Baseball Opens 2016 Season with Weekend Series at South Carolina
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ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany baseball team will begin its 2016 season with a 13-hour bus ride to Founders Park in Columbia, S.C., as they take on the 2011 National Champions, South Carolina. The Great Danes open up against the Gamecocks this Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a game on Saturday at 2 p.m. and will finish the series on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
SCOUTING UALBANY (0-0, 0-0 America East)
2015 Record: 14-28, 7-13 America East
2016 America East Preseason Poll: 6th/7
Head Coach: Jon Mueller (Eckerd College (Fla.) '92), 17th season
THE COACH: Jon Mueller enters his 17th season as head coach of the University at Albany baseball team in 2016. The Stillwater, N.Y. native has had proven success as both a player and coach throughout his career. Mueller is first among UAlbany's career leaders with 328 coaching victories, and was named the America East Coach of the Year in 2004. He also led the Danes to the program's first America East Conference tournament championship title and NCAA appearance in 2007. Mueller has produced dozens of all-conference standouts and has had six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft under his direction.
OVERVIEW: The Great Danes roster features a solid starting rotation, which includes top prospect and projected Friday starter, RHP Stephen Woods (3-6, 3.98 ERA). LHP Herkimer College transfer Marcus Failing and RHP Ryan Stinar, who missed last season due to injury, are both projected to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively. In support, senior captain Matt Hinchy will remain at first base, senior Karson Canaday and freshman Kevin Donati will make up the infield and freshman Patrick Lagravinese will man third base. Sophomore transfer, Connor Powers will start in left, senior veteran Will Miller gets the nod at center and junior Kyle Sacks takes place in right field. Freshman Matt Codispoti takes over at catcher and junior Evan Harasta will round out the order as the designated hitter.
FIVE PLAYERS TO CAPTAIN GREAT DANES
Head Coach Jon Mueller and the UAlbany Baseball team has named Will Miller, Joey Tracy, Brendan Ryan, Matt Hinchy and Sam DeCelle as team captains for the 2016 season. Miller, a senior from Kannapolis, N.C., started in all 42 games in the outfield for the Great Danes in 2015. He batted .281 with 43 hits, 33 runs scored and 14 RBI's in his first season with UAlbany. Miller also proved to be solid on defense, racking up 98 putouts and maintaining a .990 fielding percentage. Tracy, a redshirt junior infielder from Elmont, N.Y., has been held out of action the past two seasons due to injury. In 2013, he played in 37 games while starting in 35 mostly at third base. In America East Conference games, Tracy batted .317 and put together the longest team hitting streak that year at 15 consecutive games. Ryan, a senior left-handed pitcher from Pearl River, N.Y., has appeared in 36 games for the Great Danes, while making 14 starts, including nine in 2015. He has accumulated 53 strikeouts in 142.1 innings pitched during his time at UAlbany. Hinchy, a redshirt junior infielder from Miller Place, N.Y., is a returning captain from 2015. He started in all 38 games he appeared in last season while batting a .272 with 37 hits, 20 runs scored and 21 RBI's. He also finished the 2015 campaign with an on-base percentage of .342 and a slugging percentage of .390. Hinchy was part of the 2013 America East All-Rookie Team. DeCelle, a senior left-handed pitcher from Mechanicville, N.Y., has made 32 career appearances in relief for the Great Danes. He will look to continue where he left off last season, when he totaled 11 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched.
“NEW YEAR, NEW OPPORTUNITIES”
This year, the America East Conference has changed the format for the conference tournament. All six eligible America East teams are given the opportunity to play for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The America East Championship Tournament will take place May 26-29 in Lowell, Mass. for the fourth straight season.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
2015 RECORD: 32-25, 13-17
2016 USA TODAY COACHES PRESEASON: 23
HEAD COACH: Chad Holbrook (North Carolina '94), 8th season
THE COACH: Chad Holbrook is in his 8th season as a coach and 4th as a head coach for the Gamecocks. He has been part of South Carolina's National Championships in 2010 and 2011. Over the past two years, Holbrook has had several of his players get drafted in the MLB Draft.
OVERVIEW: South Carolina also opens up their 2016 season this weekend. The team will be lead this series by sophomore Clarke Schmidt (2-2, 4.81 ERA), freshman Braden Webb and junior Taylor Widener (1-5, 4.78 ERA). Junior outfielder Gene Cone looks to continue on his performance from the 2015 season in which he batted .257 with 48 runs scored and 12 RBI's.
NEXT UP
The Great Danes will return to the Carolina's next weekend to take on the Aggies of North Carolina A&T Feb.27-28.
