Bulldogs bring improved team to the diamond

Rodney Batts is in his second season as Mississippi Gulf Coast baseball coach, and his program is headed in the right direction.

"Our league is good, and our league is tough," he said. "I think we're better, and we're going to compete. We can play with the best teams.

"We showed it last year, although we didn't quite have the pitching we needed. I think we can play with anybody in the state or country, but you have to do it."

The Bulldogs will be trying to do that playing the bulk of their home games at MGM Park in Biloxi. Gulf Coast is building a new baseball stadium that will be ready for the 2017 season, forcing them to hit the Coast and play in a sparkling new minor league ballpark.

The slate of games is expected to open opportunities to play games and tournaments there in the future.

With injuries last season, Gulf Coast struggled with having enough arms to get through the grueling MACJC season.

Batts is counting on five pitchers to fill the starting pitching foursome for the conference schedule. Ethan Necaise was 6-1 last season with a 4.86 ERA. He struck out 42 batters while walking 20.

Dylan Mills-Derouen has come back strong from Tommy John surgery, throwing harder than before. Chris Crosby, who originally signed with Gulf Coast before deciding to go to UNO, is on the roster with a lot of knowledge. Both are redshirt freshmen.

Sophomore Irby Dossett (2-1, 35.1 IP) and freshman Joseph Gennaro, from Mandeville, La., are battling it out for the fourth spot, with the other beefing up the bullpen.

"We're still trying to develop some guys in the bullpen," Batts said. "I like our front-line guys. I feel like we'll have a good starting corps. The bullpen is just as important as the starters, if not more important. That's a little bit of a concern, just the numbers in our bullpen."

Destin Aime (3-5, 36.2 IP) was a Swiss Army knife last year, starting and relieving. David Warman (1-1, 13.1 IP) will also be counted on to contribute.

Freshman lefty Harper Arnold has good stuff and needs maturity and confidence, while Mark Wood arrives as a redshirt freshman transfer from East Mississippi with a good breaking ball.

Brandon Kennedy, a freshman from Choctaw Central, is a closer candidate.

There's an old baseball axiom that says great teams are built up the middle.

"To be good, you have to be strong from catcher right up through center field," Batts said. "I feel good about that."

Catcher Brian Lane (.340/.430/.515, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 11 2B) and shortstop Justin Nussbaum (.294, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 29 RS, 10 SB) have signed scholarships with Delta State. Batts thinks Lane is as good a catcher as there is in the league.

Freshmen Marcus Buckley and Sam Taylor will join Nussbaum as middle infielders.

"They've been good for us defensively," Batts said. "I feel like we're much better turning double plays. That was something that really hurt us last year."

Freshmen Ian Goff and Chase Rhodes are athletic, natural center fielders with the ability to run down fly balls. They're the middle part of a six-person pack in the mix to man the outfield.

Tyler Rachel (.307/.388/.570) led the team with seven home runs last year and may wind up in left field. Slater McCarty (.300/.380/414) and freshmen Aaron Nicholson and John Shank round up the balanced group righties and lefties who give Batts platoon options at the beginning of the season, with the best performers getting the chance to be conference starters.

Freshmen Andrew Ryals, an East Mississippi transfer, and Tyler Evans are battling to man third base. The other will likely be the designated hitter, and Evans may see playing time at first base.

Michael Shubert (.250, 12 RBI) is the main man at first.

"He's been good over there," Batts said. "He's another one of our leaders on the team. He wants to win as bad as anybody on this team and works hard every day."

Lane, Nussbaum and Rachel are the most proven of the group and figure to lead the team.

"We can't rely on three or four guys. It takes all nine," Batts said. "All nine have to be big in the lineup, whether they are batting first or ninth. They're there for a reason."

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