2005 Season Preview

Building Off Strong '04 Finish, Tigers Have High Hopes in 2005

Hampden-Sydney’s baseball team, under the direction of second year head coach Jeff Kinne, enters the 2005 season with high expectations after a solid finish to the 2004 year capped off one of the most exciting seasons of Tiger baseball in many years. Hampden-Sydney, which has not had a winning season since 1993, gained confidence by winning four of its last five games during the 2004 regular season and carried that over to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament where the team captured its first two games and came to within three outs of advancing to the tournament championship contest. Five positional starters and eight pitchers return from last year’s squad as the Tigers look to build on that 18-win season and put more than a decade of frustration behind it. “We look to make a push into the top two spots in the conference this season,” said Tiger coach Jeff Kinne. “The top two seeds are important for conference tournament seeding and from that point it is all about winning the tournament. We want two more wins this season compared to last year and not just any two wins, we want the last two.”

Position Players

Hampden-Sydney will be solid up the middle of the field with junior shortstop Jay Lilley and senior second baseman Mike Clark, along with junior centerfielder Chris Padgett returning. Lilley had one of the most impressive seasons at the plate in the history of Tiger baseball in 2004 as he led the team with a .397 average while collecting a single-season record 62 hits in 156 at bats. Lilley established himself as one of the top hitters in the ODAC as he batted .500 against conference competition with 39 hits in 78 at bats while compiling a 1.154 on-base-plus-slugging (ops) percentage. Meanwhile, Lilley was a force at the top of the Tiger batting order as he finished the year with a .453 on-base percentage to go with a team-high 20 stolen bases in 26 attempts and scored a team-best 37 runs. “Jay Lilley is the guy that makes our team go,” said Kinne. “If he can limit his errors he will be a complete player for us. He is a leader, he gets on base, and he steals bases, which makes him very frustrating to opponents.” In the field, Lilley and Clark combined to turn 32 double plays as the tandem helped the Tigers lead the nation in double-plays turned per game (1.26 per-game). Clark, a career .313 hitter, will be in his fourth year as a starter in the Tigers infield. A leader for the team on and off the field, Clark battled through an early season slump to hit .261 a year ago with 19 RBI and 13 stolen bases while making 115 assists and 75 putouts in the field. “Mike put too much pressure on himself last season,” said Kinne. “Now in his second year hitting in the middle of the lineup he has made the mental adjustments to be the hitter he was two years ago.” Padgett meanwhile, seemingly came out-of-nowhere and had a breakout season for the Tigers in his first year as the starter in center as he batted .326 and ranked second on the team with 47 hits and 11 doubles. In the field, he finished the year error-free with 83 putouts and three outfield assists. “Chris was a surprise to everyone except the H-SC team in 2004,” said Kinne. “The coaches knew what he could do from the first day of practice. Teams will bear down harder on him this year, but he is good at making adjustments and we feel confident he will handle his continued role at the top of our order.”

Also returning to the starting lineup is junior first baseman Tommy Burk, who also stepped up last year to finish the season with a .310 batting average to go with a homer and 16 RBI. Meanwhile, Burk too was solid in the field as he committed just two errors and finished the year with a .989 fielding percentage. Senior designated hitter Joe Knowles also returns. A versatile player, Knowles has started at first base and catcher throughout his career and in 2005 will primarily be used as the DH. Last season, Knowles played in 28 contests, making 21 starts, and hit .299 with a homerun and 11 RBI. “Both Tommy and Joe bring a strong bat to the middle of our lineup,” said Kinne. “Tommy is a very tough person to pitch to as he has a unique style at the plate and teams often struggle with how to pitch him.”

Coach Kinne’s squad also has a broad range of young talent looking to make an impact in 2005. Junior Luke Brankley, along with sophomore’s Brett Delk, John Apperson, and Josh Davidson will each look to see time in the outfield as the Tigers search for replacements at the corner outfield positions. “John Apperson is a great defensive outfielder and he has worked hard to be a better hitter,” said Kinne. “If he (Apperson) can increase his on-base percentage he can become one of the better players in the ODAC. Brett Delk meanwhile, can be a great hitter and we look for him to be a big hitter in the middle of our line up.” Sophomore Andrew Wall will look to step into the catchers role after the departure of Andrew Welch. “Andrew Wall has become a very solid defensive catcher,” said Kinne. “He will end up playing a role for this team.” In the infield, sophomore Anthony Denale will look to gain playing time in 2005 after seeing action in six games a year ago.

Newcomers

Also in the mix will be as many as five new faces as freshmen David Toney, Jason Bour, Todd Harrell, David Cameron and Kevin Hill will be looking to break into the Tigers lineup. Toney and Bour will each try to push for playing time behind the plate or as a DH, while Harrell will and Cameron will look for time in the infield and Hill in the outfield.

Pitchers

Hampden-Sydney returns a deep and solid pitching corps, led by junior starters John Schoenholtz and Jayson Hanky. Schoenholtz had one of the best years ever for a Tiger starter in 2004 as the six-foot-six righty tied with Hanky for a team-best five wins while leading the team with a 3.14 earned-run-average and 60 strikeouts in just over 77 innings of work. Conference opponents batted just .259 against Schoenholtz while four of his last five decisions of the season were victories. “If John can pick up this season where he left off last season he can be the best pitcher in the ODAC,” said Kinne. “He is a tireless worker that the rest of the team has confidence in and when he is on the mound the entire team feels it can beat anyone in Division III. It is important to have that much confidence in a number one starter and he gives us a great start to every conference weekend.” Hanky also came on strong at the end of the season as he defeated ODAC-opponent Washington and Lee twice in final week of the season, working six and two-thirds en route to an 11-10 win in the final game of the regular season before pitching a complete-game nine-inning gem in the ODAC Tournament to pick up a 6-4 victory. For the year, the Richmond, VA, native worked 64 innings and finished with a 5-2 overall mark. “Jayson is a good number two starter,” said Kinne. “He does not have the dominant fastball but he does battle to keep us in games. With added depth in our bullpen in 2005 he will not feel he has to throw complete games and hopefully it will give him some new looks early in the game.”

Senior Ben Agee and junior Mike Hall also return for the Tigers in 2005. Hall will look to pick up where he left off last season as the right hander finished with a 2-0 record and 3.94 ERA as he allowed just seven earned runs in 16 innings of work. Hall did not allow a run in his first nine and two-thirds innings and demonstrated solid control as he walked just four batters all season. “Mike Hall has made some big adjustments to his pitching,” said Kinne. “With these adjustments we feel he can be a solid mid-week starter.” Agee, the lone senior pitcher on the squad, pitched well in 14 innings of work as he surrendered just eight earned runs on the season while striking out ten batters. Junior right hander Bryan Mangas also returns to the hill in 2005, although it will be mid-season before he returns as he will be battling back from injury. Mangas was also plagued by injuries in 2004 which resulted in a 1-4 record and 7.58 ERA. “Bryan Mangas has had some great success,” said Kinne. “If he can get healthy for the last season push he could be a big bonus in the tournament.” Juniors Jeff Martin and Robert Aldrich, along with sophomore Larry Greene will also look to be in the mix more often in 2005. The three pitchers combined to work 18 innings last year and factored into just one decision. However, in 2005, Greene will look to make the move to the starting rotation after a solid fall season. “Larry Greene is the biggest surprise thus far,” said Kinne. “He had a great fall after limited innings last season and he has found command of all three pitches and he added a two-seam fastball. We look for Larry to be a big part of our starting rotation.”

Newcomers

Brock Ward, Daniel Hadra and Jared Cobbs all show signs of becoming part of a great staff for the Tigers in 2005. “Brock has two great pitches and he has worked extremely hard at his mechanics,” said Kinne. “By the end of the year he has potential to be a starter on this team.” Hadra, meanwhile, joins the Tigers after spending the fall season with the Hampden-Sydney football team. “Daniel Hadra is a tough competitor and he has great stuff,” said Kinne. “With more command he can fill a big void in our staff as we are looking for him to be a closer. His competitiveness is perfect for the role.” Cobbs, like Mangas, will have to shake off preseason injury but could be a solid addition to the Tiger relief corps. “If Jared can get though the injuries he has had in the fall, he could be the left-handed guy we are looking for out of the bullpen,” said Kinne.

Schedule

Hampden-Sydney’s baseball team returns to the diamond in 2005 to face another challenging schedule. The Tigers have 39 games on the schedule, including 18 matchups with Old Dominion Athletic Conference opponents, and 21 home dates at Yank Bernier Field. Also in the mix is the first-ever H-SC Spring Baseball Tournament, February 19 and 20, which will feature three-games among six teams, including Washington and Lee, Richard Stockton, Lincoln, Eastern and Waynesburg. The Tigers will travel to perennial powers Christopher Newport (Feb. 17), Averett (Feb. 23) and nationally- ranked Methodist (Mar. 17), while also traveling to cross-town and Division-I rival Longwood University (Apr. 14). Meanwhile, Hampden-Sydney will host non-conference foes Seton Hill (Feb. 26), SUNY Old Westbury (Feb. 27), Mary Washington (Feb. 15), St. Mary’s (Mar. 2), Averett (Mar. 29), Greensboro (Mar. 30) and Baptist Bible (Mar. 22). The Tigers will play important conference home doubleheaders against Virginia Wesleyan (Mar. 5), Eastern Mennonite (Mar. 12), Randolph-Macon (Mar. 26) and Emory and Henry (Apr. 16), while splitting a home-and-home series with conference-foe Lynchburg College (Apr. 6, 12). The season culminates in the 2005 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament, which will be played in Salem, VA, April 16 through 21.