Season Preview: Cougars Look To Impress With Veteran 2018 Roster

Friday, February 16

Patriots Point

4:00 PM

College of Charleston

Southeast Missouri State

Season Preview: Cougars Look To Impress With Veteran 2018 Roster

2/15/2018 7:21:00 PM | Baseball

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The grass has been cut, the base lines have been chalked, and in just a few short hours, the College of Charleston baseball team will take the field for the first time in the 2018 season.

Despite the departures of staff ace Bailey Ober to the MLB draft and veteran backstop Ereven Roper to graduation, the Cougars are expected to field an experienced and talented team in 2018 that features 21 upperclassmen. Veteran head coach Chad Holbrook will step into the dugout for his first game at the helm on Friday, and leads one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the nation with more than 30 years of combined experience.

Pitching Staff

Junior Evan Sisk (Chester, S.C.) is coming off a solid sophomore campaign, which saw the 6-foot-2 lefty post a 5-2 record with a 3.72 earned run average and 47 strikeouts in 12 starts. He will be expected to slot in as the Cougars' Friday night starter. Sophomores Griffin McLarty (Buckner, Ky.) and Jakob Frishmuth (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) return to fill spots in the rotation, with several arms in the mix as a mid-week starter or bullpen help.

Seniors Carter Love (Charlotte, N.C.), Will Detwiler (Camden, S.C.) and Justin Baker (Huntersville, N.C.), along with junior Nathan Ocker (Middleton, Pa.) return to anchor the bullpen after combining for nearly 200 innings of work last season. Junior Clay Hunt (Fort Mill, S.C.) is expected to pitch valuable innings out of the 'pen as well, with sophomores Austin George (Mooresville, N.C.) and Christian Shiver (Monroe, Ga.) also in the mix for work in the middle to late innings.

Amongst the newcomers, junior transfer Brian Rourke (Germantown, Md.), and freshmen Jack Collins (Decatur, Ala.), Trey Fields (Kingsport, Tenn.), Zach Williams (Marietta, Ga.), and Patch Dooley (Deer Park, N.Y.) – along with senior Zach Banks (Greenville, N.C.) – are all expected to challenge for innings both in the rotation and out of the bullpen.

Infield/Catchers

The Cougars will field arguably one of best defensive infields in the Colonial Athletic Association this season, with senior Tommy Richter (Wayne, Pa.) returning to man the hot corner and juniors Luke Manzo (Marietta, Ga.) and Dupree Hart (Rock, Hill, S.C.) back to hold down short and second, respectively.

Coach Holbrook will have plenty of options at first base, with sophomore Ari Sechopoulos (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) penciled in as the opening day starter following a solid rookie season. Preseason CAA Player of the Year Logan McRae (Florence, S.C.) will be a fixture in the heart of the batting order, and will likely split time between first, left field and designated hitting.

Senior Riley Knudsen (Cabot, Ark.). figures to factor into the mix at first base as well. Hunt and freshman Aaron Adams (Lexington, S.C.) will be expected to provide depth at the hot corner behind Richter, with sophomore Luke Stageberg (Greer, S.C.) ready to step in off the bench if needed.

Behind the dish, junior Danny Wondrack (Wall, N.J.) will face stiff competition for the starting catcher spot from three experienced and talented backstops in Seth Wall (Georgetown, S.C.), Justin Henle (Fort Stewart, Ga.), and Cameron Garrett (Charleston, S.C.), as well as returning sophomore Drake Frix (Plainville, Ga.).

Outfield

The Cougar outfield will see plenty of competition for playing time, with junior transfer K.J. Bryant (Taylors, S.C.) from Clemson expected to slot into the opening day lineup in left field alongside center fielder Luke Morgan (New Lenox, Ill.) and right fielder Bradley Dixon (Greenwood, S.C.). Junior Joey Mundy (Huntington, W.Va.) is likely to spend significant time patrolling the outfield as well, while freshman Bryson Ward (Gaffney, S.C.) figures to challenge for playing time off the bench.

Weekend Preview

Charleston will open the 2018 season with a three-game set against Southeast Missouri this weekend at Patriots Point, as the teams meet for the first time on the diamond. The Redhawks won 29 games in 2017, and are picked to finish fifth in the race for the Ohio Valley Conference regular season crown. First pitch is set for 4:00 pm on Friday, with scheduled start times of 2:00 pm on Saturday and 12:00 pm on Sunday.