Florida Gulf Coast (2018 Record: 32-21, 8-13)
After an incredible season in 2017, FGCU took a step back last year finishing seventh in the conference and missing the ASUN Tournament.
Returning Players
Alex Brait returns after hitting .335 last year with 38 runs scored, 5 home runs, and 27 RBI while playing outfield and catcher. Second baseman Richie Garcia returns as well after hitting .324 a season ago with 36 runs scored, 17 doubles, 7 home runs, and 50 RBI. First baseman Kohl Gilmore led the team with 11 home runs in 2018 to go along with 43 RBI and a .282 average.
With their top two starting pitchers gone from 2018, Evan Lumbert will try to lead the weekend rotation after posting a 3.11 ERA last year in 63.2 innings pitched with 66 strikeouts. Justin Gill made seven starts last year with a 3.38 ERA in 53.1 innings with 43 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
The offense should be one of the best in the conference, but they’ll need to find a lot of depth in the pitching staff if they are going to compete in 2019.
Jacksonville (2018 Record: 40-21, 14-6)
It was a very good 2018 season for Jacksonville as they finished second in the ASUN and made it to the semifinals of the ASUN Tournament. They got into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid and won their first game before dropping the next two.
Returning Players
First baseman Angel Camacho will be back to lead the lineup after hitting .322 last season with 39 runs scored, 11 doubles, 5 home runs, and 56 RBI. Shortstop Scott Dubrule will be back as well after leading the team with a .351 average in 2018 to go along with 38 runs scored, 11 doubles, and 52 RBI. Outfielders Ruben Someillan and Duncan Hunter are both expected to have a bigger impact in the lineup this season.
Tyler Santana should be back in the weekend rotation after posting a 3.29 ERA in 2018 over 87.2 innings pitched with 58 strikeouts. Chris Mauloni was one of the best closer’s in the country last year with 20 saves, an ERA of 2.53, and 48 strikeouts in 32 innings. Trent Palmer was also great out of the bullpen as a freshman last year with a 2.74 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched with 46 strikeouts and a pair of saves. He could be asked to move into the weekend rotation this season with Chris Gau and Spencer Stockton both gone.
Outlook for 2019
Jacksonville has most it’s lineup from last year coming back, including its top two hitters in Dubrule and Camacho, so they should be fine on offense. They lose their top two starters, so depending on how good their replacements are in the rotation will determine if this team can reach the postseason again.
Kennesaw State (2018 Record: 25-30, 11-10)
Kennesaw State finished third in the conference last year but went 0-2 in the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
Returning Players
Third baseman Tyler Simon hit .311 in just 46 games last season with 36 runs scored, 11 doubles, 3 home runs, and 26 RBI. Outfielder Terence Norman hit .333 last season with 2 home runs and 32 RBI. Jake Franklin, another outfielder, hit .282 in 2018 with 7 home runs and 34 RBI.
Brooks Buckler could lead the weekend rotation after posting a 3.31 ERA in 2018 over 81.2 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts. Jake Rothwell made 12 starts last year and had a 4.22 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched with 54 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
This team has three players named Jake, and all three will have a major impact on this season. With my name also being Jake, this may be my favorite team in 2019.
That being the case, they have a solid core back in the lineup and two of their three starting pitchers from last year. I could see them finishing about the same as last year.
Liberty (2018 Record: 32-26, 17-10)
It was a very good season for Liberty with over 30 wins and finishing third in the Big South. After their first game in the tournament they fought their way to the semifinals before bowing out.
Returning Players
Tyler Galazin will be back to lead the offense after hitting .286 last year with 4 home runs and 39 RBI, while playing third base. Cam Locklear started 57 games last year and hit .258 with 38 runs scored, 4 home runs, and 33 RBI. He’ll be the primary shortstop this coming season. Jonathan Embry will play catcher and outfield after hitting .239 last season with 6 home runs and 37 RBI.
Garret Price and Noah Skirrow will both have a chance to be weekend starters this season. Price had a 3.99 ERA in 65.1 innings pitched last year with 75 strikeouts, while Skirrow had a 4.57 ERA in 67 innings pitched with 77 strikeouts.
Newcomers
Jaylen Guy has a chance to come in and make a difference in the outfield right away, while David Erickson could see significant time on the mound.
Outlook for 2019
There is a real concern that this team will not be able to score a lot of runs in 2019 unless they become more consistent at the plate. On the pitching side, they need to work on limiting walks. They expect their pitching staff to be much improved this year.
Lipscomb (2018 Record: 24-30, 9-12)
Lipscomb had big wins over Michigan, Purdue, and Vanderbilt last year. They entered the ASUN Tournament as the fifth seed but went 1-2.
Returning Players
Third baseman Zeke Dodson returns after hitting .279 a year ago with 30 runs scored, 10 doubles, 4 home runs, and 33 RBI. Outfielder Maddox Houghton is also back in the lineup after hitting .265 last year with 3 home runs.
Left-handed pitcher Noah Thompson is back to lead the weekend rotation after posting a 3.02 ERA last season in 59.2 innings pitched with 26 strikeouts. Chris Kachmar should be back in the rotation as well after a solid 2018 campaign in which he had a 4.43 ERA in 65 innings pitched with 66 strikeouts. Robbie Knox was great out of the bullpen last year with a 3.29 ERA in 54.2 innings pitched with 37 strikeouts and 5 saves.
Newcomers
A couple of transfers are expected to see some playing time up the middle this year in Brian Moore and Haddon Adams at shortstop and second base respectively.
Outlook for 2019
Coach Brian Ryman said they are hoping to stay healthy in 2019.
New Jersey Tech (2018 Record: 22-25, 9-12)
NJIT snuck into the ASUN Tournament last year as the six seed but went two-and-out. They hope to hang around a little longer in 2019.
Returning Players
Julio Marcano led the team in hitting last year with a .352 average in limited playing time. They expect him to be a middle of the order bat for them this season, while playing several different positions on defense. Paul Franzoni will be back at catcher this season after hitting a solid .271 last year with 3 home runs.
Sean Lubreski will be the leader of the pitching staff for NJIT after posting a 3.86 ERA last year in 77 innings pitched with 39 strikeouts.
Newcomers
Grant Vurpillat and Hunter Harris are both freshman pitchers with upside that should get a chance to throw some significant innings right away.
Outlook for 2019
Interim head coach Robbie McClellan said he hopes to see the team improve on “hitting with runners in scoring position — we struggled a lot with that last year.”
North Florida (2018 Record: 28-28, 10-11)
North Florida had a big series win over UConn early in the season. They entered the ASUN Tournament as the fourth seed and worked their way all the way to the championship game where they ran into a buzzsaw in Stetson.
Returning Players
Dalton Board and Tanner Murphy will be back in the outfield for North Florida this season after hitting .308 and .326 respectively in 2018. Murphy also scored 47 runs with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Wes Weeks could also be a part of the outfield after missing time last year with a hand injury. He was hitting .378 in nine games before the injury. Raff Libunao (.243), Jay Prather (.286), Max Law (.227), and Chris Berry (.281) will be key infield pieces for UNF this year.
Brad Deppermann and Trace Norkus will be key to the pitching staff this season. Deppermann had a 4.30 ERA in 69 innings pitched with 63 strikeouts in 2018, while Norkus posted a 4.50 ERA in 26 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts and 3 saves.
Newcomers
Transfers Tanner May and David Maberry have a chance to work their way into the lineup this year as infielders. The catcher position will likely be filled by Tucker Horsley, Austin Hurwitz, Jake Pfundstein, or Tanner Clark.
Brandon Reitz and Max McKinley are both transfers who will get a chance to pitch some big innings right away for North Florida.
Outlook for 2019
Last season UNF was a middle-of-the-pack team in both offense and pitching among ASUN teams, so they hope to improve those numbers and their consistency in 2019. Also, they hope to improve on their 4.51 ERA as a staff from last season.
Stetson (2018 Record: 48-13, 15-3)
It was a historic season for Stetson baseball winning 48 games and advancing to the Super Regionals. They dominated the ASUN Tournament winning four straight games, and then breezed through the Deland Regional winning all three games.
Returning Players
Outfielder Jacob Koos is the team’s leading returning hitter after batting .291 last year with 50 runs scored, 14 doubles, 3 home runs, 34 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Third baseman Jonathan Meola was a solid contributor as well with a .266 average. Outfielder Andrew MacNeil hit .263 with 4 home runs a year ago. Shortstop Jore Arenas started all 61 games last year and will be a leader on the infield. Outfielder Austin Bogart and first baseman Eric Foggo will have expanded roles in 2019.
Obviously, Logan Gilbert will be a huge loss for a Stetson pitching staff that was dominant last year, but there are plenty of talented arms returning. That includes one of the best pitchers in the country in Mitchell Senger. Last season he posted a 2.51 ERA in 93.1 innings pitched with 114 strikeouts. Austin Wood, Chris Gonzalez, and Vlad Nunez are all pitchers who saw limited action in 2018 that will need to step up this season.
Newcomers
Freshman Aaron Steinhart will compete with JUCO transfer Benito Varela for time behind the plate this season. A pair of freshman, E.J. Doskow and Brandon Hylton, will also be competing for at-bats at first base and DH. JUCO transfer Austin Dilbert has a chance to earn some playing time in the outfield.
Robbie Peto and Nick Chiseri are both JUCO transfer that could help alleviate some of the losses in the pitching staff. Freshman pitchers Antonio Knowles, Bret Neilan, and Daniel Paret will all add some depth to the pitching staff right away.
Outlook for 2019
Offensively, Stetson would like to have fewer strikeouts in 2019, while also improving their on-base percentage. They were about 5-feet from advancing to the College World Series last year in what was the best season in program history.
2019 All-Atlantic Sun Preseason Team
C: Alex Brait (FGCU)
1B: Angel Camacho (Jacksonville)
2B: Richie Garcia (FCGU)
SS: Scott Dubrule (Jacksonville)
3B: Zeke Dodson (Lipscomb)
OF: Tanner Murphy (North Florida)
OF: Terence Norman (Kennesaw State)
OF: Jacob Koos (Stetson)
DH: Kohl Gilmore (FGCU)
SP: Mitchell Senger (Stetson)
SP: Tyler Santana (Jacksonville)
SP: Evan Lumbert (FCGU)
SP: Garret Price (Liberty)
SP: Brooks Buckler (Kennesaw State)
RP: Chris Mauloni (Jacksonville)
RP: Robbie Knox (Lipscomb)
Honorable Mention:
1B – Julio Marcano (NJIT)
3B – Tyler Galazin (Liberty)
3B – Tyler Simon (Kennesaw State)
OF – Jake Franklin (Kennesaw State)
SP – Noah Thompson (Lipscomb)
SP – Sean Lubreski (NJIT)
SP – Chris Kachmar (Lipscomb)
Predicted Order to Finish:
1. Jacksonville
2. Stetson
3. FGCU
4. Kennesaw State
5. North Florida
6. Liberty
7. Lipscomb
8. NJIT
