Troy Baseball Opens Fall Practice

Baseball Alumni Game Set for Homecoming Weekend

TROY, Ala. – Fresh off its second Sun Belt title in three seasons, the Troy baseball team opened fall camp on Thursday at Riddle-Pace Field to begin preparations for the upcoming 2014 season.

Troy head coach Bobby Pierce believes that fall practice is a valuable time for his team to prepare for the upcoming year by allowing newcomers and returning players to earn playing time and learn the Trojans' philosophy of playing the game.

"Coming out of our 4-on-1 sessions where we try to get our new players on the same page with our terminology and routine with what we're trying to accomplish. We really liked the work of our pitchers and our position players. We look forward to seeing our group come together on a daily basis."

Troy returns its weekend rotation including Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Shane McCain, who led the Trojans with a 9-1 record and 105 strikeouts in 98.1 innings of work. Tanner Hicks (8-4, 2 SV, 3.64 ERA) and Ryan Sorce (6-3, 4.81) also return for their senior seasons to round out Troy's rotation.

"We feel very good about our returning starting pitchers, it's really rare to return as many guys as we are," Pierce said. "Working on how the pitching staff shakes out is a major part of this fall practice."

Despite losing a pair of All-America selections in Logan Pierce and Danny Collins along with All-Sun Belt performer Trae Santos, the Trojans bring back four starters including All-Sun Belt shortstop Tyler Vaughn. Vaughn finished as the second toughest hitter to strikeout in the nation in 2013 and also ranked fourth in country in runs scored.

During fall practice, Pierce and Troy's coaching staff look to get each hitter close to 50 at-bats at the plate and allow pitchers to throw on average 15-20 innings on the mound. According to Pierce, each practice is critical in evaluating players and prepping for the upcoming season.

"We like the progress our returning players have made over the summer and some of our new guys have shown they are ready to come in and compete," Pierce said. "As team practice begins and continues, it gives our young players a chance to make a contribution to the team in the spring."

The Trojans will begin a series of intrasquad games starting on Saturday. For updates from each scrimmage, make sure to follow @TROY_Baseball1 on Twitter or like the Troy baseball page on Facebook.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyAthletics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.

Troy University Athletics

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