Bryan News
As the program enters its 8th 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 with the 4 redshirts and 12 returning letter winners, who will now be taking the field with the Lions. "I really like the team we will be putting on the field this spring," says Head Coach Taylor Hasty, "They have been committed to working hard all Fall, both in the classroom and on the field."
McCarty and Smith are both outfielders who saw their stock rise during their senior seasons. Smith, from McMinn County High School in Athens, TN, led his district in hitting with an average of .494. McCarty, from Eastern High School in Louisville, KY, hit over 20 homeruns in his senior year between high school and legion baseball. Coming from Jordan-Matthews High School in Snow Camp, NC, Josh Harris is a big-bodied young man who won 11 games on the mound as a senior and boasted an ERA less than 3.00.
A large incoming transfer class brought in by Coach Hasty includes seven junior college players and five transfers from four-year universities. Zach Breault, from New Mexico Junior College, leads the way as a 6'6" right-handed pitcher who projects well in the upcoming June draft.
The Lions had two senior transfers in Joseph Delrosario and Pablo Rodriguez, both of whom led their previous school in offensive production last year and will bolster the Lions lineup. Josh King also joins the Lions this year as an excellent defender in the outfield and brings a lot of power to the lineup.
Shane Clawson, Kevin Layne, William Colvard and Adam Polston sat out during the spring 2009 season, but return to the field for the Lions this season. Clawson and Layne will have a big impact in the outfield and help anchor the middle of the lineup. Colvard improved in several key areas during his redshirt year and will be at third base for the Lions. Polston returns as a potential conference starting pitcher for the Lions after redshirting his sophomore year.
Highlighted among the 12 returning letter winners are 5 seniors: Zach Bowe, Jonathan Brown, Ryan Henn, Ben Young and Daniel Zimmerman. Hasty is excited about his senior class, "I cannot say enough good things about these young men. They are all so important to our success, not just on the field but off the field as we seek to impact the young men in our program in a positive manner." All five seniors will play significant roles in the success of the team this year, bringing strong leadership and a team-centered focus to the field.
The two returning juniors this year are Jonathan Davis and Doug Stroup. Davis was on his way to a solid 2009 campaign when he was sidelined by a UCL strain in his throwing arm. Stroup saw his playing time increase throughout 2009 in center and brings experience to the outfield in 2010.
Zach Breazeale, Andrew Brown, Steven Brown, Jordan Day and Reid Merwin return as sophomores who gained valuable experience for the Lions last year as freshmen. All saw significant playing time as freshmen and will play impact roles this year as sophomores. "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, " said Coach Hasty.
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 4 wins.
¨ 6'6" Canadian right-handed pitcher Zack Breault will be one of Bryan's Saturday starters after a solid 2009 campaign as the number one arm for New Mexico Junior College. Breault threw 37 innings for NMJC, had 30 strikeouts and 3 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 brings a lot of experience as a senior to the starting rotation in mid-week games and will also see time in the bull pen 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's short history. He led the Lions against Southern Polytechnic when they were ranked 7th 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.
¨ Young, who has pitched in every capacity for the Lions over his career, could see time as a mid-week starter. As the Lions' career saves leader, Young plays an important role out of the bullpen but easily transitions to starter when necessary.
Relief Pitching
¨ The Lions deepened their bullpen with their Fall 2009 recruiting class adding 3 left-handed arms and 3 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 8. 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 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, NC, the coaching staff expects big things from the 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 8th 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. Day 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 8 home runs and will bat fourth in the lineup.
¨ Andrew Brown returns after hitting .299 with 8 doubles as a freshman to back up Rodriguez and will see time when a left-handed pitcher takes the mound for the opponent.
¨ Josh Harris, a big 6'4" freshman will see limited action at first base as well as a 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.
¨ Senior Ryan 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.
¨ Sophomore Steven 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.
¨ Sophomore Reid Merwin is coming off right shoulder surgery, but had a solid freshman year hitting .294 with 8 doubles in just 22 games in 2009. He is ready to step in and play second if necessary.
¨ Pfeiffer transfer Justin Mock will back Colvard up 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 shortstop 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 9 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.
¨ Josh 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 7th in the order for the Lions.
¨ Returners Drew Brown, Kevin Layne, Doug Stroup and Zach Bowe could also see time in the outfield.
¨ Returning sophomore Andrew Brown could also see time as a DH.
¨ Freshman Josh Harris will also be looked at as an option at this position.
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