Friday, February 16
Davidson, NC
5:30 p.m.
Davidson College
vs
Morehead State
Photo by: Tim Cowie/DavidsonPhotos.com
Baseball Opens Friday Against Morehead State
2/15/2024 5:02:00 PM | Baseball
Friday is Opening Day for the Davidson baseball team, as the Wildcats will begin the 2024 season at home against Morehead State.
First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. at Wilson Field, with afternoon games to follow Saturday (1:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
The Wildcats are coming off a 30-24 campaign in 2023, which included a second-place finish in the Atlantic 10 standings. It was the fourth 30-win season in program history, following the school-record 43 wins of 2022, 33 wins in 2018 and 35 in 2017.
LATEST ON THE 'CATS
• Davidson has won 100 games the last three seasons, going 100-61 (.621).
• Head coach Rucker Taylor is entering his sixth season as head coach and his 12th with the program. His teams are 142-86 (.623).
• The Wildcats have won five of their last six season openers, including 4-3 against NJIT last season. Ironically, the lone loss in that stretch of openers was a 5-0 defeat to Lehigh in 2022 when the Wildcats went on to set the program's wins record and claim the A-10 regular season title.
• Davidson returns two players that were on the A-10's postseason awards list in 2023. Junior catcher Jacob Friend returns after earning A-10 Second Team honors, while infielder Michael O'Shaughnessy is back for his sophomore campaign after being named to the All-Rookie Team. Friend hit .277 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs, while O'Shaughnessy hit .306 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs.
• Among returners, infielder Jack Cotrone, now a junior, had the highest average (.317) and most home runs (13) last season, and he also drove in 42 runs. Senior Jake Wilhoit hit .298 and had 11 doubles, the most of any returner, and was named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team.
• Senior infielder Nick Calero, who hit .288, returns after starting all 54 games a year ago. In all, the Wildcats return five players who started at least 43 games last season, also including Cotrone, O'Shaughnessy, Friend and senior outfielder Tyler Douglas.
• On the mound, redshirt junior left-hander Ryan Feczko has made 32 career starts and is in the weekend rotation for the third year, where he will be joined by newcomers Wilson Perkins and Cooper Cavanaugh.
• Perkins, a redshirt sophomore, played last season at Northwest Florida State College, and the right-hander had a 2.93 ERA in 40 innings. Cavanaugh, a lefty freshman, is a former prep standout from Topsail High on the N.C. coast.
• The Wildcats also return key arms in junior lefty Isaac Fix and sophomore Brycen Champey (RHP), who have thrived in starting and relief roles.
THE BIG PICTURE
• In the preseason coaches' poll, Davidson was picked to finish fourth in the 12-team A-10 and received two first-place votes. Saint Louis, George Mason and Saint Joseph's were voted 1-2-3.
• The Wildcats will play their first four series at home, also including matchups with Villanova (Feb. 23-25), Penn State (March 1-3) and Brown (March 8-10).
• Davidson's first 17 games will be played in the Carolinas, including non-conference midweek visits to Charlotte, Duke, South Carolina and N.C. A&T.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• The Eagles went 36-20 and won the Ohio Valley Conference title last year, snapping the program's 44-year drought between league titles.
• Friday will be the teams' third meeting in a series that dates to 1994. The two teams last met on Feb. 20, 2021 in the Wildcats' season opener. Davidson won that one 14-8 as five Wildcats drove in two runs apiece and Alex Fedje-Johnson homered.
• MSU outfielder Ryley Preece is the reigning OVC Player of the Year. He posted the first 20-homer, 20-stolen base season in program history last season with 21 of each.
• Former MSU assistant Brady Ward is in his first year as head coach, taking over for former Davidson player Mik Aoki '90, who is in his first season coaching Richmond.
First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. at Wilson Field, with afternoon games to follow Saturday (1:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
The Wildcats are coming off a 30-24 campaign in 2023, which included a second-place finish in the Atlantic 10 standings. It was the fourth 30-win season in program history, following the school-record 43 wins of 2022, 33 wins in 2018 and 35 in 2017.
LATEST ON THE 'CATS
• Davidson has won 100 games the last three seasons, going 100-61 (.621).
• Head coach Rucker Taylor is entering his sixth season as head coach and his 12th with the program. His teams are 142-86 (.623).
• The Wildcats have won five of their last six season openers, including 4-3 against NJIT last season. Ironically, the lone loss in that stretch of openers was a 5-0 defeat to Lehigh in 2022 when the Wildcats went on to set the program's wins record and claim the A-10 regular season title.
• Davidson returns two players that were on the A-10's postseason awards list in 2023. Junior catcher Jacob Friend returns after earning A-10 Second Team honors, while infielder Michael O'Shaughnessy is back for his sophomore campaign after being named to the All-Rookie Team. Friend hit .277 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs, while O'Shaughnessy hit .306 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs.
• Among returners, infielder Jack Cotrone, now a junior, had the highest average (.317) and most home runs (13) last season, and he also drove in 42 runs. Senior Jake Wilhoit hit .298 and had 11 doubles, the most of any returner, and was named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team.
• Senior infielder Nick Calero, who hit .288, returns after starting all 54 games a year ago. In all, the Wildcats return five players who started at least 43 games last season, also including Cotrone, O'Shaughnessy, Friend and senior outfielder Tyler Douglas.
• On the mound, redshirt junior left-hander Ryan Feczko has made 32 career starts and is in the weekend rotation for the third year, where he will be joined by newcomers Wilson Perkins and Cooper Cavanaugh.
• Perkins, a redshirt sophomore, played last season at Northwest Florida State College, and the right-hander had a 2.93 ERA in 40 innings. Cavanaugh, a lefty freshman, is a former prep standout from Topsail High on the N.C. coast.
• The Wildcats also return key arms in junior lefty Isaac Fix and sophomore Brycen Champey (RHP), who have thrived in starting and relief roles.
THE BIG PICTURE
• In the preseason coaches' poll, Davidson was picked to finish fourth in the 12-team A-10 and received two first-place votes. Saint Louis, George Mason and Saint Joseph's were voted 1-2-3.
• The Wildcats will play their first four series at home, also including matchups with Villanova (Feb. 23-25), Penn State (March 1-3) and Brown (March 8-10).
• Davidson's first 17 games will be played in the Carolinas, including non-conference midweek visits to Charlotte, Duke, South Carolina and N.C. A&T.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• The Eagles went 36-20 and won the Ohio Valley Conference title last year, snapping the program's 44-year drought between league titles.
• Friday will be the teams' third meeting in a series that dates to 1994. The two teams last met on Feb. 20, 2021 in the Wildcats' season opener. Davidson won that one 14-8 as five Wildcats drove in two runs apiece and Alex Fedje-Johnson homered.
• MSU outfielder Ryley Preece is the reigning OVC Player of the Year. He posted the first 20-homer, 20-stolen base season in program history last season with 21 of each.
• Former MSU assistant Brady Ward is in his first year as head coach, taking over for former Davidson player Mik Aoki '90, who is in his first season coaching Richmond.
Players Mentioned
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