Trinity Baseball Preview/Recap

The Trinity University Tigers baseball team, led by 12^th-year head coach Tim Scannell, is always replete with talent.

This season eight returning starters will pace the Tigers when the first pitch is thrown Feb. 6. Schreiner University is Trinity's opening day opponent at E.M. Stevens Field.

"The Tigers will have a strong defense and a balanced hitting attack," coach Scannell said. "The expectation of this team is to play with a high energy level. They have respect for the game of baseball, and are always prepared to compete. Our goal will be to once again qualify for the SCAC Tournament."

Two of the returning starters will spark the offensive firepower for the Tigers, senior first baseman Evan Jones, and junior catcher Kyle Felix.

Felix, from Woodside, Calif. (Bellarmine College Prep), was selected for the All-SCAC First Team for the second straight time. He batted .399 (69-173, second on the team) with 41 runs, 17 doubles (tied for fifth all time, single season), nine home runs, 47 RBIs and 12 walks.  Felix made the SCAC All-Tournament Team, batting .550, and cracking a tournament-best four doubles. Felix also led the tournament by scoring 10 runs.

Jones, from Hillsborough, Calif. (Junipero Serra), was elected to the All-SCAC First Team for the second consecutive year. He batted .374 (58-155) with 28 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 43 RBIs and 21 walks. Jones' .378 career batting average ranks seventh in school history. He batted 5-5 in the April 25 SCAC Tournament game with Hendrix. That tied a single-game record established by Kenneth Sharp, who executed the feat four times from 2000 to 2003. Jones, who batted .600 during the championship event, tied a SCAC Tournament record with 12 hits. He also was chosen for the All-Tournament Team.

Junior third baseman Kevin Jackson of Bellevue, Wash. (O'Dea), batted .305 (47-154), with 32 runs, 11 doubles, one home run, 19 walks and 19 RBIs. Dylan Early, a junior outfielder from Santa Monica, Calif. (Santa Monica), hit .256 (32-125), with eight doubles, three home runs, 10 walks and 16 RBIs.Nick Pappas, a sophomore outfielder from Los Angeles (Loyola), batted .296 (21-71), with 23 runs, 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 14 walks and 19 RBIs.

Also returning is senior outfielder John Paillet of Los Angeles (Loyola), who hit .320 (32-100). Paillet scored 24 runs, and had seven doubles, 10 walks, and 12 RBIs. Junior outfielder Kevin Calbick of Burnaby, British Columbia (Burnaby South), had a .288 (21-73) batting average, with 13 runs, six doubles, two home runs, 20 walks and 10 RBIs.

The Tiger pitching staff is highlighted by sophomore right-hander Noah Solomon of Austin, Texas (Anderson), who was elected the SCAC Pitcher of the Year. ). Solomon became the first Trinity pitcher to receive the honor since 2005, when Brock Hewitt took home the award. Solomon, who also earned All-SCAC honors, completed his first season with an ERA of 1.94 (first in the SCAC, No. 16 in the nation) in 65 innings of work. His ERA is the 15^th-best in Trinity history, dating back to 1964. He allowed opponents to hit a SCAC-best .196. Solomon posted a 5-1 record, while recording a 1.09 WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched). In one appearance at the SCAC Championship Tournament, Solomon did not allow an earned run in 5.2 innings. He struck out three batters and scattered six hits. Solomon gave up 26 walks during 16 appearances during the season, but fanned 59 batters.

Junior right-hander Michael Panozzo of Houston (Clear Lake) amassed a 7-1 record. Panozzo recorded an ERA of 4.25 in 53 innings. He struck out 28 batters and had a WHIP of 1.47. Senior right-hander Clint Robertson of Rockwall, Texas (Heritage), saw limited action because of an injury, appearing in only six games. But, in 2008, Robertson chalked up a 4-0 record (three saves) and an ERA of 2.80.

A promising newcomer is first-year infielder Jonathan Hall of Kenilworth, Ill., who played for the 2009 Illinois state Class 4A champion New Trier High School. A player to watch is infielder Kevin Francke of Yorba Linda, Calif. (Mater Dei), who made the Southern California All-League Second Team. Infielder Kevin Clements of Pacific Grove, Calif. (Pacific Grove), was an all-league player. Outfielder Will Donnan of Houston (Spring Branch Memorial) was a standout on his regional quarterfinalist team.

Second-year assistant coach Zach Fregosi '08, a former member of two Tiger SCAC Championship teams, is thrilled with the prospects of the 2010 campaign.

"We are in a unique position of  having a large and talented freshman class, mixed with some great upper-class talent and experience," said coach Fregosi, who played on two NCAA regional playoff teams. " We know we have great players who have had a chance to win here, and we are hoping they can lead this new group of players to the same result."

The Tigers will have 19 home dates, including the February opener with Schreiner. The home SCAC schedule opens Feb. 13-14 with Austin College. Nearby rival Texas Lutheran comes to campus March 2 for a non-conference game. Defending SCAC champion Hendrix is the Tigers' opponent March 27-28, and Southwestern visits Trinity April 2-3.  Millsaps rounds out the conference and regular-season home slate April 17-18.

The SCAC Tournament is scheduled for April 22-25 at Millington, Tenn. At stake is an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

Trinity completed the 2009 season with a 24-21 overall record, and was 11-9 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Tigers advanced to their 14^th SCAC final in 18 seasons, beating Rhodes and Centre (twice), before losing to Hendrix in the championship game at Jackson, Miss.

Eight seniors graduated, including outfielder Jordan Pennington, the Tigers' leading hitter, and pitcher Evan Bronson, the SCAC leader in strikeouts. Bronson later signed a contract with the Washington Nationals organization.

The Tigers were ranked nationally in the NCAA Division III in several statistical categories. Trinity's defense produced 46 double plays, for a No. 5 ranking. The Tigers held a No. 8 ranking in SAC flies (29) and were 11^th in doubles (111).