CLEVELAND - After having two disappointing seasons back to back, the Statesmen, guided by head coach Mike Kinnison, are going after the 2011 title with a vengeance. Now seven years removed from the NCAA Division II College World Series Championship, the Statesmen are hungry for perfection.

“We are disappointed and frustrated with the last two years as we have finished out of the money; hopefully there is a better end to the story this time,” Kinnison said.

Winning isn't just a fairytale for the green-and-white, it's standard in the history of Delta State baseball. Goals are set high and the expectation to go all the way is the mindset of every Statesmen.

“Our ultimate goal every year is a national championship, and we feel like we are capable of obtaining that,” Kinnison said.

If the Statesmen are to return to the pinnacle of Division II baseball, they will do it with a host of new faces new to the Gulf South Conference battle as well as experienced players eager to lead their teammates to perfection.

Catcher
This years squad offers great talent behind the plate. With two talented upper classmen competing for playing time, the Statesmen's two catchers, Patrick Taylor and John Carnahan offer great stability to the position.

“I think our catching is in good hands,” said Kinnison. “At this level you certainly have to have two solid catchers when you play 50 games plus playoffs— I do feel like we have two catchers who can handle that load for us.”

Senior Patrick Taylor, a transfer from Berry College, played in 47 games and started 33 times as catcher for the Statesmen in the 2010 season. Taylor will also pick up his portion of the weight on the offensive side proven by his average of .406 last year in GSC play. He comes into the new season with Gulf South Conference experience and is prepared to lead the team with it.

“He is a very good defensive catcher and a good leader— kind of an extension of the coaching staff on the field. We are really pleased with that,” said Kinnison. “This year he is more comfortable and knows what we expect.”

Jon Carnahan, a Junior transfer from Marion Military Institute, will a play an important role as the other catcher for the Statesmen.

“You will see Carnahan a lot, and he will be right in the mix of things” said Kinnison. “He is a guy that we would rate a great defensive catcher who also has some offensive capabilities.”

“Both those guys are what you like to have behind the plate,” said Kinnison.

Middle Infield
With a notable loss in Chase Blanchard, there will be some finagling in the middle infield this season. Senior Chris Escobar and junior Anthony Even, a transfer from Kaskaskia College, are competing for the starting job at second base. And according to Kinnison, it's a close race.

Escobar started in 50 games as the Statesmen shortstop last season. He hit .329 with six doubles, three home runs, 41 RBIs and totaled 11 multiple hit and 11 multiple RBI games.

“We are going to move Chris [Escobar] to second base this year,” said Kinnison. We felt like he was stretched well last year to physically play shortstop; but we think he will be more comfortable and be a better player defensively at second base. “

A new face, Craig Hermon, will take over at shortstop for the Statesmen and Kinnison has a lot of faith in the abilities of the Fort Worth, TX native.

“We feel like Hermon can be a good defensive short stop for us, and we want to continue to improve some things offensively,” said Kinnison. “But like catching, that middle infield is something you put a premium on defensive.”

Infield Corners
The Statesmen are anxious in the return of Kellen Bozeman at first base, who received a medical redshirt in 2010. Bozeman had a very successful junior year that resulted in him being named to the All-GSC South Conference First Team.

Aside from his stellar defensive skills, the Baton Rouge, La. native has tremendous offensive capabilities as well. In 2009, Bozeman batted .350, with 18 doubles, one triple, 11 homeruns and 57 RBIs. He ended the season second on the team both in batting average and hits (72).

“He was an All-Region Player two years ago, then he had off-season labrum surgery last December,” recalled Kinnison. “We know he can be a good offensive player; we need him to come back in and carry the middle of the load for us and be the offensive player he is capable of. We certainly think that if he can stay healthy he can be what we need at first base,” said Kinnison.

Brent Kakwitch projects to be at third base. A transfer from Madison College in Green Bay Wisc., Kakwitch gained experience at third and shortstop. He also has a strong bat as he hit .384 with 12 doubles, 14 homeruns and 59 RBIs as a sophomore at Madison. He also adds a lot of speed to the team proven by his 16-of-19 stolen base attempts.

“Kakwitch had great a sophomore year there, and we hope he can bring that here,” said Kinnison. He is a solid player with good offensive capabilities. We feel good about him being at there [third].”

Outfield
This year's outfield positions are filled with mostly experienced upper-classmen in spite of losing two senior outfielders.

“We did lose two starter outfielders [Hoggard and Todd] but we still have some experience in senior Will McGinnis and senior Patrick Strack, who are battling for the right field spot,” said Kinnison.
McGinnis, a transfer from Crowder Community College, had a successful first season with the Statesmen in 2010. Playing in 37 games with 29 starts, he batted .292 with two doubles, one triple, two home runs and 24 RBIs. The Springdale, Ark. native went 28-96 at the plate including 26 runs scored.

Strack has been with the Statesmen since the beginning of his collegiate career and has been a great asset. In 2009, the Little Rock, Ark. native had a breakout year batting .313 with six home runs and 22 RBIs. He had the highest on-base percentage (.483) with a minimum of 50 at bats. In 2010, Strack did not commit an error in the field.

Michael Vinson, who was one of the top freshmen in the nation in 2010, will take the reigns in left field this season and will add a multitude of strength to the lineup. In spite of his young age, the Southaven, Miss. native played like a veteran in his first year with the Statesmen. Along with not committing a single error on the field in his 48 games played, Vinson finished second on the team with a .363 average and went 65-179 at the plate with a team-high 16 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 48 RBIs.

“Vinson had a great year as a true freshman in the DH role,” said Kinnison. “We need to get better bats in the lineup so we need him to work in the outfield.”

After three solid years of starting play, Michael Nieman will be leading the outfield as he returns to center for his senior year. The Yelm, Wash. native has 158 starts under his belt with the Statesmen. He was name to the GSC All-Tournament Team his freshman year and has been named First Team All-GSC West Division in his last two season.

“He is outstanding defensively: instinct, speed and can really cover tremendous ground in the outfield,” said Kinnison. “You couldn't ask for a better center fielder.”

Starting Pitchers
The pitching staff is another area that is full of new faces. The Statesmen lost their three rotation starters in Jason Coats (7-1, 3.17 ERA, 65.1 IP), Trey Griffin (6-3, 4.82 ERA, 71 IP) and Cody Kelley (7-1, 4.03 ERA, 89.1 IP).

“The pitching staff is new and we do not have a tremendous amount of experience,” said Kinnison. “We lost our three rotation starters; but this conference does not feel sorry for you, so you better get them ready.”

According to Kinnison, Aaron Newcomb, an Onley Central College transfer; Brandon Hardin, a Kaskaskia (Ill.) Community College transfer and Jordan Moore, a returning Statesmen, will be rotation starters.

Moore, after redshirting in 2009, appeared in eight games with six starts in 2010. He posted a 3-0 record with a 2.35 ERA, which was lowest among DSU starting pitchers with at-least eight appearances.

Bullpen
The Statesmen's bullpen has been hit with injuries in 2010 and during the off season. At the same time the Statesmen welcome senior David Mooney back to their pitching staff, they lost Josh Branstetter due to a broken foot.

Mooney, the left-handed relief pitcher, missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy-John surgery.

“We get David Mooney back, and we think he is healthy and has returned from his injury well,” Kinnison said. “So we are excited about getting him back.”

“Josh Branstetter certainly would have been in that mix, but he is out until earlier march and it will be a process for him to get back,” said Kinnison. “He was a true freshman last year that showed us some good things.”

Tim Maloney, a returning senior; Nathan Hardy, also a returning senior and Andrew Lytle, a junior transfer from Allegany College (Md.), will all be filling the situational pitching rolls for the Statesmen. Jeffrey Vance, a returning senior that had his best year last year according to Kinnison, will fill the gap in the middle relief slot.

The late relief roles out of the bullpen will be Brent Hallmark, who is a returning redshirt junior and Garratt Pickens, who is a junior transfer from Mississippi Delta Community College.

Kinnison feels these two guys will “answer some of those questions we had in the bullpen last year.”

Ultimately pleased with the pitching staff of the 2011 season, Kinnison said, “I think there are some good pieces to work with we just have to put them the right spots.'

Schedule
Being one of the most accomplished and successful baseball programs in Division II does not happen by taking a cakewalk. To compete for a national championship Kinnison understands you have to outplay and outmatch your opponent. There is no better way to prepare for that than by having a difficult schedule.

“I think playing that good caliber of competition has always prepared our teams well,” Kinnison said. “If we can get to that postseason level then we've got a pretty good bit of confidence that we've gotten there by playing tough people.”

The Statesmen start of the season with two difficult non-conference matchups against Albilene Christian University, the Lone Start Conference Champions for the 2010 season and Lambuth University. The Statesmen will also face Columbus State University in three games (one double header) at the beginning of the season.

“Our non-conference schedule is always tough,” Kinnison said. “Columbus State, [who is in the] Peachbelt conference and was a regional participant last year, will be great competition [as] their history is one of National Championship and World Series.”

The Gulf South Conference West Division offers quality baseball as well as great competition. With Southern Arkansas returning from their best year in program history last year, they will be “the team to beat” as Kinnison says. Also in the West Division are Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas Tech, who have a lot of experienced players returning.

“The GSC West Division gives you all the competition you want,” said Kinnison. “Ouachita and Arkansas Tech are two clubs that loss very minimal talent; they have almost their entire team back in tact.”

To increase the quality of the schedule, Kinnison opts to play the teams in the East Division as well.

“Even though we're not required to, we think that playing the East Division competition certainly adds a great depth and character to our schedule,” Kinnison said.

In the East Division, West Florida has over 20 letterman returning this season, and Delta State will face them in a double-header along with Alabama-Huntsville.