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FEATURE: Strong returning nucleus, newcomers lead 2022 baseball Tigers

| By: By Donald Heath
Savannah, Ga.—Savannah State University's Carlton Hardy says he wants his baseball teams good at pitching and defense and aggressive offensively.

The 2022 Tigers check a lot of Hardy's boxes.

A year ago, SSU finished 14-7 during a season abbreviated for the second time by COVID. The pitching staff posted a 4.36 earned run average – 28th among 235 Division II teams – and the defense was in the top half of the division.

And the offense aggressively lit up the scoreboard – 9.9 runs a game which ranked fifth in the country.

"I'm going to coach to what we have. Our roster typically dictates how we play," said Hardy, who has led the program since 2006.
SSU has a blend of veterans and newcomers on its pitching staff. Righthander Jose Santiago, a sophomore transfer from Webber International, will be the team's No. 1 weekend pitcher during Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play, Hardy said.

"He has three pitches. He locates his fastball well and has a good breaking ball, but one of his biggest attributes is that he's a battler," Hardy said.

Enrico Peele, Bryan Valdes-Masson, and Jared Showalter will be other keys to the starting rotation.

Peele, a junior righthander, was invited to play in the inaugural HBU Baseball All-Star Game in June after compiling a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA.

Righthanders Valdes-Masson and Showalter are transfers from St. Thomas College and Paul D. Camp Community College, respectively. Another veteran, junior righthander Matthew Terrill, who registered a 2-0 record and a 0.56 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 16 innings, will be the team's closer.
 
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The 2022 baseball team celebrates during a run scored against Georgia College [Photo by Stephen B. Morton]

"We're excited about our pitching," Hardy said. "Our depth has improved over the years. We're bringing in some transfers and freshmen and we believe those guys will make us better because of their qualities."

The pitching should benefit from a high-powered, every-day lineup that lost just two starters. Along with hitting .315 as a team (35th in Division II), SSU averaged nearly seven walks and 3.5 stolen bases a game.

Senior center fielder Dwayne (DJ) Franklin hit .410 (ranking 37th in Division II) to lead the Tigers.

Third baseman Phillip Woullard, Jr., was named second-team preseason All-SIAC after pacing SSU with three home runs and 20 runs batted in while hitting .302 a year ago.

Both Franklin and Woullard, Jr., both preseason first-teamers on Black College Nines, walked 18 times apiece and registered on-base percentages of .563 and .513.

Left fielder Joe Smith (.405 BA, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 9-9 SB) returns as the team's lead-off hitter. Right fielder Cameron Diaz hit .270.
Around the infield, transfer Roberto Aracena and Gabriel Patxot will compete at shortstop. Patxot, who started 14 games last season, batted .279 and, with 16 walks, had a .483 on-base percentage.

At second base, Champion Robbins, a sophomore who started 19 games, hit .292 a year ago.

Junior Andrai Wright started 20 games at first base and hit .277.

Hardy said transfer Omar Almodovar and Derek Rivera are 1A and 1B at catcher. Rivera is a jack-of-all-trades who can play anywhere in the infield.

Last season, SSU couldn't compete for a conference title but was invited to play in the Black College World Series, providing some postseason-like competition that Hardy called a very good experience for the kids.

Now Hardy has a strong returning nucleus and added to his checklist for success are health, consistency and not becoming complacent.

"The ones we have returning have some college innings," Hardy said. "I have experience with them so I know what they can do, but at the end of the day we still have to go play the game."
 
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Head Baseball Coach Carlton Hardy [Photo by Stephen B. Morton]

 
 
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