DII Report: GSC DII baseball season preview
Moving onward, here's a quick peek at the top of the Gulf South Conference.
I hope you have been enjoying the DII baseball fall reports and season previews. With the season already creeping so very close, today, we turn our attention to the Gulf South Conference.
The GSC is an interesting conference this year. Delta State enters as defending champs in the standings, and historically speaking is usually among the best. However, there will be a lot of new faces this year competing against teams like Valdosta State, Lee and Montevallo that have a bevy of returning experience.
It should be a wild race, so let’s get to it.
UPDATED: Unfortunately, in the hundreds of emails I receive from coaches, Auburn Montgomery’s preview somehow slipped into my junk folder. After releasing this newsletter on Jan. 15, I found the information from Coach Lovrich and have updated this article with his thoughts and insight. Many apologies, sadly technology is not always our friend!
2022 GSC DII baseball final standings
Delta State
Head coach: Rodney Batts
Returning players to watch: Carson Clowers, SS and Kirkland Trahan, RF. There is a lot of turnover in the lineup, but these two can help keep it going.
Pitcher to watch: Harrison Haley, RHP. Last year’s No. 1 is back, along with Hammer Franks and several key pieces in the bullpen. Pitching will be key for the Statesmen. Haley has a true four-pitch mix with good movement on his fastball and change.
Newcomer to watch: Matt Corder, CF. Corder transfers from Mississippi State. He has a chance to be a big impact in the lineup. Per Coach Batts, his athleticism and tool set could be some of the best in the league.
Under the radar player to watch: Drake Fontenot, RHP. Fontenot is described as a strike thrower who should be in the rotation in 2023. He pitches with a lot of pitch ability and downhill action. S
What Coach Batts said: We lost five of our top six hitters in the lineup from last year, so having to replace those guys will be tough. We have some who will be more athletic and may be a different athletic offense than we have been the last couple years. Our pitching staff will be deeper and will have to be the group that is good for us.
Valdosta State
Head coach: Greg Guilliams
Returning player to watch: Jacob Harper, C. The two-year starter behind the plate can really catch and throw. He’s a weapon behind the plate able to really slow the running game down.
Pitcher to watch: Jeremy Adams, RHP. Adams missed entire 2022 season after breaking his right wrist in a freak accident one week before the season. He was expected to be the Friday night starter entering the 2022 campaign. He looked close to 100% when the fall ended. Adams has a three-pitch mix with a fastball that sits 91-92, a plus slider and what coach describes as a plus-plus changeup, a pitch that not many have that kind of command over at this level.
Newcomers to watch: JP Gates LHP/1B, and Nick Gonzalez, SS. Gates transfers from the University of Miami as a true two-way player. Adams is a smart hitter that can hit to all fields with pop. On the bump he has an upper 80s fastball, a hard curve and changeup. At the time, it was still undecided if he would close or be in the rotation. Gonzalez was a three-year starter at South Florida where he hit above .300 as a senior. With good speed and sharp defense, he’s expected to hit atop the batting order.
Under the radar player to watch: Hunter Stowe, DH/OF. Stowe transferred from Marion Military Institute. A big RHH that can use all fields, he’ll help balance a very lefty-heavy line-up.
What Coach Guilliams said: We have a talented, older team. If Adams returns to form and can pitch as a real Friday night guy, we should be able to matchup in our conference. Our pen seems deeper for once. Will need to figure out a mid-week starter if we are to be a regional club and stay relatively healthy.
Montevallo
Head coach: Chandler Rose
Returning player to watch: Sam Kuchinski, 3B. Kuchinski was the GSC co-player of the year and highlights a lineup of eight returners and three GSC first-teamers.
Pitcher to watch: Logan Samuels, RHP. Rose feels Samuels will be the No. 1 with ace Gino Cozzi recovering from injury for a few months. Per Rose, his pitch ability is what has improved the most. He sits 91-93, while the breaking ball and changeup are both plus pitches as well. He just continues to get better every day and still has so much upside to him.
Newcomer to watch: Barry Eiseman, OF/DH. Barry transferred in from Florida State. He helped his team reach the College World Series and hit .400 with 20 doubles and three home runs.
Under the radar player to watch: Zen Hiatt, 1B/OF. Hiatt made the All-GSC Tournament team as a freshman. He’s an imposing 6-foot-6 and a big power bat that has made nice strides in his development over the past year.
What Coach Rose said: We have 18 seniors and return almost the entire team. We came up just short of a regional last year, so we’ve been very focused this fall which has been fun to watch. We brought in a bunch of really good players as well to create more depth and help us take that next step. I’m excited to watch them compete this spring but even more excited to be around them every day. It’s a special group of guys that has a chance if we stay healthy and focused.
Auburn Montgomery
Head coach: Marty Lovrich
Returning players to watch: Brody Syer, RF, and Zach Dew, 3B.
Pitchers to watch: Luke Turner, RHP, and Andrew Cronan, RHP.
Newcomer to watch: Cooper Doughman, C, and Grant Hickman. RHP. Doughman is a JUCO transfer from Lurleen B. Wallace CC and Hickman is a JUCO transfer from Shelton State CC.
Under the radar player to watch: Jarren Wright, OF. Wright is a JUCO transfer from Snead State CC.
What Coach Lovrich said: This is the most returning experience we have had since our transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. With all three returning starters on the mound from last year and nine transfer pitchers recruited in our last class, we are expecting big things in 2023. We have a good balance of speed in the bottom and top of our lineup mixed with some power in the middle of the lineup.
Lee
Head coach: Mark Brew
Returning players to watch: Dylan Standifer, OF/3B and Brandon Daniels, OF. Six returners will don the lineup but Standifer (.356, 16 2B, 7 HR, 59 RBI) and Daniels (.335, 5HR, 27 RBI) will lead the way.
Pitcher to watch: Jack Nedrow, RHP. The GGSC freshman of the year on the bump should only improve in his sophomore campaign. He is aggressive, has a fastball in the 90s, and his secondary stuff improved this fall. Also keep an eye on Sam Fulton. The reliever is hard to miss standing at 6-foot-10, giving some serious trickery to his fastball and slider.
Newcomer to watch: Josiah Miller, 3B. He’s a switch-hitter from Coastal Alabama North who began his career at Florida State. Miller swings it well from both sides of the plate with power on both sides and is a solid defender at third.
Under the radar player to watch: Cam Suto, 1B. Suto cracked line up last year as a freshman and hit .307, with eight home runs and 29 RBI. He has tremendous power and has grown a lot since last year. After playing all over last year, expect Suto to play first where Brew feels he’s an outstanding defender.
What Coach Brew said: We return a lot of experience on this year’s team and have added a few pieces that will definitely help. Our depth on mound has improved and we have one of the more athletic lineups I have coached at Lee. If we can stay healthy, we have a chance to field a very competitive team.
THE DII NATION PODCAST
Have you subscribed to the DII Nation Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever your favorite platform is to listen to podcasts? I’m sharing our most recent episode once again, as we were joined by a pair of former Wayne State (MI) alum that have made it to the big leagues. World Series champion Hunter Brown and 11-year veteran Anthony Bass join Bethany Bowman and I to tell their story and show the right way to make big-league dreams come true.
PODCAST HUB: Click here