LSUS Pilots Ranked 13Th in NAIA Preseason Polls
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LSUS Pilots Ranked 13th in NAIA Preseason Polls NOVEMBER 28, 2006 Shreveport, LA---Since a 3rd place finish in the 2003 NAIA World Series, the LSUS Pilots have accumulated a 121-69 overall record which includes a 2005 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championship, a 2006 GCAC Tournament Championship, and appearances in the 2005 and 2006 NAIA Region XIII Championship games. The Pilots quest for a second appearance at the NAIA World Series will begin in February 2007, but they have made the headlines with a No. 13 preseason ranking after finishing 41-23 in 2006. The Pilots continued success on the field has resulted in yet another solid recruiting class for Head Coach Rocke Musgraves and his 2007 squad. A big reason for the Pilots preseason ranking lies in the strength of what in Musgraves’ mind has become the strongest pitching staff ever assembled at LSUS. “It is very exciting when you can say you return your top two arms from the previous season in Kevin Jewell and Matt Clayman, who combined for 17- wins, 156-strikeouts, and platooned for 189.2 innings. We have strengthened both our starting rotation as well as our bullpen which allows us to start some very quality arms during our midweek games, while still being very strong off the bump on the weekend,” commented Musgraves. LSUS welcomes the addition of Prairie Baseball Academy’s Marc Dainty; a 6’5 right hander who will compete for a starting spot in the Pilots weekend rotation. Paul Marlow, a 6’7 right hander who has the ability to pitch in the 90mph range is also expected to have some success throughout his senior season. In addition to the new faces to the Pilots staff, Musgraves is very optimistic about the return of four year starter Daniel Welch. Welch is one of two remaining players from the 2003 World Series team, a season in which he collected five wins as a freshman, and pitched in the World Series semi-final match-up against Oklahoma City. Welch fought his way to a 6-2 overall record which included a 5.29 ERA, despite battling arm troubles throughout the 2006 season. The Bossier City native performed very well throughout the fall, and was named the Pilot World Series MVP. J.V. Laffitte makes his return after a 4-2 freshman campaign in 2006 which included a 3.79 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 57.0 innings pitched. The Pilots have anxiously awaited the availability of two Puerto Rico natives in Juan Falu and Victor Hernandez. Hernandez was forced to sit out of the 2006 season due to shoulder surgery, while Falu was declared academically ineligible due to a lack of credit hours after transferring to LSUS in the spring of 2006. Both of these hard throwing right-handers will provide some much needed depth and experience to the Pilots staff. “We had a tough time finding an offensive identity this fall. I credit that to a very deep pitching staff. It is a good problem to have,” commented Musgraves. The Pilots graduated a large portion of their offensive output from the 2006 season in 2005 GCAC Player of the Year and LSUS All-Time Hits Leader Dustin Bissonnette. Bissonnette hit .346 with 41 RBI and 17-stolen bases. LSUS also graduated two-time All-GCAC outfielder Dusty Maddox who led the team with a .366 average which included 13-homeruns, 63-RBI, and 26-stolen bases. Maddox went on to play professional baseball in the Atlantic League for the Atlantic City Surf upon the conclusion of the 2006. The presence of 2nd-Team All-GCAC member Riley Cook will also be missed. In 2006 he hit .331 with three homeruns. Cook also collected 26-stolen bases in 30-attempts, and played professionally with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League this past summer. The Pilots however look for the emergence of 3rd-year shortstop Brandon Magierowski, and 4th-year senior and 2004 1st-Team All-GCAC center fielder Chris Frye to pick up the slack offensively. Magierowski hit .354 in 2005 while Frye finished with a .349 average. Also returning is right fielder Colin Moro who in 2006 belted a .363 average which included 39-RBI and three homeruns. Bryan Cooksey returns for his senior season as a strong candidate to become the 2007 GCAC All-Conference third baseman after posting a .331 average in 2006. “We may no longer have a Bissonnette or a Maddox who post All-American type numbers each season, but we are stronger one through nine than in the past. We’ll have to have a more creative approach to scoring runs.” Also returning to the Pilots lineup is first baseman Stephan Primeaux. The right handed slugger belted six homeruns in 2006 and finished with a .288 batting average. Brent Lavalee also figures to be part of the Pilots offensive production coming off a .282 season with four homeruns last year. At No. 13 in the NAIA, the Pilots realize they have gained the respect of many perennial powers that are constantly in the Top 25. However, Coach Musgraves believes that the NAIA voting process does not necessarily give a true representation of who the Top 25 teams in the country truly are. “We have worked very hard and it is neat to see us among the Top 25. I just don’t believe the ratings are a true testament as to who the best teams in the country truly are. Three of the top 10 teams may be in the same region, but they will be spread out amongst the Top 25 because teams who are voted No. 1 in a different region will be ranked ahead them,” concluded Musgraves. The Pilots 2007 schedule is highlighted with numerous Top 25 opponents. LSUS will open the season on the road with three games against No. 6 Lubbock Christian University and then return home for a three game set against No. 29 Lindenwood University (MO). The Pilots will also square off against NAIA power Oklahoma City University and the No. 18 Houston Baptist University. Also on the horizon for the Pilots is NCAA Division I University of Louisiana Monroe, and NCAA Division II opponents Southern Arkansas University, and Henderson State University. “This year we will see first hand just where we stand among the top teams in the country. To be the best you have to beat the best, and this year we will have that opportunity. Our non-conference schedule is as tough as it gets, and playing in the GCAC is a war every single weekend; there is no such thing as a guaranteed win. From top to bottom, I expect the GCAC to be more competitive than it has ever been,” concluded Musgraves. 2007 National Ratings NAIA Baseball Preseason National Rating November 15, 2006 Rank 2006 Final Institution (Region) 1st Place Votes Total Points 1 1 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (I) 17 472 2 5 Cumberland (Tenn.) (XI) 1 444 3 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (XIV) 1 419 4 8 Oklahoma City (VI) 406 5 3 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (XIII) 360 5 4 British Columbia (I) 346 7 6 Lubbock Christian (Texas) (VI) 343 8 12 California Baptist (II) 340 9 13 Bellevue (Neb.) (IV) 317 10 9 Culver-Stockton (Mo.) (V) 273 11 7 Concordia (Calif.) (II) 261 12 11 Warner Southern (Fla.) (XIV) 261 13 17 Louisiana State-Shreveport (XIII) 227 14 15 Tennessee Wesleyan (XII) 209 15 NR Cumberlands (Ky.) (XI) 143 16 20 Benedictine (Kan.) (V) 140 17 18 Jamestown (N.D.) (III) 137 18 16 Houston Baptist (Texas) (VI) 126 19 21 Lee (Tenn.) (XIII) 109 20 NR Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) (II) 97 21 NR Ohio Dominican (IX) 85 22 NR Bethany (Kan.) (IV) 80 23 10 Biola (Calif.) (II) 74 24 19 Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) (XI) 74 25 22 Madonna (Mich.) (VIII) 70 Others Receiving Votes: Union (Ky.) (XII), 67; St. Xavier (Ill.) (VII), 38; Oklahoma Baptist (VI), 37; Lindenwood (Mo.) (V), 29; St. Thomas (Fla.) (XIV), 28; Seton Hill (Pa.) (IX), 20; Fisher (Mass.) (I), 18; Malone (Ohio) (IX), 17; Albertson (Idaho) (I), 14; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (III), 13; St. Mary (Kan.), 11; William Penn (Iowa) (VII), 11; Park (Mo.) (IV), 10; York (Neb) (IV), 10; Belhaven (Miss.) (XIII), 8; Spalding (Ky.) (XII), 7; Dickinson State (N.D.) (III), 5; McKendree (Ill.) (V), 5; St. Francis (Ill.) (VII), 5; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) (IX), 4; Savannah Art and Design (Ga.) (XIV), 4; Urbana (Ohio) (IX), 3; Campbellsville (Ky.) (XI), 1; Webber International (XIV), 1. Coach Musgraves announces recruiting class for 2006-07 AUGUST 09, 2006 LSUS Pilot Baseball continued its fight to remain at the top of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference with the signing of four transfers and seven incoming freshman. Head Coach Rocke Musgraves believes this class will bolster a group of solid returners. “We’ve addressed pitching-depth question marks with some experienced transfer pitchers, and started the process of building for the future with a group of talented freshman position players. In 2007 we’ll graduate 13 players – this will give us a year to work with the younger players to get them ready to step in next year, or in some cases, maybe this year.” Transfer players include LHP Cory Keener (Northwestern State U), RHP Paul Marlow (Muscateen CC, Iowa), RHP Mark Dainty (Prairie Baseball Academy, Canada), and IF Bryan Stebbings (Hill CC, Texas). “We are very excited about Cory transferring into our program,” said Musgraves. “I remember in 2003 Cory leaving a game at LSU with a lead after striking out 10 in seven innings against the Tigers.” Marlow is a 6-foot 8-inch right-hander that was taken in the Major League Baseball draft out of high school.