The Herald-News - News Story

The Bryan College Lions are entering the 2010 baseball season with hopes that a return to Senter Field will bring with it new life into the college's baseball program.

As the program enters its eighth season, the Lions are poised to make major strides in the right direction. The 2009 recruiting class added 15 new faces to the squad to go along with four redshirts and 12 returning letter winners.

"I really like the team we will be putting on the field this spring," said Head Coach Taylor Hasty. "They have been committed to working hard all fall, both in the classroom and on the field.

"They went through a tough year in 2009, but these young men are resilient and committed, which bodes us well as we head into the future, " Hasty added.

The Lions will open their season Monday, Feb. 1, at home against Truett McConnell College at 2 p.m.

Position by position breakdown

Starting pitching: Bryan hopes to have the best pitching rotation in program history with right handers Zack Breault and Adam Polston and left hander Zach Breazeale.

Polston will more than likely be the Friday night starter for the Lions after a redshirt year. It will be a transition for Polston who during his freshman year in 2008 primarily came out of the bullpen. Of the 40 innings he pitched in 2008, Polston threw 16 scoreless innings out of the pen and received four wins.

At 6'6" , Canadian right handed pitcher Zack Breault will be one of Bryan's Saturday starters after a solid 2009 campaign as the No. 1 arm for New Mexico Junior College. Breault threw 37 innings for NMJC, had 30 strikeouts and three wins.

Breazeale, who won his first collegiate start as a freshman in 2009, is known as a great competitor always giving it everything he has on the mound, regardless of who is in the other dugout. Breazeale led the Lions in innings pitched in 2009 with 63.1 and will again see a lot of mound time.

Bryan has several young men who will fit the role of mid-week starter. Daniel Zimmerman, of Rhea County, brings a lot of experience as a senior to the starting rotation and will also see time in the bullpen on the weekends. Senior Ben Young could also see time as a mid-week starter for the Lions.

As a starter Zimmerman has had some of the biggest wins in Bryan baseball's short history.
He led the Lions against Southern Polytechnic State University when they were ranked seventh in the country as a freshman and had three conference wins as a sophomore. He saw limited time as a junior as a result of his time in England studying at Oxford but will see significant time on the mound in 2010.

Relief pitching: The Lions deepened their bullpen with their fall 2009 recruiting class adding three left-handed arms and three right-handed arms. Ben Young will again lead the Lions' relief staff as he returns after setting the single season appearance record for the Lions in 2009 with 26. Relievers will again play a key role in the success of the Lions pitching staff and newcomers Kemonte Keessee, Josh Harris, Josh Smith, Michael Edwards and Ryan Hill will play a big part in the relief work.

In Young's freshman and junior years he saw over 20 appearances primarily as a reliever.
Young has never been one to turn down the baseball, leading the Lions in career saves with eight. A stopper who throws a lot of strikes, Young will again be one of the first guys out of the bullpen for the Lions and looks to have another solid year.

Left handed transfer from Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Josh Smith, will be the left handed stopper out of the bullpen for the Lions. A workhorse, Smith looks to be a big difference maker in many situations.

Keesee, Edwards and Hill are all junior college transfers who bring a lot of experience as relievers to the Lions and will be counted on. These young men will throw key innings and be asked to throw strikes and get outs in many different situations.

Josh Harris brings a lot to the table as a big freshman arm for the Lions. Coming off an excellent senior season at Jordan-Matthews High School in Snow Camp, N.C., the coaching staff expects big things from this young man. He may see time at the end of games for the Lions as well as a starting role as he grows as a pitcher.

Catcher: Senior Jonathan Brown is slated to be the starting catcher once again for the Lions. Brown will likely bat eighth in the lineup for the Lions and brings a lot of experience to the position as a three year starter.

Sophomore Jordan Day will back Brown up as the number two catcher for the Lions. He returns after a freshman year that saw Day catch in 32 games. After gaining a lot of experience as a freshman, the coaching staff expects to see him make even bigger strides as a sophomore.

Tyler Wooden will bring additional depth to the position as a converted catcher following a redshirt year in 2009.

First base: Transfer left-handed hitter Pablo Rodriguez will be the starter at first base for the Lions. He had a batting average of .364 last year with eight home runs and will bat fourth in the lineup.

Andrew Brown returns after hitting .299 with eight doubles as a freshman to back up Rodriguez and will see time when a southpaw pitcher takes the mound for the opponent.

Josh Harris, a big 6'4" freshman, will see limited action at first base as well as at designated hitter.

Second base: Three players are vying for an opportunity to start at second base for the Lions. Senior Ryan Henn projects as the starter but sophomores Steven Brown and Reid Merwin are right behind him.

Henn is the returning stolen base leader for the Lions with 20 in his 2009 campaign. A speedy player with a great arm, Henn provides a lot of weapons both as a defender and an offensive player.

Brown spent time as the starting shortstop for the Lions as a freshman following the injury to starter Jonathan Davis. He provides an excellent second option at either position because he is a great defender.

Merwin is coming off right shoulder surgery but had a solid freshman year hitting .294 with eight doubles in just 22 games in 2009. He is ready to step in and play second if necessary.

Third base: Redshirt freshman William Colvard will be the starter at third base and the leadoff hitter. An athletic player, Colvard provides the Lions with great range at third and a lot of speed at the top of the order. A disciplined hitter who can hit for power, Colvard is expected to have a great first year.

Pfeiffer transfer Justin Mock will back up Colvard at third. Fighting a back injury, Mock is making progress as a sophomore and expects to improve, providing help if needed.

Shortstop: Jonathan Davis returns as the starting shortstop for the Lions. Coming off a hot 2009 February in which he hit .407, Davis sustained a UCL injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2009 season. Following a summer of rehab, Davis is back at full strength and will hit second in the order.

Steven Brown will back up Davis at short stop after seeing significant time there as a freshman as a result of Davis' UCL injury.

Outfield: The most likely starters in the outfield for the Lions will be senior Joseph Delrosario in left, redshirt sophomore Shane Clawson in center and junior Josh King in right field.

Delrosario provides a big bat in the lineup for the Lions coming off a junior campaign in which he hit .394 with nine home runs. Delrosario will anchor the lineup as the third hitter.

Clawson will be the five hitter in the lineup for the Lions. A transfer from Surry Community College in the fall of 2008, Clawson sat out a year and is now ready to be the starter in center. He hit .360 for Surry his freshman year of college and will provide a solid offensive weapon for the Lions.

King is a transfer from Roane State Community College. King is an excellent defender who also provides a lot of power at the plate. He will hit seventh in the order for the Lions.

Returners Drew Brown, Kevin Layne, Doug Stroup and Zach Bowe could also see time in the outfield.

Designated Hitter: Left handed senior Zach Bowe projects as the starter at DH for the Lions.
Bowe brings a lot of experience to the plate as the sixth hitter in the lineup and will provide a power left-handed bat.

Returning sophomore Andrew Brown could also see time as a DH, while freshman Josh Harris will also be looked at as an option at this position.