Feb. 4, 2010

2.3.10 - Kevin Paxson brought in several new faces for his second season at the helm of the Evangel baseball program. MACU graduated seven seniors last season, losing 20 players overall. The Evangels lost seven starting position players and three starting pitchers.

"Anytime you lose that many starters you basically have a new team," Kevin Paxson said. "With the mixture of transfers and returners we are excited to see what this team can accomplish. We could have six or seven newcomers in the line up on any given day."

MACU returns five letterwinners to the 2010 pitching staff. All five of the returners started in a game at some point last season. Coach Paxson has added depth and experience to the pitching staff with nine newcomers.

Senior Thomas Peabody and Freshman Derek Allen are the only two starters etched in stone following the fall. Peabody started eight games for the Evangels last season with two wins and one shutout. Allen is a freshman who comes to MACU from Shawnee High School.

"We have added depth to our pitching staff," Paxson said. "There will be some pitchers changing rolls and we are still making decisions on where others will fit in. We could see up to seven different pitchers start games throughout the season depending on the schedule and who has the hot hand"

Kyle Francis could start but might be more valuable to the team out of the bullpen. Returner Ben Coffeen and newcomers David Wynn and Edgar Lopez have a chance to start as well. Taylor Foster and Arizona Western Junior College transfer Ivan Juvera will play major rolls out of the bullpen.

"Sophomore Kaplan Smith along with newcomers Pedro Perez, Ryan Vollkommer, Britt Moore, Matt Guinn and Kyle Dixon will start the season in the bullpen," Paxson said. "We hope to see each of them play major roles."

The Evangels brought in two catchers, Adrian Bravo-Carmona and Tim Mahler, who will split time behind the plate. As a sophomore Carmona, a junior transfer from San Bernardino Valley College, had a .333 batting average and a .517 slugging percentage with 25 RBI's. Mahler is a sophomore transfer from Northern Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa.

"Carmona and Mahler are both good defensive catchers with strong arms. I think they both have a chance to have a strong year offensively as well," Paxson said.

MACU returns one starting infielder, Matt Allen. The senior from Shawnee, Okla. will play second base. In 2009 he led the team in offensively with a .375 batting average.

"Matt is smart player that knows his strengths and plays the game according to them, " Paxson said. "He handles himself the way you are suppose to on the field and we expect him to be one of our leaders this season."

James Frederick, a junior transfer from San Bernardino Valley College, will be playing shortstop. Frederick won a Rawling Gold Glove at third base last season while playing at San Bernidino. He also excelled on offense; hitting .447 with 42 RBI's as a sophomore.

"We are moving James to shortstop," Paxson said. "He has the ability to be one of the better shortstops in the conference. Anytime you have a good shortstop you have the chance to have a good infield.

MACU will start newcomers on the corners. Sophomore Scott Mulhearn comes to MACU from Three Rivers Community College and will play third base. Dan Heskin, a junior transfer from Suffolks Community College will play first base.

Tristan Varela, Joe Moore, Evan King and Kevin Parsons will also see playing time in the infield.

San Bernardino Valley College transfer Sam Lewis will play centerfield and Rose State College transfer Brian Carter will play in right field.

"Sam Lewis should anchor our outfield," Paxson said. "He is a speedy outfielder that can really cover some ground." "Both Sam and Brian should help defensively in the outfield. They both have the ability to have a good year offensively as well."

There are still some question marks in left field.

"James Porter, Pete Feurtado and Joe Moore all have a chance to play in left field," Paxson said. "We will probably go with the best defensive player unless someone is tearing it up at the plate."

Several players will see time at the designated hitter spot.

"If Pete Feurtado is not playing in the field he will be our DH," Paxson said "Joe Moore and Edgar Lopez could also see time at DH."

The Sooner Athletic Conference is one of the toughest baseball conferences in the country with three teams ranked in the Preseason NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. SAC opponent Lubbock Christian University took home the National Championship a year ago, holding the top spot in the pre-season poll. Oklahoma City University finished third in the rankings and Wayland Baptist is tied for 14th.

"Our conference is always competitive," Paxson said. "If we come out each day and focus on what is in front of us, learning from our mistakes, we will have a successful team. Our goal is to play at our highest level on a consistent basis. "