2014 TEAM PREVIEW: WINTHROP

This information was provided by Winthrop coach Tom Riginos to serve as the Eagles' season preview information.

Winthrop head baseball coach Tom Riginos is expecting a much-improved offensive attack for the 2014 season which gets underway on February 14 when the Eagles open their 56-game schedule against Akron at The Winthrop Ballpark.

“This is by far the most athletic team we have had in the four years I have been here,” said Riginos. “We have recruited well the last three years and we believe that is going to pay off this season. We look for the offense to be more potent and be able to put more runs on the board.”

The Eagles return 21 players from a year ago and have added 14 newcomers, according to Riginos. “Depth will be a major asset this season,” he believes. From a pitching perspective, Riginos believes the depth of the staff and the top part of the rotation could also prove to be assets.

“With the additions of John Menken, Zac Goodno, Brad Kazcka, Babe Thomas, and Clif Bryant along with the return of a healthy TJ Olesczuk, who is coming off a medical red-shirt year, and a much-improved Steven Wallace, our offensive depth will be much improved.”

The Winthrop coach believes all three projected outfield starters (Menken, a junior in left field, Olesczuk, a junior in center field, and senior Cody Dolan in right field) have professional potential. Menken played for Elgin Community College and is coming off a strong sophomore year as he hit .400 with seven home runs, and 50 runs batted in to go along with 15 stolen bases. Olesczuk was hitting .333 with eight RBI after 12 games last season when an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Dolan led the Eagles in hitting with a .300 average, in hits with 57, and runs scored with 30. Another returning player who will see action in the outfield is sophomore Steven Wallace. According to Riginos, “Wallace had a huge fall and made major strides from last season.”

Other outfield candidates include Rock Hill sophomore Michael Patrick, freshman Cory Cremonese from Boiling Springs, SC, and red-shirt sophomore Tyler Asbill, a Lexington, SC product.

Goodno, a junior right handed-hitting catcher who transferred from Indian River State College, along with Menken, and Thomas are competing for the starting catcher duties. Goodno is coming off a strong year at the plate as he hit .400 with five HRs and 25 RBI in junior college. Thomas, a freshman who will also see action in the Outfield and the DH spot is expected to be a very productive hitter and impact player. Thomas played at Wando H.S. in Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Junior Clay Altman, another South Carolina product from Conway H.S., and Bryant, a left-handed hitting freshman from Trenton, FL, will battle for playing time at first base. Altman is coming off a solid sophomore season in which he hit .288 and tied for the team RBI lead with 21. Leighton Daniels, one of just five seniors on the squad, will be back as a fourth-year starter and will hold down second base. Last season Daniels hit .280 and ranked third in hits with 51. Rock Hill product Chad Smith and Wallace, a sophomore out of Norwood, NC will contend for the job at third base. Smith started 39 games as a sophomore, and batted .290 while driving in 20 runs to rank second on the team in both categories. Also battling for a infield position will be red-shirt sophomore Mark Lowrie from Akron, PA, and senior Luke Maldonado, Oak Creek, WI.

Heading into the spring, the battle for the starting shortstop position is expected to be between junior college transfer Brad Kaczka and sophomore Kyle Edwards. Kaczka hit .376 with 40 RBI and 11 stolen bases last year at Monroe Community College while Edwards had a very good freshman defensive year.

Pitching wise, Riginos says two of the three-man weekend rotation are solid with red-shirt sophomore southpaw Sam Kmiec, sophomore; right hander Joey Strain. Left-handed junior Josh Strong, freshman right-hander Zach Cook, and freshman southpaw Matt Crohan are competing for the other starting spot. Right- hander Brock Goodling, a red-shirt sophomore who is coming off Tommy John surgery, is projected as the closer.

“Kmiec is a guy who throws strikes. He only walked eight guys during the spring and summer and his velocity also jumped up to the 86-88 miles per hour range,” said Riginos. Kmiec started 12 games as a freshman and compiled a 3-7 record and a 3.56 earned run average with 57 strikeouts and just five walks in 78.1 innings.

Strain was 3-5 as a pure freshman with a 3.84 ERA. “Joey will be a solid starter for us,” according to the Winthrop coach. “He has also improved his velocity from last year and is throwing between 89 and 93. If he continues to improve, he could be a good draft pick in 2015.”

“Josh (Strong) had a great spring and summer, he is a solid left hander who knows how to pitch,” according to Riginos. “Last year Strong was strictly a reliever as he made 19 appearances out of the bullpen and compiled a sparkling 1.86 earned run average.” He was 2-1 and whiffed 20 batters while allowing only 22 hits in 29 innings. Riginos says Cook has a very good. “Zach stays in the 89-91 range, but can throw up to 93 miles per hour,” said Riginos. According to the Winthrop coach, “Crohan has a big-time left handed arm and threw up to 92 in the fall.” One of those three is expected to join Kmiec and Strain as the weekend starters.

As far as the bullpen goes, Riginos will have nine guys he can go to in addition to his closer. The pen includes a trio right-handed junior college transfers in Carl Buddin, Travis Shelley, and Austin Lawrence, Buddin, a product of Murrells Inlet, SC, played at Brunswick Community Colleg. Shelley, from Pawleys Island, SC, pitched at Lancaster Community College, and Lawrence, of Greer, SC, played at Spartanburg Methodist. The returning relievers include sophomores Zach Sightler, from Lexington, SC, and Michael Gilroy, from Columbia, SC.

Four other members of the pitching staff, who are coming off arm injuries, are expected to return for preseason practice in January. They include Kaden Hepler, a red-shirt freshman from York, PA, freshman Justin Pace, Gastonia, NC, and red-shirt junior Michael Green, Wake Forest, NC, another Brunswick Community College product. Hepler & Pace are coming off Tommy John surgery while Green is coming off an elbow injury. Red-shirt senior Jason Driver will be back after recovering from a shoulder injury. These four arms should improve the pitching staffs depth.

Season tickets for Winthrop’s 26-home game schedule are now on sale at the Winthrop Athletic Ticket Office. Cost is $95 per seat. For more information, call 803-323-2345.

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