NEWBERRY — The Newberry College baseball team approaches the 2025 season with a new head coach but with the same goals.
“Expectations here will always be high,” says former veteran Wolves assistant and now head coach Jay Snyder. “I think I’m kind of fortunate because I’ve been in the system for a long time. I really think a lot of things are going to remain the same. Number one, the culture, the way we do things here, the standard of how we do things.”
That standard has resulted in winning seasons in 11 of the last 12 years with a pair of SAC championships and trips to the NCAA Tournament and six consecutive winning league campaigns.
The Wolves hope to ride the wave of a second half to the 2024 season into a good start to the 2025 season.
After starting last year 4-14 overall and 1-5 in conference play, the Wolves finished the season by winning 22 of their last 36 games including 17 of their final 24 league contests.
Snyder is looking to his upperclassmen to set the tone for the upcoming campaign.
“I would say our number one strength would be leadership,” said Snyder. “I would also say team chemistry. I felt like this is some of the best team chemistry I’ve seen in quite a long time. And it started from day one where the older guys took the new guys under their wing and brought them into the fold.”
On the mound the Wolves return a couple of important veterans in Ethan LeBron and Hunter French.
French was a third team All-South Atlantic Conference and All-SAC Tournament pick last year after posting a 6-3 mark with a 4.53 earned run average and pitched a team-leading 68.2 innings with a team-high 12 starts.
LeBron was second on the team in wins (4) and starts (10) and has a 16-10 career record in his first three season with the Wolves.
“Ethan is a three-year starter and the ultimate competitor,” said Snyder. “Hunter couldn’t pitch his first two years because he was recovering from an injury, but now, with the emphasis solely on pitching and not being a two-way guy, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in his final year.”
Snyder believes that his staff features quality depth which should lead to this being a strength of the team.
“I think all of guys have things to work on, but from the start of the fall to where they’re at now, I feel really confident in handing them the ball and trusting them,” said Snyder. “I think anybody that we hand the ball to; we have enough confidence in them to get outs for us.”
John Rollings, Brayden Gilson, Blake Morrison and Keillor Osbon combined to throw 95 innings over 65 appearances last year to earn four wins and three saves.
The staff also returns Gunnar Erickson, who is coming off surgery after making 15 appearances and posting 45.2 innings with a 4-1 record and a save for the 2023 SAC championship team.
Other names to watch include Andrew Peck, Braiden Eagen, Mason Brady, Chansen Cole, Jacob Clark and Anthony Plotkin.
The infield also features a lot of depth with position battles underway as Snyder looks for improvement over a year ago.
“I think on the infield, there’s a lot of competition,” said Snyder. “I think we need to address that this year. I don’t think that we played our best last year on the dirt”
Jonathan Velez returns to the lineup after missing all of last year with an injury. He started all 58 games for the 2023 SAC championship team hitting .337 with 12 doubles, two triples, 37 RBI and seven stolen bases.
Injuries and graduation gave a lot of underclassmen a chance to play last year and now Bryson Nuckols, KJ Leshko, Chandler Mims and Jesse Free return with experience under their belt.
Knuckles started 39 games, batting .267 with 21 runs scored, four doubles, 13 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Free made 29 starts, hitting .306 with 13 runs scored, three doubles, and 17 RBI. Mims started 32 games batting .214 with 22 runs scored, six doubles, 17 RBI and four stolen bases, while Leshko collected 21 starts with 11 runs scored and seven RBI.
Cooper Gentry played in 24 games, starting six last year and looks for playing time at first base with Osborn also seeing time there when not on the mound.
Two newcomers could also play prominent roles are shortstop Carson Hayes and first baseman Sam Stowe.
The outfield returns key starters in Kade Faircloth and Luke Compton but must deal with the loss of do-everything center fielder Donovan Ford.
Snyder feels this year’s group will not take a step back from last year.
“We’ve got some quality depth out there to where if something should happen or we want to make a change here or there, I don’t think we’re really going to take a step down defensively or offensively with whoever we choose.”
Faircloth has made 106 starts in his first three seasons with a career .319 batting average and a .399 on-base percentage with 87 runs scored and 36 stolen bases. He has batted at least .305 all three seasons.
Compton had a spectacular freshman season, batting .329 with 28 runs scored, 41 RBI and 10 stolen bases while starting 39 games a year ago.
John Allen Forrester is another player returning to the program after sitting out last year due to injury. He started 21 games on the 2023 SAC championship team, batting .284, 22 runs scored, 16 RBI, six stolen bases and a .409 on base percentage.
Wilson Wages also returns from injury while newcomers that can also make an impact include Josh Bandy, Jack Coletti and Zane McLendon.
“Our goals are lofty, but we feel if we can take care of the ball and play enough offense and play together that, we might be one of those last teams standing” said Snyder. “We’re not the sexiest team on paper, but I think we got enough talent here that we can do some really good things and play for a long time. But the style of play, the expectations of the team are not going to change. But ultimately, I think one of my biggest goals for this team is just to get better each and every day.”
The Wolves finished in a tie for third last year in the SAC and this year’s race will be as competitive as ever.
“This is a tough region, and the South Atlantic Conference is incredibly competitive,” said Snyder. “I think that when you look at the race, I mean, I think that anybody can beat anybody on any given day.”
Last year Catawba advanced to the national semifinals marking the third time in the last four years a team from the Southeast Region has advanced to at least the national semifinals with two of those teams winning a national championship.
After opening the season on the road at Barton College, the Wolves will play 13 consecutive home games at Smith road Complex including SAC series against Carson-Newman and Tusculum.