January 30, 2007

THIBODAUX, La. - As head coach Chip Durham enters his second season at the helm of the Nicholls baseball squad, one of the first things he should notice is the amount of new faces on the roster. Durham has basically overhauled the entire roster from the 2006 Nicholls team that finished 13-40 overall and 6-24 in Southland Conference play.

The 2007 roster will feature only 13 players, including five players that sat out the 2006 season, as redshirts. Durham is hoping that the influx of new faces will lead to not only a change of attitude and work ethic, but also a change in wins and losses.

"I really like this team. I think it is very talented and the roster is filled with guys who hate to lose and are focused on improving. I feel as if we have the ability to be a very good team; however, I am most excited about the make-up of this team. The attitude has been tremendous, as well as the work ethic. With the difficulty of our non-conference schedule, there will certainly be opportunities for us to lose some games. Having said that, if this team stays positive and learns, along the way, how to finish games and win the close ones, then I see no reason why the 2007 Nicholls Colonels can not compete for conference honors."

PITCHERS

Junior lefthander Justin Breaux returns as the most experienced pitcher on the 2007 roster, having logged 73.2 innings pitched last year. A Plaquemine native, Breaux led the 2006 staff with a 4.89 ERA. Durham is hoping for big things from Breaux, after Justin was named the 2006 Carolina Virginia Collegiate League's Pitcher of the Year over the summer. Michael Bartek will also see action on the mound. Bartek, a senior from Spring, Texas, finished last season with 53.2 innings pitched. Senior left-hander Brian Sparks, from Crown Point, Ind., who made 11 relief appearances last season, also returns for the Colonels.

Durham is counting on many newcomers to take the hill for the 2007 Colonels, including junior transfers Lance Dupuis (L.B. Wallace Community College) and Lance Guidroz (Santa Fe Community College). "Dupuis and Guidroz showed a lot of promise during fall ball," said Durham. "Jacob Sullivan is another newcomer that we are hoping could provide us some help in the bullpen. Joe Hagerty and Ryan Harding are going to be called upon as well. Harding is a big strong kid who we are looking at as a possible third starter, or maybe even as a closer. Other pitchers expected to make an impact this season are right-handers Bryan Myers, John Beauchamp, Dale Dickerson, Jakob Dworcyzk, Patrick Juban, Ross Larson, Justin Owens, Jacob Parrish and Ricky Waguespack, and south-paws, Calip Jenkins and Nathan Quebedeaux.

Coach (Kerrick) Jackson has done an excellent job thus far with this pitching staff. You can look for them to throw a lot of strikes. The key to the success of this pitching staff will be the quality of defense behind them. It is a must that we not allow our pitchers to have to get four or five outs an inning."

CATCHERS

The Colonels will have a new face at the catcher position for the 2007 season, as T.J. Menerey, a junior transfer from L.B. Wallace Community College, and Zac Bone, a junior transfer from Jefferson College, will split time behind the plate. Menery finished the 2006 season with a .310 batting average and 24 RBI, while helping his team to a combined 80 wins over the previous two years. Bone led his junior college team to a conference championship and was selected as a Region All-Star during his time at Jefferson College. "At this point, Zac is our projected starter; however, both he and T.J. will see time behind the plate and will battle it out during the early part of the season."

INFIELD

"Probably the most important factor in determining the success of this season will be the defensive play of our infield," commented Durham. "At times we may have four newcomers across the diamond, but if we can make the routine plays, which we seemed to struggle with last year, then that will go a long way in allowing us to have a successful season."

Look for Durham to play multiple first basemen during the course of the year. Brett Hoeflich, who played at Southern Miss last year, will more than likely get the starting nod and hit in the middle of the order. Durham also likes junior Patrick Thompson as a defensive replacement for the late innings. In addition, Brandt Boudreaux, the projected starter at designated hitter, could also see time at first.

Durham witnessed a heated battle during the fall at second base between senior Quinton Corley and freshman Keith Kulbeth. "I was very pleased to see these two compete as hard as they did. Our second base position will be solid no matter which one we send out there."

Newcomer Ryan Bledsoe, who belted 18 homeruns in two seasons at Florrissant Valley Community College, established himself as the starting shortstop during the fall. Durham was very pleased with his progression defensively, as well as his leadership.

Third base will be shared by Whitney Dawes, a sophomore transfer from Frank Philips College, and Anthony Wray, a junior transfer from L.B. Wallace Community College. "I feel as if we have a good combination at third base between Whitney and Anthony. Dawes has shown the ability to hit for some power, while Wray provided us with some excellent defense during the fall."

OUTFIELD

Thomas Bourne, a senior from Baton Rouge, has the most experience of any of the returning position players. Bourne started 37 games in 2006, finishing with a batting average of .248, to go along with six doubles and 18 RBI. "Thomas is going to anchor what we believe could be a very good outfield," said Durham. "He is a left-handed hitter who can run and is athletic. He had a tough year last year, but had a wonderful fall, and we are expecting big things from him this season." Durham expects the other two outfield positions to be filled by Walter Jones, a junior transfer from L.B. Wallace Community College, and, junior Shane Barksdale, who hit .375 last season for Bossier Parish Community College.

Durham also believes that he will have more depth in the outfield than at any other position. "Anthony Marino returns to us with valuable experience from last season. Devin Steib is someone whose work ethic is respected by everyone on the team. Look for Brett Cook to push the three starters, as well as A.J. DeLaneuville, both of whom swung the bat really well in the fall."

If Durham can get all of the newcomers to buy into his philosophy, and gel together, this basically brand new team could surprise many, and make a bid to participate in the Southland Conference Tournament at the end of the year. No matter the results, it is quite obvious that Durham feels better entering his second season, and likes the make-up of his 2007 squad and the promise it has to improve over the course of the season.

"The key will be defense. So many times last season we gave our opponents too many chances, because of our poor play in the field. If we can limit the chances that we give our opponents, our hitting and pitching should be good enough to help us to be successful."