Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Baseball Set For 2009 Campaign
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2009
2009: Unfinished business...
With the winningest season in program history just a few short months in the rearview mirror, the Marshall Thundering Herd baseball team embarks on a journey that could see the squad make further strides in the 2009 season. In 2008, Marshall finished 30-30-1, earned a berth in the Conference USA championship game and lost by one run to Houston, and finished the historic campaign one win shy of obtaining its first appearance in the NCAA Regional Tournament since 1978. In 2009, the Herd will look to settle its unfinished business...
Marshall, despite the loss of five seniors including catcher Tommy Johnson, and junior pitcher Steve Blevins, who signed a pro contract to play in the Minnesota Twins organization, the Herd returns a talented core of players that will look to continue the recent success the program has seen under third-year head coach Jeff Waggoner and his talented coaching staff.
Coaching Staff
Since taking over the reins in 2007, Waggoner has seen his team only improve over a short period of time. When looking at the reasons for Marshall's success, look no further than the coaching staff. The Herd's group of coaches is dedicated to winning and improving the all-around competitiveness and legacy of the program.
Recruiting coordinator and pitching coach Tim Adkins works tirelessly to bring in the best players to compete at Marshall, and his dedication has certainly more than paid off after just two seasons. Adkins has helped reel in players from all corners of the nation, and the 2009 roster includes players from California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas, in addition to the tri-state area of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.
On the pitching front, Adkins has seen his pitchers gain invaluable experience, and under his tutelage, former pitcher Steve Blevins tied the single-season record for wins in 2008 with nine, while sophomore hurler Arik Sikula set the single-season saves record with eight (third all-time) as a freshman last season.
Equally dedicated is assistant coach Tim Donnelly. Donnelly works with infielders, but is primarily responsible for Marshall's defensive efforts with a focus on the infielders. In his first year with the Herd in 2007, Donnelly coached the team to a .959 overall fielding percentage, and in 2008, helped elevate that number to .964.
Volunteer assistant coach George Brumfield is also in his third year at Marshall. A veteran of baseball at all levels, Brumfield's experience and wisdom of the game continuously serves to further establish a solid baseball foundation in the Herd's athletes.
Waggoner has added Chad Conner as the Director of Baseball Operations to handle much of the day-to-day grind both during the season and during the offseason. Conner served as an assistant coach with the Brewster Whitecaps of the prestigious Cape Cod League and will assume similar duties during his time with Marshall.
Pitchers
Marshall enters the season with a mix of both experienced and young arms. With the departure of Blevins, the 2009 Marshall pitching staff is highlighted by junior Dan Straily. A 2008 C-USA Championship All-Tournament selection, Straily finished the season with a record of 5-4, and established himself as one of the team's leaders both vocally and by example. He will look to build on an already stellar career in 2009.
Ten returning pitchers make up the 2009 staff, while six newcomers will be welcomed to the squad. Redshirt junior southpaw Ryan Kiel was mainly used in relief during the 2008 season. Kiel built a 3-1 record, earning his third victory of the season in a pivotal showdown with Southern Miss that would send the Herd to the C-USA tournament semi-final, and eventually the championship game.
Also returning to the mound is sophomore Shane Farrell, the son of current Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. With a record of 1-1 and a 4.12 ERA as a freshman, Farrell is poised to claim a more prominent role, and his natural talent and affinity for pitching will help Marshall win games.
Sophomore right-hander Arik Sikula, Marshall's closer in 2008, set the program's single-season record for saves (8) and is ranked third on the Herd's all-time list for saves. Redshirt senior lefty Andrew Blain fanned 44 batters as a weekend starter last season and will join senior Brian Mooney, junior Tyler Gatrell, and sophomores Chad Johnson, Ian Kadish and Justin Moore as part of the squad's deep pitching arsenal.
Highlighting the newcomers is Austin Coan, a junior transfer from Grayson County Junior College and freshman Greg Williams. Coan, a closer at Grayson, notched 10 saves in 2009 en route to helping his team win the JUCO World Series and become national champions. Williams will also look to provide immediate impact in the Herd rotation. Drafted out of Moeller High School, Williams is a 6-foot-five-inch left-hander that could see some action very quickly. Fellow freshmen Kyle Blank, Joe Church, Ben Frith, and Mike Mason round out Marshall's pitching staff.
Catchers
Behind the plate is sophomore Kevin Shackelford. Though he saw limited playing time behind Johnson in 2008, Shackelford possess great defensive mechanics, and has one of the strongest arms the program has ever seen.
Sophomore designated hitter Victor Gomez, a 2008 Freshman All-American and All-C-USA second team member, redshirt freshman Rhett Stafford and newcomer Thor Meeks will also see action behind the plate in 2009.
Infielders
The Marshall infield is highlighted by senior shortstop Adam Yeager, the nation's leader in stolen bases. As a junior transfer from Cincinnati, Yeager stole a Marshall single-season high 47 bases (places him fourth all-time at Marshall) and also set C-USA tournament records for stolen bags with five in a single game (against Tulane, May 21) and finished with nine for the tournament (also a tournament high).
Brandon Casamassima has spent time at shortstop and third base during his collegiate career and offers tremendous power. As a junior in 2008, Casamassima blasted three of his nine homeruns during the C-USA tournament. His seniority and leadership will anchor a quick and skillful Herd defense.
Junior Josh Valle plays perhaps the most solid infield defense in the league. Valle collected a team-high .994 fielding percentage and registered 436 putouts while committing just three errors. He also added a consistent bat from the left side of the dish, tallying a .292 batting average on 66 hits.
Sophomore Kenny Socorro has a great baseball sense in the field and will look to help provide a solid defensive foundation for the Herd.
Reshirt sophomore Ramone Tate is a versatile player that can play both infield and outfield with speed being his greatest attribute. Gomez also saw some action at third base and first base during his freshman season and could possibly do the same in 2009. Freshman Alfredo Brito will also see stints in the Marshall infield this season. Brito provides some added power to an already potent offensive lineup.
Outfielders
Senior Nate Lape heads up the Marshall outfield. He was the team leader in offense for the Herd during the 2008 season, finishing the campaign with a .388 batting average, including 83 hits, 17 doubles, 17 home runs and 63 runs batted in, all of which were team-highs. A 2008 C-USA All-Tournament selection, Lape was named to the All-C-USA First Team and earned first team All-Mideast Region honors. He was named Conference USA Hitter of the Week and Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week on March 17. He also joined Yeager on the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2008.
Tate and redshirt junior Eddie Rush will provide athleticism in the outfield this season, while sophomore Ben Jurevicius and Stafford bring more power to the table in the outfield. Jurevicius took over the starting right field job in 2008 and delivered with flying colors. Billed as having one of the strongest arms in the conference, he recorded 73 putouts and two assists, while accumulating a .987 fielding percentage in his first season playing collegiate baseball. Joining the outfielders is freshman Eric Semeniuk who brings tremendous attitude, work ethic and speed to an extremely gifted group of athletes.
Schedule
Fifty-six games dot Marshall's upcoming campaign, including 21 home contests. The Herd's Conference USA home slate, which features 2008 NCAA Regional participants East Carolina, Houston and Tulane, along with UAB, will be played at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. Marshall's nine remaining home contests will be played at the Kennedy Center on Route 2 in Huntington.
The Herd will also play eight road games against four NCAA Regional teams from a year ago, including midweek tilts against Virginia and Kentucky, as well as three-game sets with C-USA foes Southern Miss and Rice. The schedule also features three new opponents, as Marshall will meet Old Dominion, Radford and South Florida for the first time in program history.
For the second time in as many years, Marshall will travel to North Carolina to open its season. The Herd will participate in the four-team Wake Forest University Tournament to open the season, beginning with a Feb. 20 match-up with Akron. Marshall will play a pair of games against Old Dominion and a contest against tournament host Wake Forest. The Herd will stay in the Carolinas, traveling to Charleston, S.C. for The Citadel Tournament. The tournament field includes Tennessee Tech, Radford and the host Bulldogs. Marshall will then play its ninth straight road match in Oxford, Ohio, against Miami University.
Marshall will play the first of its nine non-conference home games beginning with a showdown with Morehead State, March 4 at the Kennedy Center. The Herd's non-conference home schedule includes midweek battles with Kent State, Xavier, Eastern Kentucky, Ohio, Miami University and a three-game set with Youngstown State.
League competition starts March 20-22 when the Herd travels to Memphis, Tenn., for a showdown with the Tigers. Marshall then welcomes East Carolina to West Virginia and Power Park for its first C-USA home series, March 27-29.
Among Marshall's conference games is a trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., where the Golden Eagles will host the Herd April 3-5. Southern Miss. will also be the site of the 2009 C-USA Baseball Championship. After the Golden Eagles took the regular season series 2-1 and the first of three meetings during the 2008 C-USA Baseball Championship, Marshall defeated Southern Miss 6-3 and then 5-3 to earn a spot in the championship game against Houston.
Marshall concludes its regular season slate with a three-game set with Tulane at Power Park. The Herd also took two decisions from last year's conference tournament host Green Wave during Marshall's Cindarella postseason run. The 2009 C-USA Baseball Championship will take place May 20-24 in Hattiesburg, Miss., with the NCAA Regionals beginning May 29-31.
