JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The first pitch for the 2017 Carson-Newman baseball is less than weeks away as the athletic communications staff finalizes the position previews with a look at the pitchers and catchers with senior Gooch Greer.
Behind the plate, the Eagles have plenty of solid options led by Greer, a 2016 South Atlantic Conference Gold Glove recipient after throwing out 61 percent of base runners attempting to steal a base as a junior, nearly 20 points higher than any catcher in the league to play at least 30 games. At the plate, he finished second on the team with a .345 batting average to go along with three home runs and 18 RBIs.
Senior Greg Jones (Maryville, Tenn.) missed the final 18 games of the year at catcher after requiring surgery on his left thumb after hitting .226 with a pair of dingers and 11 RBIs. Jones gunned down seven of 12 would-be base stealers, 70 percent.
A pair of redshirt-freshman expect to vie for time in Ethan Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) and Logan Peterson (Chickamuaga, Ga.) as the duo spent time a season ago as the bullpen catchers.
"We feel very strong back there," Greer said. "We feel like we can command our pitching staff very well. There isn't a whole lot coming back, not a lot of experience, but we feel like we can handle that. It doesn't have to be one main guy. We are all going to chip in and be a part of this."
The biggest vacancies for the Eagles is on the mound. Despite returning 13 of the 17 hurlers who tossed a pitch in 2016, a pair of weekend warriors in Vince Apicella and Dustin Batson used a strong senior year to earn contracts in the Independent League.
Apicella is one of the most decorated players in the history of C-N baseball as a two-time all-region selection and a semi-finalist for the Brett Tomko Award in 2016. He reset the school Division II record with seven complete games a year ago leading the team to a 10-3 record in his starts. The southpaw owns two of the top-three seasons in terms of strikeouts since 1994.
Batson was a workhorse in 2016 throwing 434 pitches over the final eight days of the season earning three wins and a save. Overall, the right-hander appeared in 17 games with 11 starts going 6-4 with a 4.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts.
"The only thing I can say about Vince is how hard he worked," Greer said. "He came in and put in the time. He was able to adapt to our way. It's what you do when not everyone is looking. That's what he did best. He didn't have to a catcher or a coach around him. We take these younger guys and say this is what you need to do to get better but it's what you do when other people aren't looking. We take that and show them the success that he had."
Starting pitching will be a major question for coach Tom Griffin as senior Ryan Eberle (Cookeville, Tenn.) is the lone returner that expects to be in that role this year. The righty went 5-4 with a 4.28 earned run average. One of his highlights for the season was going toe-to-toe with the National Pitcher of the Year, Tusculum's Placido Torres, on April 23. Eberle went 8.1 innings allowing just two runs in a contest that C-N would win 4-2 in 12 innings.
One sophomore, Trevecca Nazerene transfer Tanner Fee (Knoxville, Tenn.) and three rookies, Kyle Cagle (Fairview, N.C.), Drew Eller (Melbourne, Fla.) and Jordan Davis (Maryville, Tenn.) will duke it out of the remaining starts.
After compiling a cumulative ERA of 5.26 a year ago, the bullpen appears to be deeper and provide insurance for the young starters. Senior right-handers Raunel Perez (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) and Robert Plohr (O'Fallon, Mo.) provide pop as Perez led the team with three saves and Plohr cranked out 30 punch outs in 20 2/3 innings pitched.
Sophomore Greg Valentine (Knoxville, Tenn.) Led the team with 23 appearances going 2-1 with a 5.33 ERA with two saves and 23 K's in 27 innings.
Tennessee Tech transfer Will Gardner (Morristown, Tenn.) made 26 total appearances for the Golden Eagles in two seasons in Cookeville punching out 27 hitters in 31 1/3 innings.
Griffin will have 10 other options to choose from. Among those are senior Kai Storm (Simi Valley, Calif.), sophomore Ryan Victory (Brentwood, Tenn.), sophomore Grant Rabbitts and lefty specialist Hunter Dodson (Huntersville, N.C.).
"We take full responsibility for their success," Greer said. "We like to say that it is two versus one. It's the pitcher and catcher versus the hitter and we like those odds. We have to make sure we are on the same page. We take it upon ourselves. It's a lot of work in the bullpen and watching video to make sure we are on the same page."
The season commences Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. with the first of a three-game series at North Georgia. Fans can once again enjoy the broadcast coverage on the Eagle Sports Network by visiting cneagles.com/live. Pregame coverage starts 10 minutes prior to first pitch with "The ShopCNEagles.com Pregame Show" featuring interviews and starting lineups.
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