Season Preview: 2023 Baseball

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (January 27, 2023) – The Milligan University baseball team looks to continue its ascent after one of the most successful seasons in recent memory.

Visual Preview

The Buffs open their season by hosting the Clash of Conferences on Feb. 3-4 at Anglin Field and TVA Credit Union Ballpark.

2022 Season Review: Milligan baseball posted its second-winningest season in program history last spring with a 36-21 overall record. The Buffs tied for fourth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) standings and posted a 19-11 conference record with seven AAC series wins. Since the AAC was formed in the 2001 season, the Buffs' 19 league wins last spring were the second-most in team history. 

Milligan notched seven wins over teams receiving votes in the NAIA national rankings and won a pair of games in the AAC tournament, marking Milligan's deepest postseason run since 2014. The Buffs had four players earn all-conference honors, the most in a single season since 2015. For the first time since 2005, Milligan posted three consecutive winning seasons.

"This club grew a lot last season," said fourth-year head coach Skyler Barnett. "We lost some key contributors that lay the groundwork and raised our expectations moving forward as a program. excited to see where this year's journey will take us."

Playing in one of the premier NAIA baseball conferences in the country, Milligan finished second in the batting average against (.237) and third in earned run average (4.36). One of the most aggressive teams on the basepaths in the nation, the Buffs finished 12th nationally with 134 stolen bases.

Team Captains: Anthony Guzman, Cade Elliott, Logan Hullette, Braden Spano, Brandon Marello and Chance Hall

2023 AAC Preseason Poll: The AAC sent three teams to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round last spring. Tennessee Wesleyan and Bryan claimed automatic berths and Reinhardt secured an at-large bid.

Team (1st-Place Votes) - Total Points
Tennessee Wesleyan - 132 (11)
Reinhardt - 122 (1)
Milligan - 106
Bryan - 94
St. Andrews - 83
Montreat - 79
Point - 77
Bluefield - 66
Columbia International - 57
Truett McConnell - 47
Union - 39
Kentucky Christian - 20
Johnson – 19

Key Returners: Milligan returns six hitters with over 100 at-bats and two of its top three pitchers in terms of innings pitched from 2022. The Buffs are one of 14 teams listed in the "others receiving votes" category in the 2023 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll.

"This group of returners helped this club accomplish a lot last season," said Barnett. "I'm looking forward to seeing what their experience and leadership brings to this year's campaign."

Senior Brandon Marello was tabbed as an All-AAC First Team selection at second base last spring after earning all-conference laurels as a pitcher and infielder in 2021. Marello hit .341 and led the Buffs with 44 runs scored and ranked second in the AAC with 25 stolen bases. He hit a grand slam and was the winning pitcher in a 4-2 win at Point and belted a walk-off home run in a 5-4 12-inning victory over Truett McConnell in the final weeks of the regular season.

"Brandon has established himself as one of the top performers in the conference year-in and year-out," said Barnett. "Having a front seat to see him play has been remarkable. I'm excited to see more of what Brandon is able to help this team accomplish."

As a pitcher, Marello served as Milligan's third starter, typically pitching the seven-inning game in an AAC series. He posted a 7-2 record and a 3.38 earned run average in 74.2 innings. He ranked 10th in the AAC with 70 strikes (8.44 strikeouts per game). In 10 of his 13 outings, Marello allowed two runs or fewer.

Junior Braden Spano secured All-AAC Second Team honors as a designated hitter last spring despite serving as the Buffs' everyday first baseman last spring. Spano let Milligan in batting (.383), home runs (9), RBI (53), doubles (22), on-base percentage (.453) and slugging (.648). He finished top-10 in the AAC in batting, slugging, hits, total bases and doubles.

"Braden has been a staple in our lineup from the moment he stepped on campus," said Barnett. "It's great to see success come his way because he is undoubtedly one of our hardest workers. His leadership is evident and I'm looking forward to seeing him compete this season."

Junior starting pitcher Andrei Beal set Milligan's single-season strikeout record (115) and earned All-AAC Second Team laurels in 2022. Beal ranked in the top 10 of the AAC with 15 starts, eight wins and 78.2 innings pitched. He led the conference and ranked 14th nationally with 13.16 strikeouts per nine. Beal finished in the top 15 in the AAC with an earned run average of 3.43 and opposing batting average of .170.

"Andrei has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time here," said Barnett. "Cementing himself in the record books as a sophomore is very impressive. I'm excited to see him continue to lead the pitching staff and watch him compete."

Senior outfielder Anthony Guzman was named to the AAC's Gold Glove Team as a corner outfielder in 2023 after securing an All-AAC Second Team nod two seasons ago. Guzman hit .325 with five home runs and 31 RBI last spring.

Senior Chance Hall looks to settle into a pitcher-only role this season after spending last year as an outfielder and reliever. Hall made the second-most relief appearances on the squad last season with 21 bullpen appearances. He notched a 4-2 record with four saves in 36.1 innings of work. He posted 42 strikeouts (10.40 K/9) and a 2.72 ERA.

Senior Andrew Mathias served as the Buffs' everyday shortstop in his first season at Milligan last spring. He ranked seventh in the AAC with 116 assists with a .938 fielding percentage. At the plate he hit .218 with one home run, 24 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

Sophomore Josh Lail worked his way into the Buffs' lineup with 132 at-bats as a freshman. He hit .288 with one home run and 18 RBI. Senior Logan Hullette was limited to DH and pinch hitting duties last spring but looks to contribute at catcher in 2023. Both newcomers came through with memorable walk-off wins last spring as Lail singled in the 10th to deliver the Buffs to a win over Pikeville and Hullette doubled in the game-winning run against Bryan.

Sophomore Preston Miller had three scoreless outings, notched one save and struck out 19 batters in 18.1 innings last year. Senior left-hander Graham Hooker had four outings with no earned runs allowed and struck out 15 in 16.1 innings. Sophomore Creed Werker had five scoreless bullpen appearances and struck out 13 batters in 13.2 innings of work.

Left-handed additions last spring, senior Jacob Poe and junior Cade Elliott were limited due to injury during the 2022 campaign. Poe served as the Buffs' opening day starter but did not appear in action beyond Feb. 19. Elliott will make his Milligan debut this spring.

Newcomers: Milligan baseball has a slew of fresh faces to the roster in 2023 in the form of freshmen, transfers and graduate transfers. The Buffs added 14 freshmen, 14 undergraduate transfers and seven graduate transfer for a total of 35 newcomers for spring 2023.

"There's so much excitement with these newcomers," said Barnett. "The skillset and experience they bring has raised the bar for this club. Our coaching staff's hard work on the recruiting trail is evident and were looking forward to seeing these young men compete."

Looking at the Schedule: The AAC regular season is a 30-game schedule with three-game series against 10 of the 12 other AAC opponents. The three-game series will include two nine-inning games and one seven-inning contest. AAC play for the Buffs begins Feb. 17 at CIU.

For the second-straight season, Milligan will not compete against St. Andrews or Bluefield in league play. The Buffs will see Bluefield in a pair of nonconference midweek games on Feb. 21 and April 25.

Milligan opens the season with nine of its first 10 games scheduled at home. In March, the Buffs host 10-straight home dates, including three AAC series, at Anglin Field.

The 10-team AAC Tournament will be played at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport on May 2-6. The two teams that reach the AAC championship game will receive automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

Last Word: "The outlook of this program is high right now," said Barnett. "We're looking forward to another competitive season and to just keep improving as we go. Our goals are to compete for an AAC championship and allow these guys to have a lengthy post-season. Looking forward to the journey."