VIDEO: Nicholas Castellana Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With exactly one week until the start of another baseball season here at Mossy Creek, it is time to start our Carson-Newman baseball position previews. We start our three-part series with a look at the pitchers and catchers with help from senior catcher Nicholas Castellana.

Starting with the catchers, Castellana is the top returner behind the dish. In his first season at Mossy Creek, the Lancaster, New York native started 21 games. At the plate, he hit .258 with three home runs and drove in 13 runs. He also had four multi-hit performances as well.

"I think my game is about being more comfortable and confident," Castellana said. "Obviously, last year was a learning curve coming in to my third school. I've tried to not think about stuff as much in the box and behind the dish. I feel a lot more comfortable and easy-going."

Frankie Delgado (Deltona, Fla) is the only other catcher on the roster with game experience. He played in just 18 games before suffering an injury and missing the final two months of the season. During his time at C-N, he has played in 41 games and recorded his first three career hits this past season.

Freshman Jameson Van Ness (Knoxville, Tenn.) and junior Jacob Rogers (Dandridge, Tenn.) are two local kids that will look to find a role as well. Van Ness hit above .320 in his junior and senior seasons and was an all-district selection in his final high school season. He made the state tournament in all four of his playing seasons at Christian Academy of Knoxville.

"We are always out there an hour before practice working hard," Castellana said. "I have a lot of confidence in those guys that go out there every single day and work hard. You put any one of us behind the dish, I'm very comfortable with all of them."

Transitioning to the pitching staff, this is the position group that takes the biggest hit in 2025. Graduated are all-conference relievers Grif Hughes, Hunter Harritan and Jake Wright along with starting pitcher Noah Pridmore. Those four arms combined for 17 of C-N's 24 wins, 174 1/3 innings of the 408 innings played and all 13 of the team's saves from 2024.

The top returning arm in terms of innings pitched is left-hander Blake Cooper (Maryville, Tenn.). He mainly operated as C-N's number two starter, tossing 41 2/3 innings over 13 appearances. Sticking with the left-handed arms, Jaxon Seritt (Knoxville, Tenn.) has the lowest ERA among returning arms from 2024. He threw seven innings of two run baseball and had a 1-0 record.

Two other left-handed arms are Coltin Reynolds (Powell, Tenn.) and Ethan Patch (Whitehall, N.Y), the two of whom combined for 16 innings of work.

Ryan Higgins (Spotsylvania, VA) is the top returning right-hander after throwing 32 2/3 innings as a freshman, finishing with a 7.16 ERA. He struck out 31 batters and finished with a 1-3 record.

Bransen Angel (Lutz, Fla) is back for his sophomore season. He tossed 15 2/3 innings and struck out 11 batters in 12 appearances. His final appearance was 2 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball against Coker on April 27, striking out three batters.

Andrew Bench (Fonthill, ON) is the next most experienced right-hander, tossing 28 2/3 innings in 2024, posting a 8.48 ERA. The Canadian had a four-game stretch in March where he tossed 11 innings and only allowed four runs.

Xavier Hart (Sellersburg, In) made eight appearances last season while Colby Phillips (Baxter, Tenn.) fired four innings in five appearances. Eli Norris (Ringgold, Ga) rounds out the returning right-handers. He did not pitch last season, but appeared in 12 games in 2023 and struck out 19 batters in 16 2/3 innings.  

"We are going to need a lot of guys to step up that return from last year," Castellana said. "The key guys we lost are big misses, but I think guys like Ryan Higgins, Bransen Angel, Blake Cooper, Andrew Bench and Jaxon Seritt to name some. I think all the guys have bumped up their practice. They all have rose up and are looking to fill roles. I've been really impressed with what they are doing."

A pair of freshmen join the mix in Kolton Casson (Benton, Tenn.) and Christian Henderson (Clarksville, Tenn.). In Casson's senior season at Polk County high school, he went 6-0 and had 81 strikeouts to just 11 walks. He had 213 strikeouts during his high school career. Henderson posted a 1.19 ERA in his senior season at Clarksville High School. He had 69 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings on the slab.

Jackson Underwood (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is a transfer from Middle Tennessee State. In a pair of seasons with the Blue Raiders, the right-hander made 13 appearances, tossing 12 1/3 innings with four strikeouts.

"We have a lot of good new guys that I think can make a good impact on our team," Castellana said. "Really excited for those guys."

Our baseball position previews continue Sunday with a deep dive into the infield with help from All-SAC infielder Logan Floyd.