This place is going Coastal. And until the rest of the conference is willing or able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, this will remain a one-bid lead, and that bid going to the Chants. I mean there will be some dents in the armor, but when the dust settles, CCU will be crowned. I know, not shocking.

2009 in a Paragraph:
Welcome to Coastal Carolina Country. Please pay your fares at the toll booth because the Chanticleers still set the rates in this conference. They won yet another Big South title and went over 40 wins for the eight time in nine years. Nobody can come close to this kind of success, as CC won last year’s title by three and a half games on the strength of a 10-game winning streak to close BSC play. There were a few hairy moments early on when the Chants suffered series losses at Winthrop and High Point. But it was smooth sailing after that.

Conference RPI: 19

2009 Results:
1- Coastal, 21-5
2- Winthrop, 18-9
3- Liberty, 17-9
4- Radford, 16-9
5- Gardner-Webb, 13-14
6- High Point, 11-12
7- VMI, 10-15
7- Charleston Southern, 10-15
9- Presbyterian, 7-19
10- UNC-Asheville, 5-21

2010 in a Paragraph:
Probably more of the same. Sure CCU will take some hits once in a while (like when I saw them lose the series at High Point last season) but in the end, the Chants still rule this roost. But the Flames of Liberty are getting hotter and hotter and will be a burr in the CCU side, but not enough to dethrone them… yet. Look for Winthrop’s pitching will keep the Eagles in any game and should keep their 30+ wins mantra intact. Watch for Radford to pull a surprise or two that will keep them in striking range of the top. But all will be for naught as the Chanticleers will reign here again. Just assume that until further notice.

Favorite: Coastal Carolina

Contenders: Liberty, Winthrop

Darkhorse: Radford

Can’t-Miss Series of the Year: Coastal Carolina at Liberty, May 12-14.

Best Non-Conference Series: San Diego at Coastal Carolina, March 26-28.

Hot Coach: Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina

Hot Seat Coach: None

The “You Gotta See” Player: LHP Cody Wheeler, Coastal Carolina

Three Non-Conference Series Big South Opponents Better Take Seriously:
1- Coastal in Baseball at the Beach, Feb. 25-28. (UC Irvine, NC State, JMU)
2- Winthrop at Texas A&M, March 5-7.
3- Coastal in the Caravelle Classic, Feb. 19-21. (Kentucky, West Virginia, VaTech)

Three Bold Predictions:
1- Thanks to kind scheduling, CCU will coast out to a huge lead in the conference early on and then have to hold on for dear life.
2- The winner of the Liberty-Radford series in early April will be an elimination weekend of sorts, setting the winner up for a run at the BSC title.
3- Winthrop will play the biggest role in deciding who wins the conference championship, playing CCU and Liberty in the final three weeks of the season and then hosting the BSC tourney.

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- CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (16-37, 10-15)
2009 RPI: 271
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
1B Nick Chinners (.339-6-28)
UTL/RHP Patrick Dolan (.309-8-35/1-3, 7.33, 4starts)
OF/RHP Tyler Thornburg (292-12-49/4-4, 3.73.223OBA)

The Good News:
The Buccaneers showed some improvement last season, and will probably show even more in the second year of coach Stuart Lake’s campaign. It all starts with Chinners, who could post better power numbers after being nicked up a bit last year. Solid two-way players like Dolan and Thornburg will be a valuable tool for Coach Lake once again this season as they are a year better. Scotty Radabaugh (.300) and Tom Burkett (.283, 13SBs) add speed and experience to a stable outfield.

The Bad News:
Obviously, vast improvement all across the board is in imminent need, especially the spotty pitching staff, who ended the ‘09 season with a 7.00 team ERA, which included giving up more walks than any other team in the BSC with 229. Losing defensive stalwarts like C Jake Cox and SS Mark Perry (who also hit .322) is a pair of big hits.

Schedule Note:
Pile up wins late.
The Bucs have some pretty tough scraps during the season, including a nine-day stretch where they’ll travel to Florida for three and host Coastal for three. But the final four weekends of the season will see CSU host Gardner-Webb, Liberty and High Point wrapped around at trip to UNC-Asheville. So some late wins in the regular season are possible.

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- COASTAL CAROLINA (47-16, 21-5)
2009 RPI: 28
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
OF Daniel Bowman (.333-3-54)
OF Scott Woodward (.284, 30SBs)
OF Rico Noel (.315-8-45, 48SBs)
LHP Cody Wheeler (10-1, 3.83, 98Ks)
RHP Anthony Meo (9-2, 2.93)
INF Taylor Motter (.286)
RHP Austin Fleet (7-2, 3.53)

The Good News:
It’s almost become a habitual thing ‘coz you know Coastal is going to have a good team, win 50 games or so, make the NCAAs, beat some BCS snobs, etc., etc. Coach Gary Gilmore has one of the top mid-major programs in the country… or was that just stating the obvious? Sorry. I’m sure CC will treat home plate as a launching pad again, seeing that the Chants have six .300+ hitters coming back. But the most impressive part is that the basepaths are going under assault as well with they stole 121 bases last year and should do more with Noel and Woodward coming back to haunt opposing pitchers. Wheeler showed flashes of brilliance last year, including a no-hitter at Hawaii. Coastal’s incoming recruits weren’t even rated among the 100 top classes by Collegiate Baseball, yet OF Josh Conway (42nd round, Atlanta), LHP Matt Laney (42nd round, Philly) and LHP Stefan Del Pino (27th round, Cincinnati) were all drafted last June but came to school anyway.

The Bad News:
The Chants had a few lapses last season, especially on the road, as they lost three road weekends including series losses at Winthrop, Hawaii and High Point and went just 12-11 in true road contests. The relief work of Nick McCully and Bobby Gagg was part of one of the best ‘pen corps in the country. One of the best power-bats in the country, David Anderson, has gone to the pros, as has partner-in-crime Tyler Bortnick. Knock on wood, but lets hope the injury bug doesn’t bite again as Woodward and OF Chance Gilmore (.328-6-27, 12SBs) missed some games and battled nicks and bumps all season.

Schedule Note:
Home boys.
What’s the best remedy for a team that struggles on the road? How about 16 straight “home” games to start the season? Granted, a few of them will be in nearby Myrtle Beach, but you get the point. The Chanticleers will play teams like Kentucky, West Virginia, UC Irvine, N.C. State, Michigan and Illinois in a series of four pre-conference tournaments. On the down side, they’ll also play 15 of their final 22 games on the road, including trips to North Carolina and Virginia.

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- GARDNER-WEBB (25-25, 13-14)
2009 RPI: 195
Starters Returning: 2
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
LHP Brett Stackhouse (5-6, 4.27)
OF/1B Kurt Fulginiti (.370-8-39)
C Ty Boyles (.309-15-45)

The Good News:
Well at least there wasn’t a drop off last season, as GW continues to toe the Mendoza Line with .500 play. The hot hitting Bulldogs still have Fulginiti and Boyles to bash the ball around. Look for part-timer Aaron Miller, a middle-infielder who hit .365, to become a stud. The program is showing some good signs too, having started the construction of all-new John Henry Moss Stadium. Check out the artist renditions on the website. Not bad, huh?

The Bad News:
Huge amount of losses. Huge. Last year’s team was a veteran group, with four senior players named All-Big South, including 3B Justin Loyd, who hit .400. Leadoff man extraordinaire Brock Miller will also be sorely missed as a great table-setter. Almost all of the speed is gone as is most of the pitching staff. There’s plenty of work to do for Coach Rusty Stroupe and his staff.

Schedule Note:
The tough 12-game stretch.
GW will go from April 21st to May 9th and play 12 straight road games including three straight Big South road series at Charleston Southern, Liberty and High Point. Hopefully, the youthful Dogs will be seasoned enough by that time and put up a good push in the latter parts of the season.

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- HIGH POINT (21-32, 11-12)
2009 RPI: 185
Starters Returning: 4
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
C/1B Kyle Mahoney (.327)
RHP Corey Swickle (2-2, 4.81, 2svs)
OF Pablo Rosario (.279, 12SBs)
OF Max Fulginiti (.324)

The Good News:
As stated above, the one time I got the chance to see the Panthers play last season, they put a serious hurting on Coastal Carolina. So there is some hope here for a more memorable season. Mahoney is a solid leader and Rosario should improve his numbers as a potentially solid leadoff guy. Beyond Swickle, weekend starters Jamie Serber (4-4, 6.75) and Brian Jones (2-7, 7.85) are veteran arms. Watch for incoming OF Nate Roberts (48th round, Tampa Bay) who spurned the pros to come to be a Panther.

The Bad News:
Last year’s team was a senior-laden club and will miss that experience. A pair of offensive forces, Billy Alvino and Alfie Wheeler, both hit .400 last season and set the tone for the offense that hit .317. There is almost zero in the power department after HP hit just 22 home runs last season. On top of that, they didn’t steal many bases either (41). The closer role has been vacated and a stud arm must step up to replace Jeremy Berg.

Schedule Note:
A better start for sure.
After last season’s 5-14 start to the season, the 2010 season should start much smoother, with 17 of the first 19 games at home and many, many of them being more winnable. Weekend visits from Fairleigh Dickinson, Towson, Eastern Kentucky and VMI are included among them.

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- LIBERTY (33-21, 17-9)
2009 RPI: 105
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (25+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
CF Curran Redal (.380-6-42)
3B Tyler Bream (.337-8-57)
OF Doug Bream (.355-6-33)
SS Matt Williams (.288, 13SBs)
RHP Shawn Teufel (9-2, 4.33)
RHP Mark Swanson (4-0, 2.79, .230OBA)

The Good News:
Year three of the Jim Toman era is off to a good start already, as Baseball America named their recruiting class as the best in the Big South. It would be cool if the Flames could emulate that 19-5 start from last season. The double play combo of SS Williams, 2B P.J. Jimenez (.271) and 1B Trey Wimmer (.299-6-32) could secretly be one of the best in the country. Six of the top eight hitters return from a team that hit .310. Two huge additions to the pitching staff are Dustin Umberger, who went 8-3 as a weekend starter and Dane Beakler, who was 1-1, 3.51. Both players missed 2009 due to injury.

The Bad News:
Not a lot of bad news here as Coach Toman has things pointed in the right direction and goes for his third straight 30+ win season. The pitching numbers (5.27ERA) could come down a bit, but a lot of new mound workers will be counted on to mix with the vets. Also, a little better quality depth may be called for as the Flames flamed out with a 4-9 finish last season. Correct those things and Liberty could be Big Dancing again.

Schedule Note:
The right kind of challenge.
The early season schedule has a good mix of tough, but not too tough to it. Series with solid mid-majors like Kennessaw State, UNC Wilmington, St. John’s and Manhattan will keep the confidence level up. Coastal Carolina, whom the Flames went winless against last year, visits Lynchburg in mid-May. That should be interesting.

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- NORTH CAROLINA-ASHEVILLE (9-42, 5-21)
2009 RPI: 273
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
3B Cody Buch (.302 in 25 games before injury)
2B Catlin Carter (.298)

The Good News:
Former assistant coach Tom Smith takes the reigns and looks to infuse new energy into a program that was just a year removed from a 24-win season. Having a healthy Buch and more confident Carter should improve the defense exponentially so this season. OF Justin Schumer (.277-5-31) hopes to revert to his ‘08 form where he hit .326-9-50) and is also a weekend starter on the mound. Fellow OF Beau Zinman (.266-3-21) could add some gap power if the hitting becomes contagious.

The Bad News:
Unfortunately, this has become a rudderless program. From 24 wins in 2008 to just nine wins in ‘09, this is a team that succumbed to injuries and seemed to quit last season. It also cost coach Willie Stewart his job. It’s not a big shock that UNCA was at the bottom of all the Big South statistical categories in 2009, including a porous .948 defense and 8.27 team ERA.

Schedule Note:
Bring on the bottom-feeders.
With a disastrous season like the Bulldogs had in 2009, I always look to see how many winnable games early on that the team will have the next season. And luckily, there are a number of teams that finished in the second-division of their conferences, like the opening weekend at Campbell and games against Wofford, East Tennessee State, Davidson and North Carolina Central.

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- PRESBYTERIAN (13-38, 7-19)
2009 RPI: 251
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 3
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
OF/RHP Jesse Harmon (.302-7-24/4-5, 5.04)
SS Andrew Williams (.311)
OF Mack Hite (.304-5-29)

The Good News:
Well there wasn’t much difference in the Blue Hose going from the independent ranks to the Big South last season as they finished with the same number of wins in 2009 as they had in 2008, so it’s good that they weren’t overwhelmed by any means. Now it’s time to go out and get some more wins. Harmon is a great talent to have around on both sides of things. The numerous freshmen will settle in more this season, including UTL Gabe Grammer (.304-5-29/2svs), 1B Kenny Bryant (.259-8-34) and RHP Andrew Fooshee (1-7, 7.94).

The Bad News:
Well having the worst pitching staff in the Big South – at 8.54 – is something that will keep the win total to a minimum. Losing top hitters Jared Combs and Cory Lyda, a longtime stalwart in the OF, will hurt the top of the order. The staff misses a handful of innings-eaters, though considering the numbers they posted maybe it’s not the worst thing. The staff posted just 263 strikeouts and had opponents hit .338 off them. In a word, ouch.

Schedule Note:
Showing signs of life.
Presby actually beat Coastal Carolina, The Citadel and took two from UAB. Oh, they also pushed Georgia Tech to extra innings. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This year, they’ll get some chances for early wins against USC Upstate, Davidson, Mt. St. Mary’s, Eastern Kentucky and North Carolina Central. So look for early brass to be curried there for matchups later in the season against Tennessee, Coastal, Duke and Clemson.

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- RADFORD (26-24, 16-9)
2009 RPI: 144
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.):

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Aerik Taylor (5-4, 4.90)
RHP Shane Pysh (3-4, 5.94, .271OBA)
SS Jeff Kemp (.337-5-36, 13SBs)
2B Brett Mollenhauer (.306, 13SBs)

The Good News:
It could be a Rad year in the BSC. Joe Raccuia saw his charges improve their BSC mark from 9-14 in 2008 to 16-9 last year. It’s a program on the rise. And just about everyone returns to the fold, including every important pitcher on the staff. The offense hit .319 and has four .300+ hitters returning. Kemp was named BSC Rookie of the Year and is a star in the making and Reggie Keen (.325) and Tyren Rivers (.256) cover a lot of range out in the meadow. The pitching staff wasn’t deep, but incoming RHP Tim Butler, 35th round pick of the Rangers, will help a lot in that department.

The Bad News:
This was a very streaky team last season, typical of their youth. The arms corps needs to grip it just a shade more, since the 6.24 ERA won’t put them in enough winning situations (though the experience returning should allow this). The starters tended to hand out too many free passes, putting themselves in early holes. As a blur of a CF, Rivers (.256, 19SBs) needs to improve his numbers to be a bigger part of the offense with his speed.

Schedule Note:
From coast to coast.
The Highlanders will head down to the beach to begin the season in a good test vs. College of Charleston and then in weekend No. 2 they’ll play in the Charleston Firefighter Memorial Classic against Marshall, St. Joe’s and The Citadel. Then, to end the regular season, Coastal Carolina will be the opponent, but it won’t be oceanside as they Chants will come to Radford. That could be a big series with post-season ramifications.

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- VMI (18-35, 10-15)
2009 RPI: 230
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 0
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
1B Jordan Ballard (.366-11-48)
3B Tanner Biagini (.317-9-35, 50th round pick, Oakland)
SS/RHP Sam Roberts (.335-6-34/1-3, 5.96, 3svs)

The Good News:
Coach Marlin Ikenberry has a lot of good sticks to work with for 2010, especially in team leaders like Ballard and Biagini, who provide a long ball threat along with being good gap hitters. Roberts is an interesting talent, having hit .335 and started at SS. But this time around he may actually be used in the weekend rotation, with his live arm and low tendency for walks. A trio of good arms return after sitting out last season in RHP Chris Duty (5-0, 1.95 in ‘08), RHP Ryan Barefoot (1-1, 4.00 in ‘08) and LHP Jason Farley (3-2, 7.00). The incoming class of 14 newbies is well-lauded.

The Bad News:
The Cadet program dipped from a 14-7 Big South mark in ‘2008 to 10-15 last season. And on top of that, last year’s team came into the season with a wealth of experience too. This year’s team won’t have that luxury, especially with the lack of experience on the mound. Not a good sign. Friday ace Travis Smink and Saturday starter Chris Henderson will be big losses. The .953 defense is a huge concern as well, especially if Roberts spends more time on the mound and not at short.

Schedule Note:
Home heavy at the right time.
From April 23rd onward the Key-dets will play 14 home games and only two mid-week road games. But they won’t be cupcakes, since Big South favorites Coastal Carolina (Apr. 23-25) and Winthrop (May 14-16) will be two of those weekends.

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- WINTHROP (35-25, 18-9)
2009 RPI: 103
Starters Returning: 2
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
1B Matt Thielepape (.339-8-30)
OF Sean Sullivan (.327, 13SBs)
DH Eddie Rohan (.348-14-53)
RHP Matteo D’Angelo (8-3, 3.09)
RHP Tyler Mizenko (2-4, 3.77, 14svs, Frosh All Am.)

The Good News:
Great rebound last season, especially when you consider the Eagles had nearly zero coming back on the mound for 2009. Well this year, Coach Joe Hudak is grinning like the Cheshire Cat with 59 of his 60 starts returning to the mound. Coach also says this will be his deepest staff he’s had in the 19 years in Rock Hill. Staff ace D’Angelo played for the Italian National team last summer and handed the USA team its only loss in the 2007 World Championships. Bellissimo! Patterozzi had his ‘09 season cut short by injury, but before that had already beaten USC. Reliever Mizenko has incredible upside and set the school record for saves in his first year. No first-year jitters there.

The Bad News:
For as experienced as the pitching staff will be, the offense will be just the opposite, having only six players that have ever held a bat in a regular season game. In fact, seven hitters that went .290 or better have gone. C John Murrian was a four-year stalwart behind the dish which means new backstop Tyler Donovan needs to deliver right away. Hmmm, no pressure, right? Two J.C. transfers will also man the SS and 2B role in Adam Gliebe and Tyler Cook and must be up to snuff as well.

Schedule Note:
Home sweet post-season home.
Once again, the Big South tournament will be hosted by Winthrop, which means the home field advantage and sleeping in their own beds will be a luxury for that week in May. The Eagles will also have some of the usual in-season challenges, including a weekend in College Station at Texas A&M and also mid-week road games at North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.