Baseball

Review

Preview

The Warriors become the Knights this season and it is fitting considering 
the noble tradition of Middle Georgia Baseball.  Over the last 30 years 
the Warriors have won 4 NJCAA National Championships, 3 National Runner-
ups, 2 Third place finishes, 1 fourth, 3 sixth and a seventh place 
national finish.  The Warriors have also won 17 GJCAA titles and 23 Region 
XVII Championships.  They hope to add another as the Knights.
The Warriors fell 1 game short of another trip to Grand Junction in 2012, 
but have worked hard this off season to put them in a position for a 
return trip.  If the Middle Georgia State College Knights are to make 
their 1st trip to the Alpine World Series it will take the efforts of 18 
new faces.  The Knights only return four regulars from the 2012 squad.
That being said, this is nothing new for the Middle Georgia squad, who 
commonly reloads each year for a run at a National Championship.

Pitching:  Pitching will be the stronghold for the Warriors with the 
return of 3 quality arms from last year’s team.  Joseph Boatright  (8-1; 
2.20 ERA) and Alex Roberts (8-2 ; 3.13 ERA) return in the rotation and 
Eric Alonzo (3-0; 4.45 ERA) will be a go to guy as the season gets under 
way.  Looking to round out the rotation are Javier Reynoso (transfer 
Coastal Carolina) and Freshmen Ryan Lawlor (Calvary Day H.S.).  Tyler 
Graham (Hill Grove H.S.) had a great fall and will see plenty of action as 
a starter as will Conner Alford (Tattnall H.S.).  Caleb Weaver (Westfield 
H.S.) will see action out of the pen and as a left handed specialist if 
the situations call for him.  Justin Flores ( Union Grove H.S.) will be 
called upon to serve several roles as a set up man, long relief and 
closing from time to time.  Late innings should be in very capable hands 
as Blake Shouse  and Coastal Carolina transfer Adam Eggnatz will get a 
bulk of the save opportunities.
Catching:  The catching duties should be in solid hands as three freshmen 
will see duty at any given time.  Valdosta State transfer Drew Kelley 
(Bainbridge H.S.) will get a majority of the starts and should hit in the 
middle of the Warriors line-up.  Kelley will also see some time at first 
base when not catching in order to keep his bat in the game.  Cole 
Thompson (Jones County H.S.) and Tyler Bowers (Northgate H.S.) both 
possess two of the strongest arms on the team and should be able to 
shutdown the running game.
Outfield:  Leading a talented group of outfielders will be Coastal 
Carolina transfer Adam Eggnatz in centerfield.  Adam possesses a strong 
arm with great outfield skills and could bat in the leadoff or back side 
of the batting order.  Eggnatz has great speed and should be a treat on 
the bases to steal at any time.  Jake Wright (Eastside H.S.) should anchor 
right field and will hit in the middle of the lineup.   He is  another 
outfielder with a strong arm and very good speed.  Left field could be 
Cody Lanford (Jones County H.S.) or Drew Taylor.  Dusty Jones (Bleckley 
County H.S.) can play all the outfield positions and will be used on the 
base paths and defensively at times.
Infield:  The Knights have a luxury in the infield because any number of 
infielders can play all the infield positions.  2012 All Conference 
shortstop Blake Shouse (.349 BA;  35 RBI’s) could see action at third base 
and short this season.  Shouse will more than likely hit out of the second 
hole as he did for most of the 2012 season.  The Knights are also counting 
on him to make an impact on the mound.  Auburn University transfer Kent 
Rollins will see action at short or second.  Rollins possesses sure hands 
and a great arm.  Rollins will hit somewhere in the bottom of the order.  
Cody Lanford could see action at second base or any outfield spot.  
Lanford projects to be the Knights lead-off batter and will play Center 
field when Eggnatz is on the mound.  Red shirt Freshman Will Jones (Crisp 
County H.S.) will prove a valuable asset for the Knights as he can play 
any of the infield positions and will depending on when Shouse and Eggnatz 
are pitching.

Summary:  Pitching should anchor the Knights early in the season until the 
offense finds their identity .  The Knights are capable of putting up some 
great numbers this spring if all goes well.  They will need to find 
themselves early with the likes of Chipola,  Walters State, and Western 
Nevada on the schedule.  The Knights have a fan friendly home schedule 
with 17 home dates at Stuckey Field.  The conference may be the most 
balanced it has been in quite some time.  Conference foes Georgia 
Perimeter, Gordon, and Darton all posted excellent records in 2012 and 
ABAC, Andrew, and West Georgia have improved over the off season.  South 
Georgia and East Georgia are always strong and this season should provide 
some great baseball.  

NEWS