Date: 2/5
Position: Pitchers

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats):  Andy Arguelles (6 APP, 5 GS, 1-1, 5.50 ERA, 17 K, 15 BB, 18.0 IP);  JoJo Booker (17 APP, 1 S, 2-1, 7.15 ERA, 1 SV, 40 K, 19 BB, 34.0 IP);  Nick DeSantis (11 APP, 3-0, 7.71 ERA, 1 SV, 24 K, 9 BB, 18.2 IP);  Zach Greene (23 APP, 2 GS, 2-4, 3.79 ERA, 5 SV, 80 K, 13 BB, 57.0 IP);  Chase Lambert (18 APP, 1-0, 2.67 ERA, 2 SV, 22 K, 10 BB, 30.1 IP);  Michael Marra (1 APP, 0-0);  Patrick McBride (8 APP, 4 GS, 1-2, 4.95 ERA, 9 K, 7 BB, 20.0 IP);  Noah Michael (8 APP, 4 GS, 1-4, 8.06 ERA, 19 K, 18 BB, 25.2 IP);  Tyler Perez (8 APP, 3 GS, 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 9 K, 14 BB, 13.1 IP);  Jared Proctor (19 APP, 9 GS, 5-1, 3.11 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 49 K, 27 BB, 55.0 IP);  Addison Reed (6 APP, 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 8 K, 7 BB, 8.1 IP);  Caleb Yarborough (3 APP, 2 GS, 1-1, 2.53 ERA, 6 K, 7 BB, 10.2 IP)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats):  Tyler Carr (15 APP, 15 GS, 9-3, 3.53 ERA, 64 K, 22 BB, 2 CG, 94.1 IP);  Zach Melton (15 APP, 4 GS, 2-4, 6.23 ERA, 41 K, 30 BB, 39.0 IP);  Will Eiland (11 APP, 2 S, 1-1, 6.75 ERA, 12 K, 6 BB, 16.0 IP);  Austin Gossmann (8 APP, 0-0, 8.18 ERA, 9 K, 4 BB, 11.0 IP);  Ryan Terry (7 APP, 2 S, 0-0, 8.38 ERA, 14 K, 12 BB, 9.2 IP);  Sean Trimble (3 APP, 0-0, 15.43 ERA, 1 K, 2 BB, 2.1 IP)

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school):  Drake Nightengale (Jr., Pearl River [Miss.] CC);  Jase Dalton (R-So., Hinds [Miss.] CC);  Tyler Trussell (Jr., Hinds [Miss.] CC);  Zach Young (Fr., Sebastian River [Fla.] HS);  Hunter Phillips (Jr., Chattahoochee Valley [Ala.] CC);  Joel Cheatwood (Jr., Snead State [Ala.] CC);  Herndon Akridge (Fr., St. Paul's Episcopal [Ala.] School);  Zach Harlan (R-Fr., Daphne [Ala.] HS)

Miscellaneous Notes
- Carr was selected in the 31st round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Carr was a Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2018. The right-hander led the conference in wins (7) in league games. He finished tied for the Sun Belt lead in wins (9), ranked sixth in innings pitched (94.1) and eighth in ERA (3.53).
- Carr came one strike away from pitching the program's first nine-inning no-hitter on April 20, 2018, at Texas State before surrendering the lone Bobcat hit of the game with two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth innings. He was named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week on April 24, 2018, for his effort at Texas State. 
- In conference games, Carr finished 7-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts, and struck out 43 batters against 15 walks in 65 1/3 innings pitched. 
- Greene finished tied for 10th in the Sun Belt in strikeouts (80) and saves (5). The right-hander ranked 13th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (12.63) last season, and 23rd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.15).
- In 11 relief appearances in league games, Greene recorded three saves and struck out 35 batters while issuing just four walks in 25 2/3 innings pitched.
- Greene led the 2018 staff in strikeouts (80), while Proctor posted the best ERA (3.11) among pitchers with 50 or more innings pitched.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
-On returners who were injured in 2018:
"They are all on a track to throw 50 pitches to start the season, which is phenomenal. I can't give enough credit to those kids, and the medical and strength staff – (Certified Athletic Trainer) Chris McDonald in particular; I can't give those guys enough credit for getting these kids back in that situation.  If you look at who Caleb Yarborough pitched against last year, Indiana, Hartford and LSU, he was thrown into the fire last year in his first year, so he has already gone through some things where a little bit of that anxiety and jitters of being new – he's not new here anymore and he's better than what he was. He feels great and is healthy, and that is a huge shot in the arm to get him back. He fits somewhere in the top five, but in that 50-pitch range to start the year. Andy Arguelles is another one; he is on the right trajectory. He's in that 40-to-50 pitch range for a couple of weeks. His breaking ball is really good, his changeup is solid and he's healthy and feels great; he's recovering quickly. Nick DeSantis, who started last season coming off of Tommy John surgery, he's now almost two years out and 100 percent. Just having those guys back alone is a huge boost to the pitching staff. When you lose a guy like Andy Arguelles and how Yarborough would have helped us last year, we took some serious blows to the pitching staff last season. Michael Marra is taking a little bit more time than expected, but Andy and Yarborough are a little ahead of schedule. I'm cautiously optimistic about those guys. We're going to bring them along as the year goes on. Both Andy and Yarborough are inside a year coming off of surgery, so it's just something that we'll be very cautious about; I'm going to let them go out there and compete, but their reps are going to be monitored so we can hopefully have them not only at the end of the year, but to continue on their trajectory to get better as the year progresses."

- On the pitching staff:
"It has a chance to be the deepest staff since I've been here. We're a little light on left-handed pitching as far as a late reliever, but we have some left-handers. Jared Proctor will be one of the better left-handers in this area. He has made a jump; last year he was basically a fastball guy, but he has a very good breaking pitch and outstanding changeup this year. He is a huge boost. He loves to relieve. Proctor is a guy who could start, or come in for short or long relief. Having a better version of him back this year is really great to see. He's going to give some people problems. Patrick McBride has been better. His changeup has improved by leaps and bounds, his breaking ball is tighter and I just think he is a little more settled in and comfortable with himself out on the mound. Tyler Perez has improved significantly. He's now throwing from that three-quarter slot 100 percent of the time, and it's 85 to 88 with a good slurve. That's been the difference maker for him. He has very good sink, and he is pitching with confidence. I've seen huge improvements with Tyler as well.

"(Chase) Lambert is Lambert; he has the good breaking ball and is stronger physically. He had a good year last year, but missed five weeks last year due to a medical issue. He and Zach Greene were our go-to guys in the bullpen, and it hurt us when Chase was out. He is a valuable piece of our bullpen. He has the pulse of a burglar; he's poised and competitive, and you trust him. You know what you're going to get out of Chase Lambert, and he's a guy who can spin a really good breaking ball and will be around the plate with it very consistently. He is going to throw strikes, hold the running game, field his position and do everything right. He'll be a big part of the bullpen this year. JoJo Booker has made the biggest jump of anyone. He has a real slider and changeup, and he's 90 to 94 (mph) with some 95s in there. But the biggest thing with JoJo in consistency in stuff and throwing strikes. He is a different animal now; it's not the same kid. You saw some glimpses of it at times last year, but he is a guy now who throws hard with good stuff who knows how to use it. JoJo has the command factor now. He is a pitcher; he has great stuff and is a hard thrower who can pitch instead of just throw. Mechanically he was off a little bit, and there was a small adjustment that was made with him. It's been JoJo's job to take to coaching, and he has done a phenomenal job with that. (Assistant) Coach (Brad) Phillips had done a phenomenal job with him, and I think JoJo has reciprocated by taking to coaching. JoJo is a guy who responds well, and he has worked extremely hard."

- On the pitching staff under Assistant Coach Brad Phillips:
"Brad has been great. You see total buy-in. Brad's day is a simple day, and the pitching plan is a simple plan. He's big on taking what guys do well and trying to make that better. And if there are some things they don't do well, then he tries to help with that. It's almost like the complexity is in the simplicity of it. He's all about the kids and their development, and keeping the attention on the players. They see that with him and they love that. He's behind them 100 percent, and he speaks in terms that they understand. There's been great buy-in, and some great relationships made. Both Brad and our players, especially the returners, have done a fantastic job from day one of being on the same page and developing relationships. There has been a lot of great response on the pitching staff, and it has been a lot of fun to watch. It's been great to see a lot of guys improve."

- On the newcomers:
"Drake Nightengale is a four-pitch guy; he has a swing-and-miss slider, an outstanding changeup that kind of acts like a forkball, and he has a really good 12-to-6 curveball. He is 88 to 91, and is very competitive. He will be a huge contributor this year. Zach Young is a freshman with a great arm; he's 90 to 94 with a very tight curveball and developing changeup/splitfinger. He is a really competitive kid with big-time stuff, and the sky is the limit for him. We have a couple of big-time arms out there and guys who can pitch a little bit. We have a lot of faith in him as a young pitcher. Jase Dalton is an upper 80s guy with a slider and changeup with pitchability. His fastball is heavy, and he does some things right; he holds the running game and fields his position well, can pitch backwards and can pitch inside. Jase will be a very big contributor this year. Hunter Phillips has a very good arm out of the bullpen. His slider and changeup are getting better, and he's 90 to 94. His fastball has some life, and we're excited to have him. He'll be a complementary piece in the bullpen. It's almost like having a new guy in a healthy Nick DeSantis. I count him as like a recruit, only with experience. He is 100 percent healthy now, so I include him there along with Yarborough and Andy Arguelles. Tyler Trussell is coming off of Tommy John surgery after redshirting last year in junior college, so we'll have him for three years. He has pitchability with a good cutter and changeup, and he knows what he is doing. Joel Cheatwood is a guy with a big-time arm and big-time slider. He is a guy who is really going to help us coming out of the bullpen."

- On the starting rotation:
"Sometimes you sit there and you don't have a Friday guy, but you may have two Sunday guys and a Saturday guy. This year, there are a couple of guys who have the Friday-night mentality and stuff. There's three guys off the top of my head. When Andy Arguelles is 100 percent – he's not just beaten, but dominated Auburn and LSU – he has Friday-night stuff. JoJo Booker right now, no question, has number-one stuff. Drake Nightengale and Jared Proctor have the ability to be number one in the Sun Belt. It's a good problem to have. It's just a matter of where it fits the best, but we have some good options. Very rarely are you right when you start the year. We don't have a returning Friday night guy after losing Tyler Carr. There are some candidates out there to be the Friday-night guy, but my goal is to be good every single game and when that Friday-night guy emerges then that is your guy. I'm glad there's not a clear-cut number one – that means we have some pretty good options. That speaks to the depth right now. If we stay healthy and the injured guys stay on trajectory, then this will be the most depth we have had on the pitching staff."

LHP Jared Proctor
- On pitching under new assistant coach Brad Phillips:
"He came in with a whole new plan, and everyone has done a great job of just buying in and taking every day serious. It's been good."

- On the depth of the pitching staff:
"We didn't lose that many from last year, and we have really added on with the newcomers. There is no doubt that we are a lot deeper than last year."

- On his focus in the offseason:
"I just want to command the strike zone better with all of my pitches, and I feel like I have made an improvement with that."

LHP Andy Arguelles
- On the rehabilitation process:
"It's eight to 12 months after surgery, and working every day with (Certified Athletic Trainer) Chris McDonald on shoulder exercises. After four months of straight exercises every day, I started my throwing program and slowly progressed up from flat ground, to bullpen to game. I've been fortunate in my career to have not been injured, so this is the first time I have had to deal with anything like that. It's been a little bit of a mental challenge, but I feel like I have dealt with it fine."

- On his goals for the season:
"The goal for the beginning of the season is just contribute any way that I can, but obviously on a pitch count to start the year. As the season goes on week-to-week, it will increase as I gain more endurance."

-On the strengths of the pitching staff:
"There is a lot of different talent with depth, but we have guys from all different types of arm angles with different pitches. It's going to come at the hitters of the opposing teams from all angles."

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