JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The start of spring is a little more than a month away. Sunshine, blooming flowers, budding trees and warmer weather all await, ready to be unlocked. So does baseball. And East Tennessee State University baseball coach Tony Skole is ready for the return of the game.
“We’re prepared and ready to go,” Skole said. “There’s always some excitement and anticipation surrounding opening day.
“I really like our team. We’ve had a great offseason of preparation and a great preseason. The kids have been working really hard, and I think we’re excited to get after somebody in a different color uniform.”
The Buccaneers (18-38, 9-24 Atlantic Sun in 2008) get their first chance Friday. ETSU opens its 2009 season with a 3 p.m. matchup against the University of Evansville (Ind.) at Cardinal Park in Johnson City. The Bucs deal with the Purple Aces through Sunday.
Sophomore first baseman Paul Hoilman (.353 batting average, nine home runs, 47 RBIs) returns to lead an ETSU squad that compiled a .302 team batting average and slugged 78 home runs last season. Sophomore catcher/designated hitter Derek Trent (.238, 15, 46), senior left-fielder Troy Mendez (.322, 8, 36) and senior second baseman Ben Allen (.303, 4, 38) round out a Bucs starting lineup that should have no problem scoring runs.
“I kept the same work ethic as I had last year,” said Hoilman, who played at Science Hill High School, while Trent and Allen cracked high-school leather at Dobyns-Bennett. “I had some success last year, but there’s always room for improvement. I hope to do that this year. But to do that, I’m trying to focus … not get worried.”
ETSU’s ability to keep opponents from crossing home plate could be an issue, though.
The Bucs posted a team earned-run average of 6.51 last season and allowed 643 hits in 488.1 innings. ETSU is expected to throw two freshmen and a sophomore against Evansville.
Dustin Plumlee, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound righthander, said an offseason filled with preparation and practice and a new, clean start could aid the Bucs’ hurlers.
“At the beginning of this year, [pitching] coach [Reid] Casey and coach Skole sat down and had a plan,” said Plumlee, who went 3-3 with a 5.78 ERA and struck out 31 in 62.1 innings last season.
Meanwhile, Skole praised his team’s chemistry, which he admitted has been a problem in recent years.
“This year it’s a very unselfish bunch of kids,” Skole said. “They’re very, very team-oriented. They’ve really bought into our system and our philosophies and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
While the Bucs’ baseball team awaits its first official pitch of the new season, ETSU’s softball squad is simply ready to play a home game on its own field.
The Buccaneers (3-2) host Furman at 2 p.m. Friday in a doubleheader. The contest marks the official opening of the Bucs’ newly built 500-seat stadium located near the ETSU campus.
“I’ve seen passion. I’ve seen enthusiasm,” Buccaneers coach Andrea Mangrum said. “I’ve just seen ladies who are determined to do something that’s never been done here before.”
btsmith@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2569
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