The Harding baseball team opens the 2010 season Saturday at 2:05 p.m. with a doubleheader against 13th-ranked Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas. Sunday the teams meet for a second doubleheader at 12:35 p.m.
Head coach Dr. Patrick McGaha is entering his fifth season with Harding and has a 114-98 record and has led the Bisons to consecutive Gulf South Conference Tournaments for the first time in program history. His assistants for the 2010 season are Bobby Reeves and graduate assistants Patrick O'Sullivan and Randall Hunt.
Below is a position-by-position look at the 2010 squad:
Catcher – Junior Jason Nappi, a transfer from Mississippi State, will start the season behind the plate for the Bisons. Nappi hit .290 for the Bulldogs last season and hit .274 with 37 RBI as a freshman, playing primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter. Freshman Erin McCarver, a First-Team All-District catcher at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas will be the backup. Sophomore John Wagnon and freshman Dylan Blount could also see time.
1st Base – Senior Will McDonald, who has played primarily in the outfielder during his three-year Harding career, will battle with sophomore Marc McRae for the starting first base job. McDonald hit .264 in 91 at-bats last season, and McRae saw most of his action last season with the junior varsity. Freshman Matt Casey is also an option at first base.
2nd Base – Junior Charles Bradley returns for the Bisons at second base. Bradley split time at the middle infield positions last season and hit .307 with two home runs and 30 RBI. Bradley ranked 18th in NCAA Division II with 11 sacrifice bunts.
Shortstop – Sophomore Heath Boyd returns for his second season as a Bison and will start at shortstop. He hit .256 as a freshmen with 17 starts at shortstop before missing the last half of the season with an injury. Freshman Jordan Abrams is listed as the backup shortstop.
3rd Base – Sophomore Chase Presley, a preseason honorable mention All-America honoree, moves from second base to third base for the 2010 season. Presley hit .345 in 110 at-bats last season and struck out only four times. Taylor Nelson, a freshman from Hartselle, Ala., is the backup.
Outfield – Harding has six players who could see significant time in the outfield. Junior Clay West, a transfer from Western Texas College, will be the starter in center field. West hit .345 with three home runs and 34 RBI last season. In left, the top candidates are redshirt freshman Anthony Guglielmi and junior transfer Adam Robertson. Guglielmi was a leftfielder at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C., while Robertson hit .348 with three home runs and 36 RBI last season at Arkansas-Fort Smith. In right, junior Trent Kinnear is the likely starter after hitting .273 in 44 at-bats last season. McDonald could also see time in right when he is not playing first base. Freshman Paul Anzalone is also an option at all three outfield positions. Anzalone was an All-State outfielder and pitcher at El Dorado (Ark.) High School.
Starting Pitchers – Harding has six pitchers that will receive the bulk of the starting assignments, beginning with senior Troy Keith and sophomore Kyle Cline, both of whom were weekend starters last season. Keith went 6-5 with a 5.53 ERA in 13 starts in 2009. Cline was 8-4 with a 4.69 ERA and led the team with 57 strikeouts in 78.2 innings. Senior transfer Patrick Nappi has the inside track on the third weekend nod. Nappi transferred to Harding from the University of Alabama and is working on his master's degree. Sophomore Hayden Shirley five games last season and posted a 2-1 record. McRae and sophomore Alex Smith are also in the mix for midweek starts.
Relief Pitchers – Six pitchers are in the mix for bullpen roles. Junior Donny Stephens will make the transition from catcher to pitcher for the 2010 season. Sophomore Daniel Niehls returns after making six appearances last season, as does sophomore Jacob Giles, who pitched twice in 2009. A trio of freshmen—Anzalone, Lucas Waddell and Tyler Billen will also see innings out of the pen this season.
