Inside the Diamond: 2023
Photos provided by Rampage student photographer Jake Mendoza.
The 2023 season for the Bluefield University men’s baseball team looks to be promising.
The Rams have started the year 5-1 (as of 02-21-23), including a five-game winning streak, and head coach Mike White is hopeful the combination of new and returning players will lead the team into post-season play.
Among the key returning players are pitchers Ryan Voss, Andrew Arguello, Jason Downs and Tyler Lowrey; infielders Bryce Medlock, Max Aristy and Kevin Torres; outfielder and two-time Appalachian Athletic All-Conference First Team player David Meech; and catcher Reece Genter.
“We are young, if you look at us from a class standpoint, but we do return quite a few of our guys,” White said. “Position-player-wise we have some experience coming back, so it will be interesting to see how we navigate through the season.”
Meech led the team in hitting last year with a .418 batting average. Medlock led the team in hits with 68. Torres had 62 hits. On the mound, Lowrey led the team with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.97. Arguello and Voss led the team in strikeouts with 50 and 45, respectively.
“Our strength should be our pitching,” White said. “We have gotten a little deeper on the mound through our recruiting class. We have added some guys, through the junior college recruiting trail and the high schools. We have added some quality arms, so I think we are deeper on the mound than we have been in a while.”
The 2022 Rams compiled a 30-17 overall record, and to build on that success Coach White brought in a number of new players with valuable skills, including infielders Jon Medina and Briley Harlan; pitchers Lucas Cash, Troy Liebert and Noah Burtner; and outfielder Brady Joslyn.
“Liebert played in the (National Junior College Athletic Association) World Series last year at Niagara Junior College,” White said. “We have added some pieces we feel like fit into what we are doing and will help grow the culture of what we are doing here in Bluefield.”
Coach White added that the AAC is an extremely competitive conference, but he hopes the Rams will be in a position to qualify for post-season play at the end of the year.