Lee University announces PREVIEW-Flames Picked 2nd in GSC Poll, 3 Players Honored
From January 26, 2023 post.
CLEVELAND, Tenn.-With the first pitch to open the 2023 baseball season just 10 days away (Feb. 4), the Lee Flames have been picked to finish second behind Delta State in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Statesmen received 130 points and the Flames 127. Montevallo (122), Valdosta State (112), Alabama Huntsville (97), West Florida (96), Auburn Montgomery (83), Shorter (80), West Georgia (56) Mississippi College (46), West Alabama (40) Union (33) and Christian Brothers (12).
Three Flames were named to the Coaches' Preseason All-GSC Team. Redshirt sophomore Sam Fulton was All-GSC Second Team after helping pitch Lee to the conference tournament championship last spring. He is joined by sophomore hurler Jack Nedrow, who was last year's GSC Freshman of the Year and junior outfielder Dylan Standifer, who was selected Second Team GSC in 2022. Each team took time to submit a Newcomer Watchlist for the 2023 season and Lee's Josiah Miller, a redshirt sophomore third baseman from Coastal Alabama Community College, Noah Hattier, a redshirt sophomore shortstop from Tennessee Tech, and David White, a sophomore right-handed pitcher from Georgia State were singled out.
Nedrow was also honored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and was named to the All-South Region Preseason Team. The Flames were picked third in the NCBWA South Region preseason poll as well.
Lee head coach Mark Brew took time to present an overview of his 2023 team. The Flames will be looking to replace six players who played key roles in the late-season's surge of the Flames. Shortstop Thomas Zazzaro was the MVP of the GSC Tournament, third baseman Justen Freeman, outfielder Joshua Perez and right-handed pitcher Miguel Alba were named GSC All-Tournament. First baseman Jared Demkowicz led the team in home runs, and right-handed pitcher Alan Carter was the team closer.
Top returners - While Coach Brew and his staff lost several key players from the 2022 unit a number of solid veterans are back and ready to lead.
Position players - A pair of outfielders will be counted on to start for a third season. Standifer hit .356, with 7 home runs and 59 RBI, while Brandon Daniels batted .335, 5 homers and 27 RBI. A couple of big guys will be counted on to swing the bats again. First baseman Cam Suto came out smoking as a freshman and produced a .307 batting average with 8 home runs and 29 RBI. First baseman/DH Matthew Batts finished strong at .305, with 5 dingers and 24 RBI. Speedster Nate Bynum returns to the outfield, and he batted .304. The Flames welcomed Isaac Quinones to the club last season, and he stepped in and played a key role, handling the everyday catching duties and also blasting 8 home runs and knocking in 33 runs. Riley Black was a starter in 2021 but was red-shirted in 2022 due to an injury. He is fully recovered from arm surgery.
Pitchers
The Flames got a huge lift from a pair of freshmen last season. Nedrow was named the GSC Freshman of the Year. He stepped in and posted a 9-4 record with a 4.04 ERA. In over 89 innings pitched, he fanned 71 hitters. Big Sam Fulton, standing 6-foot-10, was a main force in Lee's drive to their first GSC Tournament Championship. He finished the year with a 7-3 won-loss record, 3.39 ERA. In 74.1 innings pitched, he had 54 strikeouts, and was selected All-GSC Second Team. Hunter Lane had three saves last season, Cameron Land worked 74 innings with a 4-3 mark and 47 strikeouts. Cole Matthaidess, Tim Gooden, and Greyson Linderman also return and will seek their share of mound time.
Welcoming eight new Flames:
The Lee coaching staff has added four position players and four pitchers to the 2023 lineup. Josiah Miller is a third baseman who played at Coastal Alabama Junior College. Noah Hattier is a shortstop and transferred from Tennessee Tech. Malachi Cloud is an outfielder who played his high school ball at Lakeside High, Georgia. Luke Collier is a middle infielder from Asheville Christian Academy, North Carolina. Right-handed pitcher Frankie Volkers is a transfer from Eastern Michigan and left-handed pitcher Keegan Gagliardo transferred from Illinois State. Right-handed pitcher David White is a transfer from Georgia State and left-handed pitcher Colt McKibben comes from Cartersville High, Georgia.
Coach Brew said his team returns several guys in the line-up and on the mound. "Our team speed will be the best it has been in a long time and our depth on the mound has improved over last year" he noted. "We have some guys rebounding from injuries, and if they get back to 100%, they will be a big part of what we will do this year."
Coach Brew breaks down team by positions:
Pitchers – "We return three of four of our top-inning arms in Nedrow, Fulton, and Land. They will all continue to be big contributors to our pitching staff. Transfers Volker and Gagliardo will provide us with some more options in either a starting or relief role. Linderman has had a great fall and Lane provided big innings last year when healthy. Matthaidess and Jax Howard have had very consistent falls and look to be a bigger part of the pitching staff. Seth Coffelt and Sean Casteel give us qualify left-handed options. Brycen Jewell has overcome some injuries and has wipe-out stuff and Gooden can be electric in moments and looks to have a more consistent spring. Freshmen Colt McKibben and Cal Goss both look to make a mark early in their career and have had some quality moments in the fall. Transfer Lucas Quezada was brought in the middle of the year and will be thrown into the fire quickly. Dave White will be utilized in short-closing-type roles to allow his fastball to continue to be a big pitch for him. Landon Maynor is battling back from an off-season injury and is making progress as we head into the spring. Basketballer Willie Walton will be added to the staff but will red shirt in 2023. Overall, we are carrying 19 pitchers in 2023 to enhance the depth that was lacking in 2022."
Catchers – "Our catching core is one of the most experienced position groups of the team. Grad student Quinones had a quality year in 2022 and is primed to improve on his numbers. Black started as a freshman in 2021 but was sidelined with an injury in 2022 and is back and healthy. His left-handed bat will be a be presence in the lineup and he may be utilized at first base also. Adam Goolsby and Riley Majano both saw action in 2022 and are veteran catchers. They can provide quality options. Redshirt freshman Brock Sisson had a very good fall at the plate and is improving as a catcher daily.
First basemen – "Suto cracked the lineup in 2022 and went on to hit eight homers. He has some big power as does his partner at first, Matthew Batts. Batts posted five homers in 2022 and is bouncing back from an injury. Both can be used as a DH also.
Middle Infielders– "We have five solid options in the middle. Hattier, a Tennessee Tech transfer, was brought in to solidify a spot vacated by long-time shortstop Zazzaro. Hattier is a very good defender and good runner. Local product Ashton Simmons has always been a slick fielding defender and has taken serious strides with the strength and bat. He can play both shortstop and second. Freshman Luke Collier had a tremendous fall and can play both middle infield positions as well. Luke Hughes has experience at second base and is primed for a big season. Redshirt freshman Gavin Baxter has improved offensively and can provide more depth at second.
Third base – "Switch-hitting transfer Josiah Miller was brought in to be a big part of the middle of the lineup. He is a solid defender. Baxter will also be looked at as an option at third and Standifer can play the position when needed.
Outfielders – "We return three starting outfielders in Standifer, Bynum, and Daniels. All three have been a big part of two consecutive GSC Championships and regional berths. They will be looked upon to lead the team and all three will serve as team leaders. JJ Williams had some moments in 2022 where he showed his ability to hit a high level, but an injury ended his season. He is primed to crack the lineup again this season. Freshman Malachi Cloud is the fastest member of the team and will have a great future in centerfield. Grant Lackey provides additional depth and much needed left-handed bat in the lineup."
Coaching staff:
Both full-time members of Brew's staff return. Jorge Saez returns for his third season as a coach and his second season as hitting coach. "He has done a great job directing the offense and our catchers continue to get better under his supervision," said Brew. Coach Andrew Elliott returns for his second season as the pitching coach. "Coach Elliott did a great job with a pitching staff that didn't have the depth we wanted in 2022. We have added some pieces so I am excited to see the progress our pitching staff will make this year," noted the Lee head coach. "Mark Scannell is in his first year as Graduate Assistant and is helping with the pitching staff. Mark is providing support in other areas of practice and games. He will also serve as the first- base coach."
Looking at schedule:
Non-conference – "We have added non-conference series this year with Hillsdale (Michigan), Frostburg State (Maryland), and Mars Hill (North Carolina). All have a great returning nucleus of players and will be good tests early for our team," pointed out Coach Brew. "We have our traditional non-conference challenges with Tusculum, Carson Newman, Lincoln Memorial, Trevecca, Young Harris and we've added a mid-week series with SIAC member Lane College this year." Top teams in GSC –"Delta State and West Florida are always traditionally two of the best in the GSC," Brew added. "However, due to an unbalanced schedule we don't play either in 2023. Montevallo returns a ton of players from a really good 2022 team and will be a big force to contend with. Valdosta State always has good players and is a force to reckon with. We have home series with Montevallo, West Georgia, Union, Shorter, and Mississippi College, and play on the road at Valdosta, Auburn Montgomery, Huntsville, Christian Brothers, and West Alabama. It will be a challenging weekly schedule in the GSC," confessed Brew.
Goals for this team – "Our team has won back-to-back conference championships and been to two consecutive regionals. It would be easy to get complacent, but our goal is to improve as a team daily and continue to find ourselves with an opportunity to be one of the top GSC and South Regional teams. It is such a great conference and region that it will be very tough, but if we can stay healthy and focused, I believe we have a chance to be in the mix in the end," the veteran coach concluded.
Original source can be found here.