By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The time has finally come. Baseball season is here as the Tennessee Tech squad will kickoff the 2015 campaign with a three-game home series against first-time opponent Longwood.
Opening day will feature a 3 p.m. CST contest at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex on Friday, with games at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday to complete the first-ever series against the Lancers.
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Tennessee Tech vs. Longwood |
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| Feb. 13-15, 2015 | Cookeville, Tenn. | Bush Stadium (1,100) |
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| FRI. | 3:00 P.M. |
SAT. | 2:00 P.M. |
SUN. | 1:00 P.M. |
| Probable Starters: | Probable Starters: | Probable Starters: |
| TTU - LHP John Gora 2-1, 5.97 ERA, 31.2 IP, 26 K |
TTU - RHP Evan Fraliex 4-0, 3.74 ERA, 65.0 IP, 40 K |
TTU - RHP Jacob Honea 3-2, 5.34 ERA, 30.1 IP, 20 K |
| LU - RHP Aaron Myers 7-4, 1.76 ERA, 107.1 IP, 89 K |
LU - RHP Travis Burnette 3-5, 4.13 ERA, 56.2 IP, 23 K |
LU - LHP Brandon Vick 4-7, 4.04 ERA, 91.1 IP, 59 K |
Dates: Feb. 13-15, 2014
Times: 3 PM | 2 PM | 1 PM CST
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Stadium: Bush Stadium
Radio: None
TV: None
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First meeting
Cookeville: Series tied, 0-0
Farmville: Series tied, 0-0
Neutral Site: Series tied, 0-0
Bragga vs: First meeting
First Meeting: First meeting
Last Meeting: First meeting
MULTIMEDIA
Live Stats: TTUSports.com
Audio: None
Video: None
Twitter Updates: @TNTech_Baseball
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2014 Record: 40-19
2014 OVC Record: 18-12 (2nd)
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
Career: 295-306-2 (12th season)
TTU: 295-306-2 (12th season)
RETURNING STAT LEADERS
AVG: Dylan Bosheers (.368)
2B: Bosheers (14)
HR: Bosheers (11)
RBI: Bosheers (56)
SB: Bosheers/Jake Rowland (8)
LONGWOOD LANCERS
2014 Record: 22-33
2014 Big South Record: 9-18 (6th North)
Head Coach: Ryan Mau
Career: 0-0 (1st season)
LU: 0-0 (1st season)
RETURNING STAT LEADERS
AVG: Brandon Delk (.270)
2B: Kyri Washington (18)
HR: Brandon Delk (8)
RBI: Kyri Washington (34)
SB: Colton Konvicka (24)
Several new faces are expected to take the field for the Golden Eagles, following a second straight 40-win season that saw five players drafted in the MLB First Year Player Draft and two more sign professional contracts.
Back to lead the team in his fourth season is four-time All-American shortstop Dylan Bosheers. The Preseason OVC Player of the Year and multiple Preseason All-American award winner, Bosheers returns as one of the most potent sluggers in the entire Ohio Valley Conference.
The Lawrenceville, Tenn. native became the first Tech player to ever play in the Cape Cod Summer Baseball League following a season that saw him establish new career-high marks in batting average (.368), runs scored (66), hits (86), home runs (11), RBI (56) and slugging percentage (.577).
Other returnees to field include center fielder Jake Rowland, a junior who hit .328 with 46 RBI and six home runs in his first year in a Tech uniform since transferring from the University of Tennessee.
He will be joined by senior left fielder David Allen, a fourth-year guy coming off his first action in 2014 after spending much of his previous time as a redshirt due to injury. Allen played in 36 games last season, batting .277 with 21 RBI and perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Completing the outfield will be Anthony El Chibani, a sophomore who made 34 appearances as a true freshman last season. Chibani hit .263 with 10 RBI and 22 runs scored. He also posted an impressive .438 on base percentage.
The designated hitter role is expected to be a battle between sophomore Tyler Brazelton, freshman Trevor Putzig and redshirt freshman Ryan Flick. Brazelton played in 45 games in 2014, driving in 12 runs and recording an on base percentage of .410. Putzig figures to be a contender for an infield position this season and Flick brings huge power potential from the left side of the plate.
Holding up the backstop is senior catcher Jordan Hopkins, another perfect fielder from a year ago. Last season, Hopkins played well in split time between the designated hitter position and backup catcher, batting .289 with 41 RB.
Outside of Bosheers, the entire infield will get a facelift after replacing perennial All-OVC talents like Zach Stephens, Zach Zarzour and Daniel Miles. Taking over the hot corner for Miles will be a junior college transfer from Taylorsville, Miss., Josh Pankratz. The junior enters after being selected as a Rawlings/ABCA Gold Glove winner last season.
Jumping into second base is another JUCO talent in the form of Jake Farr. The transfer from Walters State Community College batted .311 a year ago, driving in 54 runs off 64 hits.
Rounding out the infield is the highly touted Chase Chambers from Farragut High School. Already tabbed by Perfect Game as the Preseason OVC Freshman of the Year, Chambers brings a smooth left-handed swing to plate with strong defensive skills that should make fans reminisce of the days of Zach Stephens.
On the mound, John Gora returns to staff and has emerged as the top guy for the Golden Eagles to kick off the season. A senior left-hander, Gora was the only pitcher with over five innings of work to not allow a home run last season, finishing with a 2-1 record in 31.2 innings on the mound.
Back in the rotation for a second year is sophomore Evan Fraliex, the leading returner in terms of record from last season. As a true freshman, Fraliex posted a 4-0 mark while making 11 starts and 18 total appearances. He tossed 65 innings with 40 strikeouts and just 22 walks.
Battling it out for the final weekend starter's spot are seniors Jacob Honea and Chris Chism. Honea notched a 3-2 record in 2014, making seven starts and 17 total appearances while Chism posted a 4-4 record behind 11 starts and 14 appearances. Chism also tossed just the sixth one-hitter in program history.
Expected to hold down the closer's role this season is senior Jeb Scoggins. Posting a 1-0 record last season, Scoggins made 18 appearances with one start, tossing 22 innings and walking just eight batters.
Other key members out of the bullpen expect to be returnees Austin Tolle, Cain Sloan and Kyle Keatts, as well as newcomers Travis Moths, Trevor Maloney and Kit Fowler.
Photo by Tony Marable
