Baseball | 1/31/2017 1:57:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs open the 2017 season this weekend, traveling to Francis Marion to play three games, starting Friday at 5 p.m. against North Greenville. Wingate went 30-22 in 2016, posting a 12-12 record in SAC play. The Bulldogs won the 2015 SAC Tournament title, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament while also picking up their first NCAA Tournament win since 1995.

The Bulldogs return six starting position players, along with a large portion of the pitching staff. The returners include preseason all-conference selections Brandon Donahue (Charlotte, N.C.), Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) and Austin Turgeon (Athens, Ga.). Wingate was picked fifth in the preseason SAC coaches poll.

"I think that we have had a good start to spring practice," head coach Jeff Gregory says, entering his seventh season as the head coach. "The team has been focused and worked well so far. As always, there is room for improvement, but I have been pleased with what we have done so far. We want to maximize what we can do as a team and become the best team we can possibly be. I believe our improved depth will be a strength along with having another year of experience."

Position-by-Position Breakdowns

Infield
Gregory sees nine different players being factors on the Wingate infield, led by two-time All-SAC and All-Region selection Bradley Brown. He led the Bulldogs in homers last season, finishing second in RBI despite missing 20 games. Brown hit .352 with 14 homers and 40 RBI in 27 starts, ranking second in the SAC with a .796 slugging percentage. He should see time at first base, along with junior college transfer Aaron Nanney (Gastonia, N.C.) and sophomore Zach Little (Troutman, N.C.). Nanney spent the last two years at Patrick Henry Community College, while Little started all 52 games last year, seeing time at first and second base while compiling a .277 average with 14 stolen bases and 45 runs scored. Brown, Nanney and Turgeon will also see time at the Designated Hitter spot.

Little could also see time at second base again in 2017, along with freshman McCann Mellett (Charlotte, N.C.). "We are versatile on the infield with a lot of depth here so we have options on a game-by-game basis, Gregory says. "There is still a guy or two having good springs that could be options as well."

Sophomore Reece Daniel (Asheboro, N.C.) and junior Brett Branton (Athens, Ga.) will see time at shortstop. Daniel played second base and shortstop last season, appearing in 29 games while finishing third on the team with a .330 batting average. Branton started 21 contests in 2016, hitting .247 with five doubles and 10 RBI.

Senior Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.) will be the primary option at third base. An All-SAC selection in 2015, Barnette started every game in 2016, hitting .255 with four homers and 14 doubles, driving in 38 runs. He had 13 doubles and 13 homers during his sophomore season in 2015 after transferring from UNC, driving in 55 runs.

Other players expected to see time at multiple positions in the infield are sophomores Turgeon and David Nash (Monroe, N.C.). Turgeon is a preseason all-conference selection after hitting .319 as a freshman with 10 doubles, six homers and 25 RBI. Nash saw time in seven games before suffering a season-ending injury during his freshman season.

Outfield
The outfield will see three new players getting plenty of time. Junior College transfers Trent Wynn (New Bern, N.C.) and Ty Andrus (Winston-Salem, N.C.) will join redshirt freshman Joseph Mason (Morehead City, N.C.). Andrus was named the Region X Player of the Year at Catawba Valley Community College in 2016, hitting .438 while leading the league in hits and ranking second in stolen bases. He also ranked in the top 10 in the league in runs, triples and on-base percentage, striking out just five times in 185 at-bats. Wynn played at Pitt Community College, where he hit .336 in 2016, collecting eight doubles, a triple and two homers, adding 18 RBI while scoring 38 runs. He also stole 11 bases on the year.

"I would look to Wynn, Andrus, and Mason to be regulars in the outfield," Gregory says. "They can all run and cover a lot of ground defensively. I would also look to see Turgeon or Matthew Grecco (Norfolk, Va.) in the outfield as well. We do have a couple of freshmen that are progressing well there too."

Catchers
Both of Wingate's primary catchers from last season return in sophomores Micah Goodwin (Rougemont, N.C.) and Andrew Llewellyn (Moseley, Va.). "Goodwin and Llewellyn will be the guys behind the plate," Gregory says. "Both of them have really shown some good improvements behind the plate that should carry us through the season."

Llewellyn made 28 starts in 2016, hitting .221 with four doubles and three homers, driving in 12 runs while scoring 10 times. Goodwin appeared in 26 contests, compiling a .279 batting average to go along with a homer, two doubles and nine RBI.

Pitchers
Donahue will anchor the starting rotation for the Bulldogs, along with juniors Hunter Hamilton (Troy, N.C.) and Hunter Morgan (Summerfield, N.C.). Freshman left-hander Riley Isenhour (Kernersville, N.C.) will also be used a starter during his first season at Wingate. "This is an area that we feel we have good depth," Gregory says. "Donahue, Hamilton, Morgan and Isenhour are the guys we will go with to start the year for the rotation. We do have some other guys that can be versatile guys for us out of the pen or start if we need to."

Donahue is a preseason All-SAC selection after going 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA during his junior season, collecting 60 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. Hamilton battled an injury last season, making two starts and eight bullpen appearances, compiling a 3.74 ERA with a 1-0 record while striking out 21 in 21 2/3 innings. Morgan made 17 appearances in 2016 including six starts, going 3-2 with a 5.24 ERA.

Other pitchers that will contribute as relievers and possible starters include redshirt sophomore Jimmy Doolittle (Charlotte, N.C.), sophomore Lane Wildman (Virginia Beach, Va.), freshman Alex Rodriguez (Kannapolis, N.C.). In the backend of the Wingate bullpen will be senior Cameron Price (Indian Trail, N.C.) and junior Kory Behenna (Bahama, N.C.).

"Doolittle, Wildman and Rodriguez have great versatility," Gregory says. "Price and Behenna will look to be guys late in the game for us, but they can also pitch in other spots. We do feel that we have some good versatility in the pitching staff this year that will give us some options to go to. I expect all of them to be a factor during the season."

Doolittle has battled through injuries during his time at Wingate. He missed all of 2016, but his last appearance came in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, where he took a perfect game into the eighth inning against North Greenville. He finished with a complete-game one-hit shutout, striking out eight. Wildman led the Bulldogs with a 2.03 ERA last season going 1-1 in seven appearances including three starts, tossing 13 1/3 innings.

Price finished second on the team with 19 appearances out of the Wingate bullpen last season, going 3-0 with one save, compiling a 3.80 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. Behenna made 10 starts and five appearances out of the bullpen during his sophomore season, going 3-3 with a 6.75 ERA, striking out 45 in 46 2/3 innings of work.

The Bulldogs will play three different teams on opening weekend, beginning with North Greenville at 5 p.m. Friday at Francis Marion. Wingate will take on Claflin Saturday at 5 p.m., while wrapping up the weekend Sunday afternoon against Francis Marion at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs will play their first home game Wednesday, Feb. 8, hosting USC Aiken at 3 p.m. Wingate begins conference play March 3, opening a three-game series at home against Anderson. "This year's schedule is challenging," Gregory says. "I think we play in one of the toughest regions in the country and I think our schedule reflects that. We are excited about the challenge of our schedule."

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 10 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 88 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 88 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 97 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.