By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Every new season in college baseball, head coaches and programs must deal with the loss of players. The cyclical nature of the sport forces new faces and talents into the lineup on a regular basis. This season, Kennesaw State will be the poster program for new faces.
The Owls and head coach Mike Sansing will have to deal with the loss of eight players to the Major League Baseball Draft who could have played on this year's squad. Six Kennesaw State players were selected in the draft last year and four other players who had committed to come to KSU were also drafted.
“That shows that Kennesaw State attracts great players,” said Sansing. “Not only does it show future recruits that KSU is at an elite level, but it also shows that we develop major league talent as evident by the fact that all six players drafted last year were not previously drafted.”
Despite it all, KSU's head coach has not let any obstacles defer the teams goal for this season; reaching the NCAA regionals.
“Our expectations are to make it to a regional,” proclaimed Sansing. “Either we win more than 40 games and make people take notice or we make it to the A-Sun Championships, win that tournament and advance that way. That’s our goal. How we get there is TBA.”
The good news for the program is the stature of the Owls and the ever-increasing reputation the program has throughout the baseball world. One of the tough challenges for Sansing and the Owls this season is the fact that they must deal with the loss of their three weekend starters, their closer and their top five hitters from a year ago.
“We’ve had a lot things to work on this fall and there are many new faces here,” smiled Sansing as he spoke of the 2010 Owls. “We have a nice blend of veterans and newcomers who are talented, but unproven at this level. We are confident that they can mature quickly and put it all together at this level.”
Chad Jenkins (1st Rd. - Toronto Blue Jays), Kyle Heckathorn (1st Rd. - Milwaukee Brewers) and Justin Edwards (28th Rd. - St. Louis Cardinals) all had a year of eligibility left when they selected in last June's draft. The Owls also lost closer Kenny Faulk, who was a senior last season and drafted in the 16th round by the Detroit Tigers. The four combined for a 24-10 record and 75 percent of the teams saves.
The youthful, but talent-laden Owls will have a strong group of hurlers competing for the three weekend spots. Senior
Brad Long, junior
Ryan Rodebaugh, junior transfer
Bryan Blough, sophomore
Sean Fream and sophomore
Zak Griffith will all have the chance earn a weekend starting spot as the Owls have three weeks of non-conference games before the A-Sun season opens at Campbell on March 19.
“There is a lot of talent on out pitching staff,” added Sansing. “The staff is just youthful and needs to get more experience at this level. They have a lot to prove and now they'll have the chance to get the innings they need.”
Rodebaugh (1-1, 4.10 in 2009) returns as the most experienced pitcher from last season. The right-hander threw over 48 innings with six starts and two saves. Overpowering at times, Rodebaugh had 61 strikeouts and held opponents to a .251 batting average in dual roles throughout the year.
“Ryan is a talent with a great array of pitches,” said Sansing. “He filled a lot of roles for us last season, starting, middle relief and closed at times. Now, he is going to be a starter and we believe that he has embraced that role and will pitch effectively again this year.”
Fream, Griffith and Long all pitched last season, combining for 70 innings, but will benefit from the opportunity to throw more this season. Fream was a mid-week pitcher last year and struggled to get the innings he needed, getting 15 innings in 11 games. Griffith made eight appearances with one start while Long posted a 3-3 mark in 18 games and two starts.
Seniors
Micah Sales and
Kyle Clayton will anchor the bullpen as middle relievers and spot starters. Sales is coming off a redshirt season while Clayton, who made seven appearances, pitched mostly in middle relief last season.
“Both Kyle and Micah will help us out of the bullpen in middle relief and will spot start,” added Sansing. “The experience and maturity they both have will help us greatly.”
The closer seems to have been identified in junior college transfer #J.B. Johnson#. The 6-foor-2-inch right-hander from Chipola College in Florida started and pitched in relief in college before settling into the closer role at Chipola were was selected Panhandle Conference Fireman of the Year.
“We need someone strong, athletic and with a solid emotional energy in this role and we found that in J.B.,” commented Sansing. “He fields the position very well, he is fiery and focused and we feel like he will excel as a closer.”
In addition to revamping the pitching staff, Sansing also had the task of rebuilding a lineup that hit .307 last season, but lost its top six hitters as well as the home run and RBI leader.
“We have a lot of good, talented players that had a hard time breaking into the lineup last season,” added Sansing. “This year we are able to see what they can do on a regular basis when they get the at-bats they need.”
Tyler Stubblefield, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves last season but chose to come back for his senior season, leads the Owls and anchors the infield at shortstop. Stubblefield, the only full-time starter returning from last season, hit .300 last season with a team-high 20 doubles in 51 starts.
“Stubby is a good, physical player,” mentioned Sansing. “One of our seniors, he has a lot of energy and provides not only good power, but excellent speed. He's got good range and a strong arm and will sure up our infield.”
Youth rounds out the infield for the Owls.
Ross Tendler, who played in just 17 games last season, is the favorite to be the everyday first baseman.
Sean McClurken, a transfer from Edmonds Community College, will be the starting second baseman. The Seattle, Wash., native hit .414 last season while earning first team all-conference honors as well being named conference Gold Glove at second base.
Peyton Hart, a redshirt freshman, will begin the season at third base. Hart sat out last season after a strong career at Franklin County High School. Chris Wages, a freshman from Providence Christian High School, has made a name for himself as a walk-on. Wages pushed for a spot at both second and third base and will see time at both positions.
Trey Malone will see time at shortstop and second base.
In the outfield, the Owls have the most experience with all three positions filled by returnees.
Clint Roques (.327- 5-19) and
Josh Whitaker (.379-4-25) will play left and right field respectively and speedy
Jordan Craft, who played in 29 games, will start the season in center field.
Bucky Smith, who hit .279 with five home runs, will also see time in center.
“Our outfield not only has veterans returning, but we also have depth,” Sansing added. “Our youngsters,
Ray Anderson,
Joe Gorley and
Casey Mannion, are all talented, solid players.”
Behind the plate, the Owls are led by junior
Drew Fowlkes. Last season, Fowlkes played behind
Jace Whitmer, who was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the June draft. The Carrollton, Ga. native hit .267 in 19 games and did not commit an error.
Ronnie Freeman will split time behind the plate and as designated hitter while
Brandon Brown will also spend time behind the plate.
“We have a lot of young players,” said Sansing. “We believe they can play. This is good group and we will have to be patient with them, but when it’s all said and done this team will get better daily.”
The Black and Gold open up the season with a three-game, weekend series against Liberty. Opening Day is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19 at Stillwell Stadium. The series concludes with 1:00 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday.
