Charlotte Baseball begins charge to 2008 season in fall practice. |
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Niners Begin Title Defense With Fall Practice
Sept. 19, 2007
Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers baseball program welcomed back the returning players and a handful of new Niners to campus, ready to start towards a fresh season of baseball. Several players had excellent summer seasons and took the 2007 spring momentum at Charlotte into their respective leagues.
Charlotte saw five players make their respective summer league All-Star teams. Pitchers Keith Moreland, Bryan Hamilton, Zach Rosenbaum and Kelly McLain all made All-Star appearances, as did Charlotte shortstop Shayne Moody. Moody was rated the number-four prospect out of the Valley League by Perfect Game Crosschecker, while Hamilton and Moreland were top-20 players in the Cal Ripken League. Baseball America put Charlotte righthander Zach Rosenbaum at number nine in the Valley League for his summer of work.
Fall practice began last week and the autumn will be where starting jobs can be won and pitching rotations can be observed. Charlotte begins a full fall practice schedule, with the home surface ready for the rigors of the fall semester. Last year at this time, construction on the stadium surroundings forced the team off campus for many practices and scrimmages, but with the near completion of Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium, Charlotte enjoys the fruits of the home facility and the ability to practice with a more flexible schedule.
In the 2007 season, Charlotte finished with a school record 49 wins, including a pair of wins over North Carolina State at the NCAA Regionals in Columbia, S.C., the first post-season wins in program history. The 49ers claimed both the regular season and tournament titles of the Atlantic 10 Conference en route to the post-season berth, the third for the program. Charlotte finished 23-4 in league play last season, garnering honors for Coach of the Year (Loren Hibbs) and Pitcher of the Year (Adam Mills). Mills led the nation in wins and earned run average, while the team had the lowest ERA in the country.
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While team lost some key components (two of the three weekend starters, catcher, second base and center field), many of the top players return, including starting pitcher Rosenbaum, and slugger Brad McElroy. Most of the offense returns and a young but experienced pitching staff will ready for the spring season over the course of this fall semester.
This season, expectations are high, and fans will enjoy a brand new atmosphere, as the new facility will be unveiled for play next spring. This fall, though, fans can come and sample the new taste that they will enjoy when the season begins.
The team will pair off and compete in intra-squad scrimmages on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, which are open to the public. All seats are open and fans are invited to come and watch the action from any seat in the house, to take in the experience on a "sneak preview" basis.
The stadium dedication will be on Friday, October 19, where fans can come and enjoy the Green-White World Series game at 6:00 p.m. The Niners last day of fall practice as a team will be October 26. After that, the players will go through individual workouts and concentrate on skill development and weight training sessions in preparation for the season opener, which will be Friday, February 22 in a weekend home series against Manhattan.
