HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker University baseball team is preparing for the start of the 2020 season under interim head coach Bob McLaughlin, to go along with new assistant coaches Adam Vasil and James Tennenbaum. The Cobras are counting down the days for the new season to begin, as they are motived to build off last year's success.
Entering his first season as head coach, McLaughlin has been stressing the importance of establishing a positive culture and strong team chemistry on and off the field. With the Cobras returning a lot of upperclassmen from last season, McLaughlin is confident this year's squad will have the necessary player leadership to set the example for the underclassmen.
"Everyone has been counting down the days for the 2020 season to begin," said McLaughlin. "We took some steps in the right direction last year, and are looking forward to building off that success."
The Cobras are returning 19 players from last year's team, including All-Conference honorable mention selection Casey Demko and All-Defensive Team selection Lake Lybrand. Demko finished the season with a .295 batting average with 22 runs batted in. Lybrand made an impact with the bat and glove, batting .281 with a fielding percentage of .989, only committing two errors the entire season. Coker will be adding to their talented group with a freshman class of 15 and seven transfers.
"I like the balance of this year's team," said McLaughlin. "From top to bottom, this roster has good hitting and pitching. We have the potential to beat teams in a lot of different ways."
Other key returning players for the Cobras include junior left fielder Reilly Hall, who had a batting average of .313 last season with five homers and 35 runs batted in. Tanner Wofford will be a big part of the starting rotation after being second on the team last season with 32 strikeouts. Drake Knight and Griffin Hollifield will be two of the go-to arms in the bullpen after an impressive 2019 campaign. Knight led the team with five saves, while Hollifield displayed excellent control allowing only eight walks in 40.2 innings of work.
"I believe we have the talent this year to reach the conference tournament again this season. The SAC is a deep conference with a lot of great opponents, so we'll have to be prepared each and every game," said McLaughlin. "Adam has done a great job with the pitching staff, and James has been a huge help with our infielders/outfielders. We have the potential to be a great all-around team."
The Cobras open up their season at home on Saturday (Feb. 1) in a doubleheader against Chowan University. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. with game two scheduled to begin 30 minutes after. Live stats and video coverage available at www.cokercobras.com.