2022 Big South Conference College Baseball Preview

Image credit: Campbell SS/RHP Zach Neto (Photo courtesy of Campbell)

The Big South’s 2021 season was a big success. Campbell put together an at-large quality resume. South Carolina-Upstate took a big leap forward and spent much of the season toying with earning an at-large bid of its own. Gardner-Webb made a clear push to the top of the conference. And Presbyterian, the fourth and final team to make it into the Big South Tournament, made a Cinderella run through the field to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance and give the conference two teams in regionals.

The 2022 season, then, will be all about keeping that momentum. Campbell looks ready to do its part by fielding a team as talented as just about any mid-major in the country, but the bigger question will be if other teams in the conference are ready to do what they did last season and push to get the conference a second team into regionals.

While the Big South has not been nearly as affected this season by conference realignment as other mid-major leagues, there is one addition to the membership with North Carolina A&T joining this season.

These are five questions to consider in the Big South heading into the 2022 season.

What makes Campbell an overwhelming favorite?

A lot of the focus on Campbell will center around the presence of third-year sophomore shortstop Zach Neto (.405/.488/.746), and rightfully so. He had a monster season at the plate in 2021 while also putting up a 3.43 ERA as a reliever, then went to the Cape Cod League over the summer and continued to hit, putting him in position to hear his name called very early in the coming draft.

But once you get past Neto, you can’t help but be drawn to the ridiculous talent on the pitching staff.

The rotation will be fronted by sophomore righthander Thomas Harrington (6-3, 3.45), who commands four pitches well, including a fastball that sits 94-96 mph. Some of his best work last season came in the postseason, when he held eventual national champion Mississippi State to one run on four hits in five innings in the Starkville Regional.

Following Harrington in the rotation will be sophomore righthander Cade Kuehler (5-2, 3.89), who uses a fastball from 94-97 mph, a power breaking ball, and a changeup with a split grip, and sophomore righthander Cade Boxrucker (10.38 ERA, 17.1 IP), who features a sinker that sits 94-96 mph.

Fourth-year junior lefthander Ryan Chasse (6-2, 4.60), who was a weekend starter all throughout 2021, projects to get bumped to the midweek spot, but that’s an important role if the Camels are going to be an at-large team, as that likely means Chasse will be tasked with leading the team to victory against the likes of East Carolina, North Carolina State, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Duke, North Carolina and Ohio State, all of which would likely be resume-building wins.

Sophomore righthander Ty Cummings (3.88 ERA, 46.1 IP) will anchor the bullpen alongside fourth-year junior righthander Aaron Rund (5.97 ERA, 31.2 IP). Both have fastballs in the low 90s with serious movement.

Spencer Packard, Matthew Christian and Collin Wolf are significant losses in the lineup, but there’s still plenty to like around Neto. Those returning include fifth-year senior center fielder Connor Denning (.340/.462/.686), sophomore third baseman Bryce Arnold (.324/.447/.511), fourth-year junior second baseman Waldy Arias (.232/.460/.268), who had a combined 59 walks and hit by pitches last season and led the team with 15 stolen bases, third-year sophomore right fielder Lawson Harrill (.274/.360/.400) and fifth-year senior catcher Ty Babin (.262/.350/.369).

Junior college transfers in left fielder Jarrod Belbin, an athletic power-speed threat, and catcher/first baseman Logan Jordan, who may see more of his time at DH, stand out as newcomers ready to make an impact right away.

Campbell has been successful enough for long enough now that it’s not sneaking up on anyone at this point, but after what it did last season and what it has returning on the roster, it’s the runaway favorite in the Big South and should expect to get every other team’s best shot.

Can USC-Upstate keep moving forward?

The Spartans bring back a roster capable of remaining competitive at the top of the conference, but it might look a bit different this time around.

Last season, they were a team that leaned heavily on pitching, and more specifically, the one-two punch in the rotation of Jordan Marks and Alex Garbrick, who were both dominant at times throughout the season.

This season, the lineup, a group that the coaching staff thinks will be more physical than they were last year, might lead the way.

Fifth-year senior catcher Devin Buckner (.339/.482/.505), whose slugging percentage led the team last season, fourth-year junior center fielder Jack Hennessy (.330/.438/.382), third-year sophomore third baseman Noah Rabon (.321/.389/.459), fifth-year senior second baseman Cameron MacIntosh (.300/.381/.353) and fifth-year senior right fielder Jeff Taylor (.295/.380/.451) are all back after hitting right around .300 or better.

Junior college transfer first baseman Grant Sherrod should add some physicality to the batting order and South Carolina grad transfer left fielder Noah Myers, a Blue Jays draft pick out of junior college in 2019, will deliver game-breaking speed.

The group that USC-Upstate returns on the mound is experienced, even if many will be new to the role they’re taking on.

Fifth-year senior righthander Austin Morgan (2.78 ERA, 35.2 IP) was very dependable out of the bullpen last season, but now he’s moving up to the Friday starter spot. He features a fastball in the high 80s and low 90s, but he can get it up to 94 mph with a slider and changeup.

Third-year sophomore lefthander Sawyer Worrell (4-1, 3.89) won games against the likes of Clemson and Georgia Tech as the midweek starter in 2021, but will transition this season into the Saturday spot. UNC-Greensboro grad transfer righthander Jacob Curry (2-3, 5.28) will round out the rotation after he had a strong fall for the Spartans. Sophomore righthander Trey Miller (4.33 ERA, 35.1 IP) isn’t a bad fourth starting option, either. He did a little bit of everything as a freshman last season.

In terms of closing games, USC-Upstate has to feel very good with the return of fifth-year senior closer Kevin Davis (1.57 ERA, 28.2 IP), a 6-foot-9 righthander who has struck out 70 batters in his 48.2 career innings using a fastball in the low 90s that can get as high as 95 mph.

It remains to be seen if the Spartans can do enough to put themselves in at-large position, as they nearly did last season. The midweek schedule isn’t quite as daunting as the one Campbell has put together, but with games against Georgia, Georgia Tech and Clemson on the docket, plus a late-season road series against Ohio State, there are opportunities for resume-building wins to be had.

What’s next for Presbyterian?

Before zooming in on this season for Presbyterian, let’s zoom out and appreciate how far the program has come. Winning the Big South automatic bid last season was the crowning achievement, but this has been a slow, steady and successful build in Clinton, S.C.

After finishing under .500 in Big South play in each of its first seven seasons in the conference, Presbyterian, which moved up to Division I for the 2008 season and joined the Big South ahead of the 2009 season, has finished .500 or better in the Big South in four of the last five full seasons. It has also finished in fourth place or better in the league standings in three of the last four full seasons.

And there’s a very good chance that the Blue Hose keep that up in 2022.

Six regulars from last season will return to the lineup in sophomore DH Chris Veach (.344/.385/.444), fourth-year junior center fielder Kyle Decker (.304/.387/.368), fourth-year junior right fielder Eric Toth (.279/.353/.489), the leading returning home run hitter with nine, sophomore second baseman Brody Fahr (.279/.370/.329), fourth-year junior third baseman Sean Klein (.216/.332/.407), who slugged eight homers a season ago, and third-year sophomore shortstop Landon Shaw (.194/.303/.330).

Veach and Toth double as excellent pitchers who shared closing duties last season. Veach had a 2.70 ERA in 20 innnings using a fastball that sat in the high 80s and low 90s, touching as high as 93, with a slider and changeup that both had 45% or better whiff rates. Toth had a 3.15 ERA in 34.1 innings using a mid-80s fastball and a mid-70s breaking ball that had a greater than 50% whiff rate.

This season, Veach projects to join the weekend rotation, while Toth will return to closing. In front of Veach in the rotation will be last season’s top two starting pitchers in sophomore lefthander Charlie McDaniel (4-3, 5.43) and sophomore righthander Duncan Howard (3-2, 4.69).

With a majority of the team returning and with what we saw last year out of the Blue Hose, there’s no reason to think that they can’t be right back in the postseason picture in 2022.

Outside of Neto, who are the player of the year candidates?

Campbell’s Zach Neto goes into the season as the prohibitive favorite to be the Big South player of the year. He’s a known commodity with prospect pedigree, to say nothing of his productivity and skill, and he won the award last season.

But if it’s not Neto for one reason or another, who would it be?

Certainly Neto’s teammates Connor Denning and Bryce Arnold have to be considered. USC-Upstate’s Devin Buckner should be a candidate, and his teammate Noah Myers could elbow his way into the conversation if he’s able to get on base enough to let his speed work and pile up big stolen base numbers. Both Chris Veach and Eric Toth from Presbyterian will have a shot at it as well, especially if they continue to thrive in tw-way roles.

Fourth-year junior Radford shortstop David Bryant (.364/.480/.594) is in the mix. He finished third in the conference in hitting and on-base percentage last season, behind only Campbell’s Neto and Packard in both instances.

Winthrop has a couple of high-average hitters back in the lineup in third-year sophomore catcher Ty Hooks (.343/.414/.401) and fourth-year junior second baseman Joey Tepper (.314/.434/.443). Either could be candidates if they finish near the top of the batting leaderboards in 2022, or take a step forward in their ability to impact the baseball for power, or both.

Third-year sophomore High Point first baseman Cole Singsank (.340/.429/.451) is similar as a high-average hitter who could get himself into the conversation with another step forward. His teammate, sophomore third baseman Peyton Carr (.304/.376/.494) is worth watching as well.

Fourth-year junior UNC Asheville third baseman Dominic Freeberger (.330/.382/.505), will be tasked with leading the Bulldogs’ lineup after the graduation of the program’s all-time home run leader in Brandon Lankford and could be in for a player of the year-type of season. The same is true of North Carolina A&T fourth-year junior left fielder Cameran Brantley (.277/.447/.434), a player who will be taking on a heavier lift in a lineup that lost several key pieces last season and whose plate discipline will immediately make him one of the toughest outs in the league.

Longwood third-year sophomore DH Eliot Dix (.340/.410/.488) is coming off a monster season, a repeat of which would garner him consideration in 2022. His teammate, third-year sophomore center fielder Michael Dolberry (.315/.408/.461) is a plus runner and defender and has the tools to be a contender if he can take a step forward at the plate.

Who are the pitcher of the year candidates to watch?

With Marks and Garbrick from USC-Upstate, Mason Miller from Gardner-Webb and RJ Petit from Charleston Southern now all in pro baseball, there is a real vacuum in the Big South for a new class of outstanding pitchers.

Thomas Harrington from Campbell leads that group and should be considered in pole position for pitcher of the year honors, but there are plenty of others to consider, including his own teammate in Cade Kuehler.

USC-Upstate’s Austin Morgan and Sawyer Worrell could get into contention if they pitch as well as members of the weekend rotation as they did in their roles last season. All three members of Presbyterian’s rotation, Charlie McDaniel, Duncan Howard and Chris Veach, are reasonable candidates as well.

Gardner-Webb has a pair of good candidates in sophomore righthander Bobby Alcock (2-1, 4.83) and Connecticut grad transfer righthander Joe Simeone (1-3, 5.80). Alcock, who is slated to pitch in the Cape Cod League this summer, has big-time stuff, including a fastball up to 97 mph. If he can cut down on free passes this season, he’ll be tough to beat. Simeone brings plenty of big-game experience to the table after pitching for four seasons with the Huskies.

High Point third-year sophomore righthander Carter Sheppard (5.63 ERA, 48 IP) is a dark horse candidate to consider. He’s moving from the bullpen to the Friday starter spot, and with a fastball that was up to 97 mph in the fall, he has the stuff to dominate if he maintains command. Winthrop fourth-year junior righthander Tyler Jones (1-6, 5.92) also fits into this category. He has good stuff, including a low-90s fastball that touches 95 mph, and he’s coming off of an impressive fall, but throwing quality strikes is key.

Longwood fourth-year junior lefthander Andrew Melnyk (2-4, 5.84) and UNC-Asheville fourth-year junior lefthander Jacob Edwards (4-6, 5.64) don’t stand out as traditional pitcher of the year candidates because they don’t have high-octane stuff (although Melnyk’s stuff did make a jump in the fall) and they don’t miss as many bats as others, but both are in position to be workhorses for their respective teams and therefore could be sleeper contenders.

Top 2022 Draft Prospects