2008 Baseball Season Preview

Dayton, TN – The Bryan College baseball season began with two dominant victories over Johnson Bible last weekend, 16-0 and 15-5. The Lions’ schedule really picks up this weekend when the Rio Grande(OH.) Redmen come to town for a three game series.

After a hot February start last year the Lions finished 25-30 and ranked 7^th in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. While Head Coach Joel Johnson was pleased with the competiveness of last year’s squad, he expects bigger things out of this year’s team. “We are committed to winning 30 games this year and finishing in the top 5 of our conference. Anything less than a .500 record will be disappointing.” 

The Lions lost four big players to graduation last year in captain and shortstop Jeremy Deal, designated hitter/pitcher Matt Day, AAC Gold Glove center fielder Ben Wharton, and AAC First-Team All-conference, NAIA All-Region XII Honorable Mention first basemen Drew Friedrich. The leadership and talent of the seniors will be sorely missed. Johnson had this to say about last year’s class: “These four guys among others were instrumental in helping take this program to a competitive level from its start in 2003; they will be sorely missed and new leaders will have to arise.”

Despite the loss of 30 HRs and 151 RBI’s out of the lineup, Johnson does not expect production to drop off this year: “we have the players who are ready to step up and be difference makers this year; with the new guys we brought in and the guys who are returning I fully expect us to even hit a little bit better than last year.” That’s a major statement to the talent level of the guys the Lions will send to the field because the 2007 Lions had a great offensive season batting .302 and scoring 330 runs. 14 new players joined the Lions this year, filling some holes and deepening the roster across the board. 

The most improved part of the program this year will be the pitching staff. After coming off a lack luster 2007, the pitching staff has worked hard in preparation for what will be a “different” year. The Lions return their top four hurlers from last year’s staff and added significant talent in two transfers and 3 freshmen. 

Unfortunately the Lions lost senior innings leader Will Stokes to surgery during the off-season. Stokes will redshirt this season and look to finish his career in 2009. Despite the loss, the rotation has a lot of talent and should pitch well from the very beginning. 

Pitching Coach Taylor Hasty (Bryan ’06) expects big things from his staff, “we have the ability to win a lot of ball games; they have really worked hard in preparing for this season and I fully expect each of our pitchers to have a great year.” He went on to add, “Despite not having a ‘definite’ number one pitcher we are fortunate to have two or three guys who will be fighting for that spot.” 

Ben Young (Baton Rouge, LA) and Daniel Zimmerman (Grandview, TN), both sophomores, will return as two of the top three pitchers for the Lions this year. They are joined at the top by Calhoun CC transfer Joey Mohler (Huntsville, AL) who will see a lot of time for the Lions as a starting pitcher this year. “These three will battle it out for the conference starting spots during the month of February and it will be interesting to see who steps up and asserts themselves at the top of our rotation,” Coach Hasty remarked.   Junior Daniel Bosarge (Rome, GA) is the fourth starter but will also make appearances out of the bullpen as he recovers from the elbow tendonitis he suffered in the fall.

The starting pitching for the Lions is deep and although the bullpen is a little bit shallow, there are several very talented young arms ready and willing to get the job done. Senior captain Jeremiah Peters (Sherwood, AR) will lead the Lions out of the bullpen willing to do anything he can to help the Lions win. Peters has ‘starter’s stuff,’ but works well coming out of the bullpen in pressure situations. Following his leadership are two talented freshmen, Adam Polston (Clarksville, TN) and Jerrad Robin (Paris, KY). These two have matured throughout the fall and will be ready to pitch in some key innings for the Lions throughout the year. JD Davis (Fayetteville, GA), freshman second basemen, will be looked to provide support in late innings for the Lions as well. At the back of the bullpen is Roane State transfer Mark Barnwell (Crab Orchard, TN). He closed for two years at Roane State and will close for the Lions this spring. Barnwell will also see spot time as a mid-week starter as the year progresses. The Lions lost four pitchers to academic ineligibility, two of whom have chosen to stick around and work hard as they take a year to bring their grades up.

“Overall our staff is very talented and I am excited about the job that Coach Hasty has been doing. They are prepared and ready to have the kind of year we need them to have in order to make our team successful, “said Johnson when talking about the pitching staff.

Drew Friedrich (Bryan '07), returns to the staff this season as the team’s hitting coach. He will look to take the young talent and develop a sound approach at the plate, hoping to replace some of the offense lost in the departure of last season’s senior class. With bashers like Brad Starnes, Ryan Keylon and Steven Kilgore in the line-up, the Lions have definitely not lost all their offensive firepower. “I think we’ll be a different team,” said Friedrich, “but we’ll score runs. We may have to manufacture some of those runs, but with Brad and Ryan in the line-up, we have the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark on a consistent basis.”

The catching position for the Lions is the deepest it has ever been with four players competing for the starting spot. Junior Gabe Keen (Dayton, TN) caught over thirty ballgames last year and returns as the most experienced catcher on the roster. He is joined by another junior in Jon Brown (Franklin, NC), who redshirted last year after transferring from Tennessee Wesleyan. Freshmen, Andrew Zimmerman (Grandview, TN) and Steven Kilgore (Dunlap, TN) are also vying for their opportunity behind the dish. While Keen has the edge experientially, Brown and Zimmerman are both very solid defensively, leaving Johnson with a tough decision to make. “We are really talented at this position and it really will come down to which catcher handles the pitching staff effectively and swings the bat well,” he said. Kilgore will likely see time as a designated hitter as well as a pinch hitter off the bench.

Another deep position for the Lions is first base. Junior Matt Hicks (Soddy Daisy, TN) will be the starter after spending two years learning behind Friedrich. Hicks has been a tremendous asset over his first two years as a DH and coming off the bench with big hits. Freshmen Ryan Keylon (Sale Creek, TN) is pushing Hicks hard at first but will likely start the year as the designated hitter. These two young men will likely do some switching throughout the year as they both are very valuable in the Bryan College lineup.

After a hard fought battle throughout the fall, freshmen JD Davis (Fayetteville, GA) has emerged as the Lions starting second baseman. Jason Henderson (Lookout Valley, TN) will see quite a bit of time in the infield however as a backup to JD but also as the best option as a backup at third base as well. Henderson is a very valuable, versatile player who will see time in almost every game, as a pinch runner, defensive sub or as a starter. Davis is expected to have a great year for the Lions and be an integral part of the middle of the lineup for the next 4 years.

It will be different at shortstop this year without Jeremy Deal who led the nation in assists for two of his three years at short for the Lions. Motlow State transfer Ryan Henn (Winchester, TN) will look to fill the hole left by Deal and the Lions expect big things out of their new shortstop. Henn will hit leadoff and be expected to “run, run, run.” “He is one of the fastest young men I have ever coached and will should create a lot of offense for us at the top of our lineup,” said Johnson.

Will Newman (Dayton, TN) will anchor the Lions at third base as the only returning starter in the infield. In his third year in the program Newman has become a captain and defensive stopper for the Lions with a great arm and good instincts. He will shoulder a bigger load this year at the plate but is ready for the challenge.

“I am very excited about the infield we have put together this year.   They are all committed ball players who love playing the game,” Johnson said. “Despite a few new faces, I expect them to be solid defensively and help this team win a lot of ballgames.”

The deepest part of the roster for the Lions is the outfield, which will see three seniors start. Michael Kent (Lookout Mountain, GA) will shift over to center after spending the last three seasons in right field. Brad Starnes (Matthews, NC) will continue to roam around in left field but may also see some time at first base. Both Kent and Starnes are captains for the Lions this year and do a good job teaching the younger players and setting the example by working hard. Jeremy Potts (Danville, KY) will start in right for the Lions and provide speed and a base stealing threat in the lineup. Sophomore Zach Bowe (Brooksville, FL) will also start in the outfield for the Lions with a strong arm and versatility at several outfield positions. 

Freshmen Michael Hogsett (Stanton, VA), Doug Stroup (McDonough, GA), and sophomore Paul Shearer (Lebanon, TN) will see some time in the outfield for the Lions and be available as defensive replacements.“Our outfield isn’t flashy by any means, but they are talented and reliable. We have a solid nine on the field this year and we’ll look to these three seniors to lead the way” Johnson remarked. “They have all played four years in our program, and I expect nothing out of them but the best!”