BEAUMONT, Texas - Just two weeks remain until the 2019 season starts for Lamar University's baseball team which means it's time for another look at the roster. Today's article features an in-depth analysis of the team's outfielders, both new and returning.

RETURNING OUTFIELDERS

As discussed in Tuesday's article that took a deeper look at the infielders, Cole Coker played a utility role for Lamar in 2018, seeing action in left field and several spots in the infield. He's largely expected to move to a full-time role in the outfield this season, cementing a group that returns almost all of its starts from last season. Cole Girouard, Cole Secrest, and Avery George all come back for a 2019 campaign and all are expected to produce big numbers at the plate and be a defensive force to be reckoned with. Secrest started out his freshman campaign last season as one of the hottest bats in the country, and Girouard buoyed the team offensively through a large portion of mid-season and made several acrobatic defensive plays in center. George got his chance late in the season and didn't disappoint either, ending the year as one of Lamar's best offensive weapons.

COLE COKER – JR. – OF – HUFFMAN, TEXAS – HUFFMAN-HARGRAVE HS
Coker started all 55 games for Lamar in 2018 but where he would appear on any given day wasn't a guarantee with appearances at four different positions and six different spots in the lineup. His utility as a Swiss Army Knife for the LU coaching staff led to him being named to the All-SLC Second Team as a utility player. The junior from Huffman, Texas, hit .277 on the year with 56 hits and 24 RBIs and he totaled 18 multi-hit games in 2018 including a 3-of-4 performance against Southeastern Louisiana on March 17. Coker led the team in triples, game appearances, and starts while ranking second in total bases, at-bats, and total plate appearances. His eight-game hit streak from March 20 through March 31 was the second-longest on the team, and he was also a Texas Collegiate League All-Star, tying for sixth in doubles and sixth in RBIs and fifth in stolen bases.

"Cole Coker will most likely be our starting left fielder but he's pretty natural at 2nd base and can slide back into the infield if we need him to," said Davis.

COLE SECREST – SO. – OF – THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS – THE WOODLANDS HS
Secrest started off his Cardinal career at an incredible pace with a .636 weekend against Missouri State and Texas Southern, collecting seven hits - including two homers - with eight RBIs and a run scored. He appeared in 53 games, including 49 starts, and hit .220 on the year with 41 hits that included four doubles and three home runs. He totaled nine multi-hit games including a 5-for-5 performance at A&M-Corpus Christi on April 14 and was fifth on the team in hits. His 28 RBIs were second-most by a Cardinal, as were his three home runs, and his 206 plate appearances and 54 total bases were both fourth on the team, respectively.

"Cole Secrest has big time power potential and has significantly improved his strike zone knowledge," said Davis. "No one on our team works harder than Cole and we think he's very close to turning the corner and becoming a great hitter."

COLE GIROUARD – JR. – OF – PORT NECHES, TEXAS – PORT NECHES - GROVES HS
Girouard went from a reserve role his freshman campaign to a critical defensive presence in 2018. He appeared in 44 games with 32 starts, all in center field. He ranked third on the team in batting average, hitting .288 on the year, and he ranked third in slugging percentage, fourth in RBIs, and tied for fourth in doubles. His nine stolen bases on 11 attempts were both team bests, and his final week of April was one of the most prodigious offensive performances by a Cardinal that year. He went 12-of-23 with six runs scored and six RBIs, including two doubles, a walk, and just two strikeouts. He had 12 multi-hit games including a 5-of-7 performance at Southern on April 25 with four runs scored and three RBIs.

"Cole Girouard had somewhat of a breakout year for us last year and then followed it up with a great summer in the Coastal Plains League.," said Davis. "He is a great defender and base runner and has gotten better and better as a hitter particularly learning how to use his speed."

AVERY GEORGE – SO. – OF – HUMBLE, TEXAS – HUMBLE HS
Appearing in just 26 games, George made the best of a spot start in the closing months of the season and fought his way into a starting role with 21 starts to end the year. He hit .305 in 2018 with 25 hits, including two doubles and a triple, and he drew 13 walks while striking out just 10 times. George scored 22 runs and drove in another nine, and had his best game of the year in the final game of 2018, a 4-for-4 performance against McNeese that cemented Lamar's sweep of their rival for the first time in a decade. He was one of just three Cardinals with a triple in 2018 and stole seven bases, the second-most by any Big Red bat.

"Avery George had a phenomenal freshman year and has continued to build off that. He has great strike zone discipline and has really learned to use his speed to his advantage," said Davis.

NEWCOMERS
 
Just two additions were made to the outfield in the offseason with Reese Durand and Tyler Smith joining the Cardinal ranks out of high school.

REESE DURAND – FR. – OF – JASPER, TEXAS – JASPER HS
Rated as the 111th-best player in the state of Texas by Prep Baseball Report, Durand is a four-year letterman in baseball and a three-year letterwinner in football. He led Jasper High School to the playoffs in each of his four seasons including a second round appearance his freshman season, a fourth round appearance in his sophomore year, the first round in his junior campaign, and the state semi-finals in his senior season. Durand was named the Newcomer of the Year in 2015, First Team All-District in 2016, Defensive MVP in 2017, and District MVP in 2018.

"Reese was the first person that we offered in the 2018 class," said Davis. "He has game changing speed and has already shown an elite glove in center field. He reminds me of a kid that I coached at LSU named Andrew Stevenson who is already in the big leagues and really fits the profile of the type of athlete that we are trying to build this program around."

TYLER SMITH – FR. – OF – SCHERTZ, TEXAS – SAMUEL CLEMENS HS
Smith ranks as the 94th-best player in the state of Texas according to Prep Baseball Report coming into his freshman season at Lamar. He hit .310 with two home runs and 19 RBIs as a sophomore and scored 18 runs while drawing 13 walks that year. His batting average rose nearly 100 points the following season to .404 with eight doubles, four triples, four home runs and 25 RBIs. He led his prep squad to a District title and was also the team captain in football.

"Tyler was probably our favorite player on the recruiting circuit last summer," said Davis. "His energy and toughness are an infectious combo. I feel like Tyler is the total package, he is already a physical specimen that has power and speed and a knack for finding the barrel. Tyler plays strong safety for his high school football team and has the speed to play center field but likely profiles as a corner outfielder."

UP NEXT – CATCHERS
The next position preview will come next week when LamarCardinals.com examines the catchers.