Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Toman Hoping Newcomers Boost Raiders’ Offense
2/12/2020 4:30:00 PM | Baseball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — While he did a masterful job of improving Middle Tennessee's pitching staff a year ago, the Blue Raiders' offense struggled to produce consistently at times in Jim Toman's first year as head coach.
He's hoping the addition of a plethora of newcomers — plus a healthier season in the field — leads to an improved lineup and defense in 2020.
"Our assistants did a really good job bringing guys in," he said. "I think, when we have our 35 guys nailed down, we'll have something like 25 new guys … that's a lot of new guys.
"It'll be different offensively, defensively and pitching-wise. It'll definitely take time to figure out all the names."
Due to numerous injuries all across the diamond last season, MT saw its batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and runs scored drop in 2019 compared to 2018. It also had a slight decline in fielding percentage while committing seven more errors in three less innings in the field.
For a couple of weeks, the Blue Raiders even had to resort to playing starting pitcher Peyton Wigginton at designated hitter. He produced in the spot, hitting .289 in 83 at bats with two home runs — including a walk-off at home — and 14 RBIs, but Toman was determined to bring in enough newcomers this offseason so his team wouldn't be put in a similar situation again.
He was successful, and at times this season, Blue Raider fans could see lineups with nine new faces on the diamond.
"We have more to choose from, to begin with," Toman said. "Last year, with some of our injuries, we only had eight, nine guys at batting practice. Right now, I think out of our 35 guys, we'll probably have 21 hitters, so that's the biggest difference. We have guys to choose from.
"We have a lot of different combinations. It could change every day."
The fall was both an important stepping stone for a lot of guys in the lineup and a bonding time for the new-look team.
No starting position was nailed down when Middle Tennessee took the diamond for scrimmages and the Blue/White World Series, and the competition brought the team closer. The level of play also intensified.
"Coming in, we knew there were a lot of new guys, and automatically your mind goes to there might be a lot of egos," junior catcher Jake Hagenow said. "The bonds were immediately there, though … this team is really tight, and I think it'll show.
"No one had a spot guaranteed for them. Competing with each other from the day we got here, that brought us closer together. That push to try and grab a spot made all of us better."
Hagenow will be one of the team's leaders this year after missing most of 2019 due to injury. The Knoxville native is one of just a handful of other position players back from last season, and he'll likely play most of the innings at catcher while splitting with junior college transfer Mason Speirs.
Brycen Thomas, a junior who could also see innings on the mound, is the Raiders' leading returning hitter. He started 47 games in 2019 at first base, leading the team with a .301 average, including .417 in the final month of the season. He may be penciled in as the starter at first base to begin the season, but expect to see several different lineup combinations in the first few weeks.
In the infield, junior college transfers Fausto Lopez at shortstop, third baseman Mark Engel (he could also see time at first) and second baseman Brian Dillingham impressed in the fall. Outfielders Greg Bennett, Nathan Sanders and Cole Escher, also junior college transfers, stood out as well.
"We kind of have the problem that we have a lot of guys who can hit, and it can be hard to find who to play," Hagenow said. "I think it's a really nice problem to have, and we could have a lot of different lineups this year and still hit for a high average."
If there's anything that stood out to Toman during the fall from the lineup, it was the team's speed. He expects to see more steal attempts and creative ways to utilize that speed this season — anything to push more runs across.
"We're just trying to score runs any way we can," he said. "I think you could see a lot more stuff going on offensively with us this year."
No matter how they do it, the new-look Blue Raiders are hoping for better support for an improved staff. If they get it, it could make for a dangerous team come league play.
