MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 5 Walters State enters the 2024 baseball season with a good mix of sophomores and freshmen, as well as strong talent in the field and on the mound.
The Senators have a tough schedule throughout the season but played a tough fall schedule to prepare for the rigors of the regular season.
"We really challenged ourselves in the fall, playing University of North Carolina, NC State and UNC Charlotte," Walters State coach Dave Shelton said. "We probably played the toughest junior college schedule in the country, and we were very fortunate to do that. It allowed us to see what we really needed to work on and figure out the things that we were good at and just prepare us for the season. I'm pretty excited about what we have. We didn't bring anybody at Christmas Break, so we're going with the guys we had in the fall, and I'm excited about that. We have the right guys."
The talent for the Senators starts with the sophomore class, as Walters State brings back four starters in the field and three arms that threw significant innings in 2023. Those seven players, along with four others that saw playing time at some point during the past two seasons, are vastly important if the Senators want to make a run this season.
"I think it's greatly important," Shelton said. "You can do it with freshmen, but the freshmen are going to have growing pains at some point. You can ask some of our sophomores about that, who struggled in the tournament last year. That was nothing but them trying to do too much. Now, they know how to deal with it and can help the younger guys get through struggles. That's what baseball is. Every baseball player goes through a slump but for the good players it's only a couple of at-bats."
Leading those returning players is third baseman Deniel Ortiz. Ortiz was All-TCCAA First Team last season after hitting .383. He had 16 home runs and 55 RBIs, as well as finishing with a .538 OBP.
"Deniel has every tool imaginable that makes you think he'll be a professional baseball player one day," Shelton said. "He's come a long way. He's matured a lot and has worked his tail off to continue to get better. I'm excited to see what he can do this year."
Other returning starters for Walters State include Keaton Ray in left field, Kurtis Reid at shortstop and Jarrett Martin at catcher. Last season, Reid hit .340 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. Martin was just as good with 14 home runs, 53 RBIs and a .347 batting average, while Ray finished with a .327 average and seven home runs and 39 RBIs.
Both Reid and Martin were All-TCCAA First Team members last season.
"I think they've all matured mentally on the baseball field," Shelton said. "It can be tough as a freshman. This game is designed to beat you down. The mental side of things is so important for a baseball player. Going into their sophomore year, these guys now know what it takes to be successful at the college level."
Other returners in the field for Walters State include Miles Smith and Zion Taylor. Smith played in the field last year but is a two-way guy that could see a lot of action on the mound in 2024, throwing it 95 miles per hour at times. Meanwhile, Taylor will be an important part of the outfield after driving in six runs last season.
Returning on the mound for the Senators are three guys that saw bullpen action in 2023 but will start the season in the rotation.
Karson Bonaparte saw the most action last year, throwing 33.1 innings and allowing just eight earned runs while striking out 44 batters and finishing with a 5-0 record and recording three saves. Meanwhile, Taz Butler threw 30 innings and gave up 11 earned runs while striking out 40 batters and Johnny Stevens threw 8.2 innings and allowed four runs while striking out 13.
"We're trying to transition those three guys into starting roles this season," Shelton said. "The good thing about them is that they've all shown the ability to pitch out of the bullpen, if needed. Our roles on our pitching staff could be very fluid this year. And that's what I want because when you get late in the season, you may ask a guy to start one day but throw in relief a few days before."
Other returning pitchers this season are Ryan Bender and Luke Ferguson. Bender threw 5.1 innings last season, while Ferguson pitched 11.2 innings in 2022 and struck out 15.
As for new guys in the field, Shelton said Andrew Grande will play at first base, Logen Sutton at second base and Jack Vogele and Taylor Harris splitting time in the outfield. Brantley Bamberg will DH for the Senators, as well.
Along with those guys, Shelton said the Senators have some depth that he feels comfortable putting in at any time. Some of those players include Jack Torbett, Cade Hitson, Carson Cabbage and Ethan Bosely.
Shelton also hopes to get Atticus Goodson back at some point this season, a player who had a phenomenal fall before going down with an injury.
"We have some other guys behind them that are capable and provide good depth and can come in at any moment and give us some depth," Shelton said. "I'm excited about our offense this season."
On the mound, Shelton said the pitching staff is one of the deepest he has had. Along with the five returners, Shelton pointed out Manning West, Gage Peterson, Drew Horn, Ethan Walker, Aiden Robertson, Tyler Welch, Logan Quales, Rowan Park, William Wexler, Matthew Porchas, Adam Jamison and Luke Beam as guys that can make an impact. Nate Conner and Walker Morgan, along with Smith, are two-way players that could see time on the mound, as well.
"We've got some arm depth this year," Shelton said. "This may be one of the deeper pitching staffs that we've had. I feel we can go 12-15 arms deep, and there's not that big of a dropoff. We're going to have the ability to throw a lot of guys and see who handles which situations better. There's not a ton of separation in terms of talent between our No.1 guy and our No.15 guy. We're pretty fortunate this year to have the talent that we have."
As far as the schedule goes, it's a tough one for Walters State. The Senators play four games with No. 14 Gaston College, two games with No. 15 Florence-Darlington Technical College, four games with Georgia Highlands and two games with Chipola.
That doesn't include a strong conference schedule, as the Senators host Motlow State, Chattanooga State, Volunteer State and Dyersburg State and go on the road to Columbia State, Jackson State, Southwest Tennessee, Roane State and Cleveland State.
"I really feel like it may be one of our tougher schedules that we have put together," Shelton said. "I feel like this is a group that needs to be challenged, especially early in the year. It gets us prepared for conference play because I feel like our conference is going to be really good this year. It's just all a progression. You want to play a challenging schedule in the fall to get you ready for the spring. Then, you want to play a challenging schedule in the early spring to get ready for the conference."
In terms of goals, it's always the same for Shelton and the baseball program. That goal is to not only get to Grand Junction and the NJCAA JUCO World Series but to win the whole thing.
"Obviously, we're going to have to overcome a lot of good teams to get there," Shelton said. "There's nine teams in our conference that want the same thing that we do. You have to get through that conference and then beat the best Georgia team. Our goal is to always get there and win the whole thing. We're going to give everything we can to win the whole thing this year, but it's one step at a time."
The Senators season is scheduled to begin this weekend on the road at USC Salkehatchie. First pitch for Friday's game is slated for 2 p.m., with Saturday's doubleheader to start at 12 p.m.
"I really like the makeup of this group and the professionalism," Shelton said. "They seem very goal oriented. The ones that are back have a chip on their shoulder that last season ended so abruptly. Hopefully they rise to the occasion and have a good year."
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics