 Tommy Eason | WINTERVILLE�After finishing the 2008 season a win shy of the NJCAA World Series, Pitt Community College Baseball Coach Tommy Eason hit the recruiting trail to reload for 2009. Eason, who has a 103-50 record in three seasons with PCC, has signed 18 players to replace the 17 he lost to graduation, including Cleveland Indians first-round draft pick Lonnie Chisenhall. Pitt has 11 players returning from last season�s club that finished 41-15 and won the Region X Tournament title before falling to Hagerstown Community College in the Eastern Districts. Eason said he was pleased with his club�s effort during fall practice. �They worked hard, made good adjustments and competed every day,� he said. �We are extremely talented, but that doesn�t always win ballgames.� With the Bulldogs scheduled to play at Mt. Olive College on Feb. 12, Eason said his players must hit the ground running and not skip a beat when they return from Christmas break in January. �We have to continue to make adjustments and key on the small things that separate good teams from average teams,� he said. While three pitchers off last year�s squad�Mike Brogan (Appalachian State), Jake Brown (Georgia Southern) and Chip Wall (Wingate)--are continuing their careers at four-year colleges in 2009, one player who is returning to the Bulldogs� rotation is starter Pete Levitt, who was selected in the 50th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. Five returnees will join Levitt on the Bulldogs� pitching staff, including redshirt freshman Ryan Chadwick and Daniel Martin, who went 3-1 with a 1.23 earned run average in 2007 but missed last season due to injury. Relievers Corey Carver (7-1, 4.91 ERA), Zach Woodley (4-3, 2.72 ERA) and Josh Aldridge (0-2, 3.31 ERA) are set to return to the Pitt bullpen. Seven new pitchers will join the Bulldogs in �09, including transfers Kasey Ourada from Perdue University and Robbie Penny from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Representing the Tar Heel State, Justin Nygard (Wilson Hunt), Dustin Bennett (North Duplin) and Trey Holmes (East Rowan) are set to join the PCC staff along with Virginians Marshall Halbleib, Kenny Strickland and Gary Ward. Eason has signed 11 new position players to fill the void left by eight sophomores who have moved on to four-year institutions�Josh Ashton (Montreat), Seth Austin (Limestone), Daniel Benner (Montreat), Logan Isaacs (Wingate), Lucas Martin (Montreat), Max Schott (Montreat), Landis Wilson (Arkansas-Little Rock) and Austin Wright (Old Dominion)� and Chisenhall. Five position players will return to the PCC lineup: outfielders Brian Allen and Cody Walker and infielders Jesse Miller, Thomas Moore and Trey Williams. Of the five returnees, Allen (32 games played, 26 starts) and Walker (31 games played and 21 starts) saw the most action in 2008. With catchers Schott and Wilson lost to graduation, Virginian Nick Abrahamson, Marylander Matt Campbell and Greensboro�s Greg Henry will vie for time behind the plate. Rashad Hatcher (Virginia), Kyle Rucker (Virginia) and Brett Williams (New Bern) will help man the outfield while Trey Beaman (Snow Hill), Chad Bisnette (Illinois), Grant Kelley (Morehead City), Sam Sanders (New Bern) and Donovan Watts (Tabor City) will give Eason plenty of infield options. |