BEAUMONT, Texas - With the 2019 season just over three weeks away, it's now time for a breakdown of the Lamar University baseball roster. Today's article will focus on the largest position group, the 20 pitchers who make up over half of the 2019 squad. 13 of the pitchers are right-handed and seven are southpaws.

"[Pitching Coach] Sean Snedeker did a great job with a relatively young staff last year," said head coach Will Davis. "With almost everyone back I think our pitching staff has a chance to be a real strength for us."

"This year's pitching staff is a nice blend of quality veteran returners and talented freshmen newcomers," said Snedeker. "We return two of our weekend starters, senior LHP's Jason Blanchard and Noah Sills, along with relief pitcher Ryan Erickson. Also in the mix for significant innings who return from last year are LHP's Grason Wright and Taylor Rich as well as RHP's Jack Dallas and Douglas Palmer. We are excited about a very talented group of freshmen pitchers as well. LHP Dylan Johnson, who led the state of Texas in strikeouts last year, has impressed so far and will compete for a significant role. We also have a few guys with talent who, if they put it all together, will help us win as well."
 
RETURNING PITCHERS

Nine pitchers return from the 2018 squad that struck out 258 batters while walking just 124, an incredible 2.08 strikeouts per walked batter. Over 57 percent of last season's wins and 67 percent of 2018's saves are back for the 2019 campaign including Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference reliever Ryan Erickson and starters Noah Sills and Jason Blanchard. In addition, Brendan Dunkleberger, Douglas Palmer, and Erik Key each sat out the 2018 season as redshirts and all will have a chance to compete for a role in the upcoming season. A few notes about each of the returning lettermen follows below.

RYAN ERICKSON - SR. - RHP - BEAUMONT, TEXAS - LUMBERTON HS
Erickson returns after a spectacular season that saw him record one of the best ERAs in the conference and a team-leading 60 strikeouts. The senior rightie had an incredible April - putting up a 0.90 ERA through 20 innings with 28 strikeouts to just 10 hits and four walks. He had a 0.143 opposing batting average, two saves, and a win that month. Erickson is second among all returning pitchers in the NCAA in leadoff out percentage - getting an out 86.84 percent of the time.

NOAH SILLS - SR. - LHP - HONOLULU, HAWAII - ALVIN JC (MID-PACIFIC HS)
Sills transferred to Lamar after two seasons at Alvin JC where he posted a 10-2 record in two seasons with 70 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 80 innings. The Hawaii native continued that impressive performance in his first year with Lamar - striking out 50 batters while racking up a 3.00 ERA in 78.0 innings of work. He went at least 5.0 innings in 10 of 14 starts, including a career-best 7.1 innings against McNeese on May 18.

JASON BLANCHARD - SR. - LHP - KINGWOOD, TEXAS – McCLENNAN JC (KINGWOOD PARK HS)
Blanchard came to Lamar from McClennan Community College where he played one season after playing at Rhode Island his freshman year. Blanchard was a force coming out of high school with a 0.99 ERA and a 17-5 record, earning All-District nods twice and a First-Team All-Area selection. He returned to form in his first season with Lamar, starting in 12 of his 13 appearances. He ranked second on the team in ERA among qualifying pitchers (3.49) and in starts (12), and he allowed just 20 walks with a .269 opposing batting average. He worked through 59.1 innings with 50 strikeouts.

GRASON WRIGHT - R-JR. - LHP - WARR ACRES, OKLA. - SEMINOLE JC (PUTNAM CITY HS)
Wright was playing well before an arm injury ended his season early. He worked a 4.61 ERA through 13.2 innings with 13 batters while allowing just 15 hits and six walks. He threw a career-best 4.0 innings against Hofstra, striking out three while allowing four hits, no walks, and no runs. He was 5-0 with five saves in his career at Seminole State, averaging 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He was a Golden Glove pitcher at SSC with 68 strikeouts in 40 innings of work.

TAYLOR RICH - SR. - LHP - LOVELADY, TEXAS - SAN JACINTO JC (LOVELADY HS)
Rich had a great high school career with a 2.57 ERA through 12 appearances, then an arm injury in high school detoured Rich from playing at Texas A&M to a stint at San Jacinto JC. Rich had a great season in his year as a Cardinal, appearing in 11 games including two starts. He struck out 12 batters while walking nine in 16 innings of work and had one of his best games at #19 Texas, throwing three innings of three-hit baseball while allowing one earned run and striking out four. He faced several Power 5 opponents including Texas, LSU, and TCU and other notable baseball programs like Tulane and Rice.

KRISTJAN STORRIE – SR. – RHP – LANGLEY, BC, CANADA – GALVESTON CC (LANGLEY)
Storrie is one of two Canadian-born student-athletes on the team and came into Lamar with big expectations, ranked as one of the best pro prospects by Perfect Game after his two impressive seasons at Galveston CC where he recorded 14 saves and struck out 58 in 51.1 innings of work. He struggled a bit in his first season with the Cards, recording a 7.00 ERA, but he appeared in 17 games, finishing the year with a 1-1 record and one save. He had a perfect ERA through his first three appearances, striking out four while allowing just two hits and one walk.
 
JACK DALLAS – SO. – RHP – ORANGE, TEXAS – WEST ORANGE-STARK HS
Dallas is a bit of a local legend with three consecutive state championship appearances, including two state titles, in football and a state title in baseball in his three seasons as a varsity starter at West Orange-Stark High School in Orange, Texas. The sophomore redshirted his first season at Lamar as a member of the football team but made an immediate impact on the Cardinal baseball squad. In his 23 games at LU he worked a 3.59 ERA through 42.2 innings of work, tying for second on the team in wins, total appearances, and relief appearances. He led Lamar in batters struck out looking and allowed no hits in three of his final four appearances.
 
ABEREE HIEBERT – SR. – LHP – BAYTOWN, TEXAS – TYLER JC (STERLING HS)
Hiebert had a rather notable junior college career at Tyler JC, pitching in the 2017 NJCAA World Series where he recorded a win in 6 and 2/3 innings, surrendering five hits, tow walks, and one unearned run while striking out eight. He finished his JuCo career with a 7-2 record in 23 appearances, including 10 starts. He appeared in seven games in his first year at Lamar with a 4.00 ERA through 9.0 innings of work before an injury ended his season.
 
MARCUS OLIVAREZ – SO. – RHP – COLUMBUS, TEXAS – COLUMBUS HS
Olivarez came to Lamar as a First Team All-District outfielder and a two-time All-Academic honoree and transitioned into a relief pitcher role his freshman season, appearing in 18 games. He worked a 5.40 ERA through 20.0 innings of work, striking out 15 batters. His 18 appearances were the third-most on the team in relief.

DOUGLAS PALMER – R-JR. – RHP – DENTON, TEXAS – BROOKHAVEN HC (GUYER HS)
After he redshirted in 2018, Palmer is expected to make a larger impact in 2019. He came to Lamar from Brookhaven JC, where he helped lead his team to a regional runner-up finish. He appeared in 16 games at Brookhaven, recording three saves in 54.1 innings of work. He struck out 68 batters.

BRENDAN DUNKLEBERGER – R-FR. – RHP – NEDERLAND, TEXAS - NEDERLAND HS
A redshirt in 2018, Dunkleberger came to Lamar after earning All-District honors at Denton Guyer High School. He was a 17U WWBA Perfect Game All-American honorable mention in sophomore and junior years and was the District 22-5A Newcomer of the Year as a freshman.

ERIK KEY - R-JR. - RHP - KELLER, TEXAS - PANOLA JC (FOSSIL RIDGE HS)
A member of the team in 2018 that didn't see on-the-field action, Key came to Lamar from Panola JC where he put up a 2-1 record with one save in 20.1 innings. He struck out 21 batters in 14 appearances and earned a spot in the Texas-New Mexico All-Star Game.  
 
NEWCOMERS
 
Of the 16 total newcomers to Lamar's roster for 2019, half are pitchers. Those new Cardinals include freshmen Josh Hranicky, Dylan Johnson, AJ Ozorio-Brace, Braydon Credeur, and Jared Mack and junior college transfers Luke Baley, Garrett Hofstad, and Austin Smith. Both the freshman and JuCo classes have received nationwide preseason attention.
 
JOSH HRANICKY – FR. – LHP – PORT NECHES, TEXAS – PORT NECHES-GROVES HS
A high school teammate of Cole Girouard and Logan LeJeune, Hranicky enters college ranked as the 12th-best incoming freshman in the Southland Conference by Perfect Game and as the 69th-best player in the state of Texas by Prep Baseball Report. He's a Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American and one of the nation's best 500 players. He guided PN-G to the 2017 state title and was the 5-A State Pitcher of the Year and garnered Second Team All-District honors at first base. Hranicky also performed well on the football field with an honorable mention all-district nod.
 
 
DYLAN JOHNSON – FR. – LHP – SPLENDORA, TEXAS – SPLENDORA HS
Johnson was a four-year letterman in baseball and three years in basketball in high school, and steadily improved in each of his seasons on the mound – turning a 2015 Second Team All-District nod as a rookie into leading the state of Texas in strikeouts his senior year. He worked a career 2.32 ERA through 136 innings of work with 248 strikeouts while walking just 99 with 45 earned runs. He allowed just 69 hits in 623 career batters faced. His 0.81 ERA through 52 innings his senior season was one of the best in the state, and he struck out 111 batters while walking just 25 in 2018, an impressive 4.44 strikeouts to batters walked ratio.
 
AJ OZORIO-BRACE – FR. – RHP – KATY, TEXAS – CINCHO RANCH HS
The 122nd-best student-athlete in the state of Texas according to Prep Baseball Report, Ozorio-Brace was a three-year letterwinner at Cinco Ranch High School. He was a two-time Perfect Game National All-Tournament team selection and a 2017 Honorable Mention Perfect Game All-American.
 
BRAYDON CREDEUR – FR. – RHP – NEDERLAND, TEXAS – NEDERLAND HS
Named a Top Freshman in the Southland Conference by Perfect Game and rated as the 123rd-best student-athlete and 60th-best right-handed pitcher in the state of Texas, Credeur comes to Lamar with plenty of preseason notoriety. He earned a Perfect Game Underclassmen All-American nod and was a member of the Perfect Game All-Tournament team and was a three-time All-District honoree.
 
JARED MACK – FR. – RHP – MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS – RIDGE POINT HS
Mack comes to Lamar as the 51st best player overall and 27th best right-handed pitcher in the state of Texas according to Perfect Game. He earned First Team All-State honors at Ridge Point High School and was named to the All-Greater Houston Team as a junior and was named the 2019 Best Freshman Prospect in the Southland Conference by Perfect Game. He is a three-time District Champion and advanced to the fourth round of the state playoffs in 2018 and the second round in 2018.
 
LUKE BALEY – SO. – RHP – MAGNOLIA, TEXAS – HILL JC (MAGNOLIA WEST HS)
Baley appeared in 18 games across two seasons at Hill Junior College, striking out 47 batters in just 34.2 innings of work. He was named a Perfect Game Impact Junior College transfer and to the Rocky Mountain League All-Star Team in the NCAA-sanctioned wood bat summer leagues.
 
GARRETT HOFSTAD – JR. – RHP – MIDLOTHIAN, TEXAS – NCTC (MIDLOTHIAN HS)
Hofstad appeared in eight games in the 2016-17 season with three wins and four losses, carrying a 4.17 ERA through 41.0 innings of work. He was a member of the NJCAA All-Star team after striking out 48 batters while walking just 19.
 
AUSTIN SMITH – SR. – RHP – HUFFMAN, TEXAS – UIC (HUFFMAN-HARGRAVE HS)
Smith sat out last season at Lamar after two years at Illinois-Chicago (UIC). He racked up a 1-1 record at UIC, allowing less than 10 runs in his entire career with the Flames. He went to UIC after one season at Temple JC. Smith held a 10-2 record as senior at Huffman-Hargrave High School, striking out 108 batters, the fourth-most in Texas. He tossed nine complete games as a senior including six shutouts, and was a TSWA and THSCBCA All-State First Team member.

"This pitching staff has worked very hard this fall and have developed nicely," said Snedeker. "They are ready to get started and we are looking forward to coaching them up and watching them compete."

UP NEXT – INFIELDERS
The next position preview will come next week when LamarCardinals.com examines the seven infielders on the roster.