VIDEO: Brendan Campbell Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Six days shy of first pitch, the second part out of three previewing the position groups of Carson-Newman baseball turns the scope to the outfield with redshirt-junior Brendan Campbell.
A pair of starters from 2017 graduated in center fielder Ryan Addington and Trever Lee. Addington was a second-team All-SAC pick last year and is the conference's record holder for RBIs in a game with 10. He finished fifth in the league with a .393 batting average and third in runs scored with 60.
With openings in the outfield and fresh bodies, opportunity has been given to a new crop of players looking for playing time.
"This fall I was out," Campbell said. "I was able to get into every new guy's head and try to be an extra coach on the sidelines in between games and in between innings teaching them everything that I can. Losing 15 seniors there are a lot of new people and new minds to mold on how we do things here. They really picked it up and wanted to learn. They saw that the competition was wide open and they are all open to learning."
Campbell picked his game up late in the season going 8-for-19 with five RBIs and five runs scored in the SAC Championships to finish the season with a .311 batting average. The Yardley, Pa. native posted a .435 batting average in the final 17 games of the season with a long ball and nine RBIs
"It was a huge confidence booster as a whole for my college career," Campbell reflected. "I started off a little slow last season and I got better as the season went on. I hope to bring that into this season. I spent the fall rehabbing and took a back seat on the game and got to see what I needed to work on."
Overall he collected 10 multi-hit efforts and drove in multiple runs five times to belt three home runs and drive in 21. Overall, the outfielder has started 64 games over his two playing seasons with the Eagles.
Cade Snapp (Seymour, Tenn.) will see playing in the outfield and at first base. His junior season saw the right-handed hitter finish the year with a .312 batting average, nine home runs, 50 RBIs and 13 double with 18 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI efforts. He has 29 long balls through his first three years with the program.
The door for the rest of the time in the outfield belongs to freshman Tyler Thompson (Gallatin, Tenn.) and junior Cal Smith (Keller, Texas).
At Station Camp High School in 2017, Thompson started the year with a bang hitting .455 with 30 runs scored and 12 stolen bases after being the starting quarterback for the football team.
Smith produced a solid season for Panola tallying a .352 batting average with three steals and 18 runs scored. He had five multi-hit games including a four-hit effort on March 27 at LeTourneu.
Local product Charlie Brown (Sevierville, Tenn.) will factor into the playing time in the outfield and Micah Genter (Jasper, Tenn.) should see time as a switch-hitting rookie.
Carson-Newman's super utility option this season will be Dom Leo (Knoxville, Tenn.). He saw action in 19 games notching a pair of hits including a home run at Catawba on Feb. 25. Leo will have a chance to play any position on the diamond.
"We like to play the situational game," Campbell assessed. "We take pride in our bunts and being on the base paths. This season we have the stereotypical lead-off hitter, two-hole hitter and three-four guys are coming back. We have gap-to-gap guys. We will play our game."
The position previews wrap up on Monday morning with a look around the infield with Snapp that features an all-conference player at third base, Brett Langhorne.
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