2018 Tyler Shaver RHP/SS, 7 saves as a junior (Carson-Newman Commit)

2018 Tyler Franklin 2B,  All-District, hit .325 as junior

2018 Sean Fladd P/OF – 4-1 on mound as junior, offensively 4 hr

2018 Logan Flynn P/OF – Outstanding defensive centerfield, hit .295 as junior

 

2018 TEAM OUTLOOK:
 

Offense: There is a lot of production lost from last year’s offense. We will be relying on guys with not much varsity experience to step in and be productive in our lineup. We have a good mix of contact guys and a little speed but no guys in the middle who can regularly leave the yard. We are learning to hit in hitters counts and being aggressive early and must do so to have a chance to be successful. Just like in years past, we have guys who have some speed, know how to run the bases, and have an aggressive mindset when on.
 

Defense: We replace our C, 3B, 1B, and SS from last year. This is a team that will have some weaknesses and some learning to do in the infield. The outfield will be the strength of this team defensively. We return 2 above average athletic outfielders who have speed and make good reads. 
 

Pitching: We graduated 21 wins from our starting rotation last year so we have a lot to figure out. Tyler Shaver will anchor our pitching rotation. He was used primarily as a back end guy last year but will move into our top of the rotation guy. He had 7 saves last year and started some weekend games. He is used to pitching in big games and handles the pressure well. He started and got the win in our district championship game, got the save in the region semifinals, and pitched 3 innings of relief to get the win in our sectional game against Farragut. He will be relied on heavily to carry more of a load this year. Sean Fladd and Tanner Sanford will also be in the mix to start conference matchups. Fladd finished 4-1 last year on the mound and we are looking for him to take the next step with his consistency. Sanford will be fresh to the rotation as he missed most of last season with ACL. Logan Flynn, Caleb Ballinger, Matt Hughes, and Garrett Owens have also gotten in the mix through our pre-season scrimmages.
 

Overall outlook: We are coming off a very successful season but are now transitioning into a season where there are a lot of unknowns. Who steps up on the mound and the play of the younger guys in our program will dictate this team’s success.

1  Cal Cook-3B/OF-TBR All State Selection a year ago.  .481, 14 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homeruns, 40 RBIs.  Lots of college interest
 

2  Roland Ryan-P/1B(Walters St)-All District a year ago.  .373, 9 doubles, 5-1, 3.64 ERA 
 

3  Logan Cox-C/1B (Carson Newman)-.400
 

4  Charles Dupree-P/OF-Mid to upper 80s with interest from colleges
 

5  Brandon Langenberg-1B/OF-Super sophomore team a year ago.  .328, 3 homeruns.  Speedy outfielder with big time bat.
 

6  Matt Holocek-P/SS-.347.  Submarine pitcher

 

2018 TEAM OUTLOOK:
 

Offense:  The offense should be one of the highlights of this years team.  There is a lot of experience returning, with new additions that will add speed, power, and average.  Players mentioned above with returners Preston Armstrong, Ian McGilvray, and Jake Wilkinson will provide lots of offensive options.  There are some newcomers that could make the offense stronger in Jake Wilhoit, Grant Tierney, Baker Whitfield, and Jack Currie.   
 

Defense:  Defensively, we feel the team mixed with veteran experience and exciting youth, should be solid.  The play up the middle and a speedy outfield, should be strong points. 
 

Pitching:  Newcomers Jake Wilhoit, Joe Rausch, Baker Whitfield, Grant Tierney will need to step up a staff anchored by returners Charles Dupree, Roland Ryan, Ian McGilvray, Jake Wilkinson, Matt Holocek.
 

Overall outlook:  West should be a strong team that needs to continue to develop as the year goes on to contend for a top spot in the toughest district in the state of Tennessee. 

 

1. 2018-Trevor Ferguson-RHP/3B- Trevor is returning as a guy that was our biggest contributor on the mound last year and is poised for a big year on
 

  the mound for us this year. Outstanding young man that will compete his heart out when he has the ball. Trevor will sign to continue his education
 

  and playing career with Bryan College before the start of our regular season, signing with Bryan College as a Pitcher. 
 

2. 2018- Garrett Hamilton-OF/RHP- Garrett is another one of our Seniors that we feel is going to have a big year for us both defensively with his   
 

  cannon of an arm from RF and on the mound as one of our go to guys. Garrett has swung that bat very well all year and will hit in the middle of
 

  the order for us most days, his leadership however is his greatest attribute.
 

3. 2018- Seth Armstrong-C-Seth is an all around athlete, coming off a huge senior campaign on the football field playing linebacker. His mentality
 

  and experience behind the plate makes our coaching staff trust him as our quarterback on the diamond.
 

4. 2018- Zayne Limbaugh-2B/OF- Zayne is one of those guys that is not flashy and had to put in a lot of work this off season coming off of a knee
 

  injury last season, but a very consistent defensive guy for us that competes with a chip on his shoulder. He is going to move around depending on
 

  our pitching rotation and help us out both at 2B and in the OF.
 

5. 2018- Nathan Stamps-RHP/OF- Nate is an energy guy that is the total definition of a Team Leader from his smile every day on the field to his
 

  ability to coach younger guys in the moment. We are excited about what he is going to give us on the mound this year and feel that he can be a
 

  very big asset to our district rotation as we move through the season.
 

6. 2019- Cole Reinecker-SS-We beleive has the talent to be as good as any middle infielder in the area defensively with his arm and range. His
 

  ability to be consistent at the plate is going to be something we lean on at times and will probably move him around in the lineup from the 1 spot
 

  all the way to the 4 spot due to his speed and diversity to hit for power as well.
 

 

2018 TEAM OUTLOOK:
 

Offense: This team is going to look much more balanced from top to bottom than we were last year. We have a great mixture of guys that can put the ball in play and get on base with their speed as well as some guys that will hit for power in certain spots. I think the one key is our focus on pitch recognition and having the right mindset in the right count at the plate and being aggressive when we get a good pitch in a hitters count. We will have an aggressive mindset and put as much pressure on opposing defenses as we can with our base running and hit the ball hard in the air some where mentality.
 

Defense: This is a team that we feel is strong up the middle from behind the plate to our middle infield all the way to the guys that will play CF for us. We have some guys that are going to be asked to move around to different spots depending on who is on the mound, and this gives us the ability to be creative and get the best 9 on the field in many different ways.
 

Pitching: Heading into the preseason and during off season work outs we felt that this could be an area we needed to get some help. We felt good about what our top 3-4 guys would give us but had some questions behind those guys. We now feel really good about this pitching staff and have some Freshman and Sophomores that have surprised us and really closed the gap on this area of our game. Our pitching coach and Assistant Head Coach Justin Willis has gotten these guys in a really good spot to be a strong staff that will continue to mature and get stronger as we go through the season.
 

Overall outlook: We have a team that is coming off of a 8-20 2017 campaign, but that has fueled our guys everyday during the off season and as we prepare for this years season to start. This group has worked their butt's off and have come together and we are really excited about what this season has in store for the Central Bobcats.

2018 Paul Komistek IF/OF (Tennessee commit)

2019 Ashton King SS,  (ETSU Commit)

2019 Parker Noland,  IF - Top Returning Hitter

2019 Brad Grenkoski, OF/rhp- High potential athlete

2018 Cade Burkey  1b,  Carnson Newman Signee

2018 Jerry Hammons- IF/OF  Walter State Signee,

2019 Owen Kovacs  RHP,  9-1 last year,  ETSU commit

2020 Ryan Hagenow RHP,  Kentucky committ, 

2018 Ben Joyce Rhp, Walter St commit

2018 Zach Joyce Rhp, Walter St commit

2020 Drew Patterson , LHP,  5-0 as freshman, 

2019 Landon Smiddy, RHP- 3-1 last year

2019 Ryan McCarthy- C-  Tremendous Defensive Catcher

 

2018 TEAM OUTLOOK:
 

Offense:  Offensively, I like our mix of speed and power, however we have got to have some guys grow in their offensive approach. If that happens we will be solid offensively.
 

Defense: Defensively is were we have the most question marks,  I believe we have the pieces but the first month will be used for figuring all that out.  Once we are settled in I believe we will be sound.
 

Pitching: Depth on the mound is our overall strength as a team, hopefully we will have a couple of guys establish themselves as our go to guys
 

Overall outlook: The 2018 team has great potential if we can develop some chemistry and play well at the right time.  We play a challenging schedule that includes a trip to South Florida, hopefully this will pay dividends in the postseason.