Buffs looking to pick up where they left off last season

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Jan. 29, 2021) – After the 2020 campaign was cut short only 22 games in, the Milligan University baseball team will look to carry the momentum from its 14-8 overall, 5-1 Appalachian Athletic Conference-leading record last season into a successful 2021 season.

Milligan opens the season Saturday in a neutral game in Columbia, South Carolina, where they will face USC Beaufort in a doubleheader. Head Coach Skyler Barnett, now in his second season, says the team has rebounded from the shortened 2020 season with a successful 2021 preseason, and the Buffaloes are ready to go.

"We have been very fortunate that a majority of us were able to stay healthy and get a lot of reps in from the fall and early spring," he says. "I think that is also a testament to Milligan's action plans put in place to keep our community safe during the previous and upcoming semesters. After a shortened season for our returners and a majority of our newcomers not having a season at all, it was imperative for us to not only train but play as many innings as we could. Over 150 innings and 1,200 plate appearances in intrasquad scrimmages later, we are very happy with our progress."

A look at the 2021 team

After the Buffs open with the neutral twin bill against USC Beaufort, they will come home for the first time over the next two weekends. In the home-opening weekend, Milligan will face Thomas More and Rio Grande in four games across two days as part of the third annual Clash of Conferences tournament.

Four games in two days will be a test of the team's depth in pitching, but Barnett says that will play into one of the team's strengths.

"For us, I believe our strengths carry over from last year, and that was on the backs of our pitching staff," he says. "With the stability of some returners mixed in with a few newcomers, we are looking to be very competitive on the mound this season."

Five Milligan pitchers won two or more games last year, led by Brock Browning who was 4-1 with an ERA of 2.38. Brandon Marello, Garrett Wilkins and Graham Hooker each were 2-0 with Marello sporting a 1.80 ERA, which was sixth lowest in the AAC. Cameron Bryson also won two games last year, primarily pitching from out of the bullpen.

Countering the pitching staff is a strong lineup that features three returning Buffs who batted .300 or better in 2020. Marello led Milligan in hitting at a .342 clip, followed by Ben Grable (.333) and Will Findley (.300).

Goals for this season | Overcoming challenges

Barnett says the team goals remain simple and the same as last year.

"Team goals are always to compete for an AAC championship," he says, "but ultimately we just want to get better every day and see where we stack up as the end of the year. We have a lot of new faces on this year's squad in total which is very exciting but also creates some unknowns."

And the 2020-21 season has already had plenty of unknowns and is sure to have more.

With already so many protocol changes, schedule changes, practice routine adjustments, and more, the upcoming season will likely be more challenging than normal – it already has been – but Barnett says the abrupt stop to last season has put a lot into perspective this season.

"The uniqueness of this season will certainly be a challenge. However, we have to have the mindset to be ready for anything," Barnett says. "We understand that nothing is promised so we have to be prepared to compete every day. We take into account and remember how abruptly our season was taken away last year. There will inevitably be schedule changes, site changes and more challenges ahead, but we just have to have a 'win this day' mindset and role with what is ahead."

More on the 2021 schedule

After a 12-game stretch of nonconference games, Milligan is slated to open the 2021 AAC schedule at Truett McConnell on Feb. 26-27. It will be the first three of 30 AAC games scheduled for this season. The Buffaloes will also have plenty of midweek nonconference games on the schedule through March and April, including a pair of doubleheaders against perennial power University of the Cumberlands.

"We take a lot of pride competing in such a competitive, nationally recognized conference," Barnett adds. "Every game in this conference is a battle, and we are looking forward to the challenge. As it sits now, we will also have a very competitive nonconference slate that we are excited about. We are looking forward to seeing where we stack up."