Live Stats at East Tennessee -  Friday  |  Saturday  |  Sunday

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky has high hopes for the 2015 season, which begins Friday at East Tennessee State. 
 
New faces will be thrown into the heart of the everyday lineup and new arms will be asked to pitch high-pressure situations.  Eight new pitchers are on the team, and junior college transfer Mandy Alvarez will be a player to watch in the infield immediately.
 
The Colonels finished last season 24-31 and 12-18 in the Ohio Valley Conference.  EKU missed the conference tournament for the just first time since 2009. 
 
The 16-time OVC regular season champion Colonels have an optimistic view on the season.
 
"We've been able to produce some offense both by swinging the bat and with the running game," head coach Jason Stein said.  "Our pitching is unknown right now.  I know we've upgraded the talent on the mound.  We have better arms with better stuff but we need for guys to step up."
 
EKU will return seven starters from last season's team, but the two losses are substantial.  Designated hitter Bryan Soloman (.344, 14 HR, 55 RBIs, 39 R) and catcher Sean Hagan (.313, 9 HR, 36 RBIs, 37 R) are big losses in the middle of the lineup, but several key starters return to fill the holes.
 
Despite the new faces, the core of the team remains a group of five juniors that joined the program in 2013 as freshmen.  Three of them – Kenny Hostrander, Doug Teegarden and Kyle Nowlin – were Freshmen All-Americans.  Those three, along with Luke Wurzelbacher, were also named to the OVC All-Freshman Team.
 
A few of them suffered through sophomore slumps in 2014 while TJ Alas had a break out second season.  The right fielder hit .280 with five home runs and 32 runs scored.
 
"That core of five, are all starting and have had very good preseason work," said Stein.  "Luke has really done some things at the plate this spring.  Kenny is playing excellent defense at shortstop, if we have that throughout the year we'll be fine on the left side of the infield.  Doug is swinging the bat better and is solid defensively.  TJ has gotten better defensively and he's had such a good preseason that he might hit in the middle of the order."
 
Nowlin, the 2013 OVC Rookie of the Year, will be looked to lead offensively.  He started all 55 games last season, batted .307 and is the leading returning home run hitter with six.  Nowlin also finished sixth in the OVC in steals with 15 and scored the most runs on the team with 47.
 
"Kyle is using the whole field, he's playing great defense and he's stealing bases," Stein said.  "If he's had 25 at bats this spring, it feels like he's had 20 hits.  He's very talented and I look for him to have a good year."
 
Sophomores Ben Fisher and Taylor Blair will look to continue the success they had as freshmen in 2014.  Blair, an outfielder, posted a .291 average and hit four home runs. Fisher started every game at first base for the Colonels last season and is an outstanding defensive player.  He also finished second on the team in RBIs and was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team.
 
Newcomer Alvarez will be looked to start immediately.  Alvarez was named the FCSAA Florida state tournament MVP and comes to EKU with lots of experience as in infielder.
 
"Mandy has had an excellent spring so far swinging the bat and will start at third base," Stein said.  "He moves very well at third."
 
The pitching staff will have a new twist for Colonel fans.  The team will begin the season with three new weekend starters.  Logan Hershenow, who led the team with 29 relief appearances last season, begins this year as the No. 1 starter and will get the ball Friday in the series opener against East Tennessee.  He had a team-best 3.64 ERA and a 2-2 record in 2014.
 
"Logan pitched enough last year that he could have been a starter, we just had to have him out of the pen," said Stein.  "He has the durability and the stuff to pitch on Friday.  He can keep you in every single game."
 
Lefties Alex Hamilton and Luke McGee will follow Hershenow in the rotation.  Hamilton, a sophomore from Jackson, Kentucky, made 14 appearances and started twice a year ago.  McGee is a junior newcomer from Pearl River Community College. 
 
"Alex's stuff has been electric at times," Stein said.  "Luke had a good fall and certainly a good spring.  He can come in and get lefties out, he go long relief, go short relief, but right now he is more valuable starting for us."
 
EKU will boast an experienced bullpen. Sophomore Caleb Johnson went 5-0 last season with a 4.34 ERA, and was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team for his success.  Ben Gullo, Brian Mroz, Ben Brooks, Matt Lynch and Cody Creamer return as well.  Freshmen Aaron Ochsenbein and Hunter Dunn will also be early contributors.
 
"My biggest concern right now are the last three outs of the game," Stein said.  "Those are the toughest outs in college baseball.  Someone is going to have to emerge and we don't know who that will be right now."
 
EKU will play its first home game Feb. 20 against Southern Illinois University.  Game time is set for 3 p.m.