Saturday, February 20
Davidson, NC
6 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
vs
Morehead State
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
'Cats Take to the Diamond Saturday
2/20/2021 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The last time the Davidson Wildcats took the diamond in an official game, they won in dramatic fashion, beating No. 10 Duke 7-6 in Charlotte on a walk-off home run.
That was March 10, 2020, and the 13-3 start to the season was the program's best in the modern era. But the Wildcats ended the season there and simultaneously began a year of unprecedented challenges.
With the 2021 season now at hand, coach Rucker Taylor is excited to see his team step back onto the diamond to face a team in a different uniform. The Wildcats will do it for the first time Saturday against Morehead State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Wilson Field.
(Even the season-opening weekend has had its tweaks: the Wildcats' four-game home set against Mount St. Mary's turned into one home game with Morehead State and a Sunday doubleheader at N.C. State).
"I think I see an appreciation of the game itself growing with our guys, and I hope the discipline from all this carries over on the field and in wins and losses," said Taylor.
The Wildcats return many of the key pieces of last year's team, including the weekend starting pitching rotation of juniors Gabe Levy, Blake Hely and Alex Fenton. The trio combined to go 9-1 with a 1.90 ERA covering 80.1 innings last year.
"It starts with all the weekend guys returning from last year," said Taylor. "I think all those guys had really good stats last year, and the performances matched the stats, if that makes sense."
In all, Davidson returns the pitchers who threw all but 10 innings a year ago on a staff that had a 2.71 ERA. Jacob Walker and Jake Biederman emerged as versatile options in both the starting and relief roles. The bullpen is deep with veteran arms like Pete Bloomberg, Luke Burton and Brian Craven (Richmond transfer) and a stable of sophomores like Will Schomberg, Nolan DeVos, Jacob Peaden, Ryan Kutz and Bennett Flynn. Flynn was the closer a year ago, with four saves, an 0.90 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings. He earned Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball.
"Our pitching staff has a lot of experience and a lot of different looks, and we have a large sophomore class that got its feet wet as freshmen," said Taylor.
Seniors Alex Fedje-Johnson and Ruben Fontes were voted team captains by their teammates, and the two not only bring veteran leadership, but a wealth of experience. Fontes, often the designated hitter, led the A-10 with 14 home runs in 2019, and the lefty hit three last season.
Fedje-Johnson anchors the infield at third base after making a number of highlight-reel plays there a year ago. And he's the top returning hitter with a .298 average.
Parker Nolan returns to roam center field, where he started all 16 games a year ago. He tied for the team lead with four homers in 2020, and his 14 RBIs are the most of the returners.
Trevor Candelaria, who hit two grand slams two years ago before battling some injuries last season, and Henry Koehler, who hit .280 as a freshman last year, are back to join Nolan in the outfield after also showing flashes of their potential.
Jacob Hinderleider is back after starting all 16 games at shortstop as a freshman, showing range and a strong arm and leading the team with four doubles.
Taylor said junior infielders Matt Gravely and John Hosmer have "really taken a jump this year" after serving in reserve roles their first two seasons and should contribute in a variety of ways.
Sophomore Garrett Browder returns behind the plate after making five starts there a year ago, and the addition of the international tiebreaker rule of placing a runner at second to start an extra inning could provide additional opportunities for speedy outfielder Anthony Mase and two-way player Hunter Anderson (LHP/OF).
The Wildcats have added a freshman class of 10. Infielders Ryan Wilson, Joe Haney and Jake Wilhoit and catcher Michael Carico are expected to see innings early.
"We thought they'd be a good class coming in, and they've proved that to be the case," said Taylor. "Their work ethic has been impressive."
'Cats alumni fill coaching ranks
Four Davidson baseball alumni serve as Division I head coaches, putting the Wildcats in elite company. Only perennial power Florida State has as many.
One of those alumni will be in the opposing dugout Saturday. Mik Aoki '90 is in his second year coaching Morehead State after previous stops at Boston College and Notre Dame. He still ranks among Davidson's career leaders in batting average (.335) and slugging percentage (.547). He hit 13 home runs in 1988, including two grand slams, and had 20 doubles in 1990.
The other alumni coaching in the Division I ranks are Brett Boretti '94 of Columbia, Pete Hughes '90 of Kansas State and Chris Pollard '96 of Duke.
That was March 10, 2020, and the 13-3 start to the season was the program's best in the modern era. But the Wildcats ended the season there and simultaneously began a year of unprecedented challenges.
With the 2021 season now at hand, coach Rucker Taylor is excited to see his team step back onto the diamond to face a team in a different uniform. The Wildcats will do it for the first time Saturday against Morehead State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Wilson Field.
(Even the season-opening weekend has had its tweaks: the Wildcats' four-game home set against Mount St. Mary's turned into one home game with Morehead State and a Sunday doubleheader at N.C. State).
"I think I see an appreciation of the game itself growing with our guys, and I hope the discipline from all this carries over on the field and in wins and losses," said Taylor.
The Wildcats return many of the key pieces of last year's team, including the weekend starting pitching rotation of juniors Gabe Levy, Blake Hely and Alex Fenton. The trio combined to go 9-1 with a 1.90 ERA covering 80.1 innings last year.
"It starts with all the weekend guys returning from last year," said Taylor. "I think all those guys had really good stats last year, and the performances matched the stats, if that makes sense."
In all, Davidson returns the pitchers who threw all but 10 innings a year ago on a staff that had a 2.71 ERA. Jacob Walker and Jake Biederman emerged as versatile options in both the starting and relief roles. The bullpen is deep with veteran arms like Pete Bloomberg, Luke Burton and Brian Craven (Richmond transfer) and a stable of sophomores like Will Schomberg, Nolan DeVos, Jacob Peaden, Ryan Kutz and Bennett Flynn. Flynn was the closer a year ago, with four saves, an 0.90 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings. He earned Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball.
"Our pitching staff has a lot of experience and a lot of different looks, and we have a large sophomore class that got its feet wet as freshmen," said Taylor.
Seniors Alex Fedje-Johnson and Ruben Fontes were voted team captains by their teammates, and the two not only bring veteran leadership, but a wealth of experience. Fontes, often the designated hitter, led the A-10 with 14 home runs in 2019, and the lefty hit three last season.
Fedje-Johnson anchors the infield at third base after making a number of highlight-reel plays there a year ago. And he's the top returning hitter with a .298 average.
Parker Nolan returns to roam center field, where he started all 16 games a year ago. He tied for the team lead with four homers in 2020, and his 14 RBIs are the most of the returners.
Trevor Candelaria, who hit two grand slams two years ago before battling some injuries last season, and Henry Koehler, who hit .280 as a freshman last year, are back to join Nolan in the outfield after also showing flashes of their potential.
Jacob Hinderleider is back after starting all 16 games at shortstop as a freshman, showing range and a strong arm and leading the team with four doubles.
Taylor said junior infielders Matt Gravely and John Hosmer have "really taken a jump this year" after serving in reserve roles their first two seasons and should contribute in a variety of ways.
Sophomore Garrett Browder returns behind the plate after making five starts there a year ago, and the addition of the international tiebreaker rule of placing a runner at second to start an extra inning could provide additional opportunities for speedy outfielder Anthony Mase and two-way player Hunter Anderson (LHP/OF).
The Wildcats have added a freshman class of 10. Infielders Ryan Wilson, Joe Haney and Jake Wilhoit and catcher Michael Carico are expected to see innings early.
"We thought they'd be a good class coming in, and they've proved that to be the case," said Taylor. "Their work ethic has been impressive."
'Cats alumni fill coaching ranks
Four Davidson baseball alumni serve as Division I head coaches, putting the Wildcats in elite company. Only perennial power Florida State has as many.
One of those alumni will be in the opposing dugout Saturday. Mik Aoki '90 is in his second year coaching Morehead State after previous stops at Boston College and Notre Dame. He still ranks among Davidson's career leaders in batting average (.335) and slugging percentage (.547). He hit 13 home runs in 1988, including two grand slams, and had 20 doubles in 1990.
The other alumni coaching in the Division I ranks are Brett Boretti '94 of Columbia, Pete Hughes '90 of Kansas State and Chris Pollard '96 of Duke.
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