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2023 Bethel University Baseball Preview

Posted


McKENZIE (February 2023) - Coach Rusty Thompson (371-299-3) enters his 16th season as the Wildcat skipper. Coach Thompson and his staff are eager for the 2023 season to unfold. Assistant Coach Nick Thompson enters his 16th season while Lee Whitaker enters his sixth as an assistant.
Coach Thompson said, “We look forward to the upcoming season with a young but experienced roster. The majority of our starters have returned, and most of them are freshmen from last season. We feel we have added some key pieces and depth to our roster that can truly make us a formidable opponent for anyone. We hope to build on our 5th place finish last season and push ourselves to the top of the conference.”
Key Players lost:
Jacob Foster who was injured for most of the season managed to play in 31 games. He had a .305 average and led the team in home runs. Logan Beecham played 40 games and led the team in hit-by-pitches and was second in on-base-percentage with .447 percentage. John Boren started eight games on the mound and pitched 32.2 innings. Thompson stated, “ We will miss these guys as they were key members for us on and off the diamond.”
Key Returners:
Most of the team returns including seven starting position players and two weekend starters on the mound. Most of the returners got a lot of experience last season in various roles. Thompson commented, “ We have a lot of new guys both on the mound and in the field and we feel this will make a big difference for us moving through the season.”
Infield:

Thompson spoke about the infield. “At first base we have a large number of guys battling it out for playing time with sophomores Rivers Moffatt and Paden New leading the way with previous experience and good showings last year in various roles. At second base Jose Olmeda, who started last year at third base looks to provide the team with experience and talent on both sides of the ball after starting as a freshman last season. At shortstop Adriel Vega is a freshman who is expected to be the everyday player at the six position. Wyatt McKee is a returning starter from last season who played all over the field. We expect him to play third base this season. He has a solid bat and glove and looks to build off a successful freshman campaign. Noah Foster is a freshman and looks like a player who can help at the hot corner when needed.”
Catcher- Ivan Vega returns after catching the majority of games last season. He was a middle-of-the-order batter with a lot of abilities defensively. Also, Chase Hoover looks to be a very good defensive catcher with a lot of upside at the plate. Thompson commented, “We have a lot of faith in these two young men behind the plate.”
Thompson added, “ In addition to these guys we feel we have a lot of really good young players who can help this season and be really beneficial as they age here.” Joseph Hufstedler (r-freshman) is a lefty bat who can play multiple positions. Zayden McCaslin (Freshman) is a very athletic young man with good speed. Preston Bright (freshman) is a young man who shows a lot of potential with his size and bat. Brantlee Brasher (freshman) has shown us a very good bat who could help us in various roles with his defensive flexibility. Jake McDaniel (freshman) has a lot of upside with the bat. He has the ability to be a run producer in the near future. Todd Etheridge (freshman) is a lefty hitter who provides the ability to play both middle infield positions.”
Outfield:
Coach Thompson shared his thoughts on the outfield. “We return our entire starting outfield along with a couple of pieces who look to push for playing time. Bryan Catala is a junior who started in center last season. He is a plus defender and has grown a lot offensively. Kendrick Osborne is a senior who started at second and right field last season. He’s coming off a strong offensive season and looks to build off of it this upcoming season. Justin Morgan is a sophomore who started in left field last season. He was a middle-order batter, who provides us with speed as well. Noah Hawkins is a junior who has played a lot innings for us in the past and is looking to push for more playing time this season. Aidan Morris is a Senior who can play multiple positions and able to provide some power at the plate.”
Pitchers:
Thompson talked about his staff, “We have two returning weekend starters on the mound in Alexis Rodriguez (sophomore) and Marco Santa (senior). They both have had a lot of success but will have to compete against a number of new arms for weekend innings. We also return David Baer (senior) and Ryan White (sophomore) who should provide us some flexibility along with experienced talent. Tyler Proctor (junior) transferred in last year and red-shirted. The big-armed righty looks to push for one of the weekend spots. New addition Luke Boswell (freshman) is another big arm who looks to push for a weekend starter spot. We also added a couple of junior college transfers that should get a lot of important innings either as starters or relievers. JJ Gray has a lot of ability and is working on getting himself in position to push for a large role either as a starter or reliever. Briar Fischer is another very capable arm who provides us with experience and flexibility. We also have a couple of talented freshman who we believe will help us tremendously in various roles. Lucas Smith and Zach Zimmer have both showed us they have a lot of talent and ready to face adversity in college baseball. We have a lot of confidence in this entire group.”