Under second-year head coach B.D. Parker, the Colonel baseball team will look to improve on last season’s fourth place Southland Conference finish. The Colonels are loaded with key returnees, which include four that were voted to the pre-season all-SLC team.
Second baseman Rondon Anderson and relief pitcher Alex Velazquez were named to the first team, while the Colonels two leading RBI men from last season, first baseman Doug Gill and right fielder Jason Wilkerson, were voted on the second team.
Anderson led the Colonels in batting average last season by hitting .335. He joins several Colonels who are considered a threat on the base paths, which should help Nicholls generate more offense this season.
“Last year, we were limited as to what we could do on offense,” Parker said. “This year, we have tremendous speed with Anderson, Brad Dantonio, Kyle Cook, Chuck Hickman, Kevin Larpenter and Bryan Daigle are all capable of stealing a base.
“We need Dantonio and Anderson to get on base so Gill, Wilkerson, and third baseman Luke Muller can drive them in,” Parker said.
Gill and Wilkerson combined for 68 RBIs last season.
“I not concerned about their batting average,” Parker said. “We just want them to drive in runs.”
Last season, Gill had a team-high nine homeruns while batting .267. Gill could see time at designated hitter to allow Daigle to get time in at firstbase.
“Doug needs to become more consistent from the plate,” Parker said. “He needs to cut down on his strikeouts and start putting the ball in play with more regularity.”
Parker feels the same for Wilkerson, who put up almost identical numbers to Gill. Wilkerson hammered out six homeruns while batting .257. The starting right fielder also managed to lead the Colonels with 37 RBIs.
“Wilky is a hard worker, a good hitter, and hits with power to all fields,” Parker said. “But like Gill, he needs to cut down on his strikeouts.”
The left side of the infield consists of a couple of junior college transfers who played under Parker while at Butler Community College in Kansas.
Cook and Muller will assume the roles at shortstop and thirdbase. Muller’s bat will be thrown in the middle of the lineup with Gill and Wilkerson.
Hickman and R.J. Elbin will provide depth in the infield, with Hickman also seeing some time in the outfield. Elbin manned third last season for the Colonels.
Dantonio and Larpenter join Wilkerson in the outfield, while Clint Joffrion may see time as the utility outfielder. Larpenter spent last season as the Colonels leadoff batter.
Dantonio, who redshirted last season due to a back injury, is already off to a hot start as he led off the third game of the Troy State series with a home run.
Aaron McRae and Monte Mitchell will battle behind the plate for the top catching spot for the Colonels. Mitchell is another one of Parker’s transfers from Butler Community College.
Parker has options when it comes to his pitching staff.
Senior left-handers Ronald Gilchrist and Zach Murray find themselves atop of the rotation.
Gilchrist compiled a 7-7 record last season to go along with a 4.79 earned run average, while Murray went 4-5 and had a 5.05 ERA.
Right hander Ben Thompson also returns from last year’s team to figure into the rotation. Thompson went 4-5 with a 4.73 ERA, but was hampered by an arm injury suffered during the middle of the season.
“I’m going to count on Thompson a lot,” Parker said. “I like the way he threw, and if he can do that day in and day out, then we are going to be very successful.”
A fourth pitcher vying for a starting spot is transfer Seth Schornick. Schornick can start or come out the bullpen for the Colonels.
“He (Schornick) had a chance to be a conference starter or mid-week starter,” Parker said. “He is also valuable, because he can come out the pen.”
The closer role for the Colonels falls on the arm of Velazquez.
Velazquez broke the Colonel single-season save record last season with 14 in 32 appearances.
The senior from Miami finished with a 2.31 ERA and 45 strikeouts in only 35 innings last year.
“I was a pretty good coach when he had the ball in the ninth,” Parker said. “He went 25 2/3 innings before giving up a run (to start the season).”
Guy Chabert, Beau Lambert, Chris Brantley, Pete Cassiange, Michael D’Albor, Justin Munson, Eron Morrow and Eric Walker round out the rest of the Colonel pitching staff.
This season, Parker said he compiled the toughest schedule Nicholls has ever played.
The Colonels’ travels will include trips to Alabama, Baylor, Tulane, UL-Lafayette, Wichita State and defending NCAA champion Louisiana State University.
Nicholls home schedule will be highlighted by games against Tulane, UNO, UL-Lafayette, and South Alabama.
“We’re trying to build a program, and you do that by putting your kids in a better competition environment,” Parker said. “We want to play the best people we can possibly play.”
