Season Outlook and Review

2008 - Coach: Ryan Thompson - Record: 20-23 Season Outlook

The Pioneers baseball teams looks to improve on last year's 17-24 record under 2nd year head coach Ryan Thompson.  Coach Thompson came from the Air Force Academy just prior to the start of the '07 season.  With a full year to prepare, Thompson looks to 2008 as a year of transition.

Seniors:

Nick Beghtol will anchor the infield behind the plate this year and hit in the middle of the order.  Last year he hit .333 with 6 homers and 42 RBI.  Trent Thompson will captain the infield at shortstop and look to continue last year's success at the plate.  In 2007, he hit .379 with 4 homers and 25 RBI.  Right hander Jeff McKinley will start this year after pitching exclusively out of the bullpen in 2007.

Juniors:

Derek Brewer had a great fall in left field.  He started 8 games last year and is ready to step in as a starter in 2008.  Right hander Steve Netherton will move from the pen to a starting role.  Last year he was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA.  Slick-fielding Robert Ortiz will play second or third base, where last year he hit .338 and stole 9 bases.

Sophomores:

Jake Gill hit .419 with 5 homers last year as a freshman.  He will play second base as well as see some time in the outfield.  Pat Schlotzhauer hit .333 last year in limited at bats.  He could see more playing time this year in right field or DH.  Josh Warner will see time at third and second base.  Transfer Pedro Reyes will compete in the outfield.  Right hander Cory Keoppel was a regular starter in 2007 and will continue that role this season.  Keith Dixon has an explosive bat and could find himself at first base or DH.

Freshmen:

Right hander Keith Staton is expected to see time in some spot starts and will also get innings out of the pen.  Keith's twin Dave Staton will assume the role of closer.  Wayne Huell will provide some pop at the bottom of the order and will play center field.  Right hander Kent Swanson can expect to see time on the hill in middle relief.  Josiah Gould will back up in the outfield.  Right hander Shawn Moore will see time in the starting rotation.  Tim Purdin will see time at first base, as well as DH and backup catcher.  Alan Ramseyer will back up at first base.  Right hander Hagen Rose will get innings out of the pen in middle relief.  Mike Elliott will see time at DH and back up at first.

2008 - Coach: Ryan Thompson - Record: 20-23 Season Review

Coming into the 2007 season, the MidAmerica Nazarene University baseball team had high expectations but also question marks in place after a record setting 2006 season in which the Pioneers won more games (30) than any team in school history, culminating in a third-place finish at the NCCAA national tournament. The graduation of many key players from that team, the addition of new faces for 2007, and most of all, the hiring of a new head coach, ensured that the 2007 season would be the beginning of an exciting new era for the Pioneer baseball program.

First-year Head Coach Ryan Thompson joined the team in January and set out to prepare the team for the 2007 season that was only a few weeks away. A major portion of Thompson's task would include finding a way to replace the production of 6 senior starters from the veteran 2006 lineup that had shattered numerous school records. The Pioneers, however, saw this and other challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles. Refusing to make excuses, the team battled through adversity all season long, setting some records of their own along the way, and finishing with an overall record of 17-24.

Entering the last weekend of conference games, the Pioneers still had a shot at postseason play, but with 6 games in 4 days, the Pioneers closed the year with a 1-5 finish against the HAAC West Division's top two teams, including two heartbreaking one-run losses. Unfortunately, that theme was recurring throughout the season, as 9 of the team's losses came by one run. Nonetheless, there were plenty of bright spots for the Pioneers in 2007. The 11 conference wins in 2007 was good for 2nd all-time in school history, and the Pioneers put together an impressive season offensively rivaling that of any MidAmerica ballclub.

Led by five all-conference selections, the Pioneers led the Heart of America Athletic Conference in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.340), slugging percentage (.525), on-base percentage (.421), runs per game (6.78), hits per game (9.43), runs batted in per game (6.24), and home runs per game (1.07).

The five all-conference performers were: Senior right-handed pitcher/designated hitter Doug Antilla (1st Team), who was selected for the fourth time, including the second straight year as a unanimous 1st Team pick; Freshman second baseman Jake Gill (2nd Team), who finished 4th in the conference in hitting with an average of .419; Junior catcher Nick Beghtol (Honorable Mention); Senior centerfielder Jeryn Misenhelter (Honorable Mention); and Junior shortstop Trent Thompson (Honorable Mention).

  • Doug Antilla: 1st Team All-Conference (DH)
    .388 BA, 7 2B, 12 HR, 49 RBI, .494 OB%, .721 SLG%
  • Nick Beghtol: Honorable Mention All-Conference (C)
    .333 BA, 6 2B, 6 HR, 42 RBI, .533 SLG%
  • Jake Gill: 2nd Team All-Conference (2B)
    .419 BA, 12 2B, 5 HR, 40 R, .507 OB%, .637 SLG%, 6/6 SB/SBA
  • Jeryn Misenhelter: Honorable Mention (OF)
    .364 BA, 11 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 37 RBI, .652 SLG%
  • Trent Thompson: Honorable Mention (SS)
    .379 BA, 9 2B, 4 HR, 44 R, 8/11 SB/SBA

 

In addition to Antilla and Misenhelter, five other Pioneer seniors closed out their college careers in 2007.

  • Bill Amidei, left-handed pitcher, made 11 appearances, including 8 starts. He finished the season with a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 4.79.
  • Chris Coleman, catcher/1st baseman, played in 33 games, and wrapped up his senior season with a batting average of .329 with 17 RBI. He also led the team in pinch hits and pinch hit RBI.
  • Blake Hardwick, right-handed pitcher, battled arm problems that cut his final season short. He was limited to 7.2 innings, and finished the season with a record of 1-0, with 1 save.
  • Andrew Kelne, right-handed pitcher, led the pitching staff in starts (12), innings pitched (65.2), complete games (6), and was tied for shutouts (1). He finished the season 4-6 with an ERA of 4.48.
  • Blake Revelle, 1st baseman/outfielder, started all 41 games for the Pioneers, and finished the season with an average of .278 with 21 RBI.

 

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