By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – Fifth-year University of Tennessee at Martin head baseball coach Ryan Jenkins oversees a 2022 Skyhawk roster that includes a plethora of experienced hitters and a promising crop of newcomers on the mound.
Fresh off a season where UT Martin socked 58 home runs (the second-most in school history) and pitched to a 5.24 staff ERA (the best in the school’s 30-year Division I era), anticipation is high amongst the Skyhawk camp this spring.
“Our energy level has been really high,” Jenkins said. “We’re really excited about the group that we’re returning and we have several guys – especially on the pitching side – that are new to UT Martin but they’re very experienced in college baseball and have had a lot of success.”
For a roster that only includes four seniors, all of those veterans are projected to be heavy contributors to the daily Skyhawk lineup. That group includes Blake Davis (170 career starts) at catcher, Ethan Whitley (162 career starts) at first base, Casey Harford (148 career starts) at shortstop and Houston Wright (35 career starts in a pair of abbreviated seasons) at designated hitter.
Davis ranks second in program history with 1,283 putouts (leading the Ohio Valley Conference in that category a season ago) while Whitley has smacked 30 home runs in a UT Martin uniform, ranking fourth all-time in that category. Harford’s 111 career RBI’s rank fifth all-time in school history while Wright has slugged .463 in his brief two-year Skyhawk career.
“Some of those seniors could have left and got jobs but they all came back and wanted to end their career here the right way,” Jenkins said. “Their leadership was expected but I’d like to see that core group take hold of the team and run with it. We have a veteran offense returning and feel really good about the guys we have swinging the bat for us.”
A pair of sophomores are additionally expected to help carry UT Martin offensively. Wil LaFollette thumped a dozen homers in an injury-shortened 2021 season – the most amongst OVC freshmen and tops for a freshman in school history – on his way to OVC All-Newcomer honors. Jenkins envisions the lefty slugger in the lineup at a multitude of positions, including right field, first base and designated hitter.
“The potential has always been there but last year, Wil showed us what kind of player he could be,” Jenkins said. “He missed the fall but worked hard to get back from his injury – he’s back healthy and taking his normal reps. We expect a big year out of him.”
Will Smith returns to reclaim his starting job at second base. The Prattville, Ala. native was named to the Preseason All-OVC squad after ranking second on the Skyhawks with 29 runs scored in just 39 games last spring.
“Will’s maturity levels have gotten a lot better,” Jenkins said. “He’s a very athletic guy that can do a lot of things – he can really run, throw, hit the ball and hit the ball out of the park. He did a good job as a freshman but I’ve seen him show even more improvement over the past year.”
Redshirt junior utility man Jack Culumovic played well at the end of last season – leading the squad with a .308 batting average and .387 on-base percentage in OVC play. After starting at three different positions last spring, the left-handed hitter will look to settle in at left field. Junior newcomer Reid Halfacre (.341 batting average with an .878 OPS in 47 games last year at Chattahoochee Valley Community College) has earned the starting gig in center field.
“Jack has been really consistent this fall and into the spring,” Jenkins said. “He’s just a solid player who has proven to be reliable in his career here. Reid has been great defensively and has good at-bats – he’s a guy who I can see hitting leadoff or in the 9-hole for us this year.”
The competition at third base has arguably been the most spirited of fall and spring practice. A trio of UT Martin right-handed hitters are vying for the starting job at the hot corner, a group that includes sophomore Nate Self (21 games played, 10 starts), Blaze Bell (redshirted last season) and newcomer Hunter McLean (.326 batting average, 1.146 OPS in 19 games at Chattahoochee Valley Community College in 2021).
“Third base has been a real battle,” Jenkins said. “Every day, that depth chart kind of switches and flips around – it’ll be a late decision on my part as to who starts there. You could see all three of those guys as middle-of-the-lineup type bats but we’re going to put whoever is best defensively at that position.”
Alec Beaman (.471 on-base percentage in eight starts over the final 10 games) returns as a middle infield option while speedster Benny DeTrude (seven starts) also return after solid freshmen campaigns in 2021.
Sophomore Cameron Brady and redshirt freshman Chance Merithew are a pair of returners who are slated to see playing time at catcher, joining returning sophomore Carson Deer and freshman newcomer Ellis Yohn at that position.
The freshman trio of Tanner Park (outfield), Ben Severance (second base) and Sam Stowe (first base/outfield) will also push for playing time as collegiate rookies this spring.
“Early on, you’ll see pretty quickly what kind of offense we will have,” Jenkins said. “I don’t think we are particularly a fast team – we’re going to rely on extra-base hits. There’s some give-and-take with that, there may be a little bit more swing-and-miss than I like but you can live with that if we’re hitting home runs, which everybody in our lineup can do.”
On the pitching side, the Skyhawks will feature a mixture of 13 returners and eight newcomers. Those hurlers will look to replicate the success of the 2021 squad, which dialed up 413 strikeouts (most in school history).
“We’re tasked with trying to replace probably the best pitching staff that UT Martin has ever had,” Jenkins said. “I think that we’re better in aspects but we’re a little inexperienced in others. Stuff-wise, the dynamics are pretty similar with this group, they just have to gain that experience by going out and performing.”
Seven of the 10 Skyhawks who started at least one game on the hill in 2021 are no longer on the roster, including all three members of the season-ending OVC weekend starting rotation. Eric Steensma (4.87 ERA in 18 appearances) – UT Martin’s top statistical returner from a year ago – suffered an offseason injury and will miss an extended period of time, leaving only Seth Petry (three starts) and Tucker Reed (one start) with starting experience from last spring.
A half-dozen hurlers have solidified themselves as starting options early on as Jenkins plans on an abundance of mixing and matching to start the season. Competing for spots in the weekend rotation are two right-handers who were junior college teammates (Rhett Fetner and Matt Dickey) and a pair of southpaws (Jacob Smith, Lawson Russell).
At Chattahoochee Valley last spring, the hard-throwing Fetner led all junior college pitchers in complete games (seven) and shutouts (three) while also ranking in the top-three nationally in ERA (1.99), wins (10) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.66). His teammate Dickey also displayed an electric arm with a 14.1 strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio over 22.1 frames. In three collegiate seasons, Dickey has sported a remarkable 75 strikeouts over 50 innings of work.
Jacob Smith, who was a highly decorated prep hurler out of Calera High School in Alabama, also brings extensive experience. The 6-7, 255-pounder notched 18 wins in 32 starts in three junior college seasons (2020-21 at Wallace State Community College, 2019 at Chipola College). After making a pair of appearances out of the Skyhawk bullpen in 2021 as a true freshman, Russell has quickly developed into a frontline starter following an impressive offseason.
Petry (14 career starts, 4-2 record in 2021) and freshman Noah Walters are viable options to start midweek contests with potential to move into the weekend rotation as the season rolls along.
“We’re pretty solidified on Fridays and Saturdays while Sundays and midweeks are still kind of revolving doors,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to try and give everybody an opportunity to get out on the mound, not just starting but in all situations – especially before we get into conference play. I think you could really see just about anybody coming out of the bullpen in different roles.”
Serving true to that theme, Jenkins expects Blake Davis and Will Smith to see time on the hill in 2022. Those position players have not made an official collegiate appearance on the mound but have shown they are more than capable of piling up outs during the fall and spring practice seasons.
“It may be a little unorthodox but Blake is going to close some games for us and we’re going to throw Will into the bullpen mix as well,” Jenkins said. “Last year, we pitched the ball so well plus those guys were too valuable – we couldn’t take those guys out of the lineup to get some innings. This year, we have a little more depth offensively where we feel comfortable giving those two opportunities on the mound.”
Righty Baylor Jones also returns for his redshirt freshman campaign after an injury cut his 2021 season short after just three games. He is expected to vie for high-leverage spots as one of the team’s top setup relievers.
Tucker Reed (nine), Eli Martin (four) and Grayden Stauffer (four) combined for 17 appearances as true freshmen last spring and all return as right-handed options out of the bullpen. Junior Trey Ricko (seven career appearances) and redshirt sophomore lefty Warren Lee (two career appearances) round out the UT Martin returners who have collegiate experience while redshirt freshmen right-handers Addison Parker and Drew Bell will make their Skyhawk debuts in 2022.
Sophomore righty Grant Crihfield joins UT Martin out of nearby Jackson State Community College and is joined in the bullpen by incoming freshmen Cory Francis (lefty), J. Henry Hobson (righty) and Yohn (righty).
A trio of Skyhawks (redshirt freshman outfielder Thomas Fullerton, redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher Wesley Bomar and freshman right-handed pitcher Colby Hutto) are currently injured and are expected to miss the entire season.
Fully loaded with a talent-rich roster, Jenkins hopes to use the nonconference season to gauge his squad before clicking on all cylinders by the time that OVC season starts on March 25-27.
“The biggest thing for us is to continue to get better as the season goes along,” Jenkins said. “As we develop, some of our younger guys are going to see their work come to fruition. We’re playing on the road a lot and as you do that, the team chemistry gets better. It’s our job as a coaching staff to figure out how to put our guys in the best roles to make our team successful over these first five weekends so we can put our best product on the field when we start conference play.”
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information