Video Brad Bass is entering his 21
st season in the dugout as Wayland Baptist's head baseball coach, and it still thrills him how players elevate their games as the start of a new season draws near.
"Nothing makes a baseball player get well or get more ready than a game. All of a sudden guys who haven't been able to pitch are pitching, and guys who haven't been able to run 100 percent are just pouring it on. They all want to see their name in that lineup," Bass said.
That special time is here for the 2016 Pioneers, who open their season this weekend on the road with a pair of doubleheaders against Houston-Victoria beginning at noon Saturday and Sunday. Wayland makes its home debut at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 with a doubleheader against McMurry.
"It's been really exciting to see the edge and the heat being turned up a little bit," Bass said of recent workouts in anticipation to the start of a new campaign.
Bass said "things have gone really well" for the Pioneers, who are picked to finished third in the Sooner Athletic Conference and who go into the season ranked the equivalent of 40
th in the NAIA.
"Our (intrasquad) games have gotten better and better and better," said the coach who has a record at WBU of 588-523, including 34-23 last year when the Pioneers narrowly missed qualifying for the NAIA National Championships. Wayland just missed what would have been its second national tournament appearance despite finishing third in the SAC behind the two top-ranked teams in the country in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Baptist, which has since moved to NCAA Division II.
With a proven pitching staff, an experienced infield and an abundance of speed, Bass believes the 2016 Pioneers have what it takes to make sure they don't miss out on nationals this year.
"We have lots of returning players, especially on the pitching staff," Bass said. "Our pitching has been so good it makes you question whether your hitting is very good."
Bass credited pitching coach
Todd Weldon for much of the staff's development.
"They train really hard, and
Todd Weldon does an amazing job with our pitchers. Those guys have been with him for quite some time now. His leadership is showing up and their talents are coming out. They all are projectable to at least some level."
Bass said senior
Tyler Adams, juniors
Taylor Bridges and
Mason Taylor, and sophomore
Jordie Henry will likely get the starts this weekend. Adams and Bridges, a lefty, opened 14 games apiece last year, with Adams finishing with an 8-2 record, a 3.32 ERA and 61 strikeouts, and Bridges going 7-5 with a 5.58 ERA and 43 Ks.
Mason Taylor, meanwhile, missed last season after starting 14 games in 2014 when he was 7-3 with a 3.19 ERA and 55 strikeouts. Henry was slowed by injury his freshman season but finished strong with 21 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.
Another pitcher returning from injury is fifth-year senior
Paxton Bartley, who got hurt in an intrasquad game a year ago and took a medical hardship. Bass called Bartley "a poster child for a year of conditioning.
"His velocity is up, he's throwing in the low-90s, his breaking ball is better… I'm excited about what he's going to be able to do for us."
Another fifth-year senior pitcher is reliever
Logan Evans, who last year appeared in 28 games, logging 35 2/3 innings of work and recording 32 strikeouts and a 3.28 ERA. Evans was 6-0 with two saves.
"Logan will be getting a lot of relief work," Bass said.
"I'm really pleased with our pitching staff," the coach added. "Our pitching for sure is ahead of our hitting, but the last couple of intrasquads the hitting seems to be catching up, so that's always good. The guys are starting to get their timing."
In the field, Wayland will be solid up the middle with the return of junior second baseman
Will Bass, the coach's son, and junior shortstop
Aaron Vallance, both All-SAC Second Team picks last season. Bass was the team's 2015 MVP after hitting .338 with a team-high 50 runs and 16 steals, along with 39 RBI. Vallance batted .311 and had 45 runs, 18 RBI and 11 steals.
Back at first where a year ago he played in 47 games including 42 starts is junior
Brayden Blackwell, who hit .315 with 27 RBIs and 25 runs. Bass faces what he called "somewhat of a dilemma" at third where sophomore
Gregg Veneklasen and junior
Dillan Vigil are vying for time. As a freshman three years ago Veneklasen played in 55 games and hit .337 with 38 runs and 34 RBI.
"Gregg had a really good freshman year for us. He's really athletic, throws well, and swings it really, really well," Bass said, adding that he also needs to find a spot for Vigil, who last year hit .276 and provided stability at third. "I really, really like
Dillan Vigil. He's a gamer who plays hard and practices hard. Getting playing time for him is something I need to figure out how to do.
"We have lots of maturity in the infield. All of those guys have experience."
Bass also has a couple of options behind the plate in juniors
Ernesto Lizardi and
Skyler Wood.
"He's really matured as a catcher and a player, and pitchers want to see him behind the plate. He brings a lot of leadership," Bass said of Lizardi, who last season appeared in 48 games with 44 starts and hit .302 to earn second-team all-conference honors. Wood also will see quite a bit of playing time, Bass said. "He's worked really, really hard and he's filled out a lot and gotten stronger. He can call a really good game, and his leadership skills come pretty natural."
In the outfield, junior
Austin Davis is back in center after hitting .310, scoring 37 runs and producing 27 RBI. In left will be senior
Jake Doyle, a former pitcher who is coming back from surgery.
"He is dying to play baseball," Bass said of Doyle. "He is going to hit well for us. We see the excitement level and energy he brings to the game."
In right field, Bass is looking at junior transfers
Alex Mumm, from Judson University in Illinois, and
Caleb Davidson, from Sul Ross State. Bass described Mumm as "big, strong and hugely athletic," and called Davidson, a lefty, "one of the better athletes in the program" who could also see time at first base.
After graduating all-conference first-teamer
Josh Alexander and his 51 RBI and 10 home runs and losing designated hitter
Gaby De La Cruz's team-high 13 homers and 55 RBIs, the Pioneers won't have the same pop at the plate as a year ago. But they will have more all-around speed.
"We've amped up our running game quite a bit. Most of the guys are able to steal a base," Bass said. "Their coach has spent lots of his coaching career loving the three-run homer, but we're going to have to manufacture some runs. We have several guys who run 6.4, 6.5, so we're looking forward to seeing what that does for us this season."
