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Juco  | Story  | 2/13/2023

JUCO: Coastal Regional Preview

AJ Denny      Craig Cozart     
JUCO: Top 500 Prospects

Regional Previews: Southeast | Florida | Great Plains

Coastal Region Top 10



1. Florence Darlington Tech
2. Gaston
3. Spartanburg Methodist
4. Pitt CC
5. Cleveland CC
6. Catawba Valley CC
7. Patrick & Henry
8. USC Lancaster
9. USC Sumter
10. Caldwell Tech

Top 10 Team Breakdowns

1. Florence Darlington Tech
Florence-Darlington has long been one of the powerhouse programs in the Southeast and nothing is changing in 2023. Head coach Preston McDonald has one of the most talented rosters in the entire country as he looks to guide the Stingers back to their third JUCO World Series appearance in school history. The arms that they will rely on are all extremely talented but are fairly young. The leader of the staff, Davis Aiken, is one of the few pitchers on the roster with experience. He’s a talented right-hander with excellent command of a full mix of pitches. Freshman right-hander Matthew Driver will be relied upon heavily, he has elite arm speed and sits in the 90-94 mph range with the fastball. He’s a piece that they will need to make a big impact and he’s more than capable of doing so. Rounding out the arms is Clayton Stewart who features one of the best sliders in the country. Another freshman to keep an eye out for is freshman lefty Kameron Dunlap, who should see a lot of innings this upcoming year. The three bats to watch this year are College of Charleston commit Dylan Johnson, Noah Stout, and Anderson Fulk. Johnson is a standout both at the plate and behind it with elite catch and throw skills and a middle of the order presence. Stout returns from a season ago where he showcased big power from the left-side of the plate. Fulk is an athletic player with tons of juice in the left-handed swing. Keep a close eye on JP Cunningham, a Clemson transfer, as he is slated to start at second base for the Stingers. This is easily one of the deepest teams in the region, if not the country, and they have big plans this year. -Cameron McElwaney, 2023 JUCO Preseason Top 50

2. Gaston
Just a short year ago, Gaston was gearing up for their first baseball season in school history. Last year was remarkable for the Rhinos as they finished with a 41-9 record. Since they were a first year program, they weren’t allowed to compete in the NJCAA World Series in 2022, which is something the 2023 group is trying to accomplish this season. The rotation is deep and talented with J.D. Everett, a UNC-Wilmington signee, leading the charge. He’s a left-hander that sits in the low-90s with a hard slider mixed in. Elon signee Nolan Straniero, a freshman right-hander who sits 90-93 mph with a low-80s wipeout slider, will be relied upon in a weekend role. Kyle McKernan, a sophomore who transferred in from Virginia Tech, will be used in a starting role as well. In the back end of the bullpen is Antwan Walton, an Old Dominion transfer who can get up to 95 mph with a hard cutter. On the offensive side, it is a well-balanced lineup with guys who can hit for both average and power. Konni Durschlag, an All-American from a season ago, is back after hitting 8 home runs and 16 doubles while driving in 45 and sporting an average of .396. Durschlag will also be relied upon as a pitcher where he sits in the low-90s. J.D. Yakubinis, their starting catcher is back for another season. He dealt with some injuries a season ago but bringing him back is a huge boost for the offense. Wade Kelly, Trey Truitt, and Andrew Muraco are all names that have huge upside and big talent. This offense should be one of the best in the region. They are deeper and more athletic than the 41-win team from a season ago and look to challenge for their first JUCO World Series title in program history in 2023. -Cameron McElwaney, 2023 JUCO Preseason Top 50

3. Spartanburg Methodist
You would be hard pressed to find a head coach with a longer tenure than Tim Wallace as he embarks on his 32nd season at the helm. During that time, he has accumulated almost 1,300 wins and has the type of offense that can slug with anyone in the Coastal Region. Veteran leadoff hitter, Dariyan Pendergrass will set the table with his elite barrel feel and has the amazing career stat of having swiped twice as many bases as times he has struck out. Sophomore Brady Jeffcoat should be in the mix at the top of the lineup and mix it up on the infield. Compact, explosive LHH Hunter Fryzowicz will provide a professional approach and some juice to the middle of the order. But the whole thing revolves around the big bat of Rhogue Wallace who will split time between the outfield and behind the plate. The switch-hitter is enormously talented with the stick and has really developed the power side of his game. It looks like a corps of LHPs will lead the way on the mound and this very well could determine how deep a run this club makes in ’23. Baker Cox should be an anchor for the rotation and has shown the knack for missing barrels as he is averaging over 10 Ks per 9 IP. Freshman LHPs Kemper Nix and Davis Wright are promising prospects. Nix is a projectable 6-4/190 with a live arm and Wright has advanced feel for his mix of pitches at this point in his career. Sophomore RHP, Garrett Hodges has refined his command from a year ago and looks on track to have a big year. Lean RHP, Maret Drye looks ready to shut things down at the end of the game and be the guy to secure wins. If the young arms mature quickly, the Pioneers could be looking at yet another championship.

4. Pitt CC
You can’t really argue that Pitt CC doesn’t have one of the top one-two punches in the region in the form of Will Gervase and Ryker Galaska, and Coach Eason will lean heavily on these guys to carry a ton of responsibility in 2023. Gervase, a LHP with tons of projection still to come in the velo department sits 89-92 mph from a funky slot that works across the zone and makes it more than difficult for hitters to pick up the baseball out of the hand. The Wake Forest commit will be assisted in the rotation by Wyatt Bagwell who looks to bring veteran leadership to the squad. Offensively, Galaska looks to build on a monster 2022 campaign in which he hit for a .357 BA including 8 HR’s. The second year OF is a vital piece both in the heart of the order and in RF for his side. Surrounding Galaska will be guys like JJ Rivera and Martin Zelenka, the latter stepping into the starting C role after getting some run last year with prominent power threat. Safe to say this team is going to win, a lot.

5. Cleveland CC
After a 31-23 2022 campaign, Coach Grigg and his squad are expecting continued success heading into 2023. West Virginia transfer Alex Khan is the name to key in on here, as the primary 3B is a defensive asset at the hot corner and can also do damage at the plate with gap-to-gap juice and advanced bat-to-ball skills. Luke Banister and Kael Snethen are also expected to generate some runs offensively as Snethen swiped 30 plus bags in ‘22 with obvious speed tool present. The rotation will see a ton of Kyle Murphy, a Lenoir-Rhyne commit who sits 92-94 mph from the right side with Connor Sampers and Avery Bridges also in the mix in some form. Murphy has plenty of swing and miss in the arsenal commanding the zone with a three-pitch mix that posted a 4.30 ERA in ‘22 with 44 SO in 29.1 IP. Sampers featured out of the pen, tossing 26.2 IP with 23 SO. To describe this team overall, there’s a ton of balance on both sides which many would agree is a key component to success for any squad looking to go on a major run.

6. Catawba Valley CC
Coach McDonald brings in some big-time fire power for 2023 looking to build off a 37-26 campaign in ’22. Starting on the offensive end, NC State transfer Carter Lindsay will play a vital role in the teams success with both offensive and defensive tools at hie disposal. The LHH OF will have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs behind guys like Walker Waters, a super utility guy, and Jack Stevens who should return to the 3-hole. Also expect Florence Darlington transfer Tate Abbott to slot into the heart of the order and do damage further adding to the weapons present throughout this lineup. Looking at the arms situation, Gardner Webb transfer and UNC commit Luke Osteen will be the featured name in the rotation with tons of natural movement on his FB sitting 89-92 mph. The RHP has plus offspeed offerings in a CB and CH with evident feel for spin in the arsenal. Behind Osteen expect to see guys like Trace Baker, Kobie Cushing, and Zac Martin, all of whom flash velo in the low 90’s. All in all the foundation is certainly here to make some noise.

7. Patrick & Henry
The program goes through a bit of a transition in 2023 as Brandon Nania was named Interim Head Coach in the fall. Nania has been instrumental in the team’s recent since joining the staff as the lead assistant in 2020. During that time, they have collected 82 wins, 1 Region 10 Championship and 1 trip to the World Series. The roster is well balanced with some returning contributors, impact transfers and talented freshmen. Bryson Pleasant is an intimidating presence in the middle of the order at 6-5/225 and should provide plenty of run producing power as the DH. Serving as the leadoff hitter, Bryce Lane is a freshman with twitchy skills and a tenacious approach at the plate. Andrew Barrese is another talented freshman that has enough juice in his hands to be in thick of the order and provide some protection for Pleasant. Don’t overlook Johnboy Rittenhouse, which is hard to do at 6-3/210, who can really put a charge into the ball with his dense muscular build. The marquee talent on this roster is no doubt, Jordan Irizarry, the Campbell transfer who should spearhead the rotation. The LHP has a low-90’s FB that will approach the mid-90’s with a wipeout slider and workable CH. Kyle Henson is a long, lean 6-4/170 freshman arm that looks like he will be a regular in the rotation as well. Kyle Fields and William Rice have the ability to work out of the pen or start as well and should round out the core of solid arms for the Patriots.

8. USC Lancaster
The Lancers have plenty of young incoming talent at their disposal in 2023 and are looking to build off an already strong 4-0 start at the time of this writing. As with some of the other top teams in the region, Coach Calhoun will rely on a corner piece of the team in the form of Joe Sperry, a true two-way threat that can hit for both contact and power at the dish while also pumping upper 80’s on the mound. When he’s not pitching, expect Sperry to slot in at 1B. Other key names to look for include Eddie Olmeda and Kyle Markowitz, both of whom pose a plus speed threat and can create chaos on the bases. Jannuel Wispi will also play an important role in the offense as the Coker commit showcases advanced poise at the dish with athleticism present in all aspects of his game. Presbyterian commit Jeff Hayes is expected to lead the pitching staff with Freshman Dominic LaDuke looking to make his mark as a wildcard arm up to 93 mph. With these guys at the forefront, it’s hard not to see a ton of success for Coach Calhoun and the boys in ‘23.

9. USC Sumter
Tim Medlin is in his 6th year leading the Fire Ants following a successful 33-13 season in 2022. This year’s club has a nice blend of physicality, athleticism, skill players and veteran arms. Leading the charge on the mound will be sophomore LHP Jeremiah Locklear who has really refined his craft in the past year. His explosive upper-80’s heater, plus change up and quality breaking ball mix makes him a strikeout machine. Projectable 6-4/200 RHP Nick Petit is just now coming into his own and should complement Locklear well in the rotation with his high spin FB and emerging secondary offerings. Watch for Landon DeLavan, freshman LHP, to use his pitchability and feel for decelerating barrels to secure a spot in the rotation as well. The sophomore class is deep on the offensive side of things starting with Capers Molinaroli who hit almost .400 with 6 home runs and 55 RBIs in ’22. Maddox Mobley will roam the outfield and use his twitchy skill set to impact the game on both sides of the ball. Infielders Brandon Powell, Lane Tobin and Aidan Bisbano build a solid glove corps and should be in the middle of their offensive engine.

10. Caldwell Tech
Looking up and down this roster, there’s certainly some intriguing pieces that are worth a mention for Coach Parham and crew. It’s no surprise that returner Steven Smith is going to play a role on both sides of the field, as the RHP/MIF hit for a .360 BA including 9 HR last season and is also up to 92 mph on the bump. Returning C Jacob Bebber is looking to have another big year after hitting for a .370 BA in ’22 and being named an Academic All American. Bo Davidson and Garrison Burress are expected to fill out the top half of the order with Breon Ishmael providing a power spark after leaving the facility 13 times last year. Although the offense is probably the strongest aspect of this squad, don’t sleep on the pitching staff for the Cobras led by Hayden Setzer and Walker Pedante. Behind these two staples it’ll be interesting to see what newcomers step up and perform on the bump for Coach Parham.

Coastal Region Top 50 Prospects

1. Trip Brown, RHP, Spartanburg Methodist
2. J.P. Cunningham, UT, Florence Darlington Tech


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