Baseball 2004 Season Outlook - Guilford College
- 2004 SEASON OUTLOOK
Head coach Gene Baker starts his seventh season as Guilford's baseball coach with 20 letter winners, including seven starters, back from last year's 27-14 club that reached the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament for the second straight season. Despite the graduation of some of the top offensive players in school history, Baker believes the Quakers can compete for another trip to the tournament where the winner earns the ODAC's bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Guilford said goodbye to five senior hitters and the club's top starter from a year ago. Three-time all-conference outfielder Brad Franklin '03 left with at least three school records and ranked third on the school's career hitting list with a .361 average. Classmate Luke Kempton '03, another All-ODAC player, left with the school's career hits standard and was a four-year starter at first base. Andrew Duffy '03 received All-South and All-ODAC commendation after batting .356 with 30 RBI and five homers as the Quakers' third baseman last season. The departure of four-year starting shortstop Zach Morgan '03 and two-time All-ODAC designated hitter R.J. Marks '03 created two more voids in Guilford's batting order. Senior Mike Goettler '03 won a team-high eight games last season and held the opposition to a .229 batting average.
With the many holes in the lineup, Baker looks to returning all-region players like senior outfielder A.J. McCauley and sophomore second baseman Brian Slate to maintain their 2003 production and set the tone for many newcomers. Veterans Jeff Roberts and Josh Miller started at catcher and left field, respectively, last season. The graduation of last year's senior hitters gives power hitters like Rob Bittner and Chuck Overman more opportunities to contribute. Bittner, a left-handed hitting first baseman, and Overman, a junior outfielder, combined for eight homers and 31 RBI last season as reserve players. Freshman Mike Chelenza showed good hitting skills in the fall and could find a spot in the infield. The third base job is up for grabs between rookie Travis Clodfelter and Montreat College transfer Seth Barwick, both of whom showed good bats and solid defensive skills in the fall. Sophomore Jake Lubel is the heir apparent to Morgan at shortstop. Classmates Jeff Arzonico and Nathan Gavin contributed as reserve outfielders in 2003.
Guilford has traditionally been a top offensive team regardless of the lineup, so the biggest question hangs in the pitching where the Quakers will look for starters and middle relievers to build around returning starter Dave Shaffer and closer Michael Idol. Senior Ciahnan Miller and sophomore Andrew Jackson have been effective third or fourth starters in the past. Rookies Oliver Beale, Logan Collier and Dave Whigham will also audition for starting assignments. Sophomore southpaw Matt Spoerlein went 3-1 with a 4.18 earned run average in 19 relief appearances and is the top returning middle reliever. Junior Adam Comstock, a left-hander who spent his first two seasons as a reserve infielder, and junior submariner Eric Flournoy should log some innings out of the bullpen.
The league's head coaches tabbed the Quakers third in their preseason poll, behind perennial powers Virginia Wesleyan and Bridgewater. Lynchburg and Washington and Lee will also prove tough tests in the conference and the Quakers will have to earn their way into the six-team ODAC Tournament. The tournament returns to Lynchburg, VA, where it will be played at City Stadium after stops in Salem, VA, and Winston-Salem, NC. If the Quakers' pitchers gel and their bats remain true to form, expect Guilford to again stand among the top teams in the ODAC and contend for the league championship.