Dallas Baptist Patriots
Overall Rank: #15
Conference Rank: #1 Missouri Valley
Dallas Baptist has been a very consistent program under Coach Dan Heefner. This year will certainly have its difficulties though with Austin Listi and Camden Duzenack moving on. Listi hit .336 with 24 homeruns and 55 RBIs, while Duzenack added 15 homeruns and 49 RBIs. That is a lot of production lost, but the Patriots do return the rest of their regular lineup and their entire staff of starting pitchers.
2017: 42-21, 15-6
2017 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Dan Heefner
Key Departed Players:
Austin Listi, IF/OF, .336 BA, 24 HR, 55 RBI
Camden Duzenack, IF, .278 BA, 15 HR, 49 RBI
Seth Elledge, P, 2.59 ERA, 2-1 W-L, 31.1 IP, 42 SO, 13 SV
Key Returning Players:
Matt Duce, C, .333 BA, 9 HR, 55 RBI
Jameson Hannah, OF, .328 BA, 9 HR, 38 RBI
Tim Millard, IF, .308 BA, 12 HR, 62 RBI
Garrett Wolforth, C, .289 BA, 7 HR, 27 RBI
Devlin Granberg, IF/OF, .359 BA, 7 HR, 47 RBI
Jordan Martinson, P, 4.78 ERA, 9-4 W-L, 81.0 IP, 76 SO
Ray Gaither, P, 5.11 ERA, 6-4 W-L, 75.2 IP, 68 SO
Projection:
DBU still has plenty of potent hitters. Matt Duce and Jameson Hannah each hit over .325 with nine homeruns last year. Hannah, a junior outfielder, is the best overall player on the team and should be in for a big year. Tim Millard is the team’s top returning power hitter, belting a dozen homeruns to go along with his 62 RBIs. Millard may not reach Listi’s numbers in the homerun department, but he should bolster his total. With Garrett Wolforth and Devlin Granberg also more than capable of hitting for power, Dallas Baptist will still have an extremely potent offense even without Listi and Duzenack. The return of MD Johnson, Jordan Marinson and Ray Gaither gives Dallas Baptist an experienced and proven group of starters. Coach Dan Heefner does need to replace closer Seth Elledge, but the staff as a whole should be better and this group has the talent to dominate the Missouri Valley and push for a regional host spot come tournament time.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
