After a year that saw VMI baseball post 14 first year players on its roster, the Keydets return with an extra season of experience and look to build upon the lessons of 2012 in the 2013 campaign.

VMI graduated Jacob Morley and George Piccirilli offensively, two of its key cogs in last year's starting lineup and in Morley's case, one of the top offensive threats in recent Keydet history. The Keydets, however, get two of last year's projected starters back from 2012's season-ending injuries, as leadoff hitter Jordan Tarsovich and third baseman Cody Holder will return to the fold this season.

The team also saw Coby Cowgill (Texas) and Adam Lopez (Chicago White Sox) be selected in the 2012 MLB draft and Michael Devine, who ranked #2 all-time in saves at VMI, play his final season at the Institute, but the majority of the rest of the pitching staff returns, including both Reed and John Garrett (not related).

The Keydets open the season at Alabama, will host their first regular season round-robin tournament in Gray-Minor Stadium history, and will see familiar faces at Old Dominion (former VMI coach Chris Finwood) and Western Kentucky (where Jonathan Hadra spent three seasons).

They will do it with two new assistants on staff, as Devine returns as this semester's student assistant while he concludes his degree, and Mike Roberts moves into the volunteer assistant coach role. A full position-by-position preview follows.

A Full Position-by-Position Preview: Starting Pitching I Relief Pitching I Infield I Outfield I Catching I Designated Hitter
 

The Keydets, much as they did last season, will rely on a strong rotation this year. That rotation will lead off with sophomore Reed Garrett, who moves into a starter role after a dominating run as a setup reliever in 2012. Garrett finished 2012 with a sensational run, allowing just three earned runs over his final 18 games and compiling an 0.72 ERA from March 18 through the end of the season.

The second-year hurler will be joined by junior Campbell Henkel. Henkel went just 1-5 last year and struggled to a 6.86 ERA, but will look to return to his freshman-year form. In 2011, he went 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA, and opponents hit just .216 against him during those first 13 games of his collegiate career.

The third spot in the rotation will have some discussion surrounding it. Junior Connor Bach will start the year in that role, while fifth-year right-hander Jeremy Brown waits. Brown is expected to be ready approximately March 1. Bach, meanwhile, comes off a summer ball performance that saw him earn "Top Performer" honors in the Cal Ripken League for striking out 56 hitters in just 33 2/3 innings.

The early leaders for mid-week starts are Rian Ellis and Jonathan Kelley. Kelley made his first career start late last year and pitched in 11 games as a true freshman, posting a 6.08 ERA. Kelley struck out 11 in 13 1/3 innings last season and allowed just two extra-base hits over that time. Ellis returns to the Keydet roster following a redshirt season due to a knee injury. 

 

The Keydet bullpen loses several veterans this year, including the graduating Devine and Alan Watts, as well as Travis Thomas, who will miss the year due to injury.

Senior co-captain John Garrett leads the returners, and comes back as the incumbent closer after posting six saves, a 2.03 ERA and better than a 5/1 strikeout to walk ratio in 2012. He was tabbed as one of the 75 players on this season’s NCBWA’s Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch list, and also garnered a pair of second-place votes in the Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year voting.

The primary question for VMI's bullpen, and perhaps the team as a whole, is: who will get the ball to Garrett? Senior Andrew Montague and redshirt junior Miles McQuaig are in that discussion. McQuaig appeared in 10 games last year, nine in relief, and posted a 5.11 ERA in his first action since 2010. Meanwhile, Montague threw in five contests, allowing four earned runs over 5.1 innings. Montague had spent the previous two seasons exclusively catching, but got a taste of work on the mound during his 2011 summer, pitched well and went on to earn mound work with the Keydets last season.

Also in the mix for the relief innings is right-hander T.J. Lighton, who has had a strong preseason, as well as sophomore Andrew Woods.

VMI will also have several freshmen in its bullpen, most of which will be used in long relief. Jason Stafford is one exception, as the 6'7" right-hander will likely be a situational piece out of the bullpen. Lucas Cash, Taylor Edens and Michael Mack are the likely VMI long relievers for 2013.

 

In a change from 2012, the Keydets return virtually every infielder they expect to see playing time this season.

Cody Holder returns as the projected starter at third base. He hit in the middle of the lineup early last season and was solid, including blasting his first collegiate home run against Hartford. He, however, went down with a leg injury on March 6 against William & Mary and would miss the remainder of the season. This year, Holder is projected to return to the middle of the lineup and likely serve as the starting third baseman.

To his left will be returning starting shortstop Nick Dwyer. Dwyer started last season, his true freshman campaign, at second base before shifting to shortstop, and wound up hitting .258 in 45 games with 41 starts. At Gray-Minor Stadium, however, he hit .329 for the year and he hopes to carry that type of success into his second collegiate season.

The projected starter at second base is Drew Bryan, another sophomore. Bryan improved as his freshman campaign progressed, posting a batting average 35 points higher than his season mark during Big South play. At first base, the Keydets are expected to go with junior Berkley Hawkins. Hawkins started at first base for the first two weeks of the 2011 season, and saw time at first base, third base and catcher last year, hitting .262 in 27 games.

Notable infield backups will include Cameron Walter, the redshirt sophomore who saw a great deal of time at first base last season, second baseman Michael Donovan and true freshman Ray Lopez. Walter hit .256 in 39 contests and posted three triples in his first collegiate season, Donovan chipped in a .245 average in 19 games and Lopez comes to VMI after a standout career at Lampeter-Strasburg HS in Lancaster, Pa.

Sophomore Thomas Stallings and freshman David Geary can play multiple positions, while Geary provides Coach Ikenberry with the versatility of a left-handed bat.
 

This season, the VMI outfield may very well be the strength of the team. In center field, the Keydets return senior and team co-captain Rob Dickinson, who tore through the Big South last season to the tune of a .354 average in conference games. All told, Dickinson finished with a .320 average, helped by hitting .388 over the final seven weeks of the season.

He will hit toward the top of the VMI lineup this season, as will left fielder Jordan Tarsovich. Tarsovich appeared to be on his way to a breakout season in 2012, hitting .286 in 13 total games, but he was in just four contests after a severe ankle injury suffered March 3 against Hartford. For the year, however, he had five extra base hits among his 12 total hits, accounting for a slugging percentage of .452. Pro-rated over an entire season, that would have ranked him fourth on the team.

The third projected starter in the outfield is sophomore Brandon Angus. Angus became the starting left fielder in late April, and went on to hit .315 and close the year with a six-game hitting streak. The athletic outfielder will look to improve his extra-base power this year after adding 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason.

Leading backups in the outfield will include Gary LeClair, who hit .245 as a true freshman, and redshirt sophomore Will Connerley. Connerley is a transfer from East Carolina who could see time at various spots on the diamond, including catcher, designated hitter and the corner outfield spots. Sophomores Sheldon Shifflett and Brandon Diamond will be part of the battle for time at designated hitter.
 

Matt Winn is the incumbent starter at the position, after starting 41 of the VMI's 52 games in 2012. Winn threw out 27.9% of runners trying to steal against him, including two against South Carolina in his collegiate debut, and he improved considerably offensively over the course of the year. Winn, in fact, raised his average nearly 100 points over the final eight weeks of the campaign. He will be looked to for continued improvement this year, and he will have two capable faces behind him in Red Dowdell and the previously mentioned Will Connerley.

The highly-touted Dowdell comes to VMI from Arlington's Yorktown HS, where he was a four-year letterwinner and the 2012 National District Player of the Year. He also possesses a strong throwing arm, having thrown out 50 percent of the runners trying to steal in 2012.

Connerley, meanwhile, will be seeing his first collegiate action after transferring from ECU, where he did not see game action in 2011 despite being on the active roster. He is a former four-year letter winner and All-Metro honoree from Lee Davis HS in Mechanicsville, Va.  Connerley and Dowdell are also the front-runners for the designated hitter role. Former outfielder Eric Mayers will also back up at the position.
 

The designated hitter role will help show the flexibility of this year’s VMI roster, as Coach Ikenberry can employ a number of options at the position.

Sheldon Shifflett has broken out with a solid spring, and Will Connerley is projected to see time at the position.

In addition, Eric Mayers and Thomas Stallings could get looks in the DH role as well.