FOUR YEARS AGO, a large group of freshmen arrived on the Eckerd campus looking to make their collective mark on the Triton baseball program. Now, as seniors, the group - which remains largely in tact from its arrival - prepares for its final season and looks to make a run in the always-stacked Sunshine State Conference.
HEAD COACH JOSH BEAUREGARD
A standout performer on the field during his playing days at Eckerd, Josh Beauregard enters his third year at the helm of the Triton baseball program.
In 2018, Beauregard guided the Tritons to 10 wins in Sunshine State Conference play, the most since 2014 and the second-most since 2000. The team took four series wins in conference action including a three-game sweep of Rollins.
THE RETURNERS
The Tritons enter the 2019 season with a rare luxury: all eight position starters returning as well the majority of the team's pitching staff. Several of the returning players will be four-year starters with loads of experience facing some of the best teams in NCAA Division II on a yearly basis. Eckerd hopes to see that experience translate into success on the field.
Four seniors have been regular starters in the field since their freshman seasons. MITCH CALANDRA, who has spent time at both catcher and third base during his career and was the 2016 SSC Freshman of the Year, hit .327 with 29 RBIs last season. NICK CONTI, an all-conference and all-region selection as a sophomore, battled out of a slump to hit .333 over the last six weeks of the season and led the team in doubles with 10.
GARRETT HIOTT, another four-year starter, led the team in batting average (.337) and RBIs (33) while playing stellar defense in center field. JUSTIN GLOVER brings a powerful left-handed bat to the lineup as a catcher, first baseman, and designated hitter.
Junior CHASE ACHUFF batted .307 last season and put together a 25-game hitting streak that nearly carried until the end of the season. He was also the toughest player in Division II to strikeout, fanning just eight times in 202 at-bats.
Like Achuff, SAM COCHRANE had an extended hitting streak of 16 games before missing the final two-thirds of the season. Cochrane, the 2017 SSC Freshman of the Year, hit .421 from the leadoff spot and was a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts.
A pair of newcomers to the 2018 team, BRYAN TORRES and KEITH LEAVITT, JR., were regulars in the lineup in their first seasons at Eckerd. The duo finished 1-2 on the team in home runs as Torres led the way with nine while Leavitt hit eight and matched Hiott's RBI lead with 33. SANTOS GRANDE also returns after seeing his freshman season come to an early halt due to an injury four games into the schedule.
Senior JAMAAL CHANEY started 12 games last year and gives Eckerd another powerful bat. Fellow senior JAKE ROMINE started 27 games last season in right field, bringing more experience to the field in his last season.
MATTHEW MILLER and TIM MIRA add to the team's depth behind the plate while NICK ARRIVO earned some valuable time in the lineup as a freshman last season and hit .375 with runners in scoring position.
On the mound, the Tritons are led by all-conference and all-region starter DILLON McCOLLOUGH. The left-hander fanned 113 batters last season and ranked 14th in Division II in strikeouts per nine innings. Eckerd will lean on the senior to anchor the weekend rotation and get the team off to a good start in conference series.
ROBIN ALLEN also returns as a weekend starter after winning four games last season, including back-to-back victories against conference opponents. The third spot in the weekend rotation is open for the taking with returners DREW MARTIN, BRANDON CASTLE, and JUSTIN CARRILLO among those competing for the role.
Eckerd also has several arms returning in the bullpen, led by JOEY FAVETTA who topped the team in saves with five. CAM LANZILLI and JARID SALISBURY worked in setup roles and will again be needed to help preserve late leads. TYLER SCHLEGEL and LUIS DURAN both saw limited time out of the pen last season and will have a chance to earn more innings in 2019.
THE NEWCOMERS
Eight newcomers - all freshmen - joined the Tritons in the fall. Though the team has plenty of returning experience as outlined above, these players will still look for opportunities to make their marks on the program in their first season at Eckerd.
Pitchers KYLE DURHAM, RYAN LASHLEY, and TROY DUNNAM could get the chance to prove themselves early in the season as the Tritons look to bolster both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Strong February performances by any of these arms are likely to turn into permanent roles for the remainder of the season.
The field is most definitely crowded, but opportunities still could present themselves to third baseman MITCH DONOFRIO, infielders NATHANAEL HIBBS and JAMES SAPP, outfielder ZACH PFEIL, and utility player BROCK HUTCHINSON.
THE SCHEDULE
Eckerd is home for six of its first seven games, hosting weekend series against Shorter (Ga.) and Spring Hill (Ala.) in the first two weeks of the season. Conference play opens on the road on February 22-23 at Palm Beach Atlantic before returning to the Turley Athletic Complex the following week for a four-game home stand capped by an SSC series against Florida Tech.
The Tritons also host Florida Southern, Barry, Nova Southeastern, and Saint Leo in SSC series as part of a 21-date home schedule.
Credits:
Andy Meng Katie Willgohs