Baseball
2009 Preview/Recap

Trinity University head coach Tim Scannell is pleased with the amount of talent he has for the 2009 edition of Tiger baseball.  He also believes the fans will have a great time watching the games at E.M. Stevens Field.

“The people who watch our games will see strong fundamental baseball,” said coach Scannell, in his 11^th year at the Tigers’ helm. “We will be a line-driving team. We will be strong up the middle and be a strong defensive squad. Our offense is young, but there is a great balance between left-handed and right-handed hitting.”

Trinity completed the 2008 season campaign with a 35-15 record, a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAA Division III West Region final. The Tigers, who were 12-4 in the SCAC, captured their fourth conference title under coach Scannell and fifth overall. It also marked Trinity’s fourth trip to the NCAA Regional tournament.

Junior first baseman Evan Jones of Hillsborough, Calif. (Junipero Sierra), amassed a number of honors: Honorable Mention All-American by d3baseball.com, All-West Region Second Team and All-SCAC First Team. Jones, who batted .402 (76 for 189), was ranked nationally in a number of categories: doubles (tie for No. 1, 25 total), hits (tie for No. 22, 76 total), RBIs (tie for fifth, 67 total) and RBIs per game (No. 26, 1.37 per game). Jones also scored 59 runs, socked three triples and hit eight home runs.

Sophomore outfielder Dylan Early of Santa Monica, Calif. (Santa Monica), batted .367 (54 for 147), and produced 35 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 35 RBIs. Early was an All-SCAC First Team honoree.

Sophomore catcher/designated hitter Kyle Felix of Woodside, Calif. (Bellarmine College Prep), an All-SCAC First Team selection, batted .357 (61 for 171), with 40 runs, 13 doubles, three triples and eight home runs.

Senior second baseman Jeff Claydon of Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood), an All-SCAC First Team recipient, batted .353 (59 for 167), with 41 runs, seven doubles, four home runs and 32 RBIs. Senior shortstop Stosh Hoover of Phoenix (Brophy Prep) – the hero of the SCAC Championship game and an all-conference first team honoree – had a .344 average (67 for 195), with 56 runs, 20 doubles, four triples, one home run and 33 RBIs. Claydon was also elected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI Team.

Steven Ramos, a senior infielder/catcher from San Antonio (St. Mary’s Hall), made the All-SCAC Honorable Mention Team. Ramos hit .353 (36 for 102), with 20 runs, six doubles, one home run and 22 RBIs.

The Tiger pitching staff was the best in the nation for strikeouts per nine innings.

Senior left-hander Evan Bronson of Midlothian, Va. (Collegiate School), sported a 9-3 record with a 2.28 ERA. Bronson, who also picked up three saves, struck out 102 batters. He made the All-West Region Second Team and All-SCAC First Team.

Five seniors graduated, including pitcher Brian Oates who signed with the Seattle Mariners organization.

“We have the potential to get good on the mound quickly,” coach Scannell concluded. “But we have talented returners and newcomers.”

Joining the Tigers’ pitching staff is junior right-hander Eric Binder of Chicago (Hinsdale Central), who transferred from Northwestern University. Binder went 16-0 his senior year at Hinsdale Central and was chosen for the all-area team.

First-year right-hander Ben Klimesh, also of Chicago (New Trier), played on a team which was ranked No. 1 in the Illinois Class 8A. Right-hander Tristan Heckerl of Seoul, Korea, played at the Seoul American School. Heckerl gained international baseball experience as his team took on American and Korean squads.

The Tigers open their 2009 campaign in Tyler, Texas, on Feb. 7, with two games. Trinity takes on UT-Dallas and then the host UT-Tyler. The Tigers again play UT-Tyler on Feb. 8. Trinity travels to nearby Seguin to play Texas Lutheran University on Feb. 10.

Trinity’s first home games will be Feb. 14 and 15, against SCAC rival Austin College at E.M. Stevens Field. Hendrix College comes to town Feb. 28 and March 1 for two conference games. DeSales University is the home opponent March 5, and Concordia University of Austin, Texas, visits campus March 10.

The Tigers will compete in the prestigious Irish Classic at San Antonio’s Wolfe Stadium. Trinity meets Illinois State University on March 11 and the University of Notre Dame March 14.

Wabash College plays Trinity in a home game March 12. The Tigers host SCAC opponent Millsaps College March 14 and 15, and Cardinal Stritch University March 17, in a non-conference game.

Trinity meets LaSalle College March 20 and 21 and Texas Lutheran March 24 in home contests.  The final regular-season homestand is April 10 and 11 (Southwestern University, SCAC games) and April 14 (Schreiner University).

Trinity will defend its conference title at the SCAC Championship Tournament April 23-25 at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. At stake is an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III postseason tournament.