JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman Eagles open the 2011 baseball season with a pair of explosive newcomers and a deep, experienced group of role players that have sixth-year head coach Tom Griffin the Eagles hoping for their first South Atlantic Conference regular season title since 2002.
Carson-Newman hopes to opens its season Friday afternoon with a three-game series at Augusta State University in Augusta, Ga. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Lake Olmstead Stadium. Heavy rains are in the forecast for the are throughout the weekend.
The Eagle are picked third in the SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll behind last year's regular season and tournament champions, Wingate and Catawba, respectively, despite only one preseason All-SAC selection. Griffin, along with at least a handful of coaches from around the conference, see potential in the Eagles' 2011 squad.
"Our chemistry and leadership have been very strong," Griffin said. "We haven't discussed goals or championships, we've only talked about the process over the outcome. Improving with each pitch is the only thing we can control."
High expectations surround a pair of Division I transfers and east Tennessee products that are expected to provide a jolt the Eagles line-up and weekend rotation.
Former Seymour High School standout and Louisiana State University transfer Kyle Koeneman (Seymour, Tenn.) will play his senior season at Mossy Creek. He'll fill the void left at first base by four-year starter Derek Long.
Koeneman holds the Walters State (Tenn.) C.C. record for home runs in a season (29) and home runs in a career (50), which he set before transferring to LSU. He also hit 50 home runs in high school.
Former Science Hill High standout Ben McKinney (Johnson City, Tenn.) joined the Eagles at the semester after attending Georgia Tech in the fall. He made 11 appearances for the Yellow Jackets as a freshman, and could also play in the Eagles' outfield.
McKinney will join the Eagles' only returning All-SAC selection, senior Austin Bridgewater (Morristown, Tenn.), in the weekend rotation. Bridgewater, a preseason first team All-SAC selection, went 5-1 last season with a 4.32 ERA and three complete games for the Eagles.
"We've excited about the potential of our top few guys," Griffin said. "They have the potential to carry us as far as we want to go. Bridgewater and Koeneman have been outstanding all fall and spring. (Ben) McKinney joined late, but he's caught on fast and is buying in to our style a little more each day."
Surrounding Bridgewater and the two D-I transfers is a deep and experienced group of upperclassmen each with the potential for a breakout season.
Senior third baseman Wesley Dozier (Cornelious, N.C.) is one of the Eagles most like to explode at the plate. He batted .352 last season with nine doubles and six home runs. Junior Aaron Vargas (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) will join Dozier on the Eagles infield at second base. He had six doubles and a home run in 2010 and will likely fill the number two spot in the Eagles' batting order for much of the season.
Junior Morgan Gregory (Nashville, Tenn.) could also see some time at first and DH for the Eagles. He batted .306 last season with a pair of home runs.
Senior outfielder Evan Patterson (Knoxville, Tenn.) is the most likely candidate to handle the lead off duties for Griffin and the Eagles. His average fell off to .314 as a junior after batting .397 as a sophomore, but he still stole 21 bases in 22 attempts last season. He's 47-of-49 in stolen base attempts for his career.
Fellow seniors Cody Nix (Cartersville, Ga.) and Jon Dalton (Rutledge, Tenn.) will be regulars in the C-N outfield. Nix hit .311 last season and hit a walk-off home run in a 12-inning win over Lincoln Memorial in the SAC Tournament last April. Dalton batten .289 last season, but had 15 extra-base hits and seven home runs. He has also caught Griffin's eye this fall.
"(Jon) Dalton has had a good preseason and will be a different player this season," Griffin said. "We have a lot of guys that have played with each other for awhile. Its a big group of seniors and there are a couple of fourth-year juniors, there is a lot of familiarity with each other. I'm expecting them to step up as a group."
True freshman Ryan Hanks (Raleigh, N.C.) could also see some starts in the Eagles outfield along with McKinney.
Junior Mason Guymon (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and sophomore Lance Reed (Johnson City, Tenn.) will handle the majority of the catching duties. Guymon started 32 games last season, while Reed started 17. Each had four doubles at the plate.
Newcomers Lance Rorex (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Troy Zawadzki (Shrewsbury, Mass.) are a pair or junior college transfers that will have an immediate impact on the Eagles' infield. Rorex is a utility type that could also DH, and see spot starts at second and third, while Zawadzki will likely start at shortstop for the Eagles on opening day. Zawadzki's brother Lance plays for the Kansas City Royals.
Freshmen Zac Mercurio (Wellington, Fla.) and Trace Rogers (Simpsonville, S.C.) will also see time on the Eagles' middle infield. He's the younger brother of Mills Rogers, an All-SAC selection at shortstop for the Eagles last season, who is currently in the Washington Nationals farm system.
Junior Robby Thigpen (St. Petersburg, Fla.) will join Bridgewater and possibly McKinney as the Eagles' weekend starters to open the season. Thigpen went 2-5 last season, but is coming off a strong fall campaign.
Junior college transfer Alex Britt (Salisbury, N.C.) played his freshman season at Mars Hill and has a good fastball and experience that could earn him starts.
Big things are expected from sophomore Ryan Fillers (Greeneville, Tenn.) in carrying a young Eagle bullpen to start the season. The right-hander came on strong at the end of the 2010 season with a handful of strong outings, including allowing only two unearned runs in 7.1 innings of work in a SAC Tournament loss to Mars Hill.
Senior Mike Mullen (Bradenton, Fla.), along with redshirt freshmen Daniel Sharp (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Lucas Watson ( Gatlinburg, Tenn.), and true freshmen Tyler Cuming (Red Bank, N.J.) and Brandon Timmerman (Seymour, Tenn.) could all contribute out of the Eagle bullpen.
Carson-Newman's first 12 games are scheduled away from the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The Eagles open SAC play of Feb. 18 at Newberry, before hosting Anderson (S.C.) on Feb. 25 in their home opener. The South Atlantic Conference Tournament will be played April 20-23 in Forest City, N.C.
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