Troy baseball thoughts

By Drew Champlin

Published: May 27, 2008

First off, here’s what I wrote for today as a season recap, though it focused more on next year.

Troy finished 32-26, and didn’t get selected for an NCAA Regional. That honor from the Sun Belt went to Western Kentucky, which won the automatic, and New Orleans, which got an at-large.

Why didn’t Troy get in? Well, it finished 18-12 in the SBC, good enough for third place, but let’s get real. The SBC was not very good this year. This wasn’t one of Troy’s more talented teams, especially on the mound (don’t believe me? go look at the stats).

Troy never could get “that big hit” in enough games that mattered, yet it found itself just a few wins away from a regional. That’s a credit to the coaching staff. There were also a few key season-ending injuries, notably pitchers JJ Whetsel (recurring problems from arm surgery) and Andrew Dickinson (arm surgery), center fielder Daniel Peterson (ankle) and a couple of injuries to pitchers Travis Burge and A.J. Howard that kept them out of action for a while.

Peterson is in line for a medical redshirt, and coaches feel strongly that Whetsel will get a sixth year of eligibility because what caused him to only pitch 15 innings this year was because of the arm surgery that caused him to miss 2007. I’m skeptical, but we’ll see. If he can come back, that’s a big boost. Peterson’s bat would have dictated how much more he had played this year, but he would have gotten plenty of chances.

The defense wasn’t very fast or athletic in most areas, but recruiting will fix that. Some big bats signed last year didn’t fulfill their potential yet, but outfielder Michael Precise, closer Josh Storm and middle infielder Adam Bryant had pretty good first years.

As indicated in the article, the MLB Draft will play a key role in next year’s team. Since Troy has finished its facility, the Trojans have snagged four very good recruits with the potential to add a couple more. They are:

• Miles Hoyle, OF, hit .441 with 12 HR and 74 RBIs at Central Alabama, which has a bigger park than Troy.
• Steven Rosado, CF, hit .395 with 36 RBIS, 15 2B, 3 3B at North Florida CC. I believe he’s a leadoff hitter and I can’t find his HR totals.
• Fred Lewis, LHP, Fla. Comm. College in Jacksonville. I may be wrong, but I think this is a guy that had Tommy John surgery and might be back for next spring. He’s a gamle right now, but if healthy, coaches feel like he’s got Friday night stuff.
• Josh Pitts, SS, Alabama Southern, hit .448 with 9 HR and 68 RBIs

Look for maybe one or two more signees this summer.

They join these guys. Now, here’s some big-time recruits signed last fall that have a chance. I know I’m forgetting a few because I’m doing this off memory, and it’s late at night.

• Ryan Ditthardt, IF, Pensacola JC, hit 12 HR with 73 RBIs and a .403 average
• Brett Chamberlain, C, Wallace-Dothan, .380 with 7 HR, also a relief pitcher
• Robby Loew, RHP, Southern Union, 8-4, 1.90 ERA
• Jason Walls, RHP, Southern Union, 8-3, 4.03 ERA
• Chris Sorce, RHP, Pensacola JC, 9-2, 3.58 ERA, 69 K’s in 80 IP. He’s a guy that signed with LSU, fell apart there, and found himself again at PJC. He could be the steal of the class.
• Tyler Ray, RHP, Hoover High School - Don’t have stats, but the tall righty led Hoover to a 6A state title. Some feel he’s the best high school pitcher to ever sign with this staff at Troy.
• Chad Watson, OF, Faulkner State, .345, 7 HR, 35 RBIs
• Buddy Boshiers, LHP, Calhoun CC, 9-4, 2.90 ERA
• Jason Howell, LHP, Itawamba CC (don’t have stats)
• Zack Martin, 3B, Andrew College. Don’t have stats, but he’s a power hitter.

Now, on to the draft. Don’t expect Boshiers to suit up for Troy next year. He’ll go high. Howell, Ditthardt, Martin, Loew and Chamberlain are getting serious professional looks. Of the returning Trojans, catcher Beau Brooks is probably 50/50 on whether he’ll get drafted high enough to go. There’s a good shot Brooks and Chamberlain could both sign, leaving coaches looking for another catcher.

The bottom line is, this is a very good team on paper. What has to happen for it to be good on the field is that the new guys have to produce and they’ve got to push some of the returners out of their spots. If a guy like Tim Wheeler is throwing on Sunday or in middle relief, or if Travis Burge is throwing midweek or relief, then the pitching staff will be pretty good.

I’d imagine Bryant and Steven Felix (who really turned it on late in the year) will be regulars next year and Precise will at least be the DH. All other spots will be up for grabs.

So after a rebuilding year, there’s a good chance Troy will be back on the rise next season.