The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team has reached several of its goals in the past – winning the conference championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament – but head coach Kenny Thomas and his 2014 squad are ready to take the next step, which is aiming for a National Championship.

Coming off a 2013 season that saw the Pacers ranked No. 1 for much of the year, this year's team has many pieces of the puzzle back in place and has added a multitude of talent.

“Our team has opportunities to be a good team – and maybe a great team,” Thomas said. “It is hard to predict how the team will play, but I feel like they have great individual attitudes and the best team-first attitude the program has had. The student-athletes understand where they are at, what they have to do and understand that they have to work hard each and every day.

 “We will face many challenges this season and I'm excited to see how the team will step up,” Thomas stated. “We are better defensively this year than we were last year and offensively, we have a chance to be better than before. If things work out for us, 2014 could be a great year.

Catcher

The Pacers lost an all-conference player behind the plate from a season ago, but Thomas has a group that could be really good.

Ben Donath moved to the position. A season ago, Donath started 36 games while playing in 52. He boasted a .295 batting average with 10 multi-hit games.

“Ben has a chance to be really good,” Thomas stated. “He is just inexperienced right now, but he is getting better every day.”

Charles Padilla redshirted last year but is fighting for a spot at catcher.

“Charles has a chance to be a great player someday,” Thomas said.

Junior college transfer Max Schoen has a powerful bat and could make an impact for the squad.

“Max has shown great signs of being a good all-around player,” Thomas said. “He is still learning but is gaining confidence every day.”

Junior Connor Oliveri transferred in this semester. He played 18 games last year at Barry.

“Connor gives us stability as a tremendous defensive player,” Thomas stated.

First Base

Junior Ty Barkell put together an outstanding sophomore campaign as he earned first-team all-conference honors while batting .386.

“There is a lot of hype about Ty right now,” Thomas said. “He will hit in the middle of the order and is a solid defensive player. Ty has a great attitude.”

Grayson Smith saw time in 28 games last year and hit .264 after transferring from Mercer.

“We moved Grayson to first base in the fall,” Thomas stated. “We believe he can be a really good first baseman and he gives us a quality back-up player right now.”

Second Base

Ryan Metzler was an all-region player in 2013 after hitting .357 and driving in 56 runs.

“Ryan has a great attitude,” Thomas said. “You never hear a word from him as he just goes out and plays the game.”

Shortstop

Sophomore Sean Miller picked up PBC Freshman of the Year accolades a season ago after starting all 55 games and hitting .281.

“Defensively, Sean is one of the best I've ever seen,” Thomas mentioned. “Offensively he is getting better and could be extremely productive.

Rookie Corey Bryant could also see time in the middle infield.

“Corey has come on strong in the fall and has shown our coaching staff that he can play,” Thomas stated. “We are very excited about him backing up both spots in the middle infield.”

Third Base

Transfer TJ Costen should play the hot corner this year for the Pacers.

“TJ played second base early in his career and then the outfield,” Thomas said. “He fits our team for him to play third base. He worked hard in the fall learning the position and is getting better every day.”

Outfield

Transfer Matt Bosse belted three round trippers and had 17 RBI last year at Maryland while Randy Luckett earned all-region honors at USC-Lancaster in 2013. Both will be fighting for time in left field.

“Both players are middle of the order student-athletes,” Thomas said. “One would DH and the other would play in the field. Matt has great power and Randy is a great line drive hitter with some power.”

Kody Belcher, a transfer from Kennesaw State, will play in center field for the Pacers.

“Kody adds speed and is a solid defender,” Thomas stated. “He is a top-of-the-order type of player that can really run.”

Sophomore Tyler Moore batted .384 during his rookie campaign and owned a .512 slugging percentage.

“Tyler was an infielder in high school and converted to an outfielder last year,” Thomas mentioned. “He will play in right field and he can absolutely fly.”

Senior Dylan Durham played in 42 games in 2013 and batted .364. Rookie Nile Goings was tabbed a Preseason Under Armour All-American at Osbourne H.S. Both will see time in the outfield this season.

Starting Pitchers

Senior left-handed pitcher Derek Beasley earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors a season ago. He started 15 games, compiling a 9-2 mark. Junior Danny Wissman was 4-0 in 2013 and held opponents to a .225 batting average. Senior Taylor Peed worked 11.2 innings last year while starting two games.

“Derek and Danny are two lefties that have great experience,” Thomas said. “Taylor has come on strong and has a good opportunity to earn a starting role.

Nick Yobbi, Nick Hissong and Brandon Sharpe could all see time on the mound this season.

Relief Pitchers

Redshirt-sophomore Caleb Smith owned a 1.82 ERA as a freshman while tossing 24.2 innings. Seniors Kevin Gifford and Jake Padgett will also see time on the mound in the mid-to-late innings for the squad. Rookie Hunter Hubbard and senior Randy Sipp will also see playing time. 

“Our bullpen is something we are very fortunate to have,” Thomas said. “We want Caleb to be the closer. Aside from that, Hunter came on this fall and could close or be a set-up man. Randy has been resilient during his career. He is very determined. He came to USC Aiken with a chance to possibly play, but is now a solid contributor to the team.

“We have a lot of student-athletes in our bullpen that we can use every day and I'm excited about it.”

Schedule

“We are facing one of the toughest schedules we've ever had,” Thomas said. “Our four-team tournament the second week of the season takes our schedule to a whole new level of play.”

Although the schedule is tough, the Pacers play 38 home games and host the PBC Tournament. Should the pieces of the puzzle come together like Thomas envisions, USC Aiken could see itself playing in Cary, N.C., for a National Championship.