CAN FLAMES CONTINUE TO REACH LOFTY EXPECTATIONS?
Posting a 270-66 worksheet since taking over the program, head coach Mark Brew and his baseball team has been on an incredible run over the last five years. Qualifying for the NAIA World Series in each of those five years has been a great accomplishment. A pair of runner-up spots and two third-places finishes has been nothing short of remarkable.

“However, we know each year we have to reset goals and set out as a team to accomplish them,” said the man who is beginning only his sixth season as the head man. “I have been very impressed with this team’s overall attitude and work ethic. They simply are working at a higher rate than any of our teams of the past. If we stay healthy and can create good team chemistry, I like our chances of making another run deep into the post-season.“

FLAMES RANKED NO. 3
Being ranked No. 3 in preseason shows the type of respect Lee’s baseball program has commanded during Brew’s reign. “It is great recognition for our program and we are excited about where we are starting,” acknowledged the skipper. “It has put another target on our back, but I think this team is up to the challenge. We will have to be ready to play on a daily basis.”

ONLY 11 RETURNEES, BUT …..
One look at the 2012 roster tells you the Flames lost a crop of very good athletes. Several will be on rosters of minor league squads this spring. “No doubt we lost a lot of key players going into this season”, Brew explained. “In reality, we only returned 11 players. We feel confident we have been able to replace those departed players with another strong recruiting class.”

TOO EARLY TO SINGLE OUT NEW RECRUITS
Brew makes no bones about it, he really like the recruits that his staff brought into the program. “As mentioned earlier, the work ethic has been great and the quality of talent is very good,” he noted. “I don’t want to single out any individuals because I think they will all have an impact on our season at some point.”

TEAM CHEMISTRY IS LABELED A KEY
Team chemistry is usually a key to the success of any program, but Brew makes a strong point when discussing the issue. “With so many new players, that’s vital to our success, “he conceded. “Another would be unselfishness. We really like the depth on this team, but that means some very good players might not be on the field. The depth that would make us a great team in the post-season could be an issue during the regular season, if players struggle to accept roles that will help the team.”

DEPTH SHOULD BE MAJOR FACTOR
The Lee staff has always felt depth has been a strength over the past four seasons. “I think it has improved with this team,” Brew admitted. “Our overall pitching depth, which is probably the most crucial element to success for our team, is very good. In addition, I think our team defense should be much improved along with the offensive line-up.”

RUNNING GAME IS QUESTION MARK
If the Flames have a major question mark it might be the running game. “I think we have good team speed, but I am curious to see which guys can step forward and steal bases on a consistent basis since that is a major part of our offense,” the coach explained.

BREW BELIEVES SSAC IS NAIA’S BEST
It did not take coach Brew long to share his feelings about the strength of Southern States Athletic conference baseball. “I really believe the SSAC is the strongest NAIA conference from top to bottom,” he said without hesitation. “We had seven teams make the national tournament field last year and based on what we were able to see at the annual (SSAC) Fall All-Star Showcase in Montgomery (Ala.), the conference is loaded with top notch players. It is going to be a rugged conference schedule and the team standing in the end will have definitely earned the title of conference champion.”

NUMBER OF CONFERENCE GAMES INCREASED
The SSAC has made one major change this year. “We are no longer playing in divisions and we have increased the number of conference games from 24 to 30,” Brew stressed. “We are playing all but three teams in the SSAC, so the top eight conference records will be qualifying for the conference tournament.

“Another minor change is to the bracket at the conference tournament” he added. “We will be playing a traditional eight- team double-elimination tournament which is slightly different than the bracket we have played in the past. To lose early in the conference tournament is always bad, but now it will add the possibility of one more game, which will eat up even more pitching for you to advance through the loser’s bracket.”

AROUND THE HORN WITH THE 2012 FLAMES

COACH BREW SHARES HIS LINE-UP
Catchers – I like the one-two punch of (junior) Jorge Saez and (senior) Taylor Comford. It has been a while since we had two reliable options behind the plate. Taylor returns from a shoulder surgery and has really swung the bat well throughout the fall. His arm has progressed nicely as well. Jorge is an athletic catcher and throws really well. They complement each other well and should allow us to keep both fresh for the entire season. Freshman James Fowlkes, who has impressed the coaching staff this fall with his speed and ability at the plate, will back-up those guys while fighting for time in the outfield as well. Sophomore Justin Lightfoot will red-shirt.

Infield – Senior Roberto Reyes and (junior) Corey Davis are penciled in the depth chart at first base. Roberto returns after posting a great campaign in 2011 and showed he was one of the top first basemen in the nation with his performance in the World Series. We need Roberto to provide power and run production as he did in 2011. Corey is a very physical player who could see time at first base, outfield and at DH. He runs extremely well and is a major presence at the plate.

At the other corner (senior) Preston Scoggins returns after a superb season in 2011. His offensive numbers were very impressive, but he knows his defense will have to improve in 2012. Junior transfer Roberto Duran, the 2011 NJCAA World Series MVP, joins Scoggins at third. Duran has a great arm and could hit in the middle of the Flames line-up.

Junior Edmanuel Rivera should anchor the infield from the shortstop position. He is a great glove man who has the ability to hit up front of the Flames line-up. Senior Max Harvell had another solid season in 2012 and is versatile and solid defensively. He will back up Edmanuel at shortstop while competing for time at second. Freshman Adam Lee is another one of those versatile players who has a bright future for the Flames. He will also add depth at shortstop and second. Junior Matt Ellis is in the mix at short and second and provides much needed depth.

Second base is the most crowded position on the infield. In addition to Harvell, Lee and Ellis, (senior) Cal State-Fullerton transfer Blake Barber will provide another great bat to the Flames line-up. He is a very good runner and will hit towards the top of the batting order. Junior Brandon Rader is a solid defender at second and had a solid fall at the plate as well.

Outfield – This area may be the single deepest on the Flames team in 2012. It is a solid group of players led by potential centerfielders, juniors Chris Avey and Brady Renner. Both had great falls and whoever doesn’t play center could land in one of the corner outfield spots. Versatile (senior) Mike Moore had an All-American type season at Lindenwood last year and we need him to continue that type of offensive production. Junior Trevor Burgess provides a much-needed left-handed bat to the line-up and can play left or right. Like Burgess, (sophomore) Cameron Brewster provides another left-handed bat and the ability to play either of the corner outfield spots. Freshmen Grant Hendershot and Mark Carpenter round out the deep list of outfielders.

Pitching – If we have any major success this year it will be because of this group of pitchers. It is a talented group led by the emergence of junior righthander Kris Hall. Hall will transition from the bullpen to the starting role and has done an excellent job with it this fall. He has attracted the attention of many professional teams with his dynamic arm, but he isn’t the only pitcher getting that attention.

Junior lefthander Patrick Merkling was drafted in the 44th round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2011 and has the ability to be an All-American-type pitcher. Mid-semester transfer (junior) Vince Spilker was a 20th round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011 and has a power arm that can win a lot of games.

Junior Jose Samayoa has one of the best mixes of pitches and has been a big winner at the junior college level. Junior left-hander David Eskew has battled injuries most of his Lee career after being named SSAC Freshman of the Year in 2010. He has looked very healthy and back to the form he showed in beating a very good Embry-Riddle team to propel the Flames into the 2010 national title game. Another lefty, (junior) James Rechenbach has made tremendous strides since arriving on the Lee campus four years ago and has turned out to be a solid option in a variety of roles.

Sophomore transfer Andy Hillis provides another power arm. The ex-University of Tennessee hurler was drafted out of high school. Senior Matt Passauer was steady last year and threw extremely well at the World Series and is primed for a great senior season. Joe Fabre (senior) has battled some nagging arm issues, but appears to be healthy, and looks to have regained the form that made him dominant in stretches in 2011. He is an option as a potential closer for the Flames.

Junior Mike Fasolo provides another quality arm in the bullpen and could see some time as a designated or pinch-hitter with his powerful left-handed bat. Sophomore Dustin Lawson threw well this fall and is primed to take a step forward towards the dominant arm that the Flames coaching staff hopes he will be. Sophomore Alex Moore has as good of stuff as anyone on the team and could provide some quality innings.

Red-shirt Freshman Ryan Zimmer returns with a year experience under his belt and is looking to take that big leap forward into a regular contributor. Freshman Kyle Briner has shown signs of why the Flames coaching staff thinks he will be even better in the future as he gains experience and maturity. Freshman Brandon Snow rounds out the pitching staff. Snow is an older freshman due to his service in the US Coast Guard. Snow is an arm-angle pitcher and will throw out of the bullpen.

Go Lee Flames | Go Lady Flames