Wolves Expecting Big Things in Upcoming Season
WESSON - The 2024 season is quickly approaching for the Co-Lin Baseball team and second-year head coach Adam Chamblee said he is excited about building on the foundation that was laid by last season.
"I am expecting to have a great year and our guys have been working incredibly hard to get ready for this season," stated Chamblee. "This year has been a little easier heading into it with having guys entering their second year in our program and those sophomores have helped to set the tone with their leadership. We always have the expectation for guys to play hard every game and to win a lot of games too."
The Wolves feature a roster of 33 players including 18 sophomores (16 returners and two transfers) and 15 freshmen. Returning sophomores include Connor Pittman (Waynesboro), Brayden Evans (Florence), Brentley Berry (Magee), Isaac McClenty (Ridgeland), Coby Gallott (Ocean Springs), Braden Freeman (Terry), Jayden Duncan (Foxworth), Craig Bass (Brookhaven), Sam Thomas (Madison), Riley Easterling (Brookhaven), Christian Cameron (Brandon), Jordan McKenzie (Franklinton), Andin Bolen (Lucedale), Hagan Coumbe (Utica), Hayden Babineaux (Churchpoint, LA), and Ryland Hemphill (Florence) while the two transfer sophomores are Spencer Wilson (McComb) and Jon David Weed (Terry) who came to Co-Lin from Hinds and Meridian respectively. Chamblee said he is excited about what this group of sophomores brings to the field.
"Connor Pittman is returning on the mound for us after a great freshman year and is going to be our top guy on the staff this season," stated Chamblee. "Braydon Evans is returning behind the plate and we think he will see a lot of playing time again this season. Christian Cameron is back at first base and he was voted as one of our team captains this season because he is a guy that leads by example and sets the standard for us every day."
"Jordan McKenzie is a third-year player for our program who is back after dealing with some injuries and we are expecting big things from him at third base as well as on the mound," added Chamblee. "In the outfield, JD Weed will be in left field for us. He is one of our transfer sophomores and he had a great fall for us. We also have Brentley Berry and Hayden Babineaux in the middle infield for us."
"Andin Bolen, Coby Gallott, and Jayden Duncan are three pitchers that we have high expectations for this season especially after the successful freshmen seasons they had," said Chamblee. "Sam Thomas, Hagan Coumbe, Riley Easterling, and Ryland Hemphill are guys that we have that are battling for positions and playing time as well including the designated hitter spot…having guys like that make our team better from a depth position by giving us more options throughout the season."
The freshmen class includes Judson Griffin (Brookhaven), Tucker Jones (Brandon), Tyler Ferguson (Bossier City, LA), Sam Cook (Shubuta), Dee Morgan (Tallulah, LA), Wade Barr (Collins) Brayden Cooley (Flora), Ben Stringer (Brandon), Caleb Flynn (Laurel), Brayden Bankston (Terry), Reise Thomas (Florence), Dylan Wesson (Brandon), Easton Boyte (Brookhaven), Lucas Harrington (Youngsville, LA), and Sawyer Dunn (Magee). Chamblee said this group is going to help elevate this team throughout the season.
"This group of freshmen is super talented, and we are excited about having them as part of our team and program…this freshman class has a chance to be really special," said Chamblee. "Tucker Jones and Dylan Wesson had great falls for us and we think that will see a fair amount of playing time in the outfield while Brayden Bankston has gotten off to a great start this spring fighting for the shortstop position. On the mound, Tyler Ferguson, Dee Morgan, and Lucas Harrington are three out-of-state guys that we think will have a chance to pitch a lot for us."
Chamblee also said he thinks this season will have a different feel than his first one because of one big difference in this year's team.
"I think that a big difference in this season will be the fact that we are returning a ton of experience from last season," stated Chamblee. "Last season we had a ton of freshmen players in the field, and we were sophomore heavy on the mound which saw us falter late at times when we had a lead or were trying to stay in games throughout last season. This year we have experience throughout our team in every phase of the game which I hope will help us to keep our foot on the gas throughout each game."
The Wolves play a loaded schedule this season featuring a bevy of ranked opponents from Division I and Division II in the NJCAA including three teams in the MACCC.
"The schedule is going to be tough from the start on our guys with teams like Pensacola State and Mineral Area. When you add teams like Delgado, Pearl River, East Central, and Meridian it certainly doesn't get any easier, but I tell our guys to just focus on ourselves," stated Chamblee. "I tell our guys not to get caught up in the scoreboard and to just play our game because it is more about us than it is the opponent. We are starting with a ton of quality programs and good teams, but if we don't hurt ourselves then we will be okay."
"The wins and losses will take care of themselves, but we want to handle our business and prepare the best we can in practice, and then let's go have fun and play baseball on game days," added Chamblee. "I think if we do that then we will see a lot of the splits from last season turn into sweeps and get us to the playoffs!"
The Wolves start the season on the road against Pensacola State on Friday, February 2. To view the full schedule, click here.