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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
The Seahawks, picked by CAA Coaches to win the regular season title in 2018, open it's slate by hosting the Hughes Bros. Challenge. Eastern Kentucky will be the opponent at 4 PM on Friday, Feb 16, followed by Butler at 2 PM on Saturday and Lehigh at 2 PM on Sunday.

A pair of juniors, RHP Alex Royalty and C Ryan Jeffers, are the headliners for the 2018 Seahawk squad. Both were picked to the preseason CAAl All-Conference team, and Royalty was named to the Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American team. Royalty posted a 9-2 record and 3.20 ERA last season, and led the CAA with 106 strikeouts. He will be the Friday starter all season, and the opening day starter against Eastern Kentucky. Jeffers, meanwhile, batted .328 with 10 HR and 32 RBI last season, while also scoring 44 runs.

Other key players for the '18 squad include the following:

* SS Greg Jones (freshman): A 17th round pick out of High School, Jones was ranked 133rd nationally and 6th in North Carolina among prospects by Perfect Game. He hit .469 as a junior and .429 as a senior at Cary High School, and is expected to be the fastest athlete UNCW has ever had, besting even Steven Linkous.

* RHP Austin Easter (senior): Made 28 appearances as a junior, leading the team in the category. He also had the most strikeouts out of the bullpen, with 48.

* RHP/OF Clark Cota (junior): Recorded 4 saves and held opposing batters to just .156 batting as a sophomore. Cota also went 9-33 at the plate (.273) with 3 HR.

* LHP Zarion Sharpe (sophomore): The walk-on southpaw had a tremendous freshman campaign, winning 6 games en route to reaching the CAA All-Rookie team.

* RHP Breydan Gorham (r-sophomore): Gorham is a transfer from Appalachian State who led the staff with a 4.21 ERA. Over the summer, he went 6-2 with 3.14 ERA with the Wilmington Sharks, also striking out 51 batters in 57.1 innings.

* OF Kep Brown (r-sophomore): The highly recruited outfielder out of High School, who was expected to be a 1st round pick until injuries temporarily derailed his plans, Brown batted .279 with 11 HR and 35 RBI for the successful Spartanburg Methodist program that also produced Zack Shields and Kennard McDowell.
02-15-2018 10:04 AM
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tke75hawk Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
I am ready for the season to start and will be in the tailgate lot 2 hours before the games this weekend

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02-15-2018 10:10 AM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
A preview of our Hughes Bros. opponents. Butler appears to be the toughest of the 3 squads:


[Image: Eastern-Kentucky.gif]
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
2017 Record: 24-32
2017 OVC Record: 10-20 (11th)

Picked to finish last in the Ohio Valley Conference for a 2nd straight season, the Colonels also have no players/pitchers selected to the preseason All-Conference team. Senior LHP Jack Piekos (3-5, 5.92 ERA) projects to get the start for EKU on Friday, after earning 11 starts last season and striking out 62 batters in 59.1 innings. Junior slugger Alex Holderbach returns as the top hitter after batting .355 with 11 HR and 49 RBI last season, 2nd on the team in the latter two categories.


[Image: Butler.gif]
Butler Bulldogs
2017 Record: 31-20
2017 Big East Record: 7-10 (5th)

Butler was picked by the Big East coaches to finish 5th in 2018, the same position they held in 2017. Senior RHP Garrett Christman and senior OF Tyler Houston both made the All-Conference team, with Houston being tabbed as Preseason Co-Player of the Year with St. Johns' Anthony Brocato. Christman went 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 7 starts last season, striking out 54 and walking just 12 in 55.1 innings. Houston, meanwhile, batting .287 and slugged .550, with 12 HR, 38 RBI and 18 Stolen Bases.


[Image: Lehigh.gif]
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
2017 Record: 21-29
2017 Patriot League Record: 8-12 (5th)

The Patriot League coaches project a slightly better result for the Mountain Hawks in 2018, picking them to finish 4th this season. No Lehigh players made the preseason All-Conference team, though junior RHP Levi Stoudt made the team as a sophomore. Stoudt went 4-5 with a 2.34 ERA and tossed 61.2 innings last season. Senior INF Chris Kersey batted leadoff for Lehigh in '17 and hit .315 with 4 HR and 21 RBI.
(This post was last modified: 02-15-2018 10:32 AM by Seahawk Nation 08.)
02-15-2018 10:30 AM
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Seahawkhoops Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
Sounds like Brown could be a steal for us. Is he fully recovered from the injuries that set him back?
02-15-2018 10:35 AM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-15-2018 10:35 AM)Seahawkhoops Wrote:  Sounds like Brown could be a steal for us. Is he fully recovered from the injuries that set him back?

Not sure, but I have full confidence in our Strength and Conditioning coach, who we hired away from Ole Miss. Reports suggest this team is bigger and stronger than any of Scalf's previous squads, and he's the biggest reason why. The results will show up on the field immediately.
02-15-2018 12:34 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
In a sense, Ben Fleming was the Baseball program's best offseason recruit.
02-15-2018 12:54 PM
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B_Hawk06 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
Faster than Linkous?

Jones must have lightning in his blood. That should be fun to watch!
02-15-2018 01:03 PM
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SEA33HAWK Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
The whole team looked slower last year without Linkous. Good to see we the speed back up.
02-15-2018 01:34 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-15-2018 01:34 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  The whole team looked slower last year without Linkous. Good to see we the speed back up.

A big part of that was just not getting on base. Our team OBP dropped from .398 in 2016 down to .355 in 2017.

Thorburn, who had a .427 OBP and stole 20 bases in 2016, got on base only at a .385 clip and stole just 12 bases in 2017.

I'm not sure what our overall team speed will be this year. Freshman Noah Liles stole 48 stolen in his prep career. And Noah Bridges ran track in addition to playing baseball, soccer, and swimming. If either of them find their way into the everyday lineup, they should be threats on the basepaths.
(This post was last modified: 02-15-2018 01:54 PM by Seahawk Nation 08.)
02-15-2018 01:54 PM
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Seahawkhoops Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
for those that follow it closely, 08, TKE, 33...... Would you say our Arms are deeper this year than many of the past few years? Seems like that's been a factor in getting us to the next level(not having the depth), but maybe this year we have enough solid arms?
02-15-2018 02:29 PM
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B_Hawk06 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-15-2018 02:29 PM)Seahawkhoops Wrote:  for those that follow it closely, 08, TKE, 33...... Would you say our Arms are deeper this year than many of the past few years? Seems like that's been a factor in getting us to the next level(not having the depth), but maybe this year we have enough solid arms?

There was an article posted recently on fb I think about that exact topic. I can't remember if it was Star News (Alex), or if it was a university piece but it was highlighting the fact that the pitching staff is fully loaded this year.
02-15-2018 02:38 PM
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tke75hawk Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
The pitching staff is good as long as no one gets hurt.i am waiting to see how good the hitting and fielding is for this team lots of new players

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02-15-2018 03:02 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-15-2018 02:29 PM)Seahawkhoops Wrote:  for those that follow it closely, 08, TKE, 33...... Would you say our Arms are deeper this year than many of the past few years? Seems like that's been a factor in getting us to the next level(not having the depth), but maybe this year we have enough solid arms?

(02-15-2018 02:38 PM)CG_Hawk06 Wrote:  There was an article posted recently on fb I think about that exact topic. I can't remember if it was Star News (Alex), or if it was a university piece but it was highlighting the fact that the pitching staff is fully loaded this year.


I hesitate to agree with that, because I know there has been years past where I thought we had plenty of pitching, and we ended up getting carried by the offense.

But from a talent perspective...yes, our pitching appears to be very strong this season.

You start with Alex Royalty, and we know what we're getting there. 106/25 K/BB ratio last year and locked in as our Friday guy.

Zarion Sharpe and Logan Beehler were our Saturday and Sunday guys. While Sharpe and Beehler get the first cracks at the weekend rotation, Beehler struggled last season (5.22 ERA) and his spot is anything but safe. Supposedly he's much improved, however.

Gorham, who I mentioned in the first post, would ideally be the first to get a midweek shot.

Righty Nick Bruno is interesting, coming off a redshirt season due to Tommy John surgery. He's a big kid (6-3, 225 lbs) who played football and baseball. I love those types of performers. He had a 1.04 ERA in 54 innings his Senior season at Charlotte Catholic.

We've also got 4 JUCO's: Lefty from Catawba CC, Andrew Tilghman; SCF Manatee product Henry Ryan; Pitt CC's Blake Morgan and Justin Walke. And of course a full freshman class. Not sure where all those guys will fit in.

Out of the pen, Cota, Easter, and Warren should lock down the late-inning duties, at least early on in the season. The middle relief should have a bevy of options, since not all of the guys I listed earlier can be starters.

Total it all up and I see 24 pitchers listed on our roster. Among that crop of talented arms, we should be able to find a group of guys we're comfortable with.
(This post was last modified: 02-15-2018 03:07 PM by Seahawk Nation 08.)
02-15-2018 03:03 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
http://uncwsports.com/news/2018/2/13/bas...lenge.aspx


[Image: Brooks_Field_opening_day.png?width=1416&...;mode=crop]

Baseball Preview: Hughes Bros. Challenge

The Seahawks open with games against EKU, Butler and Lehigh beginning on Friday


WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNCW takes the field for the 2018 season this Friday when Mark Scalf begins his 27th season as head coach of the Seahawks with the opening day of the Hughes Bros. Challenge with Eastern Kentucky, Butler and Lehigh.

The Seahawks open the weekend with a 4 p.m. start against Eastern Kentucky followed by 2 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday against Butler and Lehigh, respectively.

All three UNCW games will be streamed on the Seahawk Digital Network and all tournament games will have live stats. Live stats can be found at UNCWstats.com.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:

* The Seahawks welcome 17 newcomers this season

* UNCW has won its last nine season openers, including a 12-8 win over George Mason last season

* All three weekend starters return this season, including CAA Pitcher-of-the-Year junior rigthhander Alex Royalty … Sophomore Zarion Sharpe and junior Logan Beehler round out the rotation

* The Seahawks own a record of 8-1 all-time against EKU and are 2-2 versus Lehigh...Saturday's game with Butler will be the first meeting between the two programs

* UNCW was picked to win the CAA by the league's coaches
(This post was last modified: 02-15-2018 03:07 PM by Seahawk Nation 08.)
02-15-2018 03:06 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
Finally getting a chance to listen to Scalf's Media Day interview now. In trying to read between the lines, these are my thoughts:

* We only have 2 returning starters on offense (Jeffers and Berne). Obviously, both are expected to be every day starters. Scalf's lineup is pretty much up in the air, and several platooning options exist in order to take advantage of righty/lefty matchups.

* Levi Gesell and Zack Canada sound like our top options at 3B. Cole Weiss is in that mix too, though he can also back up at SS and 2B.

* Greg Jones and Doug Angeli very well could be our starting duo at SS/2B.

* Scalf is pleased with our group of outfielders. They're all basically newcomers, but we have a talented mix of experienced and young players that fit the system. He didn't mention any specific names here.

* Confirming my thoughts, the Saturday job is Sharpe's to lose. The Sunday/midweek jobs are completely up for grabs. Scalf reeled off Beehler, Gorham, Bruno, Justin Walke, and Blake Morgan in his list of options. He also indicated that any of the guys who do NOT end up becoming starters can help us in the bullpen. In the midweek this will be advantageous for us, because when you have 5-6 starting options available, any of them could come in at any point in the game to help us win a big non-conference matchup.
02-15-2018 03:24 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
Butler beat Lehigh 12-1 to open the Hughes Bros Challenge.

Royalty will indeed take the mound against EKU. Here’s our lineup:

1. Greg Jones SS
2. Noah Liles CF
3. Ryan Jeffers C
4. Kep Brown RF
5. David Sheaffer DH
6. Cole Weiss 3B
7. Mason Berne 1B
8. Zack Canada LF
9. Jackson Meadows 2B
02-16-2018 03:27 PM
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FLHawk Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
First 2 hitters are both Freshman. I don't know if I'm more excited about the future or nervous about the present state of the offense.
02-16-2018 03:34 PM
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B_Hawk06 Offline
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UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-16-2018 03:34 PM)FLHawk Wrote:  First 2 hitters are both Freshman. I don't know if I'm more excited about the future or nervous about the present state of the offense.


Scalf wouldn’t put them there if they aren’t capable. Trust the skip.


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02-16-2018 03:44 PM
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Seahawkhoops Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-16-2018 03:44 PM)CG_Hawk06 Wrote:  
(02-16-2018 03:34 PM)FLHawk Wrote:  First 2 hitters are both Freshman. I don't know if I'm more excited about the future or nervous about the present state of the offense.


Scalf wouldn’t put them there if they aren’t capable. Trust the skip.


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new comer at #4 too!
02-16-2018 03:48 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball - 2018 Thread
(02-16-2018 03:34 PM)FLHawk Wrote:  First 2 hitters are both Freshman. I don't know if I'm more excited about the future or nervous about the present state of the offense.

Jones is gonna be a beast. Don’t worry about it!
02-16-2018 03:54 PM
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