The DII Report: GSC baseball fall report
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THE DII REPORT
Welcome back to the DII Report newsletter. The DII baseball season is now a month away and we are just a few weeks away from my preseason Power 10 rankings on NCAA.com. Let’s continue our look around the diamond and the Gulf South Conference.
Previous fall reports: SAC | PSAC | RMAC | PBC | SSC | LSC | NSIC
DII baseball fall report: The GSC
It was another strong season in the Gulf South in the abbreviated 2021 spring. The Lee Flames, which finished 10th in the GSC in their last full season (2019), finished 36-11 and earned the No. 1 seed in the GSC tournament. West Florida, a traditionally strong program in baseball, defeated the Flames in the tournament. The Argos are the last GSC team to win a national championship, defeating Winona State in 2011.
The unfortunate aspect for the GSC is that they play in the South Region, a region dominated by the two winningest programs in DII baseball history: Tampa and Florida Southern from the Sunshine State Conference. In fact, since 2011, only two GSC programs have made the final eight – West Florida in 2011 and Delta State in 2012 and 2017.
That sometimes leads the GSC to be overlooked, but don’t be fooled: It is still one of the toughest conferences in the land. As always, I spoke to coaches and SIDs for some insight from this past fall. Here’s what they said.
Lee
Head coach: Mark Brew | 2021 record: 36-11
Hitter to watch: Dylan Standifer, OF/3B — Standifer had a subpar year in 2021 (.239, four home runs and 21 RBI), but as a true freshmen hit over .300 (.301, three home runs and 14 RBI) until the season ended for COVID-19. Brew notes that he has great bat control and developing power and had one of the best fall seasons on the team. He’s an athlete, being a former All-State quarterback, and his head coach thinks he’s on the verge of a breakout season.
Pitcher to watch: Alan Carter, RHP — Carter had a tremendous stretch run for Lee in 2021. He entered in relief early against Alabama Huntsville and went 7.1 scoreless innings, striking out 13 to extend the Flames’ season. Carter is coming off injury this past summer but prior to that, he had one of the top-10 fastball velocities (hitting 98 mph) in the Coastal Plains League. Throw in what Brew calls a “power slider that is a wipeout pitch” and we’re looking at an MLB draft prospect.
Newcomer to watch: Isaac Quinones, C — Transferred from Miami (FL) and is a former freshman All-American.
What Coach Brew said: “We lost a lot from 2021 with graduation and the draft, but I really like this year’s team. I think our offense has a chance to once again be really good and our team defense has been really solid. We will need some new faces on the pitching staff to step forward and fill big roles.”
West Florida
Head coach: Mike Jeffcoat | 2021 record: 37-11
Hitter to watch: Cullan O'Shea, 1B — O’Shea is a guy that thrives in the biggest situations, something the Argos have been in quite a bit throughout their history. He is a middle-of-the-lineup bat with power to all fields and is “sneaky athletic” for a first baseman. He has game-saving defensive abilities and is “like having a coach on the field”.
Pitcher to watch: Brendon Case, RHP — Case, a strength out of the bullpen, is a sidearm guy that can run it up in the upper 80s and has some of the most dynamic stuff the Argos have. He is very tough on both right-handed and left-handed hitters.
Newcomer to watch: Trent Jeffcoat, IF — Jeffcoat is a dynamic athlete. He is a 6.5-60 guy that is a game-changer on the bases. At the plate, he can handle the bat at a high level and work counts.
What Coach Jeffcoat says: “We have a well-balanced team that should defend well, and we have solid pitching depth. Offensively, we have a good combination of speed and pop in the lineup.”
Delta State
Head coach: Rodney Batts | 2021 record: 28-20
Hitter to watch: Jake Barlow, 2B — Barlow is a regular to All-American teams: He was a second team All-American in 2019 and first team All-American in 2021 (.321, 12 doubles, 19 home runs and 61 RBI). He has a chance to impact the game with every at-bat.
Pitcher to watch: Landon Zizmann, RHP — Zizmann has a quality arsenal, sitting 86-88 mph with his fastball and a three-pitch mix. His Achilles’ heel is walks, but he has a chance to be as good as anyone in the GSC if he eliminates them.
Newcomers to watch: Dalton Cummins, 3B — Transfer from Pearl River CC.
What Coach Batts said: “Having to replace the entire starting rotation on the mound will be the biggest challenge. We have a good nucleus returning to our lineup. I think we have some depth in the lineup and our defense should be solid.“
Alabama Huntsville
Head coach: Hunter Royer | 2021 record: 23-20
Hitter to watch: Garrett Bodine, OF — A returning first team All-GSC and All-South Region player for the Chargers, Bodine has been the leadoff hitter and right/centerfielder since his freshman season in 2019. Per Coach Royer, "Bo is coming off a really good year. He hits the ball well to all fields and shows some occasional power. He’s very selective at the plate and has good two-strike approach"
Pitcher to watch: Kody Keiser, LHP — Keiser has three pitches — fastball, curveball and changeup — that he’s not afraid to throw in any count. Keep an eye on Tyler Self who was the team's series’ opening starter past two seasons and has a 4.46 career ERA over 202 innings.
Newcomer to Watch: Brennan Vasquez, 1B/DH — A lefty hitter, Vasquez is a graduate transfer from Brown. He possesses some good gap power and is strong defensively at first.
What Coach Royer said: “There are several key returners from last season's team that made the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years, and those key players are also the leaders of the team. We came on strong at the end of the year with key series wins and a run in the GSC tournament, and we hope to continue to build on that success.”
West Georgia
Head coach: Jeffrey Smith | 2021 record: 18-23
Hitters to watch: Brody Wortham, 2B — Wortham led the team and the Gulf South Conference with a .411 batting average in 2021 with 67 hits, including 13 doubles, one triple and four home runs, while driving in 26 runs.
Also watch:
Anthony Calabro, OF: The righty is a plus runner and shows gap-to-gap power with great baseball instincts. He projects as a leadoff hitter.
Jackson Webb, C — Has power with the ability to hit when it counts and plus-arm strength to go with it.
Logan Fink, 1B/OF — Transfer from Kennesaw State University, will start at 1B but could see action in the outfield. He has power at the plate and hit six home runs this fall.
Sam Ladner, SS — He has plus power and should drive in a lot of runs .
Pitchers to watch: Jack Rasmussen, RHP — Expect the righty in the weekend rotation. He has the most upside of all the pitchers on the Wolves’ staff. He is a 6’4, long, lean, athletic pitcher. He has “unbelievable sink” on the fastball and when the slider is on — combined with his change — he can be a top arm in the GSC.
Also watch:
Robert Coleman, RHP — Coleman was the Wolves’ top arm last year. He is a savvy pitcher who has some serious run on his fastball.
Jackson Hodnick, RHP — Jackson is a mid-year transfer from St. Johns River (FL) junior college. He is a hard-throwing righty who also can pitch anywhere.
Austyn Wright, LHP — Wright is another mid-year transfer from South Georgia State and will compete for a weekend rotation spot or fall into one of the closer roles.
Newcomer to Watch: Jonathan Logsdon, 2B and Jonathan Hickman, RHP/DH.
What Coach Smith said: “I am excited about this year’s team — they’re very athletic, hardworking and can hit. We have a lot of new players on this year’s team and the fall was valuable for everyone to get on the same page. Very excited to open up spring practice and prepare for opening day versus Kentucky State University on Feb. 5.”
Auburn Montgomery
Head coach: Marty Lovrich | 2021 record: 18-23
Hitter to watch: Zach Feaster, C — Feaster has developed into a dangerous middle-of-the-lineup threat, using all fields to consistently muscle extra-base hits. He led AUM in home runs with four in 2021, while finishing second on the team with 29 runs driven in and totaled 41 base hits. One key stat that stands out: He reached base in 52% of his at-bats that led off an inning.
Pitcher to watch: Will Collins, LHP — Collins worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen. He struck out 16 batters over 15 innings pitched. The junior lefty features a firm, mid-80s fastball with a good mix of sharp off-speed pitches that can pose problems to both left and right-handed hitters.
Newcomer to watch: Luke Turner, RHP — Turner is a highly-anticipated Juco transfer. He tossed the first perfect game in Bishop State CC baseball history on April 1, 2021, against Coastal Alabama CC South.
What Coach Lovrich said: "We’re obviously very excited for the 2022 season. This is going to be one of the largest rosters we’ve carried in the last few years, but hopefully that means we will be able to depend on a lot of guys to contribute for us in multiple ways. We will have a lot of new arms on the mound, but based on what we saw in the fall, we really like this staff and hope that they can give our offense a chance to win some close games. I’m really excited about how much better we will be defensively. We’ll have a very athletic infield, and guys in the outfield that can make plays for us and help our pitching staff get outs. We will also have a lot of new bats in our lineup, but with so many options we should be able to find a starting nine to our liking based on each game's matchup.”
Mississippi College
Head coach: Jeremy Haworth | 2021 record: 16-20
Hitter to watch: Caleb Reese, 1B— The righty is a gap-to-gap power hitter that does not show much swing-and-miss. He can handle the fastball well and stays very balanced hitting off-speed. Reese was first team All-GSC last season and All Region as well.
Pitcher to watch: Brooks Warren, LHP — Warren, listed at 6'3 and 235 pounds, has a fastball that sits 89-92 mph with a plus breaking ball. He transferred to Mississippi College from Southern Miss in 2019, but injuries have plagued him until this fall when he dominated every outing with outstanding command of all three pitches.
Newcomer to watch: Joseph Cuomo, RHP — A graduate transfer from Bryan College.
What Coach Haworth said: “The 2022 Mississippi College Baseball team is looking forward to this upcoming season. We believe we have a team that can compete for a GSC title this season. We feel that we have a strong lineup and good pitching depth to survive a very tough GSC conference and non-conference schedule we have this season.”
Union (TN)
Head coach: Jim Pitt | 2021 record: 13-20
Hitter to watch: Josh Bozoian, OF — Bozoian has started for Union the past four years. He is a true clean-up hitter; his strength is his power to every part of the field. His plate vision allows him to not only have good approaches but hit the middle of the baseball every time he makes contact.
Pitcher to watch: Walker Adkisson, RHP — Listed at 6’3, Adkisson has started on the mound for Union the last three years. He has fluid and sound mechanics and shows both a plus-fastball that sits around 92-93 mph and can touch 95 and a plus-slider that he throws ahead and behind in the count with effectiveness. That’s the two-pitch combo that gets you on MLB draft boards.
Newcomer to watch: Blake Barrett, 1B — A transfer from Lincoln Trail CC.
What Coach Pitt said: “Experience on the position side is going to be our strong suit. The defensive side will have to be the backbone for the team. We are returning all three starters but have lots of new faces in the bullpen which I’m excited about.”
Montevallo
Head coach: Chandler Rose | 2021 record: 15-22
Hitter to watch: Sam Kichinski, 3B – Kichinski is a big, middle-of-the-lineup, power hitter that can handle the bat well, hit for power and get on base.
Pitcher to watch: Gino Cozzi, RHP – Cozzi is coming off an impressive fall. He has three above-average pitches and can throw any of them for a strike at any time. He’s added some strength this fall, and his velocity is starting to climb. He’s expected to push for a spot in the weekend rotation this spring.
What Coach Rose said: “We’ve been very young the past couple years but many of the guys in the program have gained a lot of valuable experience playing every day. I’m excited about the development of the guys that have been in the program and feel like we’ve brought in some really talented newcomers. I think we built a great foundation this fall, and the culture is outstanding. I can’t wait to get on the field this spring and put it all together.”
Minnesota Duluth’s Justin Wieck joins the DII Nation Podcast
Be sure to keep up with the DII Nation Podcast and subscribe and follow wherever your preferred listening pleasure is (see the many links atop this newsletter). This week, Minnesota Duluth’s men’s basketball head coach Justin Wieck joins Bethany Bowman and Wayne Cavadi to discuss X’s and O’s, men’s hoops in the age of COVID and the best sports’ movie of all-time.