St. Andrews baseball to rely on athleticism, defense to return to winning form

LAURINBURG — St. Andrews eighth-year baseball coach Andy Fox is optimistic his Knights will finish this season with a winning record — something they missed out on last season at 20-23 after being over .500 the previous two.

A reason why is because of his team’s athleticism and defense.

“I think we have a chance to run a lot, steal bases, and I feel like our infield defense could be comprised of three shortstops at one time,” Fox said. “I feel like it’s going to be hard to score runs off of us. And then, I also think we can, in turn, with our speed and athleticism, put a lot of pressure on the opposing teams when we get on base. I think everything I’ve seen so far this fall has been really good.”

St. Andrews returns 35 players from last year, including five starters — junior outfielder Jude Drzemiecki, junior catcher Samuel Rosario, sophomore infielders Garrett Hamby and Cesar Morillo and sophomore outfielder Adrian Ojea; Brenton Baker, a utility player, also returns.

“We’re really deep, really filled with a lot of great talent, and we’re looking to make great strides this year on the pitching side, hitting and defense,” Drzemiecki said.

While many fit the mold of being athletic and strong defenders, Fox said none could replace graduated first baseman Joshua Benfield — an All-American in 2022 who last year led the team with a .396 batting average, 55 hits, 13 home runs and 45 RBIs on offense, and defensively, had a .980 fielding percentage with 227 putouts.

“You don’t replace that guy,” said Fox, who still hasn’t determined who will start, among others, in Benfield’s place. “What we did was, in a few positions, we got better. And so overall, we replaced him, and then at the same time, got better in those other positions, too.”

Other starters not back include graduated infielder Dallas Trevena and outfielder Chris Le, who transferred to Greensboro College; infielder Jake Duffy, who played 25 games last year, is also now at Greensboro College.

“I feel like one through nine, we have a chance to be a better lineup this year than we were last year one through nine with Benfield in our lineup,” Fox said. “And I know that kind of sounds weird, but I feel like that, we’ve just gained some maturity and added some pieces that can really help us one through nine, and not just have one big guy there in the three or the four hole.”

During the offseason, Fox brought 43 transfers or freshmen into the program. Position-player newcomers who Fox believes could make an impact this season include Catawba Valley Community College transfers first baseman Tate Abbott, outfielder Isah Martin and infielder Aiden Wilson, Motlow State Community College transfer catcher Josh Zambito and Southeastern Community College transfer infielder Garrett Wolff.

“I feel like that, we’ve addressed some needs,” Fox said. “I think our big goal going into the offseason was to improve offensively. I feel like that we’ve done that.”

The one area Fox has some uncertainty with is his bullpen. While seven pitchers are back who threw at least 10 innings in 2023 — juniors Josiah Barhite, Tyler Barfield, Shawn Taylor, Ryan Cleary, Noah Sorrells, Brycen Seymore and senior Nate Moretz — Seymore’s ERA of 4.50 was the only below 5.00.

“Don’t get me wrong, we do have some good guys and stuff, but I don’t think our depth is where I would like to see it,” Fox said. “But, hopefully, with that plus defense that we have and the athleticism that we have, it’s going to take some of the load off of those guys, too.”

Recent Scotland High School graduate Blane Wagner is one of 11 new pitchers on the team, which includes freshmen Drake Wallace, Payton Frye, Bryton Williams and Maddoc Glines, sophomores John Lowe, Tanner Carpenter, P.J. Daley and Ryan Hawkins and juniors Johnathan Foster and Jacob Thoresen.

Barhite, St. Andrews’ top pitcher with 59 innings last season, said the number of arms capable of throwing for long periods could be an advantage the Knights have over other teams.

“All of our guys are more than one-inning guys, so we’re in real good shape with that,” Barhite said. “We only have maybe one guy that’s a true closer, so everybody can throw several innings and then even throw back-to-back days. We’re pretty set for innings with that.”

St. Andrews was picked to finish seventh with 77 votes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference preseason poll released in October.

Fox is aiming for a higher finish, however.

“My goal is to always finish in the top half of the league,” Fox said. “Number one, that means we go to the conference tournament. We don’t have to play in the play-in games because your seven through 10 seeds have to play in the play-in game. And then, the top two at the conference tournament of whoever makes it to the championship game, that’s your two national bids. I think it’s obtainable.”

St. Andrews hosts Lindsey Wilson in opening weekend doubleheaders on back-to-back days, beginning Saturday at noon.

“I know Lindsey Wilson’s record last year (17-27) doesn’t blow you out of the water, but (Ethan Utley) returns a lot of his guys; they’re very well-coached,” Fox said. “They’ve got one of the top returning pitchers in NAIA baseball (Cohen Achen). So, Lindsey Wilson will definitely be a tough test for us, like right out of the gate.”

Brandon Hodge is the sports editor for The Laurinburg Exchange. He can be reached at 910-506-3171 or by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BrandonHSports.