as well as home series against Memphis and Southern Miss from Conference USA.

The race for the Sun Belt Conference title will run through Troy at the end of the year, when the Trojans host the Conference Tournament. But Pierce sees his team in with a large group of other league programs in a fight just behind Western Kentucky at the top of the league.

“Western has to be the favorites after winning the tournament last year and with all they have returning,” Pierce said. “I’d like to think that we are in a pack with six or seven other teams right behind them. It should be a very competitive conference season.”

If the Trojans adequately answer the questions they face with a strong roster of veteran and new players, the race for the Sun Belt title may go through Troy more than just at the end of the season. If that happens, then a return to NCAA Regional play in June will be virtually assured.