Milligan baseball preview

By Wes Holtsclaw
Elizabethton Star
    
BASEBALL
    
Nathan Meade had a plan for his 2009 baseball Buffs as he began scheduling opponents for this season.
    
Milligan will face the best of the best with seven of the AAC's top 25 teams on the schedule this year.
    
"You can do it one or two ways," Meade said. "Some coaches have a different philosophies on it. Some want to build their wins up. But I feel like in a competitive conference that we're in, the more you prepare yourself for those games the better off you're going to be.
    
"Playing the number two, three and seven teams in the country, that's going to give you a good measuring stick to where you are. We're trying to get to Idaho and play in the World Series. I feel like it's going to make us better in the long run."
    
With the league returning to his three-game series format, Meade noted that the scheduling will help his team become prepared for the AAC grid.
    
"We're glad to get away from that two-game series so we can solidify a true champion in our conference," Meade said.
    
The Buffs return twenty players from last year's squad that went 26-26, seven of whom are starters. Of the forty players on Milligan's roster, 26 are from the Knoxville to Bristol area.
    
"We've really tried to put an emphasis on local talent," Meade said. "What we've tried to do is recruit our local talent well."
    
Top returners include former Happy Valley standout juniors Ricky Morgan, who will miss several weeks due to a wrist injury, and Todd Caldwell, who will see time as a starting pitcher, infielder and designated hitter.
    
Other top returning locals include former Science Hill standouts Brandon Murphy, Spencer Street and Justin Motte. Former Daniel Boone standout Michael Dillow is 1-0 on the mound this season for the Buffs.
    
"We've got a lot of new faces, but we've got some returners and a few transfers," Meades said. "It's good mix. We've got enough guys coming back with experience to lead some of these younger guys. These new guys are not afraid. They're coming in and going at it."
    
A pair of junior transfers from Florence Darlington Tech in South Carolina, Shawn Ray and Aaron Dorriety, have already helped fill some gaps from the mound this season. Ray is 2-0 in two appearances, while Dorriety posts a 1.17 average in his role from the pen.
    
"We have a great pitching staff and, for me, I think that's where it starts on the mound," said Murphy, a catcher. "We've got a lot of guys with quality arms. We've got guys who we can throw out there in any situation. We've got guys who like to compete with each other and we're really deep on the mound. Not only that, but we've got a line-up too that will go out every day and produce. That's what you've got to have."
    
Milligan faces Emory & Henry Saturday.
    
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Editor's Note: A preview of Milligan's track, golf and tennis programs and postseason looks at swimming and basketball will run later in the week