BASEBALL TAB -- Carolina champ Rosewood seeks to defend crown

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 13, 2015 1:48 PM

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Gurley and Chapin are expected to eat some considerable innings. Dean, DuBose, Anthony McKinney and sophomore Tanner Bradley should see action out of the bullpen.

"If our pitching comes around and we have some guys who want the baseball and want to compete on the mound, that's going to be the key to our season," King said. "You have to have the pitching to go any distance in the playoffs and that was our strong suit last year. We won a lot of close games because we could control the bats of the other teams."

Can the Eagles hit this season?

King doesn't anticipate the Eagles smacking the ball all over the park. Putting pressure on opposing defenses with a scrappy and aggressive attitude is paramount for a team that will depend on its five returning position players -- and Neal -- to provide leadership.

"We're going to live and die about how that group swings the bat, plays on defense and pitches," King said. "If that group can gel, take charge of the team and play their tails off every game will be a huge help to us.

"They've been pulling for each other in drills. If you can start with some team chemistry, that's part of the battle. They're bulldogs ... like getting dirty and getting after it."