McGuire Eager for Spring and to Showcase Ultra-Talented Baseball Squad

By Mark Maloney, MSUEagles.com Writer

Little boys and girls no doubt are looking ahead to Christmas. Mike McGuire, in his sixth season as Morehead State baseball coach, is anxious to put holidays behind him.

He's counting the days until Feb. 16, when his Eagles open the season at Charleston, S.C. There, they will play four games over three days – two each against Ball State and UMass-Lowell.

After subsequent trips to Western Carolina and Alabama A&M, Morehead State will open its home schedule with a three-game series against Illinois State, March 2-4.

McGuire's anxiety is directly related to talent.

"I think we are very capable of having the best team we've ever had here," he said. "Some things have to come together on the field and we have to have some guys settle into some roles, but we have a chance to be really good.

"That's why I'm excited. I look forward to Christmas with the kids, but I can't wait for Christmas to get over with and get back (on the field) and get started."

Under McGuire, MSU has developed into a regular Ohio Valley Conference title contender.

The Eagles finished second in the OVC last season, going 18-11. Overall, they finished 36-23, notching the second-best win total in program history. Over the last three seasons, MSU has won an OVC-best 106 games.

MSU returns 21 players, including seven starters. Add to that 15 newcomers, consisting of six freshmen and nine junior-college transfers. Thirteen of 17 position players are juniors or older. Every one of the 13 have had at least 250 collegiate at-bats, and some have had 700-800.

Most of the Eagles honed their skills in various summer leagues, and McGuire got a hands-on look at how his veterans and newcomers will mesh during fall workouts (Sept. 17-Oct. 31).

I really like our club. It was a good fall," McGuire said. "I like our talent. I like our depth. I think it's probably as deep a team as I've had, both positionally and on the mound. I think we're capable of being really good offensively."

Offensive potential was no secret.

Outfielder Niko Hulsizer smashed an OVC-record 27 homers as a sophomore and then won the College Home Run Derby. He hit .349 and was named Co-OVC Player of the Year. Third baseman Eli Boggess, an All-OVC pick, led the conference and was second in the nation with a .425 batting average. Then there's shortstop Reid Leonard (.328), second baseman Braxton Morris (.364), first baseman Tyler Niemann (.318) and infielder Trevor Snyder (.321).

Returning catchers are Hunter Fain and Brody Shoupe, who each batted .271.

Additional offensive-threat reinforcements have arrived in junior-college transfers Adam Rapp, Connor Pauly and Sam Sustersic, along with freshman and apparent second-baseman-of-the-future Bryce Hensor. Rapp could fit in at DH or at first base. Pauly and Sustersic are outfielders.

McGuire also emphasized defense during the fall. Besides simply wanting to improve the defense, he wanted to make it more versatile, and did so by using several players at multiple positions. Boggess, who played third last season, was among that group.

"It looks like it will be a utility year, which is fine," Boggess said. "I had some work at third, second and first, outfield. So just whatever fits, it's all right with me."

Plus, he thinks he's a better hitter than when he led the league last season.

"Plate discipline. I'm not a guy that walks a whole lot," Boggess explained. "But I thought I swung at better pitches (during the summer and fall), got myself in better counts. I was a singles guy mostly. Worked on trying to get to the gap-to-gap and stuff like that, so I think that how I've improved a little bit."

The Eagles are keeping up in the arms race, too.

"One of the things that really excites me is we've got a lot of guys back that threw innings for us last year that it was their first year pitching at this level," McGuire said. "The development, the maturation that you've seen from a lot of those guys, it's what you hope for as a coach. … While maybe we lost our Friday starter (Aaron Leasher) to professional baseball, I think we have a lot of capable arms that are going to allow us just to be a deeper and hopefully more consistent pitching staff than what we were a year ago."

McGuire says it's too soon to pick his weekend rotation for conference games.

Returnees who have strong shots are right-handers Jake Ziegelmeyer (5-1, 6.21) and David Calderon (0-1, 4 saves), along with southpaw Dalton Stambaugh (3-5, 7.40). Jason Goe, a righty who missed last season due to injury, was a summer league all-star and had perhaps the most consistent fall on the MSU staff. Righty Jeff Purnell and lefty Cory Conway are coming off a redshirt year, while right-handers Dom Masullo and John Hurayt could step out of the bullpen.

New arms to consider include lefties Grant Crosby and David Looney, plus righties T.J. Satterly and Garrett Rogers.

"I think we've got a lot of good options," McGuire said. "And, honestly, who our starting rotation is the opening weekend, it's always subject to change. And, since I've been here, it has always changed."

Calderon appeared in 17 games as a junior, all but one coming in relief.

"I came out of the bullpen, kind of the closer role," he said. "So this year I kind of took it upon myself just to go for that starting role. And it worked out this fall. I had a good fall and kind of came up and, hopefully, will get a weekend start."

Calderon said his improvement since last season includes added strength and a better mental approach. He began the summer in the Coastal Plains League, but left to train at a St. Louis facility called P3.

"It was basically just throwing and working on mechanics and the strength side of it," he said, "but also the mental side of everything."

Morehead State's schedule will be tough.

The Eagles have traditional Power-5 matchups against Kentucky, Louisville and Tennessee. But they also have a three-game series at Kansas.

Opening series opponent Ball State is usually among the best teams in the Mid-American Conference. There is a home-and-home battle with Western Carolina, one of the best teams in the Southern Conference. Illinois State gives MSU a rare home series against a Missouri Valley Conference foe. And there are traditional mid-week contests against Ohio University and Marshall. Top competition in the OVC includes Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State, Belmont and Murray State.

It's a good schedule," McGuire said. "It's maybe the hardest schedule we've played since I've been here. I think we're up to the challenge. I hope we're up to the challenge."

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