June Draft may affect 2009 Trojans

Two days next week will be the first step to determining how good Troy’s baseball team will be in 2009.

The 2008 Major League Baseball Draft will be held June 5-6, and a couple of Trojans with eligibility remaining plus several signees are getting looks from professional scouts.

Troy, which ended its season at 32-26 and was not selected to an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2005, will wait to see if junior catcher Beau Brooks returns. He may be selected high enough to entice him to leave school early and start his pro career.

“Beau wants to be selected in a round where he’s pretty much convinced that it’s the right time to go play pro ball,” Troy head coach Bobby Pierce said. “I’d say that’s in the first 10 rounds. We’re rooting for him and we hope he’s done enough to where he gets selected where he’d like to be selected.”

Brooks had a breakout year this year, hitting .323 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs from the left side of the plate. His arm strength puts him high on some scouts’ radar.

Pierce will be watching to see if Brooks or signee Brett Chamberlain, a catcher from Wallace, will be selected. Chamberlain hit .380 with seven home runs for the Govs and he also has a chance to get selected because of his arm strength.

Pierce is hoping at least one of the duo is at Troy next year. If not, the catcher will most likely be redshirt freshman Blake Martz or Steven Felix, an outfielder who has catching experience.

The only other Troy player with eligibility left that could be drafted is outfielder Charley Williams, who possesses good size and next-level tools but didn’t have a good offensive year. Coaches are hoping Williams, if he returns in 2009, has a year like Bryan Miller did this year (.402, 12 HR, 64 RBI, nation-leading 32 doubles) or Henry Gutierrez in 2005.

Both Miller and Gutierrez had sub-par junior years after successful junior college careers. Miller had one of the best seasons in Troy history and, if the numbers hold up, it would be the fifth straight year that a Trojan led the NCAA in a statistical category. His 102 hits also lead the country, but that could be surpassed by a player who plays more postseason games.

Pierce feels good about his recruiting class coming in, though next week’s Draft will play a role. Left-handed pitcher Buddy Boshiers from Calhoun Community College should be a top-round pick and is expected to sign.

Left-handed pitcher Jason Howell (Itawamba, Miss., JC), right-handed pitcher Robby Loew (Southern Union JC) and infielder Ryan Ditthardt (Pensacola JC) are getting draft interest, as is Hoover High pitcher Tyler Ray.

Troy added four quality recruits this spring after the facility was 100 percent complete – outfielder Miles Hoyle (.441, 12 HR, 74 RBI this season) from Central Alabama CC, outfielder Steven Rosado (North Florida CC), shortstop Josh Pitts (Alabama Southern CC) and left-handed pitcher Fred Lewis (Florida CC-Jacksonville). More could be added.

“We needed some key guys in some key spots,” Pierce said. “We needed to get faster as position players now that we’ve got increased dimensions in our ballpark. We need to be more athletic in the outfield and we’ve addressed needs on the mound. We’re just cautiously awaiting the June Draft now.”

Top returning players are outfielder Michael Precise (.300, 11 HR, 57 RBI), infielder Adam Bryant (.310, 3 HR, 24 RBI), outfielder Steven Felix (.325, 6 HR) and closer Josh Storm (2-2, 2.09 ERA, 12 saves).

Next year will be the first year that the NCAA-mandated reduced roster size takes shape. Only 35 people can be on the roster and 30 on scholarship, but that roster doesn’t have to be turned in until the start of next season.

Pierce, one of many NCAA coaches who adamantly opposed the rule, said he prepared all of his players for the possibility of roster cuts and scholarships being taken away. Two fourth-year juniors with eligibility left — infielder Brett Pierce and outfielder Daniel Porter — elected to move on from the program and freshman pitcher Shane Ikner informed coaches he was transferring to a junior college.

Troy opens the year with a series at NCAA Regional host Coastal Carolina and hosts Memphis in a three-game non-conference series as well as NCAA Regional participant Southern Miss in a midweek series.