NOTE: This is the third and final part of a three-part series previewing the 2017 Stetson Baseball season. The Hatters will open the campaign on Friday night at Melching Field against Southern Illinois. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start.

There is a belief in baseball that strength up the middle is the key to any teams success over the course of a season. That strength up the middle of the Stetson defense is where the Hatters will place their faith, and it all starts behind the place with junior catcher Austin Hale, one of three team captains.
 
Coming off All-ASUN Tournament honors last spring, Hale was the only member of the Stetson team named to the preseason All-Conference team for 2017. A Johnny Bench Award nominee, his work behind the plate – both defensively and with the Hatters' pitchers – is the absolute strength of the team.
 
"We have so much confidence is Austin Hale, he will be the one to get the tempo going," Hatters coach Steve Trimper said. "I am a big believer in tempo."
 
Hale missed the fall after off-season surgery to his non-throwing shoulder. He rehab work for that injury has put him a little behind in his offensive preparation, but not in his catching duties.
 
"Austin will be ready for opening day," Trimper said two weeks prior to the opener. "He caught every inning this weekend and is cleared to play. His swing is a little screwy right now, but we are a better team with Austin up there taking pitches and striking out, or bunting every time, because of what he does behind the plate. He is unbelievable back there. We have a great chance to be successful when he is in the game."
 
The strength up the middle continues with senior shortstop Colton Lightner, also a captain. After splitting his time between third base, short and even some second base last year, he can expect to be in the lineup at short every day this spring. In fact, he is the only player who has locked down a starting job in the infield.
 
"Lightner is just a vacuum at short and he is going to be there every day unless he gets hurt," Trimper said.
 
Strength up the middle is capped by sophomore Jacob Koos, who will step into the starting role in center that was held down over the last two years by standouts Vance Vizcaino (2016) and Cory Reid (2015).
 
"Koos is a lock-down center fielder," Trimper said. "He is a great player and is going to steal a lot of bases."
 
The only other returning player with significant starting experience for the Hatters is sophomore left-fielder Kirk Sidwell. He earned All-Tournament honors in Stetson's run to the ASUN Tournament title last year and is the only proven run-producer in the lineup heading into 2017. Sidwell hit .308 as a freshman and drove in 23 runs with 10 extra-base hits.
 
With Bogart the likely starter in right field, although fellow freshman Andrew MacNeil could join him in a platoon situation, the primary question mark on the lineup card are in the infield and at designated hitter.
 
Playing time at second and third base will be divided freshmen Jordan Morrow (3B), Jorge Arenas (2B/3B), Ben Rowdon (2B) and junior college transfer Nico Torino (3B/2B/C).
 
"I like Rowdon as a backup to Lightner and he can grow and learn from Colton's experience," Trimper said of the son of former Hatter, and former MLB player Wade Rowdon. "He runs really well and I see him getting some at bats, here and there. He may wind up being a center fielder down the road. He is very athletic and could transition to the outfield. I think he is going to be a good player down the road, but he is young.
 
"Nico Torino gives us some grit. He can play all three defensive positions and has looked good at all three. He swings the bat well and I like the way he runs."
 
Torino could also serve as a backup for Hale behind the plate. He caught some in junior college and, with senior backup Jorge Flores dealing with shoulder problems, Torino could step in to help. The Hatters also have freshmen Chris Tidwell and Garrett Capman, although both are candidates to redshirt.
 
"The guy to watch is Arenas because he has a lot of tools," Trimper said. "He is better at third base right now than he is at second because he has never played second before. We have been working him a lot at second. Jordan Morrow has looked really good at third, so that is the reason we have been working Arenas so much at second."
 
Other backups in the infield will be sophomore Domenic Baldino and freshmen Matthew Jones and Chris Hopkins.
 
The major void is at first base where Mackenzie spent the last two seasons before moving into a student assistant role. Junior Charlie Watters is the heir apparent coming in, but sophomore Mike Spooner has made great strides after moving from the outfield. Sophomore Jack Perkins can also play some at first, but will likely focus more on his pitching.
 
"First base is the biggest question mark on the team," Trimper said. "Right now it is Spooner and Watters, with Perkins also in the mix. Spooner has done a pretty good job for it to be the first time he has been over there. Charlie is a better defensive first baseman, but has had a big swing-and-miss swing right now. We made some adjustments last week, and he was an MVP this past weekend. Who knows, those adjustments might make a big difference where he comes on as a junior this year. Spooner has been pretty solid, he just needs to get some confidence and get going. He has a good swing."
 
Between Spooner and Watters, whoever winds up not playing first base will likely end up getting at bats as the designated hitter, along with Flores and possibly sophomore Jack Gonzalez.
 
Trimper said the key for the team to have success offensively is that everyone has to understand that there can be no egos in the way.
 
"This lineup needs to understand that every time you go to the plate you are going to be asked to do one of three things – you are either going to get on base, you are going to move someone up or you are going to produce runs. There are going to be times when the guy in the three spot is going to be asked to produce runs one time and then, the next time up, be asked to move someone over. There can be no egos in this lineup because we cannot afford to give up runs. We need to take them whenever we can."
 
Trimper said he believes there are three keys to being a regular regional team.
 
"Offensively, you have to have a high slugging percentage, you have to get on base with a good strikeout-to-walk ratio, and you have to steal bases," Trimper said. "If you do all three of those things, you do what Coastal did last year. If you don't do any of those three, you better have a pitching staff that is lights out.
 
"I'm not sure we are going to be a .450 slugging team, but we have the potential to be a good two-strike hitting team where we put the ball in play and steal a lot of bases. If you have a good slugging percentage, or you can steal bases, then you are getting into scoring position. When you do that then you have a chance to score with a hit, a sacrifice fly, a passed ball or whatever. We are going to focus on getting to second base as much as we can and as quickly as we can."
 
The new skipper is optimistic that the Hatters are in position to return to regional play this spring despite the fact that he has a young club that was picked to finish sixth in the ASUN preseason poll.
 
"It is hard to develop expectations because I don't know the league," Trimper said. "We never played any of the ASUN teams except for Stetson. On a talent side of things, we have a chance to be in every game because of our pitching staff and our defense. I am always guilty of running my mouth and talking too much, but I think this team has the potential to have a good year and finish at the top of the conference and compete fiercely for a championship."
 
The basis for that optimism is what he has seen on the field every day in preparation for the season.
 
"One of the things I value is that we have to practice the way we want to play," Trimper said. "It is always a good day when, at the end of practice, you are talking about practice. We have had that every day. That means they are enjoying it, which means they are learning things and processing things. The work ethic has been there, but we haven't had any adversity yet.
 
"It will be fun because I don't like to play unless it is fun, so that will come from me. We'll be upset when we lose. We'll process it and kick it out the door, but we are going flush it and move on to the next one. That is the attitude we have to have."

The Hatters will open the 2017 season at Melching Field on Friday night when they host Southern Illinois for the first game of a three-game series. Future MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones will be on hard to throw out the first pitch for the season prior to the scheduled 6:30 p.m. game time. The series will continue on Saturday with a 2 p.m. start time and will then conclude on Sunday with a noon start.

Season and individual game tickets are available through the Stetson Athletics Ticket Office by calling 386-738-HATS or by clicking HERE.