Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Baseball Set for 2023 Season
2/13/2023 4:27:00 PM | Baseball
Season starts Friday
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University baseball team is set to begin the 2023 season under head coach Greg Beals, who is in his first season at the helm of the Herd. MU's first contest is set for Friday in Hoover, Alabama, as it begins a three-game set against the Saint Louis Billikens.
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Beals, who was hired in January, has learned a lot about Huntington during his brief time at Marshall.
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"The astounding overwhelming theme to me this first month is community," Beals said "The sense of pride that's here in Huntington that revolves around Marshall University and our athletic department has been really cool. The people have been great and very welcoming. I'm excited to be a part of something that people care so much."
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Herd fans will see a lot of new faces on the 2023 roster as it features 26 newcomers and 13 returning student-athletes. Among the returners is senior outfielder Luke Edwards. Edwards returns to Huntington after a season that saw him reach base in all but one game and had a 61-game on base streak from the 2021 season until the third to last game of the 2022 campaign. The all-Conference USA first-team honoree finished first in C-USA in hits per game at 1.53, 41st in the country, sixth in Conference USA, 88th in the nation, with 84 hits and 10th in C-USA with 137 total bases.
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"Luke is a great college baseball player," Beals said. "He's got an even-keel tempo to him. That allows him to be consistent. That's what I like. I like to see a guy that's going to be able to consistently produce in some shape or form."
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In addition to Edwards, Marshall returns some key arms. Patrick Copen and Zac Addkison each threw 63.1 innings in 14 appearances each with 11 and 10 starts on the hill, respectively. Addkison is the team's returning strikeout leader with 70 as Copen sat down 65 batters via the strikeout.
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In limited work last season, Raymond Pacella recorded a 3.60 ERA in three starts with a 1-1 record striking out 13 batters in 15.0 innings. Ryan Capuano looks to be the team's stopper at the back of the bullpen after making two saves in eight relief appearances in 2022. He also made eight starts last season as he struck out 59 batters in 52.1 innings across his 16 appearances.
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"We have some high-end stuff on our pitching staff," Beals commented about the pitching staff. "Copen, Pacella and Addkison will be our starting pitchers opening weekend in that order. Capuano will be the backend of the bullpen. If we have the lead in the last couple of innings, you can expect to see Cap into the ballgame and finish it. The thing we're harping on is to pitch more efficiently and trust their stuff some to throw more strikes and pitch deeper into ballgames. We'll make our pitching staff better if we can get those guys to eat up innings to shrink the rest of the game and shrink everyone else's roles."
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With pitching being a strength of the team heading into the team's first season in the Sun Belt, Beals thinks there is one thing the team needs to focus on to be successful.
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"Defense. I think we have the chance to pitch the ball really well. With pitching being a strength as you look at our ball club, then you have to take care of the ball defensively," Beals said. "So we have emphasized good defense. Not just the mechanical side of it, but positioning, philosophy and making sure the player is in the right frame of mind to play good defense."
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Beals knows that he and his team will be learning all season, but wants to see the team peaking come the end of May.
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"There's going to be growing pains even within the season with the goal of being at our peak to play during the conference tournament at the end of season," Beals said. "What I have learned about these guys is that they're hungry. They want coaching. They want to get better. They want to play good baseball. That's what I'm fighting hard to keep providing them, right, wrong or indifferent, a different brand of baseball is what I'm trying to teach them. A brand of baseball that I'm comfortable with and a style of baseball that my experience tells me we're going to have success in the long run."
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For all the latest information about Marshall baseball, follow @HerdBaseball on Twitter and @herdbsb on Instagram.
 .
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
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Beals, who was hired in January, has learned a lot about Huntington during his brief time at Marshall.
Â
"The astounding overwhelming theme to me this first month is community," Beals said "The sense of pride that's here in Huntington that revolves around Marshall University and our athletic department has been really cool. The people have been great and very welcoming. I'm excited to be a part of something that people care so much."
Â
Herd fans will see a lot of new faces on the 2023 roster as it features 26 newcomers and 13 returning student-athletes. Among the returners is senior outfielder Luke Edwards. Edwards returns to Huntington after a season that saw him reach base in all but one game and had a 61-game on base streak from the 2021 season until the third to last game of the 2022 campaign. The all-Conference USA first-team honoree finished first in C-USA in hits per game at 1.53, 41st in the country, sixth in Conference USA, 88th in the nation, with 84 hits and 10th in C-USA with 137 total bases.
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"Luke is a great college baseball player," Beals said. "He's got an even-keel tempo to him. That allows him to be consistent. That's what I like. I like to see a guy that's going to be able to consistently produce in some shape or form."
Â
In addition to Edwards, Marshall returns some key arms. Patrick Copen and Zac Addkison each threw 63.1 innings in 14 appearances each with 11 and 10 starts on the hill, respectively. Addkison is the team's returning strikeout leader with 70 as Copen sat down 65 batters via the strikeout.
Â
In limited work last season, Raymond Pacella recorded a 3.60 ERA in three starts with a 1-1 record striking out 13 batters in 15.0 innings. Ryan Capuano looks to be the team's stopper at the back of the bullpen after making two saves in eight relief appearances in 2022. He also made eight starts last season as he struck out 59 batters in 52.1 innings across his 16 appearances.
Â
"We have some high-end stuff on our pitching staff," Beals commented about the pitching staff. "Copen, Pacella and Addkison will be our starting pitchers opening weekend in that order. Capuano will be the backend of the bullpen. If we have the lead in the last couple of innings, you can expect to see Cap into the ballgame and finish it. The thing we're harping on is to pitch more efficiently and trust their stuff some to throw more strikes and pitch deeper into ballgames. We'll make our pitching staff better if we can get those guys to eat up innings to shrink the rest of the game and shrink everyone else's roles."
Â
With pitching being a strength of the team heading into the team's first season in the Sun Belt, Beals thinks there is one thing the team needs to focus on to be successful.
Â
"Defense. I think we have the chance to pitch the ball really well. With pitching being a strength as you look at our ball club, then you have to take care of the ball defensively," Beals said. "So we have emphasized good defense. Not just the mechanical side of it, but positioning, philosophy and making sure the player is in the right frame of mind to play good defense."
Â
Beals knows that he and his team will be learning all season, but wants to see the team peaking come the end of May.
Â
"There's going to be growing pains even within the season with the goal of being at our peak to play during the conference tournament at the end of season," Beals said. "What I have learned about these guys is that they're hungry. They want coaching. They want to get better. They want to play good baseball. That's what I'm fighting hard to keep providing them, right, wrong or indifferent, a different brand of baseball is what I'm trying to teach them. A brand of baseball that I'm comfortable with and a style of baseball that my experience tells me we're going to have success in the long run."
Â
For all the latest information about Marshall baseball, follow @HerdBaseball on Twitter and @herdbsb on Instagram.
 .
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
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