Lancaster: Trojan baseball looks like scattered puzzle

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 31, 2014 1:47 PM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Too bad puzzles don't come with a set of directions.

Carl Lancaster could definitely use them right now.

The pieces of the 2014 edition of the University of Mount Olive baseball team have been scattered since the fall season. The talented players have to yet to appear on the diamond at the same time.

Lancaster hasn't seen them succeed.

Nor has he seen them fail.

"You don't know until you get into a game situation which one of these guys is a team player, which one is more about me," Lancaster said. "Do we have some new guys who are good? Absolutely. But how are they going to respond if they have a bad first at-bat?

"Are they going to be bad the rest of the day, or are they going to be able to get over it? We've got so many unanswered questions."

Mount Olive returns just two position players and two starting pitchers off of last year's team which won its fourth consecutive Conference Carolinas regular-season title. Left-hander Alex Regan returns to the mound after a 14-1 campaign that included All-American recognition from three organizations.

Sophomore shortstop Zak Orrison was named the Conference Carolinas freshman-of-the-year last spring. Outfielder and All-American Bradon Reitano ranked among the top six nationally in runs scored (65) and RBI (62).

Lancaster expects those three to take ownership of a team that has just eight seniors and several JUCO/Division 1 transfers. Orrison didn't handle the "blunt" of the pressure last season, but raised his level of play in the fall and preseason workouts.

Reitano faces the same situation. He got good pitches to hit behind sluggers Geno Escalante and Jermaine Berry last season, and concluded the year with a .361 batting average.

"I certainly wouldn't pitch to Reitano," Lancaster said. "How long is he going to be able to just keep taking what they give him and take his base, or is he eventually going to try to do more and get himself out? We're keeping our fingers crossed that he has a repeat of last year."

Joining Reitano in the outfield are Auburn transfer Jay Gonzalez, Tyler Farmer, Will Bynum, Tennessee transfer Chase Edwards and South Lenoir alum Grant Tyndall. As a freshman, Gonzalez emerged as the Southeastern Conference leader in stolen bases and will start in center field.

Right field is interchangeable with Farmer, Edwards and Bynum.

Wilson native Cody Britt could start on the hot corner with Orrison and JUCO transfer DeAndre Allen in the middle infield. University of Georgia transfer Rob Shipman is at first base and Colby Conway should see significant playing time behind the dish.

However, Lancaster hasn't finalized his starting nine.

"We've got a lot of experimenting to do, the pieces of the puzzle are constantly moving as far as the infield," Lancaster said. "Allen is nursing a sore shoulder, so he's handling the short throws right now. Shipman hasn't played baseball in two years because he had to get a job and help his family when the economy went bad.

"He wanted to give it another go and it's pretty impressive that he can even pick up a bat and make contact. Our outfield is really good and may be the best we've ever had."

Academic casualties depleted the right-handers on the Trojans' pitching staff. Lancaster welcomed D-1 transfers Tyler Joyner and Deshorn Lake from East Carolina, and Campbell right-hander Jordan Farthing. Lake and Farthing each threw just six innings during a two-year span at their respective schools.

Joyner is recovering from a shoulder injury.

"Tyler is a very big piece of the puzzle," Lancaster said. "Farthing has come here on a mission, is throwing in the low 90s and looking really good. Lake fell out of grace because his command wasn't good, but sometimes freshmen don't have good command."

Senior southpaw Derek Justice threw the fourth-most innings last season and fashioned a 4-2 record in 15 mound appearances. Josh Frederick, another senior southpaw, could step into a mid-week role and possibly break the weekend rotation. The Eastern Wayne alum logged a 2.33 earned run average and 2-0 record with the Trojans last spring.

Another Eastern Wayne alum, Hunter Barnett, returned to campus with a renewed confidence after a solid summer in Myrtle Beach.

"We're going to play early on to develop a bullpen, develop a closer and it may take its toll in terms of wins and losses," Lancaster said. "With a new team like this, you want them to understand what their roles are and right now, they don't know. I think we've got some talent and I think we do a very good job as a staff.

"Some years when you have a big turnover like last year, you feel just a bit uncomfortable. I feel like we'll be fine, but it's not a guarantee when you're dealing with young people."

UMO opens the season Saturday with a doubleheader at in-state rival Winston-Salem State. The teams will play a single game on Sunday.