Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team will open the 2013 season on Monday, February 11
th. The Cru will host Texas Wesleyan University for a non-conference single game at 4:00 PM as UMHB welcomes a slew of new faces to the program.
UMHB is scheduled to play three more home games in a busy opening week. The Cru is set to follow up Monday's opener with a 6:00 PM single game against Hendrix College on Friday. Those same two teams will then square off for a 1:00 PM doubleheader on Saturday.
UMHB returns three starting position players, the ace of the starting rotation, six total pitchers and 11 total letter winners this season. The Cru went 21-17 overall and 11-10 in American Southwest Conference play and narrowly missed out on a berth in the ASC Championship Tournament. UMHB returns three total All-West Division selections this season and will build around that nucleus this year. Center fielder
Chris Florack (Sr., Houston) was a First Team All-West Division selection last season after hitting .311 with five home runs, 29 RBI and 29 stolen bases. Second baseman
Seth Mogavero (Sr., Robinson) was a Second Team All-West Division pick after batting .284 with three homers, 18 RBI and 17 steals. Pitcher
Chance Ryan (Sr., Lott) is a two-time ASC All-West Division pick and posted a 5-2 record with a 3.56 ERA and 69 strikeouts last season. Outfielder
Dylan TePoel (So., Temple) is the other returning starter after hitting .246 in 19 starts in right field last year. Newcomers are expected to claim the other spots in the starting line-up after the Cru brought in a deep and talented class of fresh faces.
Ryan will have help on the pitching staff from returners
Kreece Cooper (Jr., Jarrell),
Sam VanHoozer (Sr., Salado),
Danny Horstman (Jr., Clifton),
Chase Daniels (So., Tomball) and
Trey Swartzenberg (So., Reisel).
Jeremy Sapp (Sr., Conroe) also makes the move to the mound after serving as one of the team's top reserve infielders the past three seasons and
Sam Stroder (Jr., Frost) is healthy again after missing all of last season with an injury. Several talented newcomers will also compete for time in the rotation and out of the bullpen this year.
Ben Shipp returns to the dugout as head coach of the UMHB baseball team this season. Shipp compiled a 277-249-1 record as the Cru's head coach and led UMHB to an NAIA National Runner-Up finish in 1992. He took over as full-time Vice-President for Athletics at UMHB in 1996 before moving back to coaching this season. He will be joined on the coaching staff by his sons, Kyle and Nate. The Cru was picked to finish fourth in the ASC West Division in the league's annual Preseason Coaches and Media Poll. The UMHB athletic department will provide free live video and live statistics from Monday's game at
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/umhb.portal.
