Charleston Cougars
Overall Rank: #23
Conference Rank: #1 Colonial 
Charleston Team Page
College of Charleston shocked the world in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Gainesville Regional and battling Texas Tech very tough in the Lubbock Super Regional. The Cougars bring back a very talented group back from last year’s fantastic run and, while they will have more of a target on their back in 2015, the opportunity is definitely there for another Super Regional run or deeper this season.
2014: 44-19, 15-6
2014 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Monte Lee
Field Players:
Infielder Carl Wise, who took part in the Cape Cod League Home Run Derby over the summer, will be back to help pace the Charleston offense in 2015. Wise hit .295 and drove in 54 runs along with a accumulating a .419 slugging percentage. Infielder Blake Butler will provide a very element of balance with his contact hitting ability and speed that he brings to the table. Butler had 72 hits, scored 48 runs and stole seven bases last season for the Cougars. The other power component of the College of Charleston offense will come from Nick Pappas and Brandon Glazer who combined for ten homeruns last season. If they can find a way to combine for about 15 homeruns this year, that will be an added bonus.
Pitchers:
This is going to be a significant strength once again in 2015 for the Cougars. Bailey Ober will be the ace in the rotation this season. Ober was 10-3 with a 1.52 earned run average and did a nice job of limiting hits as well, as opposing batters only hit .192 against him. Taylor Clarke returns as well and he won 10 games last season and ate up a ton of innings, throwing 104 innings in 2014.
Who to Watch:
The closer position needs to be addressed for the College of Charleston. The Cougars will need to replace closer Michael Hanzlik, who saved 16 games in 2014. The top two candidates to take over that role will be Chase Henry and Hayden McCutcheon. Henry was 2-0 last season and did a nice job of not walking too many batters and has the ability to get the big strikeout. He struck out 51 batters in 47 innings of work in 2014. McCutcheon was 1-0 in just seven appearances but, like Henry, did have two saves and was very effective in his limited action out of the bullpen.
Final Projection:
The College of Charleston will have to hit the ground running in 2015 as they open the season with a tough series on the road at South Carolina. Indiana makes a visit to Patriots Point starting on February 27th for a three game weekend series. This will be a huge opportunity for the Cougars to make a big statement against a Power Five conference school that has been very tough in recent years. Then, a two-game midweek series up in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech out of the ACC, will be another big opportunity to boost the RPI for the College of Charleston. In addition there will be key mid-week tests later in the season on the road at Coastal Carolina and Furman. The conference schedule will be very road heavy with tough trips to James Madison, Delaware, William & Mary and Northeastern. The ability of the Cougars to hold serve at home and dominate series and find a way to get series wins on the road will set them up nicely for a run at the CAA championship. If the offense provides the balance that it did a year ago and Ober dominates on Friday nights in weekend series, Charleston will be a threat for a Regional host spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Blake Butler, IF, 255
Hits: Blake Butler, IF, 72
Home Runs: Brandon Glazer, IF/OF, 5; Nick Pappas, IF, 5
RBIs: Carl Wise, IF, 54
Runs: Blake Butler, IF, 48
Stolen Bases: Blake Butler, IF, 7; Brandon Glazer, IF/OF, 7
Wins: Bailey Ober, P, 10; Taylor Clarke, P, 10
Innings Pitched: Bailey Ober, P, 106.2
Strikeouts: Taylor Clarke, P, 92
Saves: Chase Henry, P, 2; Hayden McCutcheon, P, 2
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