By SAM HOVAN
LongwoodLancers.com

FARMVILLE, Va. – Opening day is finally here.
 
An offseason of preparation and work now will be put to the test as Longwood baseball opens up its 2020 season at home Friday afternoon against Purdue-Fort Wayne, the first of a season-opening homestand that has the Lancers at home for 10 of their first 12 games.
 
For the Lancers, the offseason brought together a mix of 20 returners and 14 newcomers that make up the 43rd edition of Longwood baseball.
 
"We have been building up towards opening day and there is a lot of excitement," said sixth-year head coach Ryan Mau. "We have had some really good practices early this spring, so I really like where we are headed right now.
 
"I am looking forward to a new start with a new team. Every year, you have turnover with different pieces, guys that graduate, and new additions. So it's a completely new team. I'm excited to see what this team is capable of."
 
Even as the team forges its new identity, Mau can call on his veterans to add experience throughout the field. Seniors Antwaun Tucker and Nate Blakeney, who have combined for more than 280 starts in their Lancer careers. Junior Jack Schnell and sophomores Cullan Wadsworth and Hunter Gilliam all started more than 30 games one year ago. On the mound, seniors Nick Fuchs, John Gregory and Cody Boydstun all return along with sophomore Andrew Melnyk as experienced, battle-tested pitchers.
 
"Those guys have played a lot of baseball at this level, so as far as handling high-pressure situations and adversity, those guys have been through a lot," Mau said. "All the young guys are going to look to those the veterans in how to handle it, how to overcome it and how to keep us on track.
 
"We are definitely a veteran club in the field—there has been a lot of progress with each of those individuals who are going to be competing for starting jobs in the field. I think we have a really strong core of position players. Antwaun Tucker, Cullan Wadsworth and Jack Schnell—those are the guys we expected to come back and lead us offensively, and so far they have."
 
Tucker was one of Longwood's top hitters in 2019, despite battling through an injury in the middle of the season that sidelined him for 13 games. Known for his speed (he has only been caught stealing eight times in three season while swiping 49 bags), Tucker he has also hit eight homers and 23 doubles over his three seasons. Even in last season's injury-shortened campaign, he cranked out six doubles, a triple and three homers at the top of the lineup.
 
"We need Antwaun Tucker to just be consistent," Mau said. "His abilities are off the chart. If he comes to the ballpark with the right mindset every single day, not only will he lead us, but he will have an opportunity to play at the next level. He has that kind of athletic skill set. That's what we are looking for, more consistency out of Tuck, and he brings a lot of leadership abilities as well."
 
Schnell was the team's hottest hitter over the final 22 games of 2019 after posting a .373 batting average with two home runs and 13 RBI during that span. For the left-handed slugger, the strong finish coupled with a good fall and start to the spring have allowed the coaching staff to see some of the fruits of his work after a slow start to his collegiate career.
 
"In the recruitment process, we thought Jack was one of the best hitters around—not just the best hitter that we could get, but one of the best hitters on the East Coast," Mau said of his 5-10, 195-pound outfielder. "Hitting requires some physical pieces that have to be there, but it's also extremely mental. Confidence is a huge factor."
 
Schnell tapped into that confidence midway through the season, and now he enters the 2020 season primed to power the Lancers from the middle of the lineup.
 
"Watching him figure it out throughout last year, and halfway through become one of the hottest hitters in the conference really helped him find that confidence he needed to allow his capabilities to produce like we thought they could," Mau said. "Jack is a very confident young man right now. We have huge expectations, and he has bigger ones on himself, so we really like where he is going to be for us in the middle of the lineup as a physical threat."
 
For Wadsworth and fellow sophomore Hunter Gilliam, their combination of youth and seasoned experience as everyday starters as freshmen has the coaching staff excited. The two combined for six homers, 10 doubles and four triples in their inaugural campaigns. Wadsworth worked his way up to the top of the lineup during the season, and he finished the season strong by hitting for a .400 average with two doubles, a triple and a home run over his final six games. Gilliam spent a majority of the season in the middle of the order and had 21 RBI and four home runs.
 
"To make another jump, that's what we expect from all of our guys from one year to the next," Mau said. "Those are two individuals that came in and were very impactful as freshmen, which is hard to do. Those guys rose to the top last year and showed a ton of potential, and they made another jump. We are super excited about those two young guys bringing that experience and their potential."
 
Junior transfer Ricky Jimenez has jumped out as in impact newcomer from the start. The Miami, Fla., native has slid seamlessly into the shortstop role, which has the team to shift the versatile Tucker to a more natural spot at second base.
 
"Ricky has been the guy we were hoping he was," said Mau. "Defensively, he is the guy we thought he was. He has come in and won the job at short, and offensively, he's been very consistent. He brings a really good offensive approach and had a good fall for us. He has definitely met our high expectations for him."
 
As a sophomore at McCook Community College in Kansas, Jimenez batted .319 while racking up a team-best 17 doubles to go with six homers and a triple.
 
On the mound, Mau admits the Lancers are young but tantalizingly deep. Fuchs and Gregory return and have served as leaders and strong voices among the pitching staff, Mau says. Fuchs split time as a starter and long reliever with seven starts in 15 appearances while posting 59 strikeouts. The 6-2, 170-pound right-hander provides a versatile option that helped fill gaps wherever needed on the pitching staff. Nine of his 15 appearances lasted at least four innings in 2019.
 
"Nick Fuchs has done a great job," Mau said. "He has made a jump athletically. He has always been a competitor for us, but I believe his athletic skill set has improved, and his leadership skills are off the charts. John Gregory also brings a lot of experience and leadership qualities as well."
 
Gregory was one of the team's top relievers out of the bullpen in 2019 until pressed into making two starts late in the season due to injuries. The 6-2, 215-pound southpaw went multiple innings in 12 of his 20 relief appearances and tallied a 3-4 record.
 
Returner Maceo Campbell, a 6-0, 215-pound flame-throwing junior from Washington, D.C., also has impressed coaches in his return to action. The right-hander saw spot innings as a freshman and did not play as a sophomore, but enters the 2020 campaign with as much upside as any pitcher in the Big South.
 
"Maceo Campbell is the piece of the puzzle that we lacked last year and can be a season-changing addition," Mau said. "He has some electric stuff."
 
Sophomores like Andrew Melnyk and Gage Williams also bring experience after working as starters as freshmen, with Melnyk posting a team-best 13 starts. With that youthful experience and the high ceiling of the newcomers, Mau is excited for the depth of the staff, even if it may be young.
 
"We have a ton more options that can keep us in ball games," Mau said. "We are developing some younger guys, so we are a little youthful on the mound, but with that comes a lot of confidence out of that bunch, which is a great thing. Hopefully they can do what we need them to do and build off that confidence, because there is a lot of upside to those arms. We are going to need a couple of returners to step up and lead, even though they may be sophomores."
 
Among the newcomers, Mau notes that Dominick D'Ercole, a freshman from Cary, N.C., has acclimated quickly to the level of play. The 5-11, 205-pound right-hander notched a 2.11 ERA with a 6-3 record as a senior in high school, and Mau expects big things from him even as a freshman.
 
"Dominick D'Ercole has exceeded expectations so far, not just with his ability, which has been a nice trajectory to watch as he has continued to climb every day, but his mound presence, composure and confidence is what you want in a weekend rotation guy," Mau said.
 
"Dillon Champagne has been a huge addition to our bullpen as well, and Colton Hutt has the potential to have some of the best stuff in the conference."
 
Champagne and Hutt both joined Longwood as transfers. Champagne transferred in as a sophomore from Salem University. At 6-1, 235 pounds and one of the strongest athletes on campus, the right-hander from Livonia, Mich., presents an imposing presence on the mound. Hutt was the ace of his Illinois Central team as a sophomore in the junior college ranks, going 6-2 in 11 starts while striking out 43 batters and only walking 12.
 
With the team home for the first three weekends against Purdue-Fort Wayne, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Binghamton, along with midweek trips to high-level opponents NC State, Liberty and Tennessee, Mau expects the competition for roles in both the starting rotation and bullpen to be fierce.
 
"We are not going to be a traditional pitching staff for the first couple of weeks, and that is going to give a lot of people opportunities to go win jobs," Mau said. "We have an idea of a couple of guys who may be leading competitions for some of those roles, but it is very much going to be a work in progress the first couple of weeks to see what kind of staff we can develop into, and to solidify our roles is going to take a couple of weeks. The goal is by the time we get to Radford to have a really good idea of what is best for our individuals, and more importantly what is best for our team."
 
Even amidst the competition, Mau notes that the chemistry and togetherness of the team has been incredible. The chemistry and bond provide a strong foundation for the team to take on the test of the regular season that beings on Friday at 3 p.m. against Purdue-Fort Wayne.
 
"In my opinion, it's our best chemistry club—I really, really love our team chemistry and the way they work on the field and the way they get together off the field," said Mau. "I think that will definitely produce the desired outcome."
 
#GoWood