MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn Montgomery baseball team will officially begin their 2019 season with a three-game home series against Talladega College that kicks off on Friday, Feb 1. with a single game at 3:00 p.m., and concludes with a double-header on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 1:00 p.m.
Series Information:vs. Talladega College (28-24 in 2018)
Dates: Friday, Feb. 1 | Saturday, Feb. 2
Times: 3:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. (Double Header)
Location: Montgomery, Ala. | AUM Baseball Complex
Media Coverage: Live Stats |
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TEAM OVERVIEW
Returners: 22
Newcomers: 16
Seniors: 16
Juniors: 17
Sophomores:2
Freshmen:5
The Warhawks enter the third and final year of their transitional period into full-time NCAA Division II membership with the Gulf South Conference coming off a 2018 season that saw them post a record of 20-30 overall, and a mark of 9-21 in GSC play. The Orange and Black were picked to finish 11th in the GSC Preseason Release, with
Dalton Cobb and
Troy Jones garnering Top Newcomer Honors.
AT THE PLATE
The Warhawks will return a pair of .300 hitters in outfielder
Matthew Zielonko (.312), who also boasted a team-high .475 on-base percentage in 2018, and utility man
Hayden Friesen (.303). Shortstop
Jonathan Brandt returns as the team's top base-hit and RBI contributor in 2018, with 42 knocks and 22 runs driven in last season.
"We're excited about this group of guys on offense," Head Coach
Marty Lovrich said. "We feel like our offense will be much improved from last season. We've got several guys still fighting for spots, and we're going to give them all several opportunities.
Newcomers
Corey Armstrong and Cobb will look to add some pop to the middle of the Warhawk lineup, while speedy outfielder
Quinterrious Arrington will look to provide stability at the top of the order, and serve as a spark for AUM on the base paths. Junior transfers
Grayson Blackwell,
Casey Henderson,
Sage Smelley and
Jolan Stieringer will look to push for considerable playing time, while incoming freshman
Zach Feaster will provide depth at the catching position.
"The plan is to try to solidify 12 or 13 guys before our first conference series against West Alabama on Feb. 15," Lovrich said. "I think that we'll have some guys that can run on both ends of the lineup, and guys with some pop in the middle. We're also gong to be much more solid at the back end, with our six, seven, eight and nine hitters. "
ONE THE MOUND
The Warhawks return two of the team's top relievers from 2018 in
Brett Lightsey and
Sam Steigert, who made a team-high 20 appearances for AUM on the mound last season. AUM will also see redshirt senior
Connor Smith return to the staff, who saw considerable time as both a starter and reliever in 42.2 innings of work in 2018.
"We're going to approach pitching this season with the mindset of chasing outs," Lovrich said. "Guys are going to have to accept some roles this year, and establishing those roles are going to be what these first few weekends will be for. We've got a good variety of guys from both sides and different arm angles that will allow us to give our opponents multiple different looks over the course of a series. "
The Warhawks's Preseason Top Newcomer in Jones will look to bolster the weekend rotation, with new additions
Ross Carpenter,
Keegan Fairley,
Micah Henderson,
Blake Sheffer and
Will Sheffield all aspiring to add depth to AUM staff.
THE SCHEDULE
The Warhawks 2019 slate features 50 contests, with 25 home games and 30 Gulf-South Conference matchups. Notable non-conference opponents in 2019 include NAIA-foe Point University, Peach-Belt-Conference opponents Georgia Southwestern State, Flagler College and North Georgia, Embry Riddle, Northwood University and SIAC Schools Miles College, Tuskegee and Albany State.
"Playing in the Gulf South Conference is going to be challenging for sure," Lovrich said. "We're excited about opening up with Talladega though, as well as the rest of our early nonconference schedule. Talladega has given us all we could handle the last few times that we've played them, and Miles and Point are going to be a test for us. Our overall goal is just going to be to try to play the best that we can each time we take the field, regardless of who we are playing. "
The Warhawks will take part in a four-day slate of games in eastern Florida over Spring Break, beginning with a 5:00 p.m. contest at Flagler College on March 13, a single-game matchup against Embry-Riddle on March 14 and 16 and a neutral-site contest against Northwood University wedged in-between Embry-Riddle games on March 15.
AUM will open GSC play with a three-game series at West Alabama, beginning on Friday, Feb. 15. Noteworthy home Gulf-South series include the Warhawk's home GSC opener against West Florida on Feb. 22-23, defending GSC-champs Mississippi College on March 22-23 and Lee University to wrap up the season on April 26-27.
The Warhawks will play the third and final game of their Gulf South Conference series with in-state rival the University of Montevallo on Sunday, March 3 from Riverwalk Stadium in downtown Montgomery, with games one and two being played from the AUM Baseball Complex on Saturday, March 2.
ABOUT THE TORNADOES
Talladga College posted a record of 28-24 in 2018, a season that was highlighted by the school's first ever Association of Independent Institutions Championship, which earned them a spot in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament in Montgomery Ala.
The Tornadoes return their top eight hitters from a 2018 squad that batted .299 as a team, led by Wilkin Louis's .359 average. Julian Lopez returns as the team's top power threat from 2018, a season in which he clubbed four homers and drove in a team-best 41 runs to go along with a .321 batting average.
On the mound, the Tornadoes return their top arm in Julian Fitts, who led the team in ERA (3.26), innings pitched (77.1) and strikeouts (71). Manuel Caballero returns with the most wins from 2018 with five, while Robin Ventura (51.1) and David Padilla (45.2) both saw significant work on the mound for Talladega in 2018.
The Warhawks boast an all-time series advantage of 44-7 over Talladega, including wins in their last five meetings. The Warhawks knocked off the Tornadoes 15-5 in their most recent meeting on April 5 of the 2018 season.
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