(11-22-2019 03:15 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  Less than 84 days until opening day for UNCW Baseball.

Can't come soon enough!!!!!!

57 days until UNCW Baseball season begins!

As we countdown to the regular season opener, let's take a look at the roster and countdown the jersey numbers. We have 49 days left, so let's start with # 51 Tanner Wells and # 49 Will Liverpool:



# 51 Tanner Wells
Outfielder
Redshirt sophomore
6-0, 206 lbs
Goldsboro, NC

Wells, a transfer from High Point, is eligible in 2020 for the Seahawks after sitting out the 2019 season and receiving a waiver from the NCAA. In 2018, he hit .329 with 4 HR and 20 RBI for the Panthers, and was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team. He was also named Big South Rookie of the Week four times.

The # 140 prospect in the state coming out of Eastern Wayne High School, per Perfect Game, Wells was named a 2017 Atlantic Region Preseason All-American.




# 49 Will Liverpool
Right-Handed Pitcher
Redshirt sophomore
5-11, 165 lbs
McLean, VA

Liverpool, a Pitt Community College transfer, originally began his collegiate career with West Virginia. He never made an appearance for the Mountaineers, as he redshirted his freshman season. At Pitt he went 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 48 batters in 38 innings of work. He appeared 16 times and made 4 starts.

Per Perfect Game, Liverpool was the state of Virginia's 7th-ranked RHP coming out of High School, and the # 18 overall prospect in the state. He throws a low-90s fastball but projects for more velocity as he develops, and has a slider as his secondary pitch.

(12-26-2019 04:38 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  As we countdown to the regular season opener, let's take a look at the roster and countdown the jersey numbers. We have 49 days left, so let's start with # 51 Tanner Wells and # 49 Will Liverpool:



# 51 Tanner Wells
Outfielder
Redshirt sophomore
6-0, 206 lbs
Goldsboro, NC

Wells, a transfer from High Point, is eligible in 2020 for the Seahawks after sitting out the 2019 season and receiving a waiver from the NCAA. In 2018, he hit .329 with 4 HR and 20 RBI for the Panthers, and was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team. He was also named Big South Rookie of the Week four times.

The # 140 prospect in the state coming out of Eastern Wayne High School, per Perfect Game, Wells was named a 2017 Atlantic Region Preseason All-American.




# 49 Will Liverpool
Right-Handed Pitcher
Redshirt sophomore
5-11, 165 lbs
McLean, VA

Liverpool, a Pitt Community College transfer, originally began his collegiate career with West Virginia. He never made an appearance for the Mountaineers, as he redshirted his freshman season. At Pitt he went 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 48 batters in 38 innings of work. He appeared 16 times and made 4 starts.

Per Perfect Game, Liverpool was the state of Virginia's 7th-ranked RHP coming out of High School, and the # 18 overall prospect in the state. He throws a low-90s fastball but projects for more velocity as he develops, and has a slider as his secondary pitch.

Low 90's already more velocity as he develops, that's very exciting!

Good thread. Glad we’re close to the season!


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Down to 48 days. Let's take a look at # 48 Branden Kunz:



# 48 Branden Kunz
Right-Handed Pitcher
Redshirt sophomore
6-0, 174 lbs
Wake Forest, NC

Another Pitt Community College transfer, Kunz, primarily a middle relief pitcher, made 14 appearances and struck out 23 batters in 18.1 innings of work in his lone season. Back in October, 2018, Pitt faced ECU in a 9-0 exhibition loss. Branden tossed 1 inning and struck out 2. Branden originally committed to Charlotte prior to his move to Pitt CC but redshirted with the 49ers.

Branden's older brother, Justin, is a Catcher who played at Gardner-Webb and is now in the Angels organization after being drafted in the 33rd round this past June.

According to Perfect Game, Kunz was the # 35 RHP in the state coming out of High School in 2017, and was also a Preseason All-American out of the Atlantic Region. His fastball velocity was 87 MPH as of July 2016 but is likely higher now. Kunz also made the Rawlings 2017 NC Prospect List.

Next up on our countdown is # 45, Rian Haire:


# 45 Rian Haire
Left-Handed Pitcher
Redshirt junior
6-4, 214 lbs
Hudson, NC

Haire came to UNCW from NJCAA's St. Johns River State College, a program that has produced current Major Leaguer Howie Kendrick, former Major Leaguers Bill Swaggerty and Rick Surhoff, and former D-I coach Pat McMahon. In 2018, Haire posted a 3-0 record over 10 appearances for St Johns River, which included 4 starts. He struck out 20 and posted a 3.79 ERA.

For UNCW last season, Haire made 7 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.86 ERA with 3 Ks in 4.2 innings. The big lefty should have a much bigger role out of the pen in 2020, as he's (unofficially) taken some major strides since last season. He's also the most veteran lefty reliever for Coach Hood, with only redshirt sophomore Kevin Mintz and three freshmen representing the other lefty options.

Next up on our countdown, # 44 Zarion Sharpe:


# 44 Zarion Sharpe
Left-Handed Pitcher
Redshirt junior
6-5, 207 lbs
Greenville, NC

Despite being selected in the 19th round by the Cardinals in June, Sharpe elected to return to the Seahawks for his redshirt junior campaign. It was a huge boon for the Seahawks, as they were thus able to retain all 4 of their top starting pitchers from the '19 season.

Sharpe has always been a great story for the Hawks. An unheralded pitcher coming out of Oakwood High School, Sharpe posted a 9-1 record and 0.33 ERA his Senior year, but since he was pitching for a small program, he was only ranked the #361 pitching prospect in the state. 3 years later, he was being taken as the 575th overall pick in the MLB draft.

Last season for UNCW, Sharpe returned later in the season coming off a 2018 injury, not making his first appearance until March 22nd. However, he still posted very good numbers, going 3-3 with a 4.21 ERA, 1 Save and 61 K's in 57.2 Innings of work.

Zarion can reasonably be expected to slot in as the Saturday starter in 2020 behind Luke Gesell, and has an excellent chance to improve his draft stock with a great season. And since he still has 2 years of eligibility remaining, he’ll still be negotiating from a position of strength with MLB teams looking to draft and sign him. Meanwhile, he should also be able to finish his degree. Very much a win-win scenario for all parties.

Today, we look at # 43 Kip Brandenburg:



# 43 Kip Brandenburg
Outfielder
Redshirt junior
6-5, 213 lbs
Greensboro, NC

Brandenburg sat out the 2019 season following his transfer from UNC, where he appeared in 18 games, starting 5 for the Tarheels in 2018. He hit .296 with a pair of doubles and 9 RBI. Prior to his stint with UNC, Brandenburg played in '17 with Spartanburg Methodist, a program that has yielded quite a few Seahawks over the years. Brandenburg hit .337 with 11 HR 44 RBI in his freshman campaign.

Over the Summer, Kip received a lot of playing time in the Coastal Plain League. Playing for the Highpoint-Thomasville HiToms, Brandenburg led the team in Games (36), At-bats (120) and HR's (9). However, aside from his display of durability and power, he struggled in all other aspects at the plate, batting just .192 with 45 K's at the plate. He was also 2nd on the team in Errors, with 7.

With a crowded outfield (Bridges, Brown, Liles, Thorburn) in 2020, it seems unlikely that Brandenburg will find a starting spot in the field for the team this season, at least initially. But he could prove to be an important reserve player and/or DH for his final 2 years of eligibility.

Next, # 41 Troy Langmeyer:



# 41 Troy Langmeyer
Left-handed Pitcher
Redshirt freshman
5-11, 170 lbs
Greensboro, NC

Langmeyer redshirted in 2019 for the Seahawks and now looks to begin his career as a lefty option for the team. At Caldwell Academy as a Senior in 2018, Langmeyer went 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA while striking out 49 batters in 20 innings of work.

Per Perfect Game, Langmeyer was the # 6 left-handed pitcher in the state in 2018, and the # 37 prospect in the state overall. His fastball was clocked at 89 MPH, putting him in the 98th percentile among his fellow '18 prospects.

Troy's parents and sister all attended UNCW. His father, Tim, played baseball and soccer for the Seahawks from 1984-88. Tim ranks 5th all-time on the UNCW Stolen Bases list.

Today, we look at # 40 Gage Herring:



# 40 Gage Herring
Right-handed Pitcher
Junior
6-4, 193 lbs
Newton Grove, NC

Gage was one of four pitchers to make 10+ starts for the Seahawks in 2019, and projects to be in the mix for midweek starting duties in 2020 as well. Herring was 5th on the team in strikeouts (45), 6th in innings (37.1) and did a great job of keeping the ball in the park, allowing just 1 HR.

However, after a freshman campaign where he made 10 starts and posted a 2.68 ERA and .207 BAA, earning All-Rookie honors in the process, Herring's numbers ballooned to a 5.30 ERA and .245 BAA last season, and his WHIP was 1.78, one of the worst on the staff. Thus, it's uncertain which version we'll see in 2020.

Our daily player is # 39 Cole Benton:



# 39 Cole Benton
Left-handed Pitcher
Freshman
6-2, 200 lbs
Cerro Gordo, NC

A true freshman and local product, Cole comes to the Seahawks with a strong pedigree. His older brother, Trey, was picked by the Indians in the 15th round out of ECU this past Summer, and his twin brother, Cody, is a freshman at ECU. In his final season at West Columbus HS, Cole went 6-1 with a 0.36 ERA, striking out 71 in 48 innings.

Per Perfect Game, Cole was the # 12 lefty in the state in the Class of 2019. Armed with an 85 MPH fastball, he "pitches to contact...and stays off barrels" and has both a curveball and changeup in his arsenal. Given his 6-2 frame, he projects to add additional strength which should increase his velocity. As one of the few lefty arms on the roster in 2020, his development will be very interesting to watch.

# 38 Zachary Bridges
Catcher
Senior
5-11, 193 lbs
Benson, NC

One of 8 seniors on a veteran-laden 2020 squad, Bridges opened the 2019 season with starting catching duties but ended up losing his job to freshman Matt Suggs. Still, he finished with 32 games played and 19 starts on the season. Zachary batted .206 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 63 at-bats. He struggled defensively, committing 5 Errors and allowing quite a few Passed Balls over the course of the season.

Bridges' struggles both at the plate and behind the dish continued into the Summer season with the Wilmington Sharks, where he batted .188 and allowed 5 Passed Balls. However, he did display some power despite the wooden bats, blasting 5 HR and driving in 17 runs, slugging .388 in the process.

With the starting Catching being Suggs' job to lose for UNCW in '20, Bridges will open as the # 2 Catcher but could face quite a bit of competition over the course of the season from a pair of talented freshmen in Kevin Pitarra and Matt Yip. Stay tuned.

# 37 Jack Fisher
Left-handed Pitcher
Freshman
6-1, 201 lbs
Salisbury, NC

Fisher comes to the Seahawks from Salisbury High School, where the southpaw dominated his senior season to the tune of a 0.88 ERA with 72 K's over 31.6 innings of work at the 2A level. He earned All-Central Carolina Conference honors both his junior and senior seasons for the Hornets.

Per Perfect Game, Fisher was the # 21 lefty pitcher in the state amongst his 2019 classmates. His fastball was clocked at 86 MPH. PG also bestowed him Preseason All-Atlantic Region honors. Much like all talented young lefties, Fisher has a high ceiling for what he can accomplish in a Seahawk uniform, even if he has a limited role in 2020.

*** EDIT: Due to a knee injury, Kep Brown will likely miss the entire 2020 season ***



# 36 Kep Brown
Outfielder
Redshirt Senior
6-7, 226 lbs
Charleston, SC

Kep Brown, a 2015 10th round draft pick, has had a long and storied career in his years playing baseball. At one time he was a projected 1st round pick coming out of Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, SC, and committed to South Carolina as a sophomore. Kep was the # 1 Outfielder in the state and # 33 prospect in 2015.

But in his senior season he ruptured his Achilles tendon and fell from being a surefire 1st rounder to a 10th rounder. He declined to sign with the Cardinals and then landed at Miami, where he only spent a week of a Summer session before transferring to Spartanburg Methodist. He then tore a labrum in his shoulder; it was an injury that cost him the 2017 season with a medical redshirt and hindered his 2018 season, his first year with the Seahawks.

However, by the time Kep got going with the Seahawks, he demonstrated a lot of the abilities that made him such an intriguing prospect to MLB scouts throughout his High School career. He finished 2018 with a .267 average with 7 HR and 30 RBI in 172 at-bats. He improved his numbers in 2019, hitting .273 with 8 HR and 54 RBI in 245 AB's, slugging .449 in the process.

Now Kep looks to finish his collegiate career on a high note and hopefully restore some of his once tremendous draft stock. As a 23-year old, he's the most veteran player on the team, and at 6-7, 226 lbs, is also the biggest, making him in many ways a "man among boys". The Seahawks have a lot of speed in their lineup but not a whole lot of power, which Kep can provide. He will play a central role to the Seahawks' success in 2020.

I heard that he had knee injury over Christmas and would not be able to play this season

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I was told the same.

(01-07-2020 09:15 AM)tke75hawk Wrote:  I heard that he had knee injury over Christmas and would not be able to play this season

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Assume you mean Brown? That's no bueno!

Being a redshirt senior, I feel really bad for Kep. The good thing for the team is we are apparently loaded with outfielders. Don't know if we can replace his power. Maybe Tanner Wells can do that.

That's a shame about Kep. It's been a rough go for him for the last 5 years.