College baseball: 5 things to know about Stetson Hatters following opening weekend sweep
DELAND — The Stetson Hatters christened their renovated ballpark by bringing out the bats and brooms on opening weekend.
Stetson's revamped lineup hammered Manhattan's pitching staff, scoring 35 runs and sweeping the visiting Jaspers to kick off the 2023 season. It's a promising sign for a program that struggled the year before, going 26-29 overall with a 10-20 mark in ASUN play — failing to qualify for the league's postseason tournament.
More:Stetson, DeLand unveil Melching Field renovations with ribbon-cutting ceremony
The Hatters make their first road trip of the season Tuesday night to face Miami, which entered the season ranked No. 22 in both the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America national polls. Miami rallied to take two of three in its home series with Penn State.
Let's take a closer look at Stetson's baseball team. Here are five things to watch as the Hatters get going.
1. Field of dreams
Melching Field underwent $8 million worth of upgrades in the offseason, and head coach Steve Trimper couldn't quite believe what he saw when the Hatters took the field earlier this month to begin preseason practices.
"It's exactly, to the blade of grass, what I thought it would be in my dreams," Trimper said during Saturday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. "… I really feel like it's the best ballpark in the state right now."
Stetson extended its lease agreement with the City of DeLand in December 2021 for the use of Melching Field through the 2042 season, with both sides picking up 50% of the costs for the renovation project.
The playing surface was revamped, with synthetic turf installed behind home plate and in foul territory up the first and third base lines. Over time, the outfield had sunk roughly four feet, so it was bulked up and leveled. The field was shortened by eight feet, and the outfield walls were heightened and padded. The bullpens were moved from the foul lines to the outfield.
Off the diamond, chairback seating with cup holders and new premium seating options were added throughout the venue. The sound and light systems were replaced, and a large video board was put up in right field.
The Hatters will enjoy home cooking in 12 of its first 13 games, the lone exception being Tuesday's trip to Miami.
2. Youth movement
Stetson's stadium looks dramatically different than a season ago, and so does its roster. The Hatters have 18 freshmen on the squad, including a handful of highly touted recruits.
"The Power Five schools have had a lot of success taking fifth-year guys," Trimper said. "If you look at the last couple national championships, and you look at LSU this year, the way their rosters are built, they went and got transfers all over the place that were elite guys. It left some meat on the bone, some freshmen that would have ended up at Florida, Florida State or Miami that didn't have a spot."
Trimper said the Hatters were able to attract a higher level of recruit in the 2022 graduating class, starting with corner outfielder/infielder and Palm Beach Post Baseball Player of the Year Jayden Hylton. Perfect Game ranked the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Hylton as the No. 60 overall prospect in the nation. He teams up with older brother Brandon Hylton, a redshirt junior who clubbed a team-high six home runs last season.
"He's four years younger than me, so we've never got the opportunity to play together before," Brandon Hylton said. "He's a phenomenal player but he didn't get (drafted). It's been a dream since then. We knew we wanted to play together."
The Hyltons bashed the ball around the yard against Manhattan, combining for 11 hits, three home runs and 15 RBIs. Jayden scored ASUN Baseball Player of the Week honors, becoming the 49th Hatter to claim the award all-time.
Landon Moran, previously a Florida commit, and Evan Griffis — both of whom attended Lake Brantley High in Altamonte Springs — drew starts on opening night, as did third baseman Drew Wyers. Lorenzo Meola should get opportunities in the infield, and New Hampshire native Brendan Walker has a shot to break into the starting rotation.
3. Amaral anchors the rotation
Austin Amaral, who graduated from nearby University High in Orange City, shined in the Hatters' opener and picked up the win in an 18-0 blowout. The 6-foot, 200-pound junior retired 15 of the 19 batters he faced, scattering a hit and three walks while striking out nine.
Last spring, Amaral led the team in appearances (20), ERA (3.17) and opponents' batting average (.211), though he made just three starts. He impressed in his debut outing — tossing six scoreless innings and allowing just two hits to pick up a win over Florida State.
"The emotions are really flowing right now," Amaral said in the days leading up to the season opener. "I've never been put in this opportunity so early in the season. When I transitioned into a starting role, it was mind-boggling and I've loved it ever since the FSU game.
"Growing up in DeBary, two cities over, this is my home stadium. My friends and family are going to be here. What better opportunity to showcase yourself in front of your hometown."
Junior lefty Anthony DeFabbia and sophomore right-hander Dylan Jacobs rounded out Stetson's opening weekend rotation. Jonathan Gonzalez figures to settle into a regular role on Fridays or Saturdays, but the southpaw draws the Miami assignment due to his past success against the Hurricanes. He's beaten his hometown team in each of the past two seasons.
Nick Durgin, who entered last spring as the staff's ace, will transition into the closer role, Trimper said. He allowed an earned run in his first outing, but picked up the save to wrap up a weekend sweep.
Stetson's arms are under the tutelage of a new pitching coach as Daniel Latham takes over for Dave Therneau, who returned to Embry-Riddle after a seven-year stint. Latham spent the last four years at his alma mater, Tulane, and he has coached seven All-Americans and 22 all-conference pitchers, including tenures at Southeastern Louisiana and VMI.
4. Impact transfers
Though Stetson largely raided the high school ranks, Trimper plucked a handful of potentially significant additions out of the NCAA transfer portal.
Infielder David Bermudez tallied three hits and scored four runs against his former team. He was a first-team all-conference selection in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) last year, slashing .380/.449/.668 with 14 home runs, 52 RBIs, 52 runs scored and seven stolen bases in his lone campaign at Manhattan.
Jacobs adds serious velocity to the Hatters' rotation with a mid-90s fastball. The Florida State transfer pitched more innings in his debut Sunday (three) than he did all of last season.
Nick Guzzi brings a wealth of experience into the bullpen; he made 10 relief appearances in 2021 for St. John's aand held opponents to a .241 batting average.
5. Scouting the ASUN
Last appearing in the NCAA tournament in 2018, Stetson was chosen to finish sixth out of 14 teams in the ASUN, according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
Liberty enters the year as the favorite for the fourth consecutive spring, though Kennesaw State collected the championship hardware in 2022 under first-year coach Ryan Coe. Florida Gulf Coast possesses four preseason first-team position players, including Alejandro Figuereido, who lead the league with a .392 average and 62 RBIs last season.
Lipscomb and Eastern Kentucky round out the top five. Stetson did not have an athlete selected among the 15 preseason all-conference spots.
Contention for a conference title and/or a spot in the NCAA regionals will boil down to maintaining this sizzling offensive start. In 2022, the Hatters ranked 250th or worse out of 293 Division I teams in batting average (.250), on-base percentage (.346) and slugging percentage (.355) while scoring 5.2 runs per game.
"For us, identity is so key," Trimper said. "We have alot of athleticisim on this team. It's a team that can bunt and hit-and-run. If we're going to stand up there and try to gorilla-ball it because that looks cool or because LSU and Texas are doing it, that's not our identity. Our guys from have understood that we can be able to put pressure on defenses."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College baseball: 5 things to know about Stetson entering 2023 season
