Friday, February 05, 2010

MACON, Ga. - As the 2010 NCAA Baseball season approaches the Atlantic Sun Conference takes a looks at each team leading up to the start of the season on Feb. 19, today the A-Sun travels to Buies Ceek, N.C. to take a look at the Campbell Camels.

Overview
The Camels enter 2010 after finishing 10th in the conference a season ago with an overall record of 27-24 and a conference mark of 7-19. Campbell returns 20 letterwinners from 2009. The Camels amassed a record of 14-14 at Taylor Field a season ago. The Orange and Black enter their third season under head coach Greg Goff, holding an all-time record of 48-61 under the Delta State alum. The Camels need 27 wins in 2010 to reach the 900 win plateau as a program as they seek their eighth A-Sun tournament appearance and the program’s first A-Sun crown. Campbell ranked in the national Top 10 in batting average (.340), scoring (10.1), doubles per game (2.78), stolen bases per game (2.29) and hit by pitch (123) a season ago.

Top Returnees
Zach Johnson returns after appearing in all 51 games a season ago, making 50 starts. The senior posted a .380 batting average with 12 homeruns and 61 RBIs. Johnson led the nation in doubles, reaching second on one swing 29 times. The Smithfield, N.C. native also made the national rankings in slugging percentage (59th, .705) and runs batted in per game (66th, 1.2). Johnson’s 2009 stats earned him recognition from Ping!Baseball on their preseason All-American list as a player for consideration.

Campbell welcomes back Ellis Lowe on the infield after he started all 51 games for the Orange and Black a season ago. Lowe made 50 of his 2009 starts at second base but also started one contest at first base. Lowe led the Camels in multiple hit games with 28 last season including 10 three hit games. The junior made the nation rankings in 2009 in batting average (52nd, .404), runs batted in per game (57th, 1.22), runs per game (18th, 1.35) and hits (53rd, 90).

Jeff Rydman returns as one of the Camels’ top starting pitchers posting a record of 5-1 in 14 starts a season ago. The senior lefthander struck out 45 hitters a season ago in 64.2 innings pitched with a 5.43 ERA. The Gladston, Mo. native ranked tied for third in the conference in 2009 in shutouts and sits as the only A-Sun returning hurler to post a shutout a season ago. 

Newcomers
The Fighting Camels welcome 16 newcomers for the 2010 campaign, including seven junior college transfers and nine true freshmen. Campbell is looking for a quick impact from the junior college transfers including Frank Zier, a sophomore righty who will likely be in the starting weekend rotation at the start of the season; as well as Matt Sergey who comes in having posted a 3.95 ERA during his sophomore campaign at Broward College. In the field, they will look to Alan Denman, a transfer from USC-Sumter, who led his team in batting average (.427), doubles (15), hits (70) and at bats (164), and placed second on the team in RBI (43). Also looking to make an immediate impact is Cameron Nelson who will likely start in the outfield for Campbell after posting 27 RBI during his last campaign at South Florida CC.

Schedule (Courtesy Campbell Media Relations)
Games against in-state rivals East Carolina, UNC Wilmington, and NC State, a match up with 2009 regional opponent, Xavier University, and a 27-game conference schedule highlight the 2010 spring schedule for the Fighting Camels baseball squad.

This schedule marks the third in the tenure of Greg Goff but it promises to be one of the most challenging since his arrival in Buies Creek previous to the 2008 campaign. Campbell will face off against 21 different teams during the spring, with these teams having won a combined 516 contests during the 2009 season.

Campbell opens the 2010 slate at home against UNC Asheville with a single contest on February 19th followed by a doubleheader on February 20th. The Bulldogs, under new head coach Tom Smith, are looking to provide a tough challenge for the first weekend of the season. After the home weekend against UNC Asheville, the Fighting Camels hit the road for the short trip to Raleigh to face off against in-state ACC foe, North Carolina State. 

Last season Campbell swept the home and home two-game series with the Wolfpack, marking the first time in school history they were able to accomplish that feat.  The Fighting Camels will finish the month of February with a home and home match up against North Carolina A&T. The first contest will take place in Greensboro on February 26th and the doubleheader at Taylor Field to follow on the 27th.

Fun Fact
Campbell’s Chris Bangi led the nation last year in hit by pitch after being struck 30 times. No other player in the conference got hit more than 13 times. Four Camels ranked in the top six in the conference in hit by pitch. Bangi, Ryan Hamme (13), Alex Aycoth (12) and D.J. Johnson (11) were all plunked 10 or more times and combined for as many hit by pitches as the next team in the A-Sun behind Campbell in the category. The Camels finished second in the nation in hit by pitch only behind Cal State Fullerton.  

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11 Days of Atlantic Sun Baseball Schedule
Feb. 4 – USC Upstate
Feb. 5 – Campbell
Feb. 8 – ETSU
Feb. 9 – Mercer
Feb. 10 – UNF
Feb. 11 – Belmont
Feb. 12 – Stetson
Feb. 15 – Lipscomb
Feb. 16 – Jacksonville
Feb. 17 – Kennesaw State
Feb. 18 – FGCU