Senior Zach Gardner returns to man center field for the fourth straight year.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Zach Gardner has been a mainstay in center field for SFA since it brought back baseball in 2006 and his maturity and leadership will be counted on even more in 2009. The senior is the only returnee from last year’s core group of outfielders that included all-conference performer Kevin Crabtree, and will try and regain his form from his sophomore year when he hit .345 and provided a spark at the top of SFA’s lineup.
“Zach is really what we expect all of our athletes to be, both on the field and off,” Cardenas said. “He has a great work ethic and conducts himself in a professional manner at all times. There are really no flaws in his character.”
With Crabtree’s power numbers gone from the lineup it will be up to junior college transfer Bo Coffman to shoulder the load after hitting in the middle of the lineup for the Grayson County Vikings last year, leading them to the Junior College World Series title. Coffman brings a powerful left-handed bat to the lineup and can cover plenty of ground in right field after hitting .382 and slugging .646 as a sophomore for the Vikings.
Ryan Prest will likely start out the year in left field after hitting .370 in 29 games in the field at Alvin Community College in 2008, but Trent Blanchard, Brian Ferguson and Thomas Staley are all options in the outfield as well.
Trent Blanchard, Thomas Staley and even Brian Ferguson will also likely see time in left field, especially on days where Priest is pitching. Blanchard got in a dozen games in ’08, with eight starts, in both the outfield and at third base while Ferguson hasn’t been in the outfield since high school but has been getting reps throughout the fall.
“The battle in left field is going to be big for us, and we are certainly going to need to get production out of that spot,” Cardenas said. “We have several good options there and we’ll have to mix it up from time to time, but having a healthy competition is going to be good for us.”
Rounding out the lineup will likely be Justin Long at the designated hitter spot, although he can be used in the outfield as well. Long hit .290 as a true freshman in 2007, but was forced to use his redshirt year last season after suffering an injury just before the start of the season. A powerful left-handed bat, he is another middle-of-the-order force that could certainly break out as a sophomore now that he has returned to full strength.
The Lumberjacks open up the 2009 season on Feb. 21 against Mississippi Valley State at the ULM Warhawk Classic in Monroe, La. before opening up the home part of the season on Feb. 24 against Houston at the newly-renovated Jaycees Field.
