Full Series Notes (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. – The 37th edition of Longwood baseball will take the field Friday afternoon at Bush Stadium in Cookeville, Tenn. as the Lancers open the season at Tennessee Tech. First pitch is set for 4 p.m., with a 3 p.m. start on Saturday and a 2 p.m. matinee to wrap up the series on Sunday. The Lancers will also step between the lines for the first time under head coach Ryan Mau, the fourth skipper to lead blue and white.

A dichotomous team, Longwood is both laden with starting experience at the top of the depth chart and reliant on youth off the bench and out of the bullpen. The blue and white welcome back seven starters from last season's defensive alignment headlined by corner outfielders Kyri Washington and Brandon Delk. On the mound, the weekend rotation is comprised of three upperclassmen in Aaron Myers, Travis Burnette and Brandon Vick. Meanwhile, the bullpen and the bench are loaded with a bevy of youth in 2015. The bullpen returns three relievers who made 15 or more appearances in 2014 and will turn to a pair of juniors, three additional sophomores, and five freshmen for added depth.  

There will be little time for a learning curve though, as the Lancers open the season against a 40-win squad from a season ago. It was the second consecutive year in which Tennessee Tech won at least 40 games with the Golden Eagles narrowly missing out on a regional berth after falling in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game. The opening series is just the first step of a tough non-conference slate as Longwood prepares for Big South play.

"We put together a very challenging non-conference schedule," said Mau, "and I think we had to because the league is getting stronger. With Campbell, Liberty and Coastal returning a lot and the expectations they have, we have to get ourselves prepared by playing teams of that caliber."

Tennessee Tech will indeed provide an opening weekend litmus test as the Golden Eagles were one of the top offensive teams in the country last year. Tech ranked in the top-10 nationally in nine offensive categories, including the top spot in scoring at 8.3 runs per game and home runs with 83 bombs on the season. The Golden Eagles finished the season batting .309, good for eighth in the country, and racked up the top slugging percentage at .495.

"Tennessee Tech is a very difficult opening weekend," opined Mau. "You're talking about a 40-win club last year, a team that only lost eight games at home last year, so it's going to be very difficult to go on the road and win there on opening weekend. But, that's what we want – we want to be challenged, see what we're made of and we want to get ourselves prepared ultimately for conference play. "

With the Golden Eagles' dynamic offense lying in wait, the Lancers will have an excellent opportunity to evaluate some of the young arms in the bullpen.
"It's going to be trial by fire," said Mau. "We're going to get some guys out there, that haven't been in those tough situations. That's a really good club that we're playing and they lost some pieces, but they went out and found some transfer pieces and they will be locked in and reloaded. We're going to have our hands full and we've got to do a great job of pitching to contact and staying ahead in counts. If we fall behind in counts, obviously, it's going to be a long day. Our guys have a great challenge ahead of them, but I'm excited for it."

On the offensive side of the ball, Mau's arrival has ushered in a new approach at the plate. With the help of assistant coach Chad Oxendine, the Lancers are looking to be more disciplined and work deeper into counts.

"The first thing we talked about with our guys was reducing the number of strikeouts," noted Mau. "I think you're going to see a much more disciplined approach at the plate. We plan on being a much more active offense as far as hit-and-runs, stealing, taking bags, sacrificing and squeezing, so there is going to be a ton of action on the basepaths. It's going to be exciting."

 With the new look Lancers set to debut Friday afternoon, excitement is abuzz around the team and with the staff. For the man who will be standing on the top step of the dugout, it's a flood of emotions heading into his first game as a head coach.

"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a little nervous," quipped Mau. It's absolutely exciting and it's a great nervousness. It's an excitement and a build up to have a chance to lead a ball club out and I couldn't be more proud or excited to lead the Lancers. These guys have put in the work, the staff has put in the work and I absolutely cannot wait for Friday."  

Friday – it's only a day away.