The DII Report: PBC baseball fall report
Columbus State looks to build on its 2021 PBC Tournament championship campaign while many of the familiar faces are ready to compete in 2022.
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THE DII REPORT
Change is coming in the Peach Belt Conference this baseball season. Last year, UNC Pembroke finished atop the regular-season standings with a 25-8 conference record but are now Conference Carolinas-bound for 2022. That means DII baseball championship perennial contenders North Georgia, Columbus State and Georgia College will all be chomping at the bit to take the PBC regular-season title.
Let’s continue our look at fall ball this week with the PBC.
Previous fall reports: SAC | PSAC | RMAC
DII baseball fall report: The PBC
The PBC made some national headlines this fall. With the Houston Astros reaching the MLB World Series, former North Georgia player and coach Troy Snitker — now hitting coach for the Astros — battled his father, Atlanta Braves’ skipper Brian Snitker, in the Fall Classic. The elder Snitker coached Nighthawks’ head coach Tom Cantrell in his playing days, but also coached Eddie Perez, whose son Andres was a beast of a catcher for Coach Cantrell last season at North Georgia.
Got all that?
Let’s get back to the PBC. It was the usual suspects in 2021. Columbus State swept through UNC Pembroke and North Georgia to claim its sixth PBC Tournament championship and an automatic bid to the DII baseball tournament. The Cougars, who won a national championship in 2002 and returned to the title game in 2007 and 2018, may be the favorites once again in 2022.
But Columbus State will have its hands full. North Georgia, Young Harris, Georgia College, USC Aiken and Lander all finished above .500 in PBC play last year.
After a successful fall campaign and recent signings, here’s an early look at who to watch in 2022.
Columbus State
Head coach: Greg Appleton | 2021 record: 31-16
Hitter to watch: Robert Brooks, C — Brooks was on the radar for the bulk of the 2021 season as one of my hitters to watch at NCAA.com. Last season, he hit .396 with 22 home runs and 56 RBI. Brooks combines excellent hitting ability with good power to all fields. He is also a good defensive catcher that is the quarterback of the team.
Pitcher to watch: Devin Dudal, RHP— Dudal is in his third season with the Cougars. After a slow start last because of a nagging injury, the righty came on strong in the playoff run last year. He is a big, strong, classic starter with a four-pitch mix: an 88-91 mph fastball, curve, slider and change.
Newcomer to watch: Derrick Wylie, OF — Wylie is a JUCO transfer from Gordon State College. He is a 6'3, 225-pound outfielder with a strong arm. He has great power at the plate and just needs to gain some experience at the DII level.
What Coach Appleton says: “We have an experienced lineup returning from a team that got hot at the end of 2021. We lost a lot of pitching and that is our biggest concern for 2022. Our offense and solid defense may have to carry us until our pitchers get some innings under their belt.”
North Georgia
Head coach: Tom Cantrell | 2021 record: 30-15
Hitter to watch: Crews Taylor, OF — Taylor is a left-handed hitting centerfielder that can hit for power and average. He is a good runner which makes him a threat in many ways at the plate. He has done a great job of holding down centerfield and there is no reason to expect that not to continue this year.
Pitcher to watch: Cade Heil, RHP — Heil is sinker-baller that fills up the zone with strikes. He is an experienced veteran and knows how to make pitches to get guys out. He will sit around mid 80s with a three-pitch mix and, as Coach Cantrell so eloquently describes, ‘could hit a penny if you put it in the mitt.’
Newcomer to watch: Cameron Mobley, LHP — The freshman will be mid-to-upper 80s with his fastball with plus-secondary stuff.
What Coach Cantrell says: “We have a young team, but the mix of veteran leadership is still there. If we do what we are supposed to with preparing the right way every day, we should be pleased with the outcome. There will be road bumps here and there, but we have the right people to overcome them.”
Young Harris
Head coach: Stephen Waggener | 2021 record: 23-18
Hitter to watch: Jackson Jones, C/OF — Jones was All-PBC in his sophomore campaign and had a strong junior year to follow it up. He also led the Prospect League with 18 home runs in an MVP campaign. He’s a LHH with plus power that will hit for average and control the strike zone, striking out less (20 times) than he walked (33) in 2021.
Pitcher to watch: Chad Brown, RHP – Brown was fresh off Tommy John surgery, but his stuff has climbed back this fall. He sits at 88-91 mph with his fastball and adds a quality slider and changeup.
Newcomer to watch: Nate Lamb, LHP — The 6’4 transfer from Spartanburg Methodist sits 90-95 mph with his fastball and adds a plus-slider and change.
What Coach Waggener says: “This is a well-balanced team. The strength of our team will be our pitching staff, which was very young last season. We return all our pitching and have added three quality Junior College arms that will give us another shot in the arm. The core of our position players will be very balanced with great team speed, and we will be able to hit for both average and power. The defense will be consistent and dependable.”
Georgia College
Head coach: Nolan Belcher | 2021 record: 20-17
Hitters to watch: Cam Hill, CF —No surprise here. Hill is the returning centerfielder and has been one of my hitters to watch for some time. Hill has a unique blend of speed and power with a high level of bat-to-ball skill. He also has a big personality and is a team leader.
Pitcher to watch: Josh Hudgins, RHP — Hudgins was the Friday-night guy last year and had a solid campaign. His fastball sits 88-92 mph with some heavy sink. His slider is 77-81 and he also adds a solid changeup from 80-82 mph.
Newcomer to watch: Davis Swenson. RHP — A transfer from Gordon College. He will be anywhere from 88-92 mph on his fastball with a very good breaking ball (low-80s) and low-80s splitter. Swenson is a very mature and methodical worker who takes great pride in improving his game daily.
Also watch: KC Brown will be returning to the Bobcats after a year off. There is a lot of power in his bat.
What Coach Belcher says: “We have an older bunch of guys but a lot of new faces that should play an integral part to our season. It is a very mature group that understands what needs to be done to win baseball games. This group has been one of the more enjoyable teams I have been around in my nine years of coaching.”
USC Aiken
Head coach: Michael Holder | 2021 record: 20-17
Hitters to watch: Jackson Hannon, OF — The right-handed hitting outfielder has great hand-eye coordination with ability to adjust. He’s coming off a good summer in the Ohio Valley League and is expected to hit towards the top of the lineup.
Pitcher to watch: RHP — Steger has a fastball that plays up from a slightly lower slot and a slider that is hard for hitters to pick up. He has improved on command which has allowed him to be more effective than in years past.
Newcomers to watch: Jacob Fletcher, RHP — Transfer from South Georgia State.
What Coach Tyler Miller (Assistant Coach) says: “This team has been pushed all fall and continues to answer the bell. We will need some guys to step up and have good years, but we know what we are capable of as a group, and I do not see this team settling for anything less.”
Lander
Head coach: Jason Burke | 2021 record: 20-19
Hitters to watch: Ethan Wilder, SS — Wilder has had a very productive fall and has made a nice jump from last year. He should hit near the top of the order and has a very simple approach at the plate with gap-to-gap power. It may just be an average run tool but he gets good jumps on the bases and plays a very good shortstop defensively. Coach Burke expects Wilder to be a high-BA/OBP guy.
Pitcher to watch: Bryce Jackson, RHP — Described as a power pitcher. Jackson has been a back-end arm in the past and led the PBC in saves in 2020. He has been used as a starter this fall and they are seeing that his command has gotten better. While he still needs to improve, Jackson has been filling the zone with his off-speed stuff better than in the past. He has been sitting in the low-90s but he was in the mid-90s out of the bullpen before and could push that in a starter role. Jackson is very efficient in his delivery and throws from a high, three-quarters arm slot.
Newcomers to watch: Bennett Sloper, RHP — The freshman has a long, slender build and throws from a high, three-quarter slot. He already has a three-pitch mix that sits in the upper-80s to low-90s with good command for a younger arm. With very easy velocity with some movement on it, Burke expects Sloper to contend for a starter role.
Also watch: Ian Jenkins, OF — Transfer from Miami Dade and University of South Carolina. He’s a big physical outfielder that can run as well, Jenkins has a power profile and has swung the bat very well this fall. A plus-arm appears to be a bonus.
What Coach Burke says: “We are looking forward to this season and will have a lot of new faces. We should be way more athletic and be able to do more on the bases and defend a lot better than we have in the past few years. At the plate I think that we will be a slightly different offense with a little less power, but more stolen bases and bunt for hit attempts. On the mound we will be a little younger than I would like in terms of innings pitched at this level, but just need to throw strikes and let the defense make plays.”
Others to watch:
Anthony Angelino, 1B, Georgia Southwestern — Has developed into The Canes’ best hitter this fall, with the ability to hit for power and average.
Daniel Fischer, LHP, Flagler — Was impressive in the bullpen in 2021.
Donovan Garcia, IF/OF, Flagler — Coming off an All-PBC First-Team 2021.
Ryan Smith, SS Georgia Southwestern
Luke Welborn, OF/1B, Flagler — A Mississippi Gulf Coast CC transfer, he batted .313 with seven home runs last year.
Paige Robinson joins the DII Nation Podcast
It’s tipoff time for the DII women’s basketball season. The reigning WBCA DII player of the year and Drury’s own Paige Robinson joins the Nation to discuss coming season. As always, you can listen here or watch below. Please follow and subscribe, we appreciate all the support.