# 22 Noah Bridges
Outfielder
Junior
6-2, 185 lbs
Benson, NC

In an unconventional approach, Noah Bridges, the younger brother of Zachary whose parents and grandparents all attended UNCW, primarily handled the all-important cleanup hitting duties for the Seahawks last season. And with the departure of Greg Jones and the recent injury news regarding Kep Brown, he'll be even more important for the Seahawk lineup in 2020.

Noah followed up an impressive freshman campaign in 2018, where he started 57 games, knocked in 12 runs and stole 14 bases in 198 ABs, by making huge strides in 2019 to become a bonafide star. As a sophomore, he upped his batting average from .247 to .263, more than tripled his run production with 45 RBI, increased his stolen base count to 17, flashed power with 4 HR and a .390 Slugging %, and continued to demonstrate his durability by playing in 63 games, starting 60. He's also an excellent defensive player, with a highlight reel of great defensive plays (like the one pictured above) in his first 2 seasons, along with 7 career Assists and just 6 Errors in that span.

Batting behind slower runners somewhat capped Noah's ability to steal more bases, but that shouldn't be an issue this season. Bridges is one of the fastest players to wear a Seahawk uniform in program history, rivaling the likes of speed demons John Raynor and Steven Linkous. If he can continue to improve his ability to make contact and get on base (his OBP was .324 last season), expect a sharp increase in Triples (6 for his career) and Stolen Bases in 2020. With 2 more years of eligibility ahead, Noah is a candidate to be the team's MVP for his final 2 seasons.