Super Bowl Update

Recently spoke with Troy head baseball coach Bobby Pierce at the conclusion of Troy's fall baseball practice. HERE is a recap of the World Series, and this weekend is big because Friday night is the alumni game and this weekend is also the Troy baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend.

Now, on to the position players that Pierce mentioned, and I'll get to the pitchers later this week.

CATCHER - The top two guys here are fifth-year senior Blake Martz and JUCO transfer junior Brandon Brown. Martz sat out part of the fall with a meniscus injury, but "when he was out there, he was catching and throwing as well as he has in his career," Pierce said.

Brown's defense was good, but his offense really took a step up, Pierce said. He did hit over .400 in scrimmages. Coaches feel pretty confident about this duo and if Brown is the main catcher, Martz is a top candidate to be the DH. Freshman Jake Harrell missed fall after hand surgery.

FIRST BASE - Logan Pierce returns for his junior year and led Troy in most hitting categories this fall. Bobby felt like his kid made some big strides after hitting well in spots last year. Sophomore Kyle Brown really made significant offensive improvements this fall, though he's battling a hip problem that may need surgery. If Brown can play through the pain, he's also a candidate to be the DH if Pierce is the main 1B.

SECOND BASE - Three-way battle here with senior Tyson Workman, who was an outfielder last year and is also a top reliever, sophomore JUCO transfer Jakob Nixon, who Troy signed late in the summer and redshirt sophomore Tyler Vaughn. Nixon had a good fall offensively but still needs to pick it up defensively, Pierce said, and Vaughn is one of the hardest workers on the team. Workman will be in the lineup somewhere in the OF if not at 2B.

SHORTSTOP - Senior Tyler Hannah moves from third base to short to replace Adam Bryant, and he missed some of fall with a leg injury, but he should be fine. JUCO transfer Austin Golden had a good fall, Pierce said, and adds depth.

THIRD BASE - Looks like sophomore JUCO transfer Danny Collins has emerged in this battle ahead of true freshman Peyton Fuller (who also pitches). Both should end up as pretty good players in the program. Collins was the runner-up JUCO Player of the Year in Florida. He redshirted at Alabama in 2009 and won the Wiregrass High School Home Run Derby in 2008. Collins will be counted on to be a middle of the order guy.

OUTFIELD - Easily Troy's deepest position, and there won't be enough at-bats or innings to go around for all of them. Seniors Josh McDorman and Boone Shear are two starters, as McDorman had a big fall from a power standpoint and Shear continued hitting well after closing the year strong. Workman could also play out here.

JUCO transfer Chase Mathis had a steady fall, Pierce said. Sophomore Ali Knowles is the best defender, but has had two surgeries to remove bone spurs and a gall bladder surgery. Pierce is very high on redshirt freshman Clay Holcomb and his potential to be an outstanding player. True freshman Jo-El Bennett, an 11th round MLB Draft pick by the Pirates, has a chance to play a big role. He had a good offensive fall but must be more consistent defensively, Pierce said. Sophomore Hayden Hillyer missed the fall with a hand injury.

Holcomb and Knowles are probably the two best defenders in the group and if they don't start the games, they'll likely be in there at the end as defensive replacements.

Offensively, this should be a pretty good group. The infield defense won't be as good as it was last year, but the combo of Adam Bryant and T.J. Rivera was as good as it gets.