Fall practice sessions are underway for the Morehead State baseball program. The fall season culminates with the "Banana Split" World Series Oct. 19-29.
The 36-man roster includes 13 seniors. Sixteen student-athletes are transfers from two or four-year colleges, including four coming in this season, and the coaching staff inked eight true freshmen.
The team will host a Scout Day on Monday, Oct. 6. MSU will also be hosting an exhibition contest against the 18-and-under Great Lakes Canadians team on Saturday, Oct. 18. The program will split into two squads via a draft for the World Series. The public is invited to Allen Field to watch the exhibition game and the World Series games.
"You can tell our returning players worked hard over the summer," Head Coach Mike McGuire said. "We are a veteran team, but we are also excited about our latest recruiting class. It is a talented class, and this should be the deepest team I've had here."
Key returnees include senior outfielder Brandon Rawe, senior catcher Chris Robinson and sophomore right-handed pitcher Luke Humphreys. The trio earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors.
Rawe set the school single-season hit record with 98, led the conference in doubles with 21 and smashed a team-best 10 home runs. Robinson paced all OVC catchers with a .332 batting average and led the team with eight stolen bases. Humphreys tied for the team lead with five wins while notching 63 strikeouts.
MSU also returns starting infielders Tyler Bigler, Robby Spencer and Kane Sweeney, who are all seniors. Bigler shattered the MSU single-season record for getting hit by pitches with 30, ranking first in the nation in that category. Spencer drilled 15 doubles and hit .323, and Sweeney batted .309 while belting three grand slams.
Also returning in the outfield are seniors Nick Newell and Clayton Meyer and sophomore Ryan Kent. Senior outfielder Cyrus Strahm is on the roster but is also competing for the MSU football team this fall. Returnees on the infield include senior Blaine Tanner in the middle and sophomore Jimmy Wright behind the plate.
The pitching staff returns junior reliever Craig Pearcy, who tallied eight saves last year. Junior Matt Anderson led the staff, which set the single-season team standard for strikeouts, with 67 punchouts.
Other key pitchers back in the lineup are seniors Luke Schneider, Blake Smith, Willie Sligh and Dylan Ramage, juniors Matt Ellenbest, Tyler Keele and Ryan Vansaghi and sophomore Cable Wright. Of the 14 pitchers who saw action in 2014, 11 return.
"It's great to get everyone on the field together as a team," McGuire added. "It is an excellent time to teach and evaluate our personnel."
Morehead State was 29-28 overall in 2014, and set a school record for Ohio Valley Conference victories with 16. MSU finished fifth in the conference, advanced to the league tournament and knocked off SIU Edwardsville in the opening round.
"I expect the competition to be very intense this fall," McGuire said. "I think we are a hungry group. We had a taste of success last year and we want to build on that. This team wants to win an OVC Championship and play in the NCAA tournament."
The coaching staff includes McGuire, Assistant Coach Adam Brown, Assistant Coach Graham Johnson and Assistant Coach PJ McIntee. McGuire is in his third season as head coach.
