Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University baseball team returns seven position players and its entire weekend rotation from a team that went 20-7 in SAC play last season to finish alone in second place. The Bulldogs have finished in the top four in the league standings each of the past five seasons, winning a regular season title in 2010 and a SAC Tournament championship in 2011. The Bulldogs begin the 2014 season Saturday, Feb. 1, hosting a three-game series against Saint Augustine's. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. Wingate went 29-21 overall in 2013.

"This has been a really good pre-season," head coach Jeff Gregory says. "I am proud of how focused the guys have been and the amount effort they have put into every practice. The expectations are no different this year than any other year. We want to play solid baseball all season and be relevant at the end of the year."

Wingate will face a tough schedule in 2014. In addition to the 30 SAC contests, the 'Dogs will face several teams who made an appearance in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. "This is a challenging schedule," Gregory says. "We play in a great league with a lot of great teams. Our nonconference schedule is tough as well. I think we are capable of playing very well through it, but we will need to be at our best every day."

The biggest strength of the Wingate team during the 2013 season was the weekend rotation, which played a huge role in the Bulldogs registering a SAC-best 3.58 ERA. It is the second lowest ERA in program history, and just missed out on cracking the top 10 in conference history.

All three weekend starters return, led by first team All-SAC selection Olen Little (Charlotte, N.C.). The senior led the SAC with a 1.50 ERA in 2013, going 6-1 while posting the third-best ERA in SAC history. He is the first pitcher in the league to have an ERA of under 1.58 since 1995. Sophomore left-hander TJ Rinoski (Yorktown, Pa.) was named the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2013. He finished second in the conference with a 1.76 ERA, while also going 6-1 on the year, holding opponents to a .182 batting average. Senior right-hander Ben Currie (Clemmons, N.C.) earned preseason All-SAC honors this season. The Friday night starter last year led the Bulldogs with 65 strikeouts and 79 2/3 innings pitched while going 6-3 with a 3.84 ERA.

"This is an experienced weekend rotation," Gregory says. "They have gained valuable time these past few years and I think that experience can be an advantage for us."

For weekday starters, the Bulldogs will look to junior right-hander Brett Morgan (Clemmons, N.C.) and freshman Jimmy Doolittle (Charlotte, N.C.). Morgan made 13 appearances out of the Wingate bullpen in 2013, notching eight strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings of work while holding opponents to a .233 batting average. Doolittle is a 6-7 right-hander who played his high school baseball at Providence High School.

"Doolittle has had a tremendous spring along with Morgan," Gregory says. "Both guys can start and also be valuable guys in the bullpen for us. Both have really good stuff and I think will be good competitors for us."

The Bulldogs will look to several players to pitch key innings out of the bullpen. Sophomore right-hander Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.) could see time as a middle reliever or in the closer role. He had 16 1/3 innings pitched his freshman season. Freshman right-hander Brandon Donahue (Charlotte, N.C.) could also be used in both roles, while Gregory sees sophomore Dusty Ayscue (Louisburg, N.C.) as a "strike thrower that fills up the zone."

Freshman Patrick Haynes (Charlotte, N.C.) will be a left-handed arm out of the bullpen. Senior right-hander Stephen Vaughan (Wilmington, N.C.) will have several roles for the Bulldogs. "Vaughan is a versatile guy that has been tremendous for us during his career. He can start, relieve and close. We will count on him to do the same this year." Vaughan was 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA last year, making seven starts and six relief appearances. Senior Justin Somers (Wilmington, N.C.) sat out last year recovering from surgery. He could see times as a reliever and in the outfield. In 2011, Somers went 7-4 with a 2.60 ERA, striking out 77 in 62 1/3 innings. Other newcomers who will be used out of the bullpen this year include Cameron Price (Indian Trail, N.C.), Hunter Hamilton (Troy, N.C.), Brandon Dorsey (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and Will Adams (Laurinburg, N.C.).

"I really like our pitching staff," Gregory says. "We have a lot of really solid arms that can do a lot of things for us. Coach Brown has done a great job getting these guys prepared for the season."

The outfield will look the same as it did for most of the season in 2013. Junior All-SAC and All-Region center fielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) was also named to the SAC Gold Glove team in 2013. Gregory expects him to hit in the leadoff spot. He led the team with a .351 average last year, leading the league with seven triples while adding nine doubles, three homers, 32 RBI and 46 runs. Senior right fielder Eric Serra (Miami, Fla.) will also be near the top of the order. He hit .296 in his first year at Wingate, scoring 37 runs while stealing a team-best 19 bases. Sophomore Bill Krebs (West Chester, Pa.) will be the left fielder for the second straight year. Gregory expects him to be in the middle of the lineup. Krebs hit .297 as a freshman, with three homers, six doubles and 17 RBI in 40 games. Price, Somers and freshman Ross Groome (Charlotte, N.C.) will also see some time in the outfield this year.

The infield will also look similar for the Bulldogs. Junior Blake Prince (Winter Park, Fla.) will play third base for the second straight year. The All-SAC selection in 2013 hit .351 with 18 doubles, four homers and a team-best 34 RBI in his first year at Wingate. Junior Michael Godinez (Cutler Bay, Fla.) has started 83 games at shortstop for the Bulldogs the last two seasons. The solid defensive shortstop has improved his offense during the offseason.

Junior Brad Cherry (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) will start at first base for the second straight year. He hit .290 last season with four homers, 11 doubles and 23 RBI. The one new position player will be at second base, where freshman Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) will be the opening day starter. Billings played at Glenn High School and had a good spring for the Bulldogs to earn the opening day start as a freshman.

Senior Matthew Barrier (Mt. Pleasant, N.C.) could see time at any infield position as well as designated hitter. He appeared in 20 games last year, hitting .300 with two homers and seven RBI. Freshmen Jack Sherrill (Willow Spring, N.C.) and John DeLuca (Bahama, N.C.) had solid fall and spring workouts and could see time at any infield position, along with redshirt sophomore Bandon Wolf (Charlotte, N.C.).

Junior catcher Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) was an All-SAC selection during his sophomore season. He hit .275 last year, tying for the team lead with six homers while adding 10 doubles and 23 RBI. Junior Tyler Simmons (Charlotte, N.C.) will also see some time at catcher this season. He appeared in seven games last season, starting twice. Clark will be the designated hitter in games he does not catch. There are several players battling for the DH spot when Clark catches.

"I Feel like we have a good offense that is well balanced," Gregory says. "Guys have made a couple of good adjustments and Coach Price has done a very good job in preparing them as well."

After the season-opening series against Saint Augustine's, the Bulldogs jump into conference play next weekend, welcoming SAC newcomer Coker to Ron Christopher Stadium for a three-game series starting Friday night. The Cobras won the regional title in 2013. Wingate will play a total of 10 games against teams from last year's NCAA Southeast regionals. The Bulldogs will host doubleheaders against Mount Olive and UNC Pembroke in early April. The Trojans were ranked number one in the nation last year when Wingate beat them in Mount Olive. They are ranked fourth in the NCBWA preseason poll, while UNCP is ranked 17th. The 'Dogs will host Catawba for a three-game series in late March. The Indians won the regular season SAC title by one game last year, and are ranked 24th in the Collegiate Baseball preseason top 25.