Bluefield State baseball opens this weekend at Savannah State

Feb. 3—BLUEFIELD — The 2024 Bluefield State University baseball fortunes are headed south — as in the season opener Saturday at highly-regarded Savannah (Ga.) State University, followed by a Sunday doubleheader.

"We try to get in some early games in the warmer areas," notes BSU Coach Drew Bailey, eager to build on last year's 25-win season and only three seasons removed from winning the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) World Series in 2021.

The Big Blues will rely on a core group of veterans, with a pitching staff returning virtually intact. Tahir Meulens (.397 average with 22 doubles and 7 HR a year ago) leads the hit parade while Mercer County natives Zach Powell (7 wins) and Kerry Collins (4 wins) will help anchor the staff, which has fireballer Alex Kanipe (92-95 mph fastball), a Radford, Va., hurler as the closer.

Conner Elliott had nearly 40 innings on the mound last year and will be counted on in '24, along with Braeden Major and Colton Roberts., among others.

"It's exciting to get started," says Bailey, who is in his fourth year with the program. This is our third recruiting class and the guys we have now understand our focus and share the culture we are building here.

"The coaches and I feel confident our players know our system and what we want to do. It's a good feeling to begin with that we have some depth on the pitching staff. Baseball takes a lot of ability and pitching is at the foundation of any team's success."

Bailey says there will be platooning, especially early for the first 20 games or so, to determine just what lineup will be most effective. He expects Pulaski transfer Curtis Ball and Jacob Trivett to share duties behind the plate. Meulens will be an infield starter. Chris Larkin is another experienced players for the Blues. Teron Hammond, from Virgina State, will see action at short, along with Peyton Lewis. Lewis is a speedster, having stolen 30 bases last season. Joseph Pilewski will be another BSU player slated to see a lot of action as will Garrett Hladilek. No matter who is in the lineup, the Big Blues hope to use their legs to help manufacture runs.

"One of our main ideas is to run the bases well," says Bailey.

"We tell our players 'your or error and then take second in some fashion. We had 112 stolen bases in 2023 and the goal this year is steal at least that many or more. That's ambitious but if we can take advantage of our speed and keep the pressure on the other team's defense, that should once again work well for us."

Bryce Hunt, Korbon Bostic, Noah Moritz, and others will be among the outfield group and Bailey says five or six players will alternate to locate the eventual basic lineup among them.

Along with Bailey, Jacob Emerson, Kevon Moxey, Kevan Lambert and Chris Guzy will round out the coaching staff. Moxey has worked as a graduate assistant and Lambert will follow that path this season.

"Our staff works hard and we try to instill fundamental skills in our players," says Bailey. We have to work together on and off the field, in drills, in the weight room and whatever we do. Our goals include not just baseball but developing life skills. We want our players to conduct themselves well, follow the rules on road trips and at home. The discipline and good manners, among other things, will follow these young men through life."

It takes discipline to get through a season. In 2023, Bluefield State had 35 road games and Bailey says BSU will have approximately 25 games at home (Bowen Field) this year. He predicts a challenging road ahead.

"We play at Savannah State this weekend and then come home to play Concord University this upcoming weekend. Savannah won 35 games a year ago and Concord is a pre-season favorite in their conference. Good teams like West Virginia State and UVA-Wise will be tough tasks, as well.

This year, we play at Division I New Orleans in mid-April and that will definitely be an eye-opener for our players. To get better, though, you have to play tough teams and push to get to the next level. I know our guys will do that."

Bailey adds, "We are working hard and appreciate the support from our administration and the alumni and several contributors. It takes all of that, combined with our effort, to achieve success.

"We hope to have good crowds for our home games here at Bowen Field because fan support is one of the best ways to have a team play better. We really need our fans to fill those seats and let us hear them cheering. That makes a huge difference."