Golden Eagle baseball team hoping to get season underway Wednesday

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Following a stellar fall semester of successful academics and effective practices, the Tennessee Tech baseball team is ready for the start of the 2007 season.

After having its season opener postponed a day because of weather, the Golden Eagles will try to get the year underway Wednesday (Feb. 14) with a game at Alabama A&M. The contest is slated for 1 p.m. in Huntsville.

In the classroom this fall, 19 out of 31 TTU baseball players made the Honor Roll and the team GPA was the third-highest in a semester for a Tech baseball team since records began being kept in 1971.

On the field, fourth-year head coach Matt Bragga has assembled a roster filled with great athletes and tremendous depth at every position.

The roster features 20 returning lettermen, including 17 who were in the starting lineup at some point in the 2006 season. Add to that a group of 11 newcomers with the same versatility in their skills, and the Golden Eagles appear ready to have a banner season.

Behind the plate

Senior Steve Soper is a veteran catcher who gives Tech a combination of proven defense and power at the plate to bolster the middle of the lineup. Tech will be strong and experienced up the middle in 2007, and that strength begins with Soper. He led the team in home runs, ranking sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference, and batted .285 with 33 RBI. Defensively, Soper guns down opponent base runners with regularity and is growing daily at directing the defense.

Behind Soper is sophomore Cory Wright. Wright is a talented defensive catcher who gained valuable playing time last season. Redshirt freshman Tate McMillan, a strong lefthanded hitter, is also a great option behind the dish.

"Our catchers are our field generals, they are our point guard," said Bragga. "They must be vocal and show incredible leadership."

Around the horn

A strong assembly of infielders returns to the 2007 Golden Eagle roster, with veteran returnees at every position around the horn.

Sophomore Stuart Meinhart is back and is capable of playing all four infield positions or in the outfield. He was a member of the OVC all-freshman team in his rookie season last year.

Brian Sprowl, who started last year at the hot corner, will return to that position in 2007. Brian is a hard-nosed, competitive leader that every great team hopes to have. A real asset to the front of the lineup, he combined a .286 batting average with a no-fear attitude in the batter's box. He was not only tough to strike out, he also led the team in on-base percentage. In conference play, he hit .330 and his on-base percentage against the league ranked 11th in the OVC.

The middle of the infield will feature two returning players in junior Matt Mihoci and senior Ryan Wardlow plus one junior college transfer, Thomas Nelson. Mihoci is a fiery second baseman who started in all 54 games last season, batting .284 with 25 RBI.

At shortstop, Wardlow was the Golden Eagle starter last year and provided a wealth of experience coupled with sound defense. He batted .248 and drove in 31 runs.

Nelson, who brings a work ethic that is second-to-none, is a talented athlete who is capable of playing shortstop, second base, outfield, or designated hitter.

Depth in the middle infield will come from sophomore Patrick Kimmons, and freshmen Kendale Roach and Trice Powers. Both Roach and Powers showed tremendous growth during the fall season and early spring.

At first base, Meinhart and junior Jake New lead the way. New, TTU's leading hitter last season, will play outfield and pitch when he's not at first base. Sophomore Brantley Kilgore and freshmen Tate McMillan and Jared Dobbs may also get the call to anchor the right side of the infield.

"Our first basemen are all extremely, extremely capable and they're all young which is exciting for the future. Each one of them can really hit a baseball," Bragga said.

In the distance

The Golden Eagles have tremendous depth in the outfield, including three experienced returnees and three newcomers, headed by junior college transfer Mike Roeder.

Roeder should have a huge impact on the team, and will start in center field. He is a true "gamer" and a leader and will help lead the team offensively and defensively.

Top returnees include seniors Scott Dunham and Josh Goodwin. Dunham, the fastest player on the team, returns after a flawless season in the outfield in 2006 as he posted a perfect fielding percentage with 60 putouts and five assists to lead the conference.

Goodwin started in both right and left field in 48 of Tech's 54 games and batted .276 with 27 RBI and eight doubles. He also ranked third in the conference in triples.

Jake New, when not pitching or playing first base, will be playing in the outfield. Having players with the versatility such as New gives the coaching staff numerous options when making the line-up.

Sean Reilly, a junior college transfer, has played stellar defense in right field in early spring workouts and has shown the ability as a hitter to drive the ball to the gaps.

The other new face in the outfield will be freshman Casanova Donaldson, who continues to progress in every facet of the game.

"This is a deep ball club," Bragga said. "We are extremely deep and very athletic at every position on the field."

On the mound

A talented group of veterans will be the nucleus of the Golden Eagle pitching staff in 2007, but newcomers could emerge in key roles as the season unfolds.

Returning seniors Zac Cole, Justin Fields and Matt Smith have all been weekend starters at some point in their careers and are capable of filling that role this season.

Cole made 12 appearances, including nine starts, as a junior and delivered 51.1 innings of work.

He yielded only 42 hits, 24 runs, 15 walks and three home runs and led the Golden Eagle pitching staff with a 3.68 ERA. Zac was second in the Ohio Valley Conference as he allowed opponents to hit at a lowly .222 clip. With his experience, he could emerge as the "ace" of the staff.

While Cole is often at 92 or 93 mph, Fields can throw anywhere from 85 to 89 mph, and he led the squad in innings, strikeouts and starts a year ago and brings more experience to the mound than anyone on the staff.

Smith had four wins a season ago and struck out 40 hitters and walked only 11. He can fill numerous roles for this year's team as he is capable of starting or closing games. He led all conference pitchers in 2006 in allowing the fewest walks, giving away just seven free passes in Ohio Valley Conference games.

There are five junior pitchers in Jake Edwards, Blake Forst, Matt Kearney, Patrick Miller and Jake New. Forst, Kearney, Miller and New all saw action on the mound last season for the Golden Eagles and look to increase their roles in 2007.

"Forst is a come-right-at-you type of pitcher who possesses a great fastball and a nasty hook," said Bragga. He logged 37 innings last year as a sophomore and struck out 33 hitters and allowed opponents to hit a meager .250 against him.

Miller was 2-0 before being sidelined in early March for the rest of the 2006 season, but should play a huge role out of the pen this year.

Kearney has been used in numerous roles throughout his career as a starter, middle reliever, and a closer and has been highly effective in each position.

"New, a southpaw, is emerging as a dominating force on the hill and could be used as a starter or reliever out of the pen," said Bragga.

Edwards, a JUCO transfer from Shelton (Ala.) State, will be a weekend starter for TTU as he has wowed the coaching staff and team with his electric repertoire of pitches.

"There is no question that Jake will stand out," Bragga said. "We think he is special and extremely competitive. He's got dynamite stuff and will be on the bump for us every weekend for 14 weekends."

The staff also includes talented sophomores Brantley Kilgore, Adam Liberatore, Patrick Kimmons and Michael Alcorn, along with promising freshmen Chason Choate, Jared Dobbs, Wade Bilbrey and Josh Rider.

"Kilgore, Liberatore, Choate, Dobbs, and Rider will each make major contributions this spring," said Bragga. "This is an incredibly talented group of young hurlers that will give opposing hitters fits this year and for many years to come.

"Kimmons gained valuable experience on the mound last season and just knows how to pitch," said Bragga. "Alcorn, a tremendous pitcher, continues to battle back problems and we look for him to be a contributor as the season rolls on."

After sitting out the past year, Bilbrey is now ready to toe the rubber.